ROYAL VICTORIA MARATHON
October
7, 2007
The Royal Victoria Marathon at Victoria, British Columbia, on Vancouver Island has been an annual favorite of mine since I first ran it in 1989. That year, as a 60 year old, I ran my fastest one of the 18 marathons there in a time of 3:12:59. While my marathon times have slowed by two or more hours since my first Victoria race, I still savor the experience. Lenore had her cardiologist’s approval to travel as she recuperates from open-heart by-pass surgery on July 10th, and she handled the trip well.
On Saturday, the day before the October 7, 2007, marathon and other races, we attended the packet pickup/expo at the Victoria Conference Centre. This was well-organized and worthwhile. We enjoyed talking with Jacqui Sanderson, race director of the Calgary Marathon, Evan Fagan, committee member of the Royal Victoria Marathon, Geoffrey Buttner, start/finish director of the Vancouver Marathon and many others while at the expo.
We stayed for the Speakers Series sessions and liked all three of them. Amby Burfoot, an executive director of Runners World magazine at Emmaus, Pennsylvania, was a featured speaker. He told a riveting story about running the Boston Marathon in 1968 as a 21 year old college student. He was running in the lead pack in the early miles and surged ahead to thin out the pack. To his chagrin, only one runner, Bill Clark, went with him, and Amby became the race leader. He tried to break contact with Bill in the Newton Hills and did so on the last one at the 21 Mile mark by Boston College. He expected to be passed in the last five miles, but he persevered and won the race in 2:22:17 with a 32 second lead over Bill Clark.
Next on our agenda was the Carbo Gala Dinner at the Fairmont Empress Hotel, a historical landmark overlooking the harbor. Steve King, the finish line announcer and emcee at the dinner introduced Lenore and me to the audience, which we appreciated. He mentiond that there were 9,500 participants in the marathon, half marathon, 8K road race and the kids run. In 2001, I was injured and it was interesting to be a spectator watching these various events start and finish.
The dinner is one of the best carbo-loading dinners that we go to during the year. The food, service, speakers and company were just great. At our table we were joined by four runners……..Ran Applegarth of Surrey, BC, Shelley Kerr of Moose Jaw, SK, Warren Gootz of St. Albert, AB, and elite runner Brett Winegar of Shoreline, WA. Our friends Bill Schnitzler from Calgary, AB, Carol Campbell of Olympia, WA, and race director Rob Reid stopped at our table to say hello and visit awhile. Lenore and I were both lucky winners of drawing prizes. I won a Timex watch and she won a gift certificate for two persons for two nights at the Harbour Towers Victoria Hotel!!
On marathon weekend we stay at the Embassy Inn, and our room is the closest one to the starting line of the race. On Sunday morning we heard the announcer release the early starters of the marathon at 6:30 a.m. I looked out the door at that time and watched them leave in the dark……temperature in the 50’s, no wind and a light rain falling.
I left the hotel room and watched as hundreds of runners and walkers began their half marathon in daylight drizzle at 7:30 a.m. Then at 8:15 a.m. Lenore and I joined the marathoners and found a cluster of about six Marathon Maniacs for some last minute introductions and conversation. Once the gun went off at 8:30 a.m. it took only a minute to reach the timing mats. We were off……to pass the Parliament Building, the Empress Hotel, the Inner Harbour, on to downtown Victoria and then to the suburbs and countryside. A run through spacious Beacon Hill Park at 5K was pleasant. This was followed by a run on bluffs and several coves that overlooked the ocean.
My run was going well, and I enjoyed the cool rain as a contrast to my previous summer marathons that were sunny and too warm. By the 9th mile I noticed that the field had thinned and I could only see a few runners ahead of me in downtown Oak Bay Village. By the 11th mile at Victoria Golf Course on a long hill, I could see no one behind me and only one male runner in the distance ahead. I keyed in on him and finally caught up with him in the 13th mile. He was struggling, so I wished him well and ran on.
After that, the only runners I saw were on the opposite side of the street of this out-and-back area. These runners would run sub-four hour marathons. I passed the halfway timing mat at 2:36:12 and went on to the turn-around in the 15th mile. Then in the 17th mile I caught up with the back of the pack and passed a few runners that I stayed ahead of until the finish. In the last 10K, except for the steeper hills, I ran most of the time.
The 25th mile was downhill, and the rest of the course was level. Announcer Steve King said nice things about me as I finished. It was good to see Lenore waiting for me with a hug, a finishers medal and a heat sheet. My time was 5:33:59 (12:45 pace), 1,880 of 1,979 marathon finishers. Apparently, I had a faster time that some early starters. I finished second in the 75-79M division.
The race was won by Steve Osaduik, 25+, of Nanaimo, BC, with a time of 2:20:14. Last year in more favorable weather he set a new course record by running a 2:16:45. The second and third place finishers were from Vancouver, BC. They were Graeme Wilson, 35+, with a 2:29:40 and Anthony Skuce, 40+, with a 2:32:40.
Defending her title as the women’s winner for the third consecutive year, Suzanne Evans, 35+, of New Westminster, BC, ran a 2:45:38. Wendy Terris, 35+, of Milwaukie, OR, ran a 2:49:57 and was followed by Constance Hui, 20+, of Vancouver, BC, with a 3:02:34.
Congratulations to the following: (1) Murray Andrews, 75+, of Vashon Island, WA, who won the 75-79M division with a fine time of 4:15:48. (2) Dan Cumming, 60+, of Vancouver, BC, for running the half marathon in 2:09:39. He and Steve King, are co-editors of the book Running in the Zone that was published in 2005. At their request, I wrote a chapter for this book. (3) Amby Burfoot, 60+, of Emmaus, PA, for running the 8K in 32:08, placing 51st of 1,756 overall and first of 43 in the 60-64M age division. He ran a 4:01 per kilometer pace (close to a 6 minute mile).
Thanks go to Race Director Rob Reid, the organizing committee, the many volunteers and the Victoria police who made the 28th annual Royal Victoria Marathon a great event. It was well organized, and there were many benefits provided to the participants. We’ll be back next year!!!
………………………………..Written by Bob Dolphin
Edited, Typed and Distributed by Lenore Dolphin
2:20:14 Steve Osaduik, 25+, Nanaimo, BC. OVERALL WINNER, Age Division First
2:29:40 Graeme Wilson, 35+, Vancouver, BC, Second
Overall, 1st
2:32:40 Anthony Skuce, 40+, Vancouver, BC, Third
Overall, 1st
2:40:46 Brett Winegar, 25+, Shoreline, WA, Sixth Overall, 2nd
2:45:38 Suzanne Evans, 35+, New Westminster, BC, FIRST
WOMAN OVERALL, 1st
2:49:57 Wendy Terris, 35+, Milwaukie, OR, Second
Woman Overall, 2nd
3:02:34 Constance Hui, 20+, Vancouver, BC, Third
Woman Overall, 1st
3:29:26 Jon Mahoney, 55+, Vernon, BC, Marathon Maniac (MM)
3:30:00 Sherry Mahoney, 40+, Vernon, BC, MM
3:35:35 Al Harman, 45+, West Vancouver, BC, MM
3:37:28 Michael Rasmussen, 45+, Bremerton, WA, MM
3:43:30 Bill Schnitzler, 60+, Calgary,
AB
3:49:35 Robert Jacobsen, 45+, Mt. Vernon, WA, MM
3:53:18 Dale Shoup, 60+, Edmonds, WA, MM
4:00:16 Steve White, 50+, Seattle, WA, MM
4:08:03 Mae Palm, 65+, Squamish, BC, 1st
4:09:04 Janet Green, 50+, Courtenay, BC (She ran the St. George Marathon in Utah the day before
with a sub 4 hour race!)
4:10:52 Shelley Kerr, 45+, Moose Jaw, SK
4:13:13 Jeffrey Roger, 45+, Bainbridge Island, WA, MM
4:15:05 Carol Campbell, 30+, Olympia, WA
4:15:43 David Stout, 50+, Renton, WA, MM
4:15:48 Murray Andrews, 75+, Vashon Island, WA, 1st
4:29:18 Malcolm Anderson, 45+, Village of Yarker, ON, MM
4:31:13 Brian Jackson, 45+, New Orleans, LA, MM
5:07:26 Jerry Lawrence, 65+, New Westminster, BC
5:33:59 Bob Dolphin, 78, Renton/Yakima, WA, MM, 2nd
5:53:39 Virginia Farneman, 70+, Powell, OH, 2nd
6:07:34 Cynthia Witman, 50+, Walla Walla, WA, MM
9:12:16 Terry Wilson, 40+, Nanaimo, BC