Vancouver Marathon, May 5, 2013

Congratulations to Adam Frilund and Joey Gargaro for completing the full marathon distance on an uncomfortably warm day. Adam set a big PB with his finishing time of 2:52:24, good enough for 30th overall! Adam is on a roll this spring and he's only going to get better.

This was Joey's first marathon, and he was proud to finish (in 4:36) in spite of having to walk a little because of injury problems.

5 Peaks Trail Race Series #1, Golden Ears, May 11, 2013

Vas Sladek was pleased to tell me about another podium finish of his, as he was third male 40–49 in an 8.8K trail race, the first race in the 5 Peaks Trail Series. The photo shows the finish area in Golden Ears park. Vas was an excellent 11th out of 208 finishers overall.

Pretty nice medal, I'd say!

 

Vas shakes hands with a fellow trail runner.

Phoenix at the Vancouver Sun Run, April 21, 2013

 

We Phoenixers can be proud of our small club’s performances at last Sunday’s Vancouver Sun Run. Highlights were Dave Frilund and Gunther Bauer’s fourth place age group finishes. Congratulations also to Adam Frilund and Steve Chapman for their new 10K PBs! Steve’s is especially noteworthy as he took an astonishing eleven minutes off his previous 10K best, even though he started in the “Greens” and had to fight his way through thousands of runners.

Larry, Dave and Adam in their Boston blue-and-yellow after the finish

Larry Lorette turned in another fine performance with a 35:54, while Chris Tomkinson, running with “dead legs from cycling” still managed a 36:50. Meanwhile, two of the more senior members of our club, John Woodcock and Vic Suddaby, managed to squeak under the one-hour mark, proving the value of a strong competitive spirit!

Doug Alward (longtime former Phoenixer) also ran in the Sun Run, but under an alias for a team who needed a runner at the last minute. Doug told me he was on pace for about a 35:30 at the 8K mark, but for mysterious reasons he chose to jog in slowly after the bridge.

You can watch our Phoenix members in action by following Keith Dunn’s video coverage from the Cambie St. bridge, where he was positioned at about the 9K mark. There are three videos:

1. A  5-minute “Highlights” version of the race showing the top competitors.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PbImn6M0hw&feature=youtu.be

2. A 24-minute video showing finishers who completed the 10K in about 50 minutes or less. In this video you can see Adam at about 32:05 on the video’s race-time clock, Doug at 33:00, Larry at 33:30, Dave at 35:26, and Kyle at 36:26. Where is Chris?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ea84y62ugl8&feature=youtu.be

3. Another long video showing finishers who completed the 10K in between about 50 minutes and  1hr13 minutes. Steve appears in this video at about 53:36 on the gun-time clock (though he ran much faster by chip time). John W. and Vic should also be in this video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETsO4pPwWSA

I've summarized our club's results below. If any other club members competed in the Sun Run, please let me know and send me your results.

 

Name	Time	Place in Category (if top ten)
Adam Frilund	34:27
Larry Lorette	35:54	6
Chris Tomkinson	36:50	8
Dave Frilund	38:13	4
Kyle Smith	39:14	9
Steve Chapman	45:06
Gunther Bauer	49:18	4
John Woodcock	59:14
Vic Suddaby	59:30

March 30, 2013 MEC 10K #2, North Vancouver

Vas Sladek stands proudly with competitor Gordon Flett after winning his age division at MEC's second 5k/10k race weekend. Vas reports that he ran a PB for 10K in this race, going under 45 minutes! The MEC races are fun, simple, and inexpensive, costing only $15.

Vas is definitely spreading the fame of the Phoenix club as he is our most prolific racer by far! Last weekend Vas raced in the String Run-off 8K in Stanley Park, the first 2013 race of the Canada Running Series. He won a third place age division ribbon at this BC Championship event, his first BC Athletics ribbon. Congratulations, Vas!

 

March 16, 2013 St. Patrick's Day 5K, Stanley Park

This fun race, with over 1,800 finishers and tons of prizes, was attended by avid Phoenix competitors Dave Frilund and Vaclav Slavek. Dave ran a time of 19:02 on this tough course with a big uphill at the end. That was good enough for second place in his age division. Vas raced to a respectable 21:43. View complete results here. Also, be sure to watch Keith's highlights video of the race here.

Link for video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n--uGS9co6E&feature=youtu.be

Link for results: http://startlinetiming.com/races/2013/stpat/

80% of the runners at the St. Patrick's 5K were in costume!

Dave Frilund

 

March 2, 2013 Dave Reed Classic 5K, Stanley Park

Phoenix had a good turnout for this race, put on by the VFAC club and named in memory of our former Phoenix and VFAC teammate Dave Reed. We had seven people competing on a typical Vancouver morning of mild temperatures and light rain. Keith and I were also there to videotape the race and Warren came out to cheer although a persistent calf injury kept him out of the race.

It was easy to spot those good-looking Phoenix red singlets! However, a couple of club members were not wearing them, and were difficult to see—you know who you are!

Special congratulations to Adam Frilund and Mary Gargaro who set PBs in this race! Phoenix results are summarized in the table below. You can view the complete results here. Also be sure to watch Keith's three videos of the race! He has already posted a "long video" and "short video". He is currently working on a video that will showcase Phoenix members exclusively—to be posted soon.

Name	Time	Place in Category
Adam Frilund	17:24	3 (8th overall)
Larry Lorette	17:55	1 (10th overall)
Dave Frilund	19:15	1
Anna Hilborn	21:34	5
Joey Gargaro	21:40	11
Vas Sladek	22:01	6
Mary Gargaro	26:38	6

 

February 24, 2013 Fort-2-Fort 5K, Langley

Thanks to Vas Sladek for his report from the Fort-2-Fort 5K cross-country race in Langley. Vas bravely ran this event in the pouring rain one day after our Phoenix Chase Run. He finished fourth in his age group with a time of 22:15. More importantly, he told me he was happy about the mud pit on the course!

February 23, 2013 Phoenix 5K Handicapped Chase Run

You can view the complete results (by order of finish and by age-graded percentage) here. Video should be posted by late Saturday evening!

February 10, 2013 "First Half" Half Marathon

Phoenix members put on a great show at the First Half popular Half Marathon yesterday. The most impressive performances were those of father-and-son Dave and Adam Frilund. Dave won the 55–59 age category in a time of 1:25:04. Adam had tons left at the finish, as he sprinted powerfully by elite masters runner Lisa Harvey just before the line.

You can enjoy watching the Phoenix runners, as well as the race leaders, in these videos by Keith Dunn:

Adam Frilund (with Lisa Harvey) and Larry Lorette finishing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rQ5ag-LCoA

Five-minute video of the start, 1.5 km mark and top finishers (men and women). This is mostly in slow motion. The finish starts at 3:30 into the video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvILFDt1w9E

Long version of First Half. Finish starts 6:15 into the 14 minute video. This one gives you some excellent closeups ofr the runners.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_H9LediOSbU&feature=youtu.be

Thanks to Larry Lorette for sending me the Phoenix results, summarized in the table below. You can view the complete race results here.

Name	Time	Place in Age Group
Adam Frilund	1:20:00
Larry Lorette	1:20:11	3
Chris Tomkinson	1:22:43	4
Dave Frilund	1:25:03	1
Beth Bentley	1:25:57
Matt Sessions	1:27:06
Peggy Brown	1:55:40

Chris Tomkinson wearing a "vintage" Phoenix t-shirt. Photo by Mike Palichuk.

February 3, 2013 Aldergrove Mud Run 8K

Vas Slavek writes, "I normally enter all races with the word "mud" in their title. Sadly, this race didn't have any mud; it was in great shape with nice walking trails and some grass, gently rolling and winding through the park. There was one real climb at the 1km mark.
I felt much better than at the Steveston 8km road race. I finished 34/141 overall, 7th in the 40-49 age group, with 37:40, and I really enjoyed the race."

Thanks for the report, Vas. I notice this race didn't stop you from doing the Cloverleaf workout with the club the day before, either!

January 27, 2013 Icebreaker 8K, Steveston

Several Phoneix members competed in the first event of the Lower Mainland Road Racing Series. They were led by Larry Lorette, who won his age category, placing 24th overall in a time of 29:03. Adam Frilund (29:24) had a rare victory over his father Dave (31:08) who grabbed a third place finish in his age group. Joey Gargaro ran a solid time of 35:01, and new club member Vaclav Sladek finished in 36:50.

View complete race results here.

I came across this photo of our own Matt Sessions with Mel Boss before the start of their 100-miler HURT race in Hawaii. This photo was in Mel's blog article about the race, which you can read here.

Perhaps Matt will send me more information about his own race.

December 2, 2012 California International Marathon

Larry Lorette, Maureen Curtin, and Dave Frilund were in Sacramento this weekend, competing in the marathon after a fall of hard, consistent training together. The weather there was uncharacteristically rainy and cool. Larry had an outstanding race, demonstrating that his time off with an injured hamstring hadn't hurt him too much. He ran 2:49:39 to place second in the 45–49 age group and 98th overall out of over six thousand runners! Dave also had a solid race. His 3:03:55 was good enough for fourth place in the 55–59 age group. I was surprised to see Maureen's name in the results because I didn't know she had planned to run the marathon! It may have been a last-minute decision, but Maureen completed the race in 3:44:50 to place 31st in the 45–49 age division.

December 1, 2012 Gunner Shaw 10K Cross Country Finale

Joey runs tough in the swamp at GS.	Vas crosses the line in his first GS.

The photo above doesn't really show you just how deep the "swamp" at Jericho was this year. I was amazed how well Joey and many of the other racers were able to run through that long stretch of icy water that was splashing them right up to their necks.

Phoenix was represented by only three runners this year: Joey Gargaro, new member Vas Sladek, and veteran Gunner Shaw racer Kathryn O'Grady. The official results aren't posted yet but I can report that Vas finished his first Gunner Shaw in 46:50, and thought the course was "brilliant"! It was even a 10K PB for Vas! Joey, running the 10K distance at the Gunner Shaw for the first time, was close behind Vas in 47 minutes. Kathryn ran a strong race to squeeze just under 50 minutes at the finish line. Kathryn reported that the stream crossing was especially disgusting this year--being very "stinky" as well as deep.

Watch Keith Dunn's video of the Gunner Shaw here!

November 24, 2012 Canadian Cross Country Championships, Jericho Beach

Start of the masters 8K 10:00 a.m.

Phoenix had two competitors in the Masters Championship 8K race, Warren McCulloch and new member Vaclav Sladek. Conditions were ideal at Jericho Beach Park, though the week's heavy rain ensured that the course was wet and muddy in plenty of spots. The 2K loop course had been changed very slightly from last year, and in general the times were very fast.

Warren before the 8K Masters race

Warren felt good going into the race after a solid fall of cross country training, but a side stitch hampered him greatly in the second half of the race and he struggled to the finish in a time of 29:59. This was only good enough for 14th in his extremely competitive 45–49 age division. In fact, the race was won by 49-year-old Steve Boyd in a time of 26:02. Steve beat a tough Kevin O'Connor handily. Steve told me after the race that his training had been going well, and he expected to be able to run the pace he held throughout the race.

An enthusiastic Vaclav was not intimidated by his first experience of national competition, and finished the 8K in a time of 35:35.

Keith Dunn was busy videotaping at the meet. Click the links below to view the Junior Women's and Senior Men's races. The masters race video has not been edited yet.

Junior Women’s 5K

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPVG0iYOuDc&feature=channel&list=UL

Senior Men’s 10K

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSRumtYJWs8&feature=youtu.be

View complete results of all races here.

November 11, 2012 Remembrance Day 8K—Stanley Park

Warren is happy he won't have to warm up in the rain at the Remembrance Day 8K.

Only four Phoenix members took part in this race, which is a long-held Vancouver tradition, especially for masters runners. An open race was added to the event a few years ago; this year, Joey Gargaro competed in the open race, which began 10 minutes after the 11:01 masters start. Warren McCulloch, Mary Gargaro and I were amongst those listening to the bugle player's Last Post as we shivered on the starting line. We were thankful it wasn't raining, though—and the rain followed immediately once the race was over!

Unfortunately, a computer glitch with the online entries delayed the posting of race results, but I've finally been able to confirm our times! Warren placed 6th overall in the masters race (35+), though his age category was laden with talent and he was 4th in the 45–49 in 30:03. I managed to place 5th overall in the masters women with a time of 34:53, winning the 50–54 age category. Mary Gargaro, in spite of having to miss a lot of running in the past two months because of frustrating calf and hamstring injuries, still ran strongly to placed 5th in the women's 50–54 in a time of 49:05. Joey finished with a time of 38:40, just a little ahead of his mom because of his 10-minute "handicap"!

The course was fast this year—drier than I've ever seen it—and the pizza was plentiful!

View complete race results here.

November 3, 2012 BC High School Cross Country Championships—Prince George

Coach John Taylor reported that Kyle Smith placed 54th (in a field of over two hundred) in this highly-competitive race. Apparently Kyle wasn't pleased with this result, but considering he had a stress fracture recently, it's a good performance.

October 28, 2012 The James Cunningham Seawall 5.9 Mile Race

Three Phoenix runners took part in this classic Vancouver road race. Larry Lorette nabbed 2nd place in the men's 40–44 division with a time of 35:53. Kathryn O'Grady also earned a silver medal, finishing 2nd in the women's 55–59 division with a time of 44:45. Joey Gargaro's 43:17 was good for a 10th place finish in the men's 20–24 division.

October 27, 2012 BC Cross Country Championships

Congratulations to Warren McCulloch, who placed 3rd in the men's 45–49 division at the BC Cross Country Championships. Warren covered the 8K masters course in a time of 30:15, placing 5th overall out of all the masters, who included competitors aged 35 and over. I know Warren trained consistently in Mundy Park this fall to prepare for this fall's cross country season. He'll be racing at the Nationals at Jericho Beach on November 24!

October 7, 2012 Victoria Marathon, Half Marathon and 8K

Starting out early in the morning, Warren McCulloch scored a 16th place (men) finish in the 8K, fast enough to win his age category with a time of 28:07. In the half marathon, it looked like Larry Lorette and Dave Frilund ran together, as they came in at 1:22:30 and 1:22:35, respectively. Larry placed 8th in the 40–44 category, and Dave placed 2nd in the 55–59 category. Maureen Curtin also achieved a medal result, with her 3rd place finish in the 45–49 category in a time of 1:33:18. Dave's son Adam Frilund completed the marathon, but didn't crack the 3-hour barrier, finishing in 3:05:46.

September 30, 2012 Surrey International Music Marathon

Congratulations to Matt Sessions who finished 11th overall in the full marathon with a time of 3:04:44. Matt was the winner of the 45–49 age division.

September 29, 2012 Crescent Park Cross Country (Lower Mainland Series)

Joey Gargaro was pleased with his 7.85K race. He placed 5th in his age category with a time of 36:24.

August 19, 2012 Richmond Oval 10K

Phoenix members were out in force at this race, it being the final event in the Lower Mainland Road Race Series. Dave Frilund followed up his excellent performance in Squamish last weekend with a 12th place overall in Richmond, but tied in points in the Series with Gordon Carscadden because of early post-injury races. He had to be satisfied with second place in the Series. Nice way to finish, though, especially beating Larry Nightingale!

Mary Gargaro completed her first 10K race ever, finishing comfortably inside the one-hour barrier with her 57:47.

Phoenix Results

Name	Time
Dave Frilund	38:23
Richard Armstrong	42:20
Maureen Curtin	43:45
Joey Gargaro	44:58
Peggy Brown	54:24
Mary Gargaro	57:47

 

Richmond Oval 10K Photo Gallery

Top Left: Maureen	Top Middle: Davey F. in flight	Top Right: Joey with new Timex watch
Bottom Left: Mary places in Series. Love the socks!	Bottom Middle: Richard finishing the 10K	Bottom Right: Larry second in Series

Thanks to Larry Lorette, Frank Stebner, and Teresa Nightingale for the photos!

Final Standings in the Lower Mainland Road Race Series

Five Phoenix members raced often enough and well enough in the series to nail a top-3 position in their age category! Joey seemed quite thrilled about winning a Timex watch for his efforts.

Here is a summary of Phoenix members' placings:

Name	Category	Place
Joey Gargaro	M20-24	1st
Dave Frilund	M55-59	2nd
Larry Lorette	M40-44	2nd
Richard Armstrong	M50-54	2nd
Mary Gargaro	F50-54	3rd

 

August 12, 2012 Squamish Days 10K

Congratulations to Dave Frilund, who finished 9th overall and 1st in his age division at this race. Dave is obviously "peaking" with one more race to go in the Lower Mainland race series. In a race characterized by slow times, Dave ran a 38:05 to beat former Phoenix member John Atkinson by one place and 14 seconds. There were no other Phoenix participants that I could see—I guess everyone was watching the Olympic marathon!

July 21, 2012 Summerfast 10K, Stanley Park

A small contingent of Phoenix runners ran uniformly well in this popular summer race. The gray skies and cool temperatures (unusual for this event) were probably welcomed by the runners.

As usual, Larry Lorette led the Phoenix finishers, coming in 12th overall and third in his age group with a time of 36:53. Dave Frilund was next, showing improved fitness for this season with his 38:05, good enough to win his age category. Richard Armstrong also placed in his age group, second in 41:46. Maureen Curtin, not far behind Richard with her 42:49, also got a second place finish in her age category.

Joey Gargaro's stories

Please enjoy the three brief stories below where Joey has summarized his experiences at his last three races.

Shaughnessy 8k
(by Joey Gargaro)

Just a short story. As I was about to set out that morning in the the race I convinced my mom to run it and as soon as she got there she wanted to do it. She did really well. I did really well too as I got into the zone pushed up the hill and the whole race till I got back down the hill and sped to the finish as quickly as I could. My time was 36 min, same as last year, but I actually did a better job this year as compared to last year.

UBC Longest Day 2012
(by Joey Gargaro)

Hi, Joey again to tell my story. Both me and my mom started the race. We had our fan club of my dad, dog, and sister Kristina who helped us out a lot with motivation before, during and after the race.  

The race gun goes off I kept a strong pace throughout the event till I reached the 4k mark when I opened up and broke away from the pack. I could hear my dad and sister yelling “COME ON JOE PICK IT UP, GO FOR IT.” Didn’t stop until the end which was a great time for me; a 5k time of 20min and 52sec another personal best! After the race as I was about to go for a cool down and I saw my mom come in with a time of 26:17, her personal best, so in the end both mom and son got pb’s!!

After Party—we set our running to the side for a moment and had a huge feast of burgers, fruit, cookies etc. For next year’s race the two Gargaros and our entourage will come again to this event as they have such a delicious after party …….That’s the best part : )

Scotia Bank Half Marathon
Part 2  (by Joey Gargaro)

Hello this is Joey here again to tell you about my race this year. It was a clear and cloudy morning as thousands of runners took part in the Scotiabank half marathon.  As I entered the starting line I said to myself here we go again!

The race started. I was doing good throughout the event but this time had some trouble in some sections of the race. I pushed through it and eventually got to the legendary bridge! I put my head down and continued to climb it, feeling sluggish now. After crossing the bridge I was able to keep my pace again and eventually I was at the finish with a time of 1 hour and 39 minutes, an 8 minute improvement from last year’s race which was 1 hour and 47 minutes.

Thanks for reading
Joey

 

June 24, 2012 Vancouver Scotiabank Half Marathon

Larry Lorette tells wife Maureen about his new half-marathon PB: 1:19:59 (chip time), 1:20.00 (gun time). He had to injure his hamstring in a final all-out sprint to sneak under 1:20!

Congratulations to Larry, and also to two other Phoenix runners who did well yesterday. Joey Gargaro beat his old PB by eight minutes to finish in 1:39:22 (10th in his age group.) Vic Suddaby ran his fastest half of the year, finishing 5th in his age group with 2:19:18.

Larry shows how we could all be running fashionistas!

Mary Gargaro's story of the Longest Day 5K

I just wanted to say a few words about my experiences this season and particularly the UBC Longest Day race event. First of all I was feeling under the weather with a sore throat which has now blossomed into a sinus cold….I felt I wasn’t up for the race but Joey as well as Felix and Kristina encouraged me to do it and not worry about results. They said remember about the great food that will be served afterwards!

So off we go I start running I can’t see Joey in the distance so I know he had a good start. I was surprised to see my legs were good, my breathing was good and my throat was not as dry as I thought. I kept going and as I passed each kilometer mark I was growing more and more excited that the finish was near and I was in good shape considering my sore throat.

As I came towards the finish and turned the corner I still had gas inside of me so I picked it up best I could. I made it across the finish line with a 26:17 time—my personal best! Joey also ran his personal best: 20:53. We were elated. I was thinking about George as I came across the finishing line and all those words of wisdom and confidence he instilled in me. It was a great moment. I actually improved my time by over 2 minutes from last year’s race, hooray!

This year was a growing year for me with my improvement in running and a milestone year as I turned 50. I am pleased to be part of the Phoenix Running Club, a great inspiration for us all.

Until next running season.

Mary Gargaro

June 15, 2012: Longest Day 5K, UBC

Only five days after the Sandcastle 10K, Larry, Dave and Richard were lining up for the start of the next race in the series. Joining them were fellow Phoenix runners Joey and Mary Gargaro, Maureen Curtin and Nancy Tinari. I was thrilled that Maureen loaned me her red Phoenix singlet so I could race in it for the first time!

The course was altered quite a bit this year—most of us felt that the changes made it faster. The uphill after 1K was more gradual, and the route back was along East Mall rather than the pedestrian path. The finish on the grass field remained the same, so there was a sharp left turn to make after the final downhill.

Phoenix Results

Name	Time (Chip)	Place in Category
Larry Lorette	17:22	2 (22nd overall)
Dave Frilund	18:47	2
Nancy Tinari	19:35	1
Richard Armstrong	20:13	5
Joey Gargaro	20:53 (PB)	3
Maureen Curtin	21:12	4
Mary Gargaro	26:17 (PB)	11

Photos were copied from the Lower Mainland Road Race Series Facebook page.

June 8, 2012: Sandcastle 10K, White Rock

A few our our keenest Lower Mainland Race Series participants logged more points on this hilly White Rock course. Larry Lorette added another fine performance to his season, finishing 16th overall and second in his age group in 17:17. Dave Frilund wasn't far behind in 38:23, also nabbing second place in his age group. Richard Armstrong's 41:57 was fast enough to earn him second place in the 50–54 age category.

June 2, 2012: Ambleside Masters Mile

This was once a favourite event for Phoenix members, but this year the only club participants were Warren McCulloch and Richard Armstrong. The course was moved off Marine Drive this year, so Warren's win of 4:43 becomes the new course record! Richard ducked under 6:00 with his 5:55. Thanks to Mikhail Titrov for the photo below as well as the one showing Warren's victory on the Home Page.

 

May 27, 2012: Shaughnessy 8K

Several Phoenix racers took part in this classic event, part of the Timex series, the Lower Mainland series and the B.C. 8K championship. Larry Lorette continued a good season with a sparkling performance of 29:25 on this tough course. Here is what Larry said about his performance:

I really enjoyed this race. I’m not too proud of my time but more of how I finished. I was trailing a group of runners by about 20 meters (Larry Nightingale, Steve Mattina, and Brian Wynhoven) with about 1.5 km to go. I was not really confident since I’ve never been this close to any of those guys this late in a race. I took a chance and passed Larry and Steve on the last corner of the loop leading to the last downhill before the finish. They put up a fight for quite a while but I outkicked them to the finish. I darn near chased down Brian as well. This was more of a confidence booster than anything.

The other Phoenix finishers were Maureen Curtin, 3rd in her age group with 35:12; Dave Frilund, 2nd in his age group in 31:25; and the Gargaro team, with Joey in 36:00 and Mary in 45:50. I believe this was Mary's first 8K--congratulations!

Mother's Day Spring Classic 5K

Mother's Day 5K 2012 Results: click the link below.

http://www.raceheadquarters.com/results/rhqResultsRun.php?nYear=2012#may

Many thanks to Hans Fenz for sharing his photo album of the race! To view, click here:

www.flickr.com/photos/hans_fenz/sets/72157629716046076/

Below: The kids are off in the Fun Run under perfect sunny skies.

Katherine Moore PB'd in 17:57 to take third place in the women.

John Machuga was the second finisher in a close 16:21 behind Tom Michie's 16:18.

Lynne Dueck and Andrea MacIntosh lead a bunch to midpack runners toward the finish.

This young man ran a fine race!

BMO Vancouver Marathon and Half Marathon, May 6, 2012

New! Joey Gargaro's view of the Half Marathon

Hello this is Joey here to say that I completed my 2nd half marathon. Let’s get down to business. As I was on the starting line I looked around and I could see thousands of people and I thought wow I feel like I’m somewhere international with the way BMO made this race.

The race started, I was doing a good job throughout the whole race until the 19k when I “hit the wall” but I said as always don’t give up or quit you’re almost there, I could hear all the Phoenix coaches saying the same thing, even George who I think is watching us from above.  Sure enough I got my second wind and I shaved a whole 6 minutes off my time from last year which was 1 hour and 47 minutes at the Scotiabank half marathon. This time I ran it in 1 hour and 41 minutes. This was a personal best—way to go Joey.

I will continue to train hard because now I feel more comfortable in this type of event. Once again I would like to thank Phoenix Running Club and who knows by next year I could be running full marathons?

Joey Gargaro

Congratulations to some fine performances from our club members today. Kathryn O'Grady ran much faster in the marathon today than she did in Boston; not surprising given that the weather conditions were perfect today, but still an impressive "marathon double." Kathryn's time was 3:35:02, good enough for 3rd place in her (new) age category.

Larry Lorette was first in the 40–44 age category in the half marathon with a time of 1:20:21. And Joey Gargaro ran a PB of 1:41:24 in the half!

*Thanks to updates from Larry: Matt Sessions finished the marathon in 3:36:50 despite doing a 100-mile race last weekend; Peggy Brown also completed the marathon in 4:29:59; and Maureen Curtin was 4th in her age category in the half with a time of 1:33.24.

* Vic Suddaby reluctantly reported that he ran 2:42 (for the half, I'm assuming) with a "slower friend." Way to go, Vic.

Vancouver Sun Run, April 15, 2012

From my perch at the 9K mark of the Sun Run yesterday, I saw some Phoenix runners go by. Our club members had some outstanding runs! Here are the highlights:

• Larry Lorette was the first Phoenixer to finish: 36:40. I noticed he just missed making the list of "top 100 men"—100th place was 36:39!
• Kyle Smith ran a creditable 37:51 to place 6th in the 16–18 age group.
• Maureen Curtin placed 8th in the women's 45–49 age group with her time of 42:15.
• Matt Sessions was speedy for an ultra-guy at 38:37.
• John Woodcock ran 54:51 to help out his work team, despite having had limited running training.
• Vic Suddaby was one of the faster "old guys," placing 18th out of 121 finishers in the 70–74 category with his 1:01:06.
• Wendy Young competed and finished in a time of 1:05:09.

If I've missed you, please let me know, and tell me your time. Where was John W.?

*BTW, I love those new red Phoenix singlets.

The Rich Race Reports by Richard Armstrong

St. Patrick's Day 5 K   March 17, 2012

A cool and overcast day, good for running.1314 runners finished the Seawall course that has a new start at the Stanley Park Pavilion. This is a beautiful lodge-type building with two wood-burning fireplaces, a ballroom where the awards are presented and three connecting bars with room for a fourth on the huge covered veranda.
This would be an ideal race for the Phoenix club to take in as a group as there are people of all speeds participating, many of whom are in costume, and the whole race is fun.
There are lots of tables to sit around and drink beer out of your complimentary Granville Island glass, (now that I have two glasses I can drink beer with either hand). We would be sheltered from the possible rain and able to socialize in a fun and warm environment.
There was also a huge tent erected beside the building where the Irish Stew and many other goodies were served.
As for the race itself, I positioned myself near the front with determination to get a fast start.
I almost always start off slow but in a 5 K that is poor tactical running.
So I blasted off at the gun and did the 1st km in 3:45 and from then on tried to maintain a 4 minute /km pace.
The 4 k point is at Lumberman's Arch where the course turns inland and uphill from the seawall.
80% of the last km is uphill but I plugged along, passed a couple more people and finished in a time of  20.06, good for 4/26 in my age group and 134 out of 1314.
As my goal for 2012 is to race at 4 minute/km pace, this was a solid effort.

The Harry Rosen 8 K Spring Run-Off   March 25, 2012

A beautiful day of blue skies, a few puffy white clouds and minimal wind.
1021 people ran this race.
Met up with Larry and Maureen as I approached the packet pick up point at the Miniature Railroad in Stanley Park, which is right beside the Stanley Park Pavilion. The actual starting point for this race was 200 meters behind the St Patrick's Day race along the same driveway.
The three of us did a warmup run and then the race began with Larry just zooming off into the distance.
I did another 3:45 first km and settled into a nice routine, trying to maintain a 4 minute/km pace.
I love running the Seawall and reached the 5 k point just past Third Beach in 20:10 which made me quite happy. However, my legs began to tire and the next three kms were hard work with a gradual slowdown occurring. The last km is once again mostly uphill but I persevered and finished in 32:50 for a 7/64 age group placing and 72 out of 1021.
Definitely a need to do longer uphill repeats.

The Birch Bay 15 K   March 31, 2012

Having been excited by my three previous efforts I thought I would finish off March with a 9.3 mile race. So up at five and across the border I went. It was cool and overcast; excellent for running.
Scoped out the course and after warming up, walked up to the start to find Matt Sessions standing there. He was doing the 30 K race and finished in 3rd overall and first in his age group. 2:04:30.
My plan this time was to run three 5Ks in 22 minutes each but after I ran the first km in 4:20, that pace just felt good and I carried on in good spirits to finish in 1:04:16, good for 17th overall and first in my age group.
Now it's time to continue training for the Longest Day 5 K in June. Go Phoenix Go!!!!

 

Phoenix Chase Run 5K, March 31, 2012 &

Fools' Run Half-Marathon, Gibsons, April 1, 2012

Name	Time	Age-Graded %
Chris Tomkinson Kyle Smith	17:37 18:14	78.8 72.2
Alex Seres	20:08	75.9
Nancy Tinari	20:10	83.3
Maureen Curtin	20:36	76.5
Joey Gargaro	20:46	62.5
Larry Lorette*	23:37	58.8
John Taylor*	25:44	69.3
Peggy Brown	26:04	61.5
Mary Gargaro	26:41	61.8
Vic Suddaby	27:36	64.6

*John T. had to run by himself later in the day, so he didn't really "chase", but we'll believe his time.

*Larry was just jogging the course the day before racing in Gibson's in the Fools' Half-Marathon. Congratulations Larry! He ran a great time of 1:21.00 to finish 14th overall and 3rd in the 40–44 category.

 

Harry's Spring Run-off 8K, Stanley Park, March 25, 2012

Congratulations to Larry Lorette, Maureen Curtin and Richard Armstrong for their fine performances is this race. Under perfect sunny skies, Larry finished second in his age group and 22nd overall in 29:05. Maureen nabbed the third spot in the ladies' 45–49 with her 34:20, while Richard placed 6th in the men's 50–54 in a time of 32:51.

Dave Reed Spring Classic 5K, Stanley Park, March 3, 2012

Here is the latest Dave Reed 5K report: this one from Joey Gargaro. Thanks Joey!

Photo by Rick Horne

As I was just seconds away from pushing to the limit and improving my time I noticed this short lady that caught up to me as I was trying to push it and she wouldn’t let up, till finally at the end I passed and beat this woman by a foot then it turns out that it was Nancy!  We spoke after about the race then departed on our separate ways. 

My mom was also running this race and I realized as soon as I turned around at the finish there she was! She said wow this was a really good run and enjoyed the experience and challenge. I think she is hooked now.

In the end everyone from our club did a tremendous job at this race and next stop for me is the big one The Vancouver BMO Half Marathon on May 6th. Let’s have some fun and train hard for it and hopefully by then my dad will be able to walk again. He just had his knee surgery. 

Finally this race wasn’t for me or my mom but it was for my DA—get well soon Dad so that you can start running with us again as well as you Kristina (my sister).

You can view Keith Dunn's excellent video showing the race 400m from the finish as well as pre-race and post-race coverage here.

 

 

Phoenix was represented by six racers in this year's edition of the Dave Reed memorial race, hosted by the VFAC club. (For those who don't know, Dave was a member of both Phoenix and VFAC.)

We were very lucky that the rain stopped before warmup time, and it stayed dry throughout the race and the awards ceremony!

I know I'm biased, but to me the most noteworthy performance from our club was Joey Gargaro's amazing last-second sprint to the finish. He passed me immediately before the line. We were both given the same "official" time but yes, he beat me. I'm listing chip times in the table below, which is why my time is faster than his.

Joey and I gave each other a lot of encouragement. Joey was flagging when I caught up to him shortly after the 4K mark, but he immediately matched my pace. After I pulled out all stops about 300m from the finish, I thought I had left him far behind, but boy was I wrong!

View complete race results here. Phoenix results are listed below.

Name	Chip Time	Place in Category
Warren McCulloch	17:03	1; 12th overall
Larry Lorette	17:51	5
Richard Armstrong	20:34	6
Nancy Tinari	21:27	1
Joey Gargaro	21:31	20
Mary Gargaro	28:20	10

 

Phoenix 5K Chase Run, Feb. 18, 2012

Feb. 18 Chase Run 5K by Order of Finish

Name	Time	Age-graded Score
Larry Lorette	17:56	78.5
Dave Frilund	18:24	83.5
Chris Tomkinson	18:38	75.5
Beth Bentley	19:35	79.4
Saira Purhar	19:42	82.6
Richard Armstrong	19:45	74.2 *corrected
Nancy Tinari	21:34	80.5
Maureen Curtin	22:17	71.7
Joey Gargaro	23:35	55.9
Anthony	23:39	n/a
John Taylor	25:37	69.7
Ruby Ferguson	26:30	69.0
Kit Slade	28:13	60.6
Heather Taylor	28:56	73.0
Jonathan Kuroda	29:40	n/a
Dave Reis		*will keep time private--he had to walk.

Watch the finish line video here! (Thanks, Keith and George.)

First Half Half-Marathon, February 12, 2012

I have discovered excellent results for four Phoenix members in the First Half race results. The first Phoenix member to cross the line was Larry Lorette at 1:22:26. Larry is obviously making a good recovery from an injury-plagued season. Dave Frilund followed soon after in a time of 1:23:27. Dave's 55–59 age group was highly competitive; he placed 3rd in the division, not far behind the two leaders. Notably, Dave's time placed him 24th overall in the age-graded results, out of almost 2,000 competitors. Larry was 11th in the 40–44 category. His wife Maureen nabbed a 3rd place in the women's 40–44 division with a fine time of 1:31:55. Trailing these speedsters was young Adam Frilund at 1:34.08. I'm sure Adam is just warming up.

Steveston Icebreaker 8K, January 29, 2012

Congratulations to Dave Frilund, who won his age group (beating several big-name masters in the process) at this year's edition of the Icebreaker 8K. Dave also placed 34th overall with a solid time of 30:41.

Other Phoenix participants were Richard Armstrong (35:08) and Joey Gargaro (37:24).

The men's winner was Steve Osaduik at 24:53 and Shauna Skinner at 28:44. View complete results here.

Sacramento Marathon, December 4, 2011

Story by Maureen Curtin

When I finally committed to doing another marathon after Boston, Sacramento seemed a perfect option. It was far enough away to give me recovery time but close enough to not lose all the gains I’d made in my Boston training. I was told it was a flat, fast course and after Heartbreak Hill, this sounded good! I can blame both my spouse, Larry, and my friend Pam for convincing me this was just the thing to do.

After getting an awesome flight deal via Bellingham, Larry and I flew into Sacramento on the Friday before the Sunday race. Staying at the Sheraton was very convenient as buses arrived directly at the hotel to bring runners to the start. The Expo was a nice size (not too big and not too small). Larry and I were able to also partake in a talk by Greg McMillan.

Race day was cold for California (in my mind). I wished I had arm warmers throughout most of the race! The race itself was well organized (with washroom lineups not too long and an option to hang out on the school bus prior to the start). The course itself was undulating but mainly flat. There were crowds but they couldn’t be compared to the ones at New York or Boston. With the exception of one pit stop, my race went off without any major glitches. I planned my gels based on the water stations and forced them down as I had practiced. I began ahead of the 3:10 pace group, but they passed me somewhere after the halfway mark. After my pit stop, I was worried the 3:15 pace group had also passed me but as I neared the end, I realized this wasn’t the case. The best moment of course was seeing Larry near the finish, knowing that I was almost there! About 200 metres from the finish, I tried to pass a young woman before rounding the last turn into the finish chute. She sped ahead but as we made our way into the final stretch I was able to find some reserves (must have been those long runs with Larry, Dave, Cindy and Adam!) and pass her just at the finish. I found out later I was probably old enough to be her mother so it was a nice finish to my 3:13:44 marathon PB!

Phoenix Jingle Bell 5K Chase: December 24, 2011

Watch Keith's video here:

Below are the results sorted on the left by race time and on the right by age-graded percent. Note that Beth's age-graded result is out of order because it was added after the table was sorted, after I found out her age. John T.'s age-graded result is also out of order because his time was corrected. I will try to improve the formatting next time so the table is easier to read.

					Chase Dec 2011
	Sorted by race time						sorted by %
Name	GEN	age		Time	%			Name	%
Kyle	M	16	17	22	0.767			Cathy-1 lap
Nathan	M	15	17	27	0.773			Beth	0.809
Dave Frilund	M	55	17	42	0.855			Chris
Chris T	M	44	17	52	0.777			Anthony
Cathy-1 lap	F		18	2	#N/A			Dave Frilund	0.855
Beth	F	42	18	59	0.809			Kathryn	0.794
Mike	M	30	19	31	0.665			Saira	0.782
Saira	F	12	20	3	0.782			Chris T	0.777
Devon	M	14	20	16	0.676			Nathan	0.773
Simrin	F	15	20	35	0.721			Kyle	0.767
Anna	F	28	21	25	0.672			Simrin	0.721
Joey	M	19	21	27	0.605			John T.	0.694
Chris	M		21	29	#N/A			Heather	0.702
Kathryn	F	54	21	34	0.794			Devon	0.676
Anthony	M		22	38	#N/A			Peggy	0.676
Peggy	F	46	23	31	0.676			John W.	0.674
Ariana	F	17	24	22	0.597			Anna	0.672
Jessica	F	17	24	28	0.594			Mike	0.665
Claire	F	17	24	54	0.584			Vic	0.662
John T.	M	71	25	42	0.694			Joey	0.605
John W.	M	67	25	16	0.674			Ariana	0.597
Vic	M	71	26	56	0.662			Jessica	0.594
Larry	M	44	26	56	0.515			Claire	0.584
Dave Reis	M	56	27	37	0.553			Mary	0.570
Heather	F	66	27	53	0.702			Dave Reis	0.553
Mary	F	49	28	40	0.570			Larry	0.515
Jamie	M	15	28	48	0.468			Katie	0.500
Katie	F	17	29	4	0.500			Jamie	0.468

The winners in the finish time prediction contest were:

Women: Beth (predicted 19:00, actual 18:59).

Men: Dave F. (predicted 17:45, actual 17:42). Dave also led the age-graded scores with his 85.5 percent! A trophy-worthy performance, I would say.

 

Gunnar Shaw 5K/10K Cross Country Race

Saturday, December 3, Jericho Beach Park

John Taylor's version

RUNNING FOR PIZZA

The Gunner Shaw serves great pizza. When I was young and fast, I got the choice of six different varieties of pizza and it made the 10k struggle through sand, mud and huge puddles well worthwhile. But last year when I became old and slow, I needed help. Joey volunteered to run beside me and supply me with much-appreciated encouragement like “Hurry up, John, there’s an old woman right behind you.” Knowing that Joey doesn’t lie, and being too tired to look back, I picked it up into my “near death” zone. I briefly thanked Joey at the finish line, ran into the shower, got dressed and entered the reception room. No pizza left. 

This state of affairs made me vow that next year I would run the 5k which I did on December 3rd. Conditions were “PB” good and when I finished, I smiled at those who were continuing on for a second loop and showered all alone with lots of hot water. Then it was in to the reception room to choose from six different types of pizza. Lo and behold, there was no pizza and it did not arrive until the last 10k runner finished. What to do next year? Forget the pizza and enter for the pure joy of dancing through the sand, mud and huge puddles and perhaps even continuing on for a third loop, if it’s ok with you, Joey.

                    PHOENIX RESULTS 2011 GUNNER SHAW by age categories

5k        Kyle Smith                  18:31        2nd       M16-17
5k        Joey Gargaro              23:37        3rd        M18-19
5k        John Taylor                 27:52        1st        M 70+
10k      Matt Sessions              41:18        4th        M45-49
10k      Richard Armstrong    47:09        6th        M50-54
10K     Carrie Graham             78:47        8th        F45-49

Phoenix had a smaller group at the Gunner Shaw races this year than usual, but congratulations to our six participants! Kyle Smith grabbed a bronze medal finish (18:31) in the 5K in a close race in which former Phoenix runner Alex Gibson placed second. Joey Gargaro (23:37) and John Taylor (27:52) also ran the 5K; view complete results here.

In the 10K, Matt Sessions was the first Phoenix finisher in a time of 41:18, with Richard Armstrong (47:09) and Carrie Graham (78:47) also competing. See 10K results here.

I'm sure you will all enjoy watching Keith Dunn's excellent video coverage of the race (Part 1 here and Part 2 here). Part 1 includes beach shots (good view of John T.) and the famous puddle area. Lots of views of Matt S. and a little bit of Richard A., Joey G., Kyle S., Carrie and Sharon. Part 2 shows finishers coming in after 45 minutes.

Also, have a look at Hans Fenz's photo gallery of the event here.

Thanks Hans!

Matt at the start of the Gunnar Shaw*******Carrie and Sharon

Canadian Cross Country Championships

Saturday, November 26, Jericho Beach Park

Bomba, Boyd (hidden) and Odermatt lead masters 8K

Saturday’s races at Jericho Beach were cross country at its elemental best. The rain, combined with a cruel breeze coming off the ocean, ensured that competitors would suffer as the course turned into a muddy mess. But the runners rose to the challenge, and spectators were treated to countless gutsy and inspiring performances.

Doug Alward, Warren McCulloch, George Gluppe and I arrived in time to watch the masters 8K race. This event featured Mark Bomba and Craig Odermatt running much of the race together, as they had at the B.C. championships, with Bomba again pulling away from Odermatt to win in a time of . Depth was excellent in both the men’s and women’s divisions, with many top Ontario athletes making the trip to Vancouver. VFAC runner Catherine Watkins, 40, was ecstatic about her first-place finish in the women’s race. The masters results show the top age-graded performances, with Ontario runners Steve Boyd and Jerry Kooymans and B.C.’s Maureen de St. Croix leading the way. These results also make clear the high quality of the field; in spite of the extremely difficult conditions, the majority of the runners achieved an age-graded performance above 70%.

Maureen de St. Croix placed 3rd in age-graded results

The Junior Women’s 5K race was won in a time of 18:34. Ex-Phoenixer Simrin Purhar, who had only found out she would be competing days before, found it a very tough race as she finished 107th in a time of 22:18.

The Junior Men’s race was the most exciting race of the day, in my opinion. Most of the runners stayed close to the leaders for the entire 8K distance. There was a dramatic 3-man sprint for the finish, with a small gap before the remainder of the field came pouring in, most with stupendous sprints of their own.
View complete results here.

Remembrance Day Masters and Open 8K, Stanley Park

Enjoy a spirited and heartfelt account of the 2011 edition of this traditional race from veteran runner John Woodcock.

The Hershey Harriers annual Masters (and now Open) Remembrance Day Run took place in Stanley Park this year in near perfect running conditions. The heavy early morning rain stopped shortly before the race start at 11:01 hr., and the strong winds that brought down trees and cancelled ferry sailings later in the day were only faint whisperings in the Stanley Park treetops. In the warm-up, many old friends were seen and greeted. Hans Fenz was there, dressed in “civvies” without his usual camera, offering words of support and encouragement to the younger Masters.

Close to 130 runners, an increase in numbers from a few years ago, toed the start line as Jerry Tighe welcomed all competitors. Jerry reminded the runners of the debt we all owe to Canada’s veterans, and then waxed eloquent at the delights of slogging through the muddy sections on the course and how this may give some insight into the horrors of trench warfare.  He concluded with a few words in memory of Steve Odwin, Hershey Harrier and many-time participant in the run, who passed away in July 2011. Bugler Brian Parkinson was not able to play the Last Post this year, and the 21-gun salute had to suffice during the minute of silence. Hope to see you back next year, Brian.

The start and finish of the course were different from previous years, with added loops on the squelchy grass around the cricket fields to compensate for the shorter distance on the firm going around Beaver Lake. For those competitors who ran the Canadian XC Champs in 1995/96 in Stanley Park, those squelchy grass loops brought back bittersweet memories; “Oh to be young and a fast runner again...”

Aside from the squelchy grass sections, the course was in great shape.  With the firm footing on the trails, running in good company and companionable conversation, in no time at all we were plodding up Hanson Hill. Then the reality of the event returned as the front runners, including former Phoenix runner John Atkinson, were seen descending North Creek trail at break-neck speed, having already climbed the dreaded Adrian’s Hill. Soon the “young runners” who started 10 minutes after the Masters, with no apparent effort were passing us old lags on Adrian’s Hill.  And so it continued down North Creek, around Beaver Lake, across the slough of despond at Lumberman’s Arch and back to the fields of Brockton. The last few hundred metres approaching the finish line seemed to last an eternity...

After a much welcomed warming shower in the Cricket Pavilion, the pizza and coffee at the reception upstairs tasted delicious. The good company of fellow competitors gave opportunity to exchange news with old friends. Joey Gargaro, accompanied by his family, was most enthusiastic about his first Remembrance Day Run experience. Ruby Ferguson says,”Hi” to all Phoenix runners. She still wants three runners to complete the Hawaii relay team in January 2012; the subject of a recent email from Nancy Tinari.

Another great, well organized event hosted by the Hershey Harriers. Many thanks to all, especially those who set the course in the pouring rain...

Let’s have a Phoenix team next year!

Whistler Relay and 50-Miler

And now for a brand-new event. Thanks to Richard Armstrong for his thumbs-up report on this relay. He was part of a Canada Post "Relentless" team. Let's get a Phoenix team together for next year!

*warning--this report is uncensored and contains references to recreational drinking.

The first Whistler 50 Relay and Ultra took place under ideal conditions November 5, 2011.
The course is composed of a 20K loop that starts and ends on the edge of Whistler Village.
The loop is divided into a 12K section, then an exchange point and then an 8K section takes you back to the starting point where another exchange takes place.
A team of 8 runs four loops to complete the 50-mile race or you could be like Matt Sessions and run the whole thing by yourself.

I drove up Friday afternoon with 3 other Canada Post team mates and met up with the other foursome at the Delta Hotel where we had a good rate on a two bedroom suite.
We commenced drinking right away and having lots of fun which lasted quite a while.

At 8 am Saturday morning I led off the team with the first 12K segment.
It was a cold but crystal clear day. The top third of the mountains were covered with fresh snowfall and only a few clouds dotted the blue sky.
I had my usual slow start but passed lots of people until I fell in with two men running at my pace and after a couple kms of off and on surges I passed them at the 6K mark only to be faced with a big hill that I was not expecting. So I huffed and puffed and actually walked 100 meters before reaching the top only to be confronted with another hill, which I managed to jog up.
One of the men I had passed caught up to me and passed me beginning a contest that lasted until the finish line.
At this point we were in the foothill forest and the path was covered in snow and ice but it was absolutely beautiful and I felt good and lucky for me it was mostly downhill from this point.
So the two of us ran close until he passed me near the end and I finished in 57:31 and a 41/158 place.
Considering that this was the sixth time that I have run since June I was very pleased with my time.

The rest of the day, until 3:49 p.m., was spent walking back and forth between the exchange points which were about 1.5K apart.
We cheered each other on, had a couple quick rests in the hotel but mostly kept on the move to get each runner ready and transport gear.

Our team, Relentless, finished in a time of 7:49:30 and placed overall 124th out of 158 teams. In our Open/Mixed category we placed 37/44.
Obviously, not a very fast team but we knew that going in and overall we had a LOT of fun.

Half of our team knew Matt and we cheered him on during the race.
He actually beat our team by 56 seconds and came in 12th overall in the Ultra.
Matt came over to our suite after the race and we started to drink before going to the dance at the Whistler Convention Centre.
There were probably around 700-800 people at the dance.
So we all drank and danced and so on and had more fun until bedtime.

In summary, some races are not about setting PR's or racing at top speed.
They are about having fun and supporting other runners and trying your best, whatever that may be at that time.
It was an excellent experience, lots of fun and I recommend it for next year.

 

BC High School Cross Country

I'm a little behind with the cross country results. A few young Phoenix members were very active in cross country this fall. You can look at some results from the B.C. High School Championships, the Fraser Valley Championships, and the Coquitlam mini-meets below.

Congratulations to current and former Phoenix members who made it all the way to the provincial meet in Kelowna, B.C.! They ran on Saturday, November 5.

In very large fields (boys 286, girls 280), Kyle Smith placed 74th in a time of 26:39 and Nathan Ferguson placed 81st in a time of 26:51. The winning time in their race was 23:36. View complete results of the boys' race here. Simrin Purhar was 80th in a time of 18:59 and Picabo Reeves placed 177th in a time of 20:29. The winning time in the girls' race was 16:40. View complete results of the girls' race here.

The Fraser Valley meet also had large fields, and several Phoenix and ex-Phoenix members placed well in this meet (see table below). All results from the Fraser Valley meet as well as from the four Coquitlam mini-meets can be accessed here.

Fraser Valley cross country meet--Phoenix results

Name	Place	Time
Simrin Purhar	19	19:26
Picabo Reeves	34	20:06
Clare Chiu	79	21:58
Jessica Jazdarehee	110	23:37
Katie Fajber	133	24:38
Kyle Smith	18	23:51
Nathan Ferguson	26	24:05
Rowdy Reeves	54	25:45

*Note: boys ran a longer distance than girls.

Coquitlam mini-meet #4

You can view all mini-meet results using the link above, but the results of meet #4 are posted in the table below to give you an idea of how Phoenix members fared locally.

Name	Race	Place	Time
Simrin Purhar	Grade 10 Girls 4.7K	2	19:32
Nathan Ferguon	Grade 10 Boys 5.9K	1	21:56
Kyle Smith	Grade 11 Boys 5.9K	1	22:36
Clare Chiu	Grade 12 Girls 4.7K	2	21:22
Jessica Jazdarehee	Grade 12 Girls 4.7K	7	23:05
Katie Fajber	Grade 12 Girls 4.7K	9	23:56

Pinetree Results and Photo Gallery here

BC Cross-Country Championships complete results here

New! James Cunningham Seawall Race 9.5K

Stanley Park, October 30, 2011

Thanks to Joey Gargaro for his personal story of this race!

Hello everyone this is Joey Gargaro here again to tell you my story on this race.

Early this morning there was rain and lots of it but the race went on. It was a dangerous and scary battle but I conquered it and pushed till I couldn’t push any more and all off a sudden I was flying down the 6k portion of the race and I couldn’t stop myself till the very end of the race which was a total of 9.5 km. I was happy with my finish because I improved my time from last year by 1 minute so I gave myself a pat on the back and said to myself, “Very good job this time.” Now I am ready to practice, improve and get ready for the next race.

Thanks for reading and I’ll see you at the next race competition - Happy Halloween!
 

Thanks Joey

Results:

Name	Time	Place in Age Group
Joey Gargaro	43:31	5
Ruby Ferguson	50:32	4

Frank Reynolds Memorial Cross-Country Meet

October 15, 2011, Cates Park, North Vancouver

Another contribution from competitor Joey Gargaro!

Hello again Joey here.  Now let’s get down to business. First off before we even set foot on the trail for the race I challenged my mom to run this race. She wasn’t really keen on running it at first; then I convinced her to run and have a good time, so she gave in and tried it!
The race went on, I did my best and my mom actually did a good job throughout the event—this was her longest race yet—6.3 km and she didn’t stop once. The race was over, the results came out that I came in 4th in my age group but I didn’t feel like it was my race it was more my mom’s race today. She did a good job running it—I was proud of her. We won’t tell you her placing but she did finish the race.

I dedicated this race to my dad because he had to sit and watch as well as my sister who is away at university so there we have it. Lastly the results should be online sorry for the wait on this report there will be many stories to come.

Thanks for reading,
Joey

BC Cross-Country Championships

Aldergrove, BC, October 29, 2011

Phoenix and ex-Phoenix runners participating included Rowdy and Picabo Reeves, Mikhail Titov, Warren McCulloch, Alex Gibson and Lawence Viola. See their results below.

View complete meet results here.

It turned out to be a lovely day for cross-country running. George and NancyT drove to Aldergrove to watch the masters 8K. The 2K loop course was perfect for spectators. It was very open and much of the course could be seen from the start/finish area. For the athletes, it was a tough course, with two steep hills on every loop and some rough terrain where the grass was bumpy and thick like hay.

The masters men and women ran together; all competitors completed four loops to run 8K. It was an exciting race with Mark Bomba and Craig Odermatt battling most of the way; Bomba edged ahead in the final loop.

Unfortunately Warren had to drop out almost immediately after the start with a pulled calf muscle. However, ex-Phoenix member Mikhail Titov ran well to place 10th, beating some good runners. Mikhail reports that he is now training with a club in New West. Their training schedule and location are convenient for him, and he likes his Bulgarian coach.

George and I didn't stay for the remaining races but Phoenix results are summarized below:

Name	Race	Place	Time
Mikhail Titov	Masters 8K	10	31:09
Picabo Reeves	Youth Women 4K	7	17:29
Lawrence Viola	Junior Men 7K	6	24:27
Rowdy Reeves	Junior Men 7K	18	28:29
Alex Gibson	Senior Men 10K	15	41:11

 

Ironman Triathlon—Kona, Hawaii. October 8, 2011

Our humble Phoenix Running Club had an awesome competitor in this world-famous event—Chris Tomkinson! In spite of the infamous heat ("the lava fields here radiate the heat like a sauna") Chris completed the Ironman course in a total time of 10:23.01. That included a 2.5-mile swim split of 1:12.08, a bike split of 5:25.25 and a 3:36.44 marathon! Chris placed 667th overall and 134th in the M40-44 category. In his own words (lifted shamelessly from his Facebook Wall):

"What an amazing race that was, the scenery was unbelievable. And there was huge schools of dolphins swimming under us checking us out. After 2 goggle malfunctions I ended up at the back of the pack... crazy, crazy swim, punched, kicked and clawed over the whole way. Saw all the pros coming in on the run as I was going out on the 2nd out and back. What a day, I loved every minute of it!!"

Those of you who remember Ann Barnes, a former Phoenix club member, might like to know she also finished this Ironman, placing 2nd in the F55-59 category with a time of 11:16.12.

Goodlife Victoria Race Weekend—October 9, 2011

The start of the 8K in Victoria

The Phoenix contingent in Victoria was small but our athletes produced some outstanding results!

Dave Frilund won his age division in the marathon with a stellar 2:53.34, placing 30th overall. It's amazing how fast Dave can run when renovating houses isn't a daily part of his training schedule.

Maureen Curtin, running in the half-marathon, placed 4th in her age division and 33rd lady overall with a solid 1:31.19. Maureen's better half Larry Lorette ran a respectable 1:22.51 in spite of a chronic nagging injury.

And Warren McCulloch boosted his international credentials by beating former Canadian team member Paul McCloy in the 45-49 division of the 8K! Warren's time was 27:26, a good eleven seconds faster than McCloy's. This was Warren's first sally into road-racing this year. His performance shows what can be achieved through lots of speedwork on the track, supplemented by some high-quality hilly intervals in Mundy Park.

 

New! Pinetree Classic 2011 Photo Gallery here: (Many thanks to Hans Fenz)

Pinetree Classic 2011 Click on the link below to see the desired results.

2.5k Race, Order of Finish

2.5k Race, Separated into Age Categories

3.5k Race, Order of Finish

3.5k Race, Separated into Age Categories

Women's 5k Race, Order of Finish

Women's 5k Race, Age Graded Results

Women's 5k Race, Separated into categories

Men's 8k Race, Order of Finish

Men's Race, age graded results

Men divided into categories

2.5k Race Results with Teams

Bib #	FIRSTNAME	LASTNAME	Age	Category	Gender	Club/School	Bib# Finish	Minutes	Seconds	Place
1973	Thomas	Nobbs	12	M1999	M	Van Olympic Club	1973	8	56	1
182	Dawson	Ribeiro	12	M1999	M		182	8	58	2
1572	Hugh	Graham	10	M2000	M		1572	8	59	3
185	Danielle	Steer	12	F1999	F		185	9	0	4
164	Thomas	Kirkwood	10	M2001	M		164	9	26	5
1949	Louise	Forsyth	12	F1999	F	Thunderbirds	1949	9	30	6
169	Michael	Mitchell	11	M2000	M		169	9	32	7
1974	Willem	Palaty	12	M1999	M	Thunderbirds	1974	9	35	8
1538	Rajeev	Parmar	11	M2000	M		1538	9	36	9
180	Haley	Ribeiro	10	F2000	F		180	9	37	10
1478	Maryn	Budiman	12	F1999	F		1478	9	45	11
1578	Emily	Chilton	11	F1999	F		1578	9	46	12
187	Hannah	Milic	10	F2001	F		187	9	47	13
1966	Emma	Rastad	12	F1999	F	Norwesters	1966	9	49	14
1575	Lauren	Vanee	12	F1999	F		1575	9	53	15
1962	Anna	Goodwin	12	F1999	F	Norwesters	1962	9	55	16
1525	Leiah	Kirsh	12	F1999	F		1525	9	57	17
1958	Nina	Watson	10	F2001	F	Van Olympic Club	1958	9	58	18
194	Carly	Good	12	F1999	F		194	9	59	19
1956	Jamie	Hennessy	11	F1999	F		1956	10	1	20
1560	Brent	Morrison	12	M1999	M		1560	10	3	21
1964	Jenna	Sim	12	F1999	F	Norwesters	1964	10	3	22
1477	Brooke	Trainor	12	F1999	F		1477	10	4	23
1489	JJ	Perovich	10	M2001	M		1489	10	6	24
174	Yoshi	Matsubara	11	M2000	M		174	10	8	25
1505	Luca	Comparelli	9	M2002	M		1505	10	14	26
1584	Ian	Hunter	11	M2000	M		1584	10	16	27
1582	Ryan	Jensen	10	M2001	M		1582	10	17	28
1583	Jeremy	Belcher	9	M2001	M		1583	10	18	29
1512	Kiaan	Bondy	10	2001	M		1512	10	21	30
1494	Emily	D'Entremont	11	F1999	F		1494	10	25	31
1981	Taylor	Williams	10	F2001	F	WPGA	1981	10	29	32
1521	Jonathan	Gilberg	11	M2000	M		1521	10	29	33
1486	Caleb	Kastelein	10	M2001	M		1486	10	30	34
179	Marquesis	Haintz	9	F2002	F		179	10	30	35
1526	Hannah	Dodd	12	F1999	F		1526	10	31	36
1524	Madeleine	Pringle	12	F1999	F		1524	10	39	37
195	Maya	Kobylanski	9	F2002	F		195	10	44	38
1576	Katie	Bos	10	F2000	F		1576	10	50	39
1473	Ben	Bona	11	M2000	M		1473	10	55	40
193	Rori	Denness	10	F2001	F		193	10	57	41
1969	Sam	Wooder	9	M2002	M	St. George's	1969	11	3	42
1957	Stella	Rockel	9	F2001	F	Van Olympic Club	1957	11	4	43
1965	Finn	Anderson	9	M2002	M	St. George's	1965	11	6	44
1574	Theo	Bentley	8	M2002	M		1574	11	8	45
1523	Stephanie	Stressing	12	F1999	F		1523	11	10	46
1517	Lauren	Quan	11	F2000	F		1517	11	13	47
1527	Zach	Vavasour	12	M1999	M		1527	11	14	48
1577	Olivia	Van Noort	12	F1999	F		1577	11	16	49
165	Shaunika	Suriya	9	F2002	F		165	11	16	50
1491	Felix	Allen	9	M2002	M		1491	11	17	51
1553	Meaghan	MacKenzie	12	F1999	F		1553	11	17	52
1484	Cedric	Ng	10	M2001	M		1484	11	18	53
1546	Katie	DesLauriers	9	F2002	F		1546	11	24	54
1979	Chase	Williams	8	M2002	M		1979	11	24	55
1476	Danika	Unger	11	F2000	F		1476	11	27	56
188	Lauren	Gee	11	F1999	F		188	11	27	57
1515	Kennedy	Randall	11	F2000	F		1515	11	28	58
1514	Matthew	Cheng	10	2001	M		1514	11	30	59
1511	Enzo	Cuglietta	10	2001	M		1511	11	33	60
1950	Christopher	King	10	M2001	M	St. George's	1950	11	37	61
1528	Jack	Berenzy	12	M1999	M		1528	11	38	62
1502	Jordan	Pallai	9	F2002	F		1502	11	39	63
1534	Dylan	Klimos	10	M2000	M		1534	11	39	64
1498	Olivia	Neil	9	F2002	F		1498	11	40	65
1533	Jarrett	Chong	10	M2001	M		1533	11	41	66
1488	Meghan	Daniell	10	F2001	F		1488	11	43	67
1507	Anna	Cumming	10	2001	F		1507	11	50	68
196	Carson	Ostrinski	11	M2000	M		196	11	52	69
1982	Millar	Cumming	9	M2002	M	WPGA	1982	11	56	70
1508	Charlotte	Kalla	10	2001	F		1508	11	57	71
1545	Cole	Yarmoshuk	9	M2002	M		1545	12	0	72
1513	Gavin	Pringle	10	2001	M		1513	12	2	73
1967	Sam	Riddell	10	M2001	M	Norwesters	1967	12	2	74
1542	Simon	Blizzard	9	M2002	M		1542	12	3	75
1970	Luke	Parolin	9	M2002	M	St. George's	1970	12	12	76
1953	Heather	Gadalla	8	F2002	F	WPGA	1953	12	12	77
1529	Ethan	Ho	12	M1999	M		1529	12	15	78
1519	Yunhyuk	Kang	11	M2000	M		1519	12	19	79
1471	Mya	Bekar	11	F2000	F		1471	12	20	80
1506	Aneesh	Vasrhney	9	M2002	M		1506	12	24	81
1968	Julia	Rastad	9	F2002	F	Norwesters	1968	12	26	82
1581	Anaiyah	Bernier	9	F2002	F		1581	12	30	83
198	Daniella	Zinetti	10	F2001	F		198	12	31	84
1535	Nicolas	Klimos	9	M2002	M		1535	12	32	85
1497	Tess	Blake	9	F2002	F		1497	12	39	86
1504	Damon	Huttunen	9	M2002	M		1504	12	42	87
1552	Adelia	Bailey	10	F2001	F		1552	12	43	88
1579	Brianne	Lowka	12	F1999	F		1579	12	44	89
197	Nicolett	Duchesne	9	F2002	F		197	12	45	90
1536	Tyler	Klimos	9	M2002	M		1536	12	47	91
1554	Lukas	Zhanel	9	M2001	M		1554	12	47	92
1559	Ali	Jafri	9	M2002	M		1559	12	49	93
1475	Alanna	Cunha	9	F2002	F		1475	12	57	94
1474	Noah	Clendenin	9	M2002	M		1474	12	58	95
1944	Eric	Ma	9	M2002	M	St. George's	1944	12	59	96
1951	Alexander	Shojania	9	M2002	M	St. George's	1951	12	59	97
1955	Samie	Dattani	9	M2002	M	St. George's	1955	13	6	98
1503	Charlie	Anthony	9	M2002	M		1503	13	7	99
1518	Justin	Faraday	11	M2000	M		1518	13	14	100
1522	Matthew	Campbell	11	M2000	M		1522	13	24	101
1555	Chloe	Cuthbert	11	F2000	F		1555	13	35	102
1952	Arthur	Speirs	9	M2002	M	St. George's	1952	13	47	103
1947	Karim	Qaaifm	11	M2000	M	St. George's	1947	14	33	104
1580	Shianne	Lowka	10	F2001	F		1580	14	41	105
1509	Varun	Patel	10	2001	M		1509	14	49	106
1510	Kevin	Faraday	10	2001	M		1510	14	55	107
1499	Maia	Jefferson	9	F2002	F		1499	15	15	108
1959	Aaron	Hanford	8	M2003	M	Brockton Prep School	1959	15	18	109
1556	Calvin	Slinn	8	M2003	M		1556	17	42	110
1565	Joshua	Handford	9	M2002	M		1565	19	7	111

3.5k Race Results with Teams

	3.5k Results in Finish Order with Teams
Bib #	FIRSTNAME	LASTNAME	Age	Category	Gender	Club/School	Minutes	Seconds	Order
186	Michael	Milic	13	M1998	M	Ocean Athletics	11	1	1
1972	Isaac	Wadhwani	13	M1997	M	Golden Ears Ath.	11	6	2
1961	Kayden	Sim	14	M1997	M	Norwesters	11	53	3
1945	Liam	McKay	15	M1996	M	Ocean Athletics	12	3	4
1490	Jude	Klassen	14	M1997	M	Langley Mustangs	12	5	5
158	Rachel	Jones	14	F1997	F		12	5	6
1543	Addy	Townsend	13	F1997	F	Coquitlam Cheetahs	12	9	7
1472	Julia	Greer	12	F1998	F	Ocean Athletics	12	12	8
1493	Peter	Milobar	15	M1996	M	Thunderbirds	12	55	9
1550	George	Brownrigg	14	M1997	M	Ocean Athletics	13	9	10
189	Jordan	Gee	14	M1997	M	Ocean Athletics	13	16	11
1585	Aimee	Shannon	13	F1998	F	RC Track Club	13	45	12
1470	Kiana	Bekar	12	F1998	F	Ocean Athletics	14	8	13
1960	Anna	Laktionova	15	F1996	F	Norwesters	14	13	14
1954	Mikayk	Tinkham	12	F1998	F	Golden Ears Ath.	14	14	15
1948	Stephanie	Cho	14	F1997	F	Van Olympic Club	14	21	16
1946	Samantha	Cho	12	F1998	F	Van Olympic Club	14	36	17
190	Sammi	Klymchuk	13	F1998	F	Ocean Athletics	15	15	18
1940	Madison	Wong	15	F1996	F	Thunderbirds	15	26	19

Thanks to all the runners for coming to the Pinetree Classic, and thanks to all Phoenix members and friends for your help in putting on the race. Hope you all felt good about the race. Good job everyone!

2011 Penticton Ironman Results for Chris Tomkinson

Swim: 1:01:21

Bike: 5:14:17

Run: 3:35:20 Overall Time: 9:57:38 (Qualified for the World's in Kona) Great job Chris!

Richmond Oval 10K Race August 14

Runner	Position	Time
Peggy B		51:19
Joey G	first	46:49
Maureen C	second	42:27
Dave F	first	38:37
Larry L	third	37:51

Squamish Days 10K
Runner	Age/Gender Standing	Time
Larry L	4/17	38:00
Dave F	1/10	38:29
Maureen C	2/13	41:58
Joey G
Peggy B
Cindy F

McCulloch 5th in the World
Our "Wozzer" peaks perfectly for World Masters Athletics Championships 800m Final
Warren McCulloch was the sole Phoenix representative at the World Masters Athletics Championships held in Sacramento, California from July 6 to July 17. Warren’s fans back home were treated to five days of suspense and fantastic results as Warren progressed from the heats on July 7 (fastest qualifier in 2:06.13), to the semis on July 9, to the  competitive and exciting final on July 11. Warren looked very smooth running 2:03.47 in his semi-final, as he broke Barry Adams’s 24-year-old BC Masters 45–49 record!

In the final he was joined by fellow Canadians Mike Sherar and Paul Osland, both international-level 800m competitors in their youth and outstanding masters athletes. Warren ran a good tactical race, a tricky proposition in a close race with 11 other competitors. He went through the first 400m in 58 seconds. He closed as hard as he could, but his superb time of 2:00.66 brought him home in 5th place, out of the bronze medal spot by just over half a second! You can watch the video of the race here. Sherar was the winner in a solid 1:58.11, while Osland, coming off an injury, finished 11th in 2:05.07.

Warren returned home to the warm welcome of his family, who decorated their house with "congratulations" banners. He didn't come home to rest, though. On July 16 and 17 he made his hometown appearance at the Coquitlam Town Centre track where training buddy Hoow, coach George and other fans watched him compete in the BC Track & Field Championships. On Saturday Woz tackled the Senior Men's 400m race, running in the rain with only three other competitors. Lacking pure speed, he ran 55.15. The following day he was back on the track in perfect conditions, this time part of a huge field of excellent young 800m runners. Warren was pulled through the 400m nicely in about 58 seconds. He had that sub-2:00 time firmly in his mind's eye, but it was not quite to be. His official time was 2:00.24.

Warren lowered the BC Masters 45-49 800m record three times within an 8-day span. His latest time is worth 92.6% age-graded, equivalent to a 1:49.19 open 800m!

Warren came home with nothing but praise for both the organization of the meet as well as its social aspects. He said he felt like he was at the Olympics, especially when the athletes were paraded in front of the spectators before their races.

I asked Warren a couple of questions about his Sacramento experiences so that all of us in Phoenix can learn a little about competing at this level.

NT:
What did you most enjoy/value about going to the Masters World Championships in Sacramento?

WM:
Being able to run amongst my peers was what I enjoyed the most. It's a real test of one's ability matched up against the best in the world. There aren't that many Masters track meets so this is a great opportunity to get involved in a race that really matters. Most of my track races end up being all-out time trials with little or no tactics involved except running as fast as I can!

NT:
Do you have any secrets to share about how you're able to run so fast at age 45--only four seconds off your all-time PB? Training advice? Mental preparation?

WM:
I think my secret is that I have been a very low mileage runner. The most I ever ran in a week (even doing twice a day at Uni) is about 50 miles. As a Masters runner I doubt I ever go over 20 MPW. However, the miles I do run are all good quality whether on the track (fast) or in Mundy Park (hills) no junk miles or recovery runs (how can your legs recover if you are running on them?)

I have learned to take lots of rest days and to not worry about taking a day off if I feel tired. The main obstacle Masters athletes face is avoiding injury since they tend to take longer to heal as they get older. I have learned to stop running as soon I feel something isn't right; I'd rather not complete a session (and avoid injury) instead of being off running for several weeks.

NOTE: Warren will attempt to break the 2:00 barrier again at the Ocean Athletics Twilight Meet #2, to be held in White Rock on Tuesday, July 26 at 7 p.m.

Knee Knacker 2011

Great result for Kathryn at Knee Knacker.

This dreaded 30 mile cross country run starts at Horseshoe Bay and winds its way around the North Shore over some treacherous terrain - including deep snow - to end up at Deep Cove.

Kathryn -in her age group - (50 - 59) finished first out of thirteen in a time of 7 hrs. 49 mins.

Way to go Kathryn
 

Results; from Longest Day:

5K
Dave  F.       18.57     (15/76)
Anna  K.        20.47    (23/153)
Maureen       21.07     (7/135)
Peggy           25.19     (28/135)
Cindy            26.37     (34/135)
10K
Joey              47.19     (33/10

Sandcastle 8k June 12

Dave  Frilund  -  38.23    1/17
 
Gunther  B       -  45.35     2/7

Shaughnessy 8K 2011

Phoenix runners:

Dave Frilund    - 30:54  2/20 in age group

Joey Gargaro  - 36:00  4/14

Gunther Bauer - 36:56  2/5

Cindy Frilund   - 44:53  11/18 

Mothers' Day 5K 2011  Race Results

To see videos of the race click on these links: Part 1,  Part 2

For age-graded results click here 

 

 

 

Boston Marathon - April 18, 2011

Also of note -  Among all the Boston Masters Teams, Our women finished 16th out of 37 and the men came in 23rd out of 73.  Well done!!

Chris Tomkinson    2:56:04    134/964      M40/44    BQ

Larry Lorette          3:04:06    307/1864    M44/49    BQ

Dave Frilund           3:09:19    27/2857      M55/59    BQ

Maureen Curtis       3:22:46    49/770        F45/49    BQ

Adam Frilund          3:25:57    2895/5467   M0-39

Kathryn O'Grady    3:33:15    32/1787       F50/54    BQ

Peggy Brown         4:19:09    1190/7724    F45/49

Amazing job everyone.  Congratulations.

 

For archived race results click here.