Three Sooke STARR relay teams raced on Remembrance Day.
While the rest of Canada gently falls under a blanket of snow, runners on the West Coast can keep on pounding the good earth with their running shoes.
The 17th Annual Harrier Thetis Lake 20K Relay was held on 11 November at 1 PM under excellent fall conditions. There were 92 teams of 4 runners/walkers in 18 age groups assembled at Thetis Lake. Each runner ran 5K around the main Thetis Lake trail.. The Sooke Trail and Road Runners (STARR) had 3 teams entered in this fall cross-country classic. Leading the Starr’s were the Senior Mixed team “ Foxes and Hounds” who had Amanda Johnston, Calvin Cormier, Tory Van Elk and Claude LaForce. They finished 6th in a field of 19 and 27th overall (OA) with an excellent time of 1:28:55. Next in were the Super Veterans Team “Casket Ready” who had Vince Trahan, Danny Eddy, Bruce Hawkes and Mark Zeigler. This senior team of 60+ men finished 2nd in a field of 3 in 1:52:28 and 76th OA. Hot on their heels was the Veteran Mixed Team “Not All Bags”. The team consisted of Jackie Eddy, Sharon Cormier, Melanie Cunningham and Rhiannon James. They completed their 20K in 1:52:42 and 77th OA and 3rd in a field of 5. The Super Veteran’s team also won the best team name honours with “Casket Ready.”
The next Thetis Lake event happens as the blanket on the rest of Canada thickens: Lace up and run in the 10th annual Steward Mountain 10 or five mile X-Country Challenge, happening on December 14 later this year.
With notes from Vince Trahan