To those of you in awe of anyone who trains for and completes a marathon without ending up in a medical tent, let me set you straight – any race is worthy of respect.
Many people train damn hard to get to the start and finish line of their local 5K or 10K. And at every race, there are 15-year-olds, 30-year-olds and 65-year-olds looking to have their best race.
And so it was at Sunday’s first event in the annual Frontrunners Island Race Series, the Harriers Pioneer 8K. This is the 34th year for the eight races of varying distances held over three months from Sooke to Courtenay/Comox.
This is my first year participating and as anyone will tell you, this first one is a killer – coming early in the year after the holidays, it’s a slap to the spandex.
Like many Greater Victoria recreational runners, I usually start a regular program of running in the January aiming for the TC 10K in late April or a half-marathon in May or June. So the idea of participating in a race almost every other Sunday is a fresh way to mix things up – or as my family would say – ‘Really? Don’t you run enough?’ or as my friends would say – ‘You did a marathon, doesn’t that mean you can stop running now?’
But here’s the thing – every race has a different personality. That’s why I bring you Ten Ways that the Harriers Pioneer 8K is better than the NYC marathon.
1. It is shorter.
2. You don’t have to take a subway, then a ferry then a chartered bus to the start village. Saanichton IS a village.
3. At the Saanich Fairgrounds, you can stroll into the race start area without going through a police security check point and metal detector.
No security checkpoints, no porta potties, no gear check.
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4. Real washrooms instead of portable plastic closets with urinals.
5. You can stow your gear inside the community hall like you’re at your kids’ basketball game without an endless line-up for gear-check storage.
6. You will likely see a familiar face at the 8K that has a family-like atmosphere with 600 participants, not 50,000-plus.
Hey! - I know you
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7. The rural course takes you past rolling pastures that evoke images of a gentler time, not strife and skyscrapers.
Not a skyscraper in sight
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8. No news helicopters hovering overhead disturbing the locals.
9. You can see each and every one of the roadside spectators. And they can see you.
Fewer participants means they're easy to spot in the "crowd" of 600 especially as they near the finish line.
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10. It is shorter.
P.S. — A Canadian 8K age category record was set by Maurice Tarrant, for whom they had to create a new age division in the series this year — M85-89. At the awards ceremony, people were on their feet cheering when Tarrant came forward. He has completed over 150 Island Series races in the last 30 years and has finished in first place in his age category 300 consecutive times, including all of his other races on Vancouver Island. Read a proud account of his running abilities by his daughter Claire here.
Maurice was greeted at the finish line by his daughter and a friend after setting a Canadian record for 8K in his age division, yet one more title for the octogenarian
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Maurice ran 50:02, or ‘net time’ of 49:54. The previous record was 54:03. I barely finished ahead of Maurice with a net time of 46:48 and I’m 30 years younger. Seeing all of the masters runners was inspiring. I doubt that I’ll ever, ever place in my age division again (see previous post about a very small race in Hawaii) but I don’t need to. It’s enough to keep running as long as I can.
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