Nov 24

Annual General Meeting Highlights

Congratulations to our 2007 Runners of the Year, Linda Woodbury and Dirk Handke. The Heinrich Spiller Award of Courage was awarded to Brian MacDonald.

There are no changes to the 2008 road race series schedule. That includes the Summerland Half which won’t be moving to the April date previously presumptuously mentioned!! And Kamloops intends to add a sixth race to the cross country series, a ten k or better, to be held on August 24th.

The 2008 country series will have five year increment age categories instead of the present ten year incs. The date used to determine a series runners age has been changed to December 31st for both series. (The date of the last race in the series has been the date used.)

Nov 16

Final (official) Canadian Tire Road Series Age Category Scoring

Only two minor changes were made to the previously posted thirteen race scoring summary, these being in the women's 50-54 age category where ninth and tenth positions were reversed, and in the men's 54-59 category where a fourth became a second when the scores were properly sorted. The scoring summaries can be accessed with the links to the left.

The Oct 8th posting names the ten road series Iron Leg winners for 2007. Those being the runners who finished all thirteen races. In The Starting Block Cross Country Series the Iron Leg winners were Donna Mazurkewich, Cindy Gavin, Lorna McGill, Debbie Taylor, Janice Page, Kathryne Flannery, Shirley Gray, Min Rayson, Kathleen Yanke, Trevor Haaheim, Kevin Matrosous, Gary Wade, Dirk Handke, Alex Harvie, Vance Potter, Bruce Hendry, Don Taylor, John Wickenheiser, Chris Charbonneau, Sean Hamilton, Gerry Breneman, Melvin Doherty, Pat Amundsen, David Graham, Stan Gray, and Bruce Butcher.

This year's recipients of the Legs of Steel award, for competing in all eighteen races, are Mel Doherty, Kathleen Yanke, Vance Potter, Debbie Taylor, Don Taylor, and Dirk Handke. For our ironman of series racing, Mel Doherty, that makes 182 consecutive series races!! That's amazing ... no one's ever gonna top that!!

Kal Park results are still needing some work but Steve Briggman asked that I mention that it was Catherine Hooper who was instrumental in helping the injured runner off the course. A big thanks then to Catherine as well!

Hope to see you at the banquet.

Nov 11

Banquet Tickets and Five Race XC Scoring

Wrong wrong about banquet tickets being available from the local running stores - they're not! But it gets easier yet. Email normdrake@shaw.ca , let him know how many tickets you want and you can pay for them and pick them up at the door.

Five race scoring results here. Please check your scoring! There were many name misspellings in the submitted individual race results. Hopefully they've all been corrected and those qualifying have been credited with the right number of races.

The Kal Park results shown below have not yet been updated. However the five race scoring results are correct for any qualifiers that ran that race.

Oct 31

2007 IRA Banquet and Annual General Meeting

The November 17th, banquet, awards ceremony, and AGM is being hosted by the Kelowna Running Club. It will be held at the Sandman Hotel, 2130 Harvey Ave, (across from the Orchard Park Mall) in Kelowna. Cocktails at 6:00, buffet dinner at 7:00, folllowed by the awards ceremony and a DJ'd dance. Tickets ($35) are available from the local running stores. Please purchase your tickets by November 11th as the hotel needs to know attendance numbers. For further information please contact Norm Drake. Please show your support for the Interior Running Association by attending.

The AGM will take place at the Sandman starting at 12:00 noon. Should you have any suggestions that might improve the series, or complaints arising from any of the races, please contact any of the executive.

The date for the Summerland Centennial Half will be changed to the third weekend in April from the present third week in February. Previously this was the date of the now cancelled Westbank Half. The date conflicts with the Sun Run (and Boston) but it fits nicely between the Oliver 10K and Blossom 10 Miler in our schedule.

Nov 4

Kal Park Results

Results for the Kal Park 9.5K have been posted and Final 2007 XC scoring has been calculated. Please check your scoring.

A salute to Catherine Hooper and Steve Briggman who dropped out of the race to assist John O'Brien off the course. John suffered a bad ankle sprain.

Oct 30

Summerland XC 8.4K Results

Results for the Summerland XC 8.4K have been posted and Four race 2007 XC scoring has been calculated. Please check your scoring.

The third year for this course and new course records were set in both divisions. Trevor Haaheim bested his own record by seven seconds finishing in 34:19 while Shannon Thompson took nineteen seconds off of Melissa Spooner's previous best finishing in 41:39.

Thanks to The Starting Block for providing draw prizes for all of the XC series. Thanks also to my volunteers and a big thanks to Fred for allowing us to preserve our previous course!! And thanks again to Dirk Handke (who scored a new pair of shoes courtesy of The Starting Block) for the race pictures which can be viewed at http://geocities.com/okanagancustomsheds/dirks_page

Race #5, the Kal Park 9.5 K goes this Sunday, November 4th at 10AM. That's 10AM Standard Time!! More info at the Kal Rat's website which includes this map indicating the race location at the south end of Kidston Rd.

Oct 22

Larry Nicholas 9K results

Results for the Larry Nicholas Memorial XC 9K have been posted. Three race 2007 XC scoring has also been calculated. Please check your scoring.

Race #4 the Summerland XC 8.4K goes this Sunday, October 28th at 10AM.

Oct 18

Campbell Mtn 6.5K results

Results for the Campbell Mtn 6.5K have been posted. Another good turn-out for this, the second race of The Starting Block XC series.

Race pictures, thanks again to Dirk Handke, can be viewed at http://geocities.com/okanagancustomsheds/dirks_page

Race #3, the Larry Nicholas Memorial XC 9K, goes this Sunday, Oct 21 at 10:00AM, in Mission Creek Regional Park on Springfield Rd in Kelowna.

Oct 8

Catching up on the much overdue

Unofficial final age-graded series scoring has been posted, as well as the age-graded Beach to Peak women's and men's results. The series age-graded results will be become official once a manual check for errors is completed. No doubt about the top placings though. Congratulations to Roy Dagneau (M70-74) of Salmon Arm and Cindy Rhodes (F50-54) of Kelowna for their 2007 series age-graded first places finishes. Second place goes to Hans Aabye (M20-29) and Laurelee Welder (F50-54) with Greg Johnson (M30-34) and Astrid Varga (F55-59) taking third.

The following runners competed in all thirteen races. Listed in order of their seven year series participation, the Iron Leg winners for 2007 are Mel Doherty, Pauline Ulatowski, Kathleen Yanke, Alan Macleod, Carol Chisholm, Vance Potter, Debbie Taylor, Hans Aabye, Don Taylor, and Dirk Handke. And a salute to Pat Amundsen and John Chisholm who came up only one race short.

A special mention regarding the unprecedented series running year achieved by Hans Aaybe. Hans competed in all thirteen races, set two course records, had nine overall wins, twelve age category wins and finished a close second in the age-graded series. Truly a remarkable effort!

The next race in the cross country series, the Campell Mountain 6.5K, goes Oct 14th in Penticton at 10:00 AM. The start is from the Greyback Rd located just past the landfill site turnoff which is accessed from Upper Bench Rd. map The entry fee is $8.00 which includes the BCA day of race insurance.

Corrections have been made to the men's thirteen race scoring in the 50-54 and 35-30 age categories.

Oct 7

2007 Reino Keski-Salmi Memorial 9.1K Results

Results for the Reino Keski-Salmi Memorial 9.1K have been posted. A great turnout for the first race of The Starting Block XC Race series - just one shy of one hundred on a wet day!

Please check your results for this race and the remaining series races. The race computer is not always used for the trail races. The results files are compiled from the hand written registrations. (With a thanks to Jarrett for doing that.) As such there could be name misspellings. A misspelled name results in two entries for the same runner when the scoring is compiled.

Race pictures, thanks to Dirk Handke, can be viewed at http://geocities.com/okanagancustomsheds/dirks_page

Sept 29

Beach to Beak 14K Results

Results for the Beach to Beak 14K have been posted. Unofficial final series age category scoring can be accessed using the links to the left. These results are unofficial pending a manual check for name duplication etc. Age-graded results to follow.

Race #1 in The Starting Block Cross Country Series goes tomorrow at 10:00 from the Larch Hills Ski Area in Salmon Arm. Contact Dave Wallensteen 250 832 7740 for more info. All of the XC races are day of race registration only.

Sept 22

Beach to Beak 14K

The final race of the road series, the Beach to Beak 14K goes tomorrow at 9:00 AM starting at Gyro Beach on Lakeshore Drive. (See map of start location.) Due to bridge construction the race will not be starting at Knox Mountain, as in previous years. Note that there is no day of race registration and the last chance to register is today, until 5:00 PM at Fresh Air Experience in Kelowna.

And a mention too, that this webguy, who is presently at the coast, intends to enter!! His first race of the entire year! Hope to see you there. Yesterday I drove to Sechelt and had a visit with Willis. More about that here.

Sept 12

Bike Barn 10K results

Results for the Bike Barn 10K have been posted. Twelve race age category and age-graded scoring can be accessed using the links to the left.

Race pictures are available at these two sites, courtesy of Dirk Handke and Van Pratt. http://geocities.com/okanagancustomsheds/dirks_page http://www.bikebarn.ca/bb10k/race.html

Sept 4

Raven Run 10K results

Results for the Raven Run 10K have been posted.

Once again, Hans Aabye of Merritt posted a first place finish with a time of 36:50, while bettering his last year's fourth place finish time of 38:17. Greg Johnson of Vernon ran second in 37:27, posting his ninth age category win this year. Sergio Pio of Penticton took third in 38:08.

In the women's division Cindy Rhodes of Kelowna was first overall in 44:15; her seventh age category win this year. Alysson Marshall (F16-19) of Enderby repeated her last year's second place finish, crossing the line in 45:14, bettering her previous time by almost a minute. Mandy Sellars of Kamloops finished third, only one second behind Alysson.

In the men's age-graded division Roy Dagneau (M70-74) of Salmon Arm, took top spot, with an a-g time of 35:46. This was Roy's eighth age category win this year and he continues to hold top spot in the age-category series scoring, with a ten point lead over Hans Aabye. Sergio Pio (M40-44) was second with an a-g time of 36:23. Ed Ansems of Terrace captured third with an a-g time of 36:34.

For the women Cindy Rhodes (F50-54) scored a 38:54 age-graded victory ahead of Kelowna's Diane Leonard's (F60-64) 42:15 a-g clocking. Cindy and Diane are one, two in the series age-graded scoring as well. Pat Danforth of Salmon Arm took third with an a-g time of 43:40.

The twelfth race in the series, the Bike Barn 10K, goes this Sunday, September 9th in Penticton. Please note that the route for this race has changed from previous years. The intent is to provide a flat 10K course, late in the season, for those who would like to attempt personal best times. This course is two loops of the Lakeside 5K course and the start/finish line is near the Sicamous paddle wheeler at the west end of Lakeshore Drive. Start time is 9:00 AM and once again this year the Bike Barn has provided a mountain bike as the top draw prize.

July 23

Grizzly 12K results

Results for the Grizzly 12K have been posted.

Congratulations to Hans Aabye of Merritt, in setting a new course record of 42:10. The previous record was set in 2003 by Trevor Jordon, with a time of 42:22. This was Hans second course record this year, as well as his seventh overall series win, and he's ten for ten in age category wins. Last year's winner, Cameron Egan of Coldstream finished second in 43:23 and bettered his previous time by almost a minute. Greg Johnson of Vernon, ran third in 43:59, making this the sixth time he's finished in the top three, in the series, this year.

In the women's division Tammy Slusser of Monroeville, Pennsylvania took first place with a time of 47:50 bettering her 2004 winning time of 46:53. In second spot, Sarah Newton of Revelstoke repeated her 2006 placing with a 51:59 clocking. Running in the F16-19 category Allyson Cummings of Vernon finished third in 52:30, that time being five minutes faster than her 2006 effort.

For the men's age-graded, Jack Miller (M60-64) of Kamloops, who finished fifth overall, claimed top spot with an a-g time of 38:29, more than three minutes ahead of second place Hans Aabye's (M20-29) 42:10 overall finish time. Cameron Egan's (M20-29) overall finish time of 43:23 earned him third place.

Tammy Slusser (F40-44) finished first in the women's age-graded category with an a-g time of 45:11. Caroline Raine (F40-44) of Kelowna placed second in 50:09 and Sarah Newton (F35-39) of Revelstoke was close behind for third place with an 50:19 a-g clocking.

The next race in the series is #11 the Raven Run 10K ( Raven Run 10K (pdf)) which goes August 19th at 9:00 from the Salmon Arm Secondary school.

The registration forms for race #12 the Bike Barn 10K, and race #13 the Beach to Beak been posted. More on the course changes of these races at a later date. Registration for the Beach to Beak is also available online at http://www.eventsonline.ca/calendar/calendar_bydate.htm

July 20

Midsummer 8K results

Results for the Midsummer 8K have been posted.

Graeme Wilson of Vancouver was first overall in a time of 25:52, just seven seconds off the course record. In second spot Merritt's Hans Aabye continued his perfect age category sweep finishing in 27:45. Last year's winner, Greg Johnson of Vernon was close behind in third spot with a 27:54 personal best for the course.

Vancouver runners took the top seven spots in the women's division with Meagan McCollum finishing first in 30:12, bettering her 2005 winning time by four seconds. Master Rita Ivanauskas placed second in 31:16 while Laura De Munain took third in 32:03.

Graeme Wilson (M35-39) took top spot in the age-graded men's category as well, with an a-g time of 25:42. John Lopes of Kelowna (M55-59) scored second in this division in 26:03. Salmon Arm's Roy Dagneau (M70-74), (who ran this race at a 7:17 pace!) claimed third with an a-g time only one second behind second place. After nine races, Roy leads the men's age-graded series scoring by a slim eleven point margin over Hans Aabye with Greg Johnson third.

In the women's division Rita Ivanauskas (F40-45), a-g time of 28:55 bested Meagan McCollum's (F20-29) overall winning time of 30:12. Astrid Varga of Westbank (F55-59) took third spot with a time of 30:54 Series scoring, after nine races in this division, has Lynda Proce first, Donna Mazurkewich second and Joanne Montgomery third.

I haven't received any wheeler results.

The nine race age category men's and nine race age category women's scoring, as well as the nine race age-graded men's and nine race age-graded women's scoring have been updated. Runners who have run more than seven races have had their lowest scoring races discarded. Please check your scoring.

Lorne White, Kelowna Daily Courier has once again photographed this race. The photos can be viewed at www.kelownadailycourier.ca. Click on Photo Archives . ... Champions Sports Gallery ... July album ... and finally Midsummer 8K album. Pictures of this race, and the other series races as well, are also available at Dirk Handke's web site.

Apologizes for the delay in getting these results properly posted. (Web guy's excuse/whereabouts)

The next race in the series is the Grizzly 12K which goes this Sunday July 22nd, at 9:00AM from the Arrow Heights Elementary School, 1950 Park Drive in Revelstoke. Draw prizes include a helicopter ride and running shoes.

June 15

Grizzly reminder ... of a fun thing to do!

July 22nd is the date for the 10th race in the series, the Grizzly Bear Run 12K, in Revelstoke. The race committee would like to pass this message along.

"Hey summer runners! Be sure to pack your swim trunks as your entry into the 21st Annual Grizzly Bear Run will once again get you a day pass at the Revelstoke Aquatic Centre! Showers, waterslide and 2 pools await your sweat-drenched bodies after this "HOT" July run. (And even it rains - a shower can never hurt:) Come enjoy some small town hospitality. Make a weekend of it and bring the kids for the 4 km fun run!"

Entry forms for the Grizzly and Raven Run 10K have been posted. The next race in the series is the Midsummer 8K which goes July 8th, in Kelowna.

June 12

Peach City Runners Coalmont to Princeton Results

Results for the Coalmont to Princeton have been posted.

Thanks to all who participated ... attendance topped the previous high by a single entrant ... into triple digits for the first time. (There were only eleven registrations received when the race director announced the possibility of the race being cancelled.)

Congratulations to Hans Aabye of Merritt, in setting a new course record of 1:07:41. Winning his sixth overall series race this year, Hans bettered his last years time by two and a half minutes, crossing the finish line with an eight minute lead over the field. The previous record was set by Kevin Cutjar in 2002, with a time of 1:08:31. Second place went to Adam Elliot of Kelowna in 1:15:39 while Tom Carlson, also of Kelowna, ran third in 1:17:12.

In the women's division, Kelowna's Cindy Rhodes took top spot in a time of 1:21:58. Mirian Green, of Nelson was second in 1:25:51 with Penticton's Donna Sawchyn finishing third in 1:26:49.

The women's age-graded medal standings had Cindy Rhodes (F50-54) again in first place in an a-g time of 1:12:35. Shirley Gray (F60-64), of Summerland, placed second in 1:17:01 with Donna Sawchyn repeating her third place overall standing with an age-grading time of 1:18:59.

For the men, Hans Aabye's (M20-29) 1:07:41 clocking was ample to give him top spot over Tom Carlson's (M45-49) age-graded time of 1:12:33. Ivan McKnight of Kelowna (M45-49) took third in 1:12:48.

The eight race age category men's and eight race age category women's scoring, as well as the eight race age-graded men's and eight age-graded women's scoring have been updated. Runners who have run all eight races have had their lowest scoring race discarded. Please check your scoring.

The next race in the series is the Midsummer 8K which goes July 8th, at 8:00AM from the Capital News Centre, Gordon Drive, in Kelowna.

May 30

Blackwell Dairy 15K results

Results for the Blackwell Dairy 15K have been posted.

Hans Aabye of Merritt finished first overall, in a time of 53:18 and chocked up his fifth series overall win this year, while bettering his last years time by three and a half minutes. Greg Johnson of Vernon, last year's overall winner, also bettered his previous time and took second with a clocking of 54:52. Perry Grunenberg of Kamloops ran third in 59:40.

Yvonne Timewell of Kamloops, repeated her last year's Blackwell performance and led the way for the women finishing in 1:04:08. Kelowna runners, Cindy Rhodes and Tracie Green took the remaining overall medal positions finishing in 1:05:16 and 1:08:16.

In the women's age-graded category Cindy Rhodes (F50-54) took top spot for the third time this year with an a-g time of 57:38. Yvonne Timewell (F35-39) was second in 1:02:13 and Lauralee Welder (F50-54) of Kelowna finished third 1:03:09.

For the men Jack Miller of Kamloops, bested the age-graded field by three minutes finishing with a calculated time of 49:36. Salmon Arm's Roy Dagneau (M70-74) took second in 52:34 and Hans Aabye's (M20-29) 53:18 finish netted third.

Thanks to Peter Pollhammer for updating the seven race age category men's and seven race age category women's scoring as well as the age-graded men's and age-graded women's scoring. Please check that your scoring is correct.

The next race in the series is the Peach City Runner's Coalmont to Princeton 18.5K which starts June 10th at 9:00AM from Coalmont. Bus transportation to the start line leaves the Princeton Arena at 8:00.

The 2007 Interior Running Association race booklet in Adobe pdf format can be downloaded here or with the link in the entry forms section. The printed booklets are also available from Interior running stores or if multiple copies are needed please contact Jarrett Spannier (jspannier@sd19.bc.ca) at 250-837-5303.

May 30th update ... the race will not be cancelled.

Coalmont to Princeton (Race #8) needs runners!

Leslie Hassell, the race director, reports that she has only received a third of the normal amount of entries for this race at this point in time. As the race normally only breaks even she's going to wait a week and make a decision whether to go ahead or regrettably cancel the race. If you are planning to run the Coalmont to Princeton could you please advise Leslie lhassell@telus.net (250-295-7380) or Jim Hardin (250-295-7620) asap. Thanks.

May 24

Peach City Runners Blossom 10 Miler results

Results for the Blossom 10 Miler have been posted.

Hans Aabye of Merritt took top spot in 55:50 with Hugh Trenchard of Victoria placing second in 56:28. Last year's overall winner, Rory Switzer of Kelowna, finished third in 57:16.

In the women's division Kristina Rody of Whistler, who was fifth overall, finished first in a time of 1:00:58. Kelowna runners Melanie Bos (1:05:39) and Cindy Rhodes (1:09:00) took second and third.

Age-graded top placings

Kristina Rody's (F30-34), overall finish time of 1:00:58 also merited top spot in the women's age-graded results besting Cindy Rhodes (F50-54) by a single second. Astrid Varga (F55-59) of Westbank, who finished seventeenth overall in the women's division, claimed third spot with an age-graded time of 1:05:29, ten seconds ahead of fourth place Melanie Bos (F30-34).

In the men's age-graded division, Rory Switzer (M45-49) and Alan Kerr (M60-64) of Penticton reversed their Oliver 10K age-graded placings with Rory taking top spot by only three seconds to win in 53:41. Hugh Trenchard (M35-39) was third with an a-g time of 55:40.

Peter Pollhammer (the injured Peter P) has updated both the age category men's and age category women's scoring as well as the age-graded men's and age-graded women's scoring. Please check that your scoring is correct.

The next race in the series is the Blackwell Dairy 15K which goes May 27 at 9:00 from Barnhartvale, just east of Kamloops.

April 4

Oliver OK Photo Lab 10K Results

Results for the OK Photo Lab 10K have been posted.

A great day weather wise and a great turnout, with 222 finishers. Thanks to all for their efforts in making this a very successful event ... the volunteers, the sponsors, (some of whose product likely helped in achieving that near record turnout), the participants, and the race director. The Kelowna Running Club has some photos at KRC photos of this race as well as others. Thanks to Dirk Handke for the link.

Tri Olympian Jill Savege, of Penticton, set a new women's course record, taking more than two minutes off the previous best, with a 35:33 clocking. Kelowna's Cindy Rhodes and Tracie Green finished second and third in 41:58 and 42:31.

Tom Evans, of Penticton took top spot overall finishing in 34:22. Vernon's Greg Johnson and Hans Aabye of Merritt duelled for second place, finishing six seconds apart in 35:15 and 35:21 respectively.

Age-graded top placings

Jill Savege (F30-34) and Cindy Rhodes (F50-54) maintained their overall first and second placings with age-graded times of 35:33 and 36:54 respectively. Lauralee Welder (F50-54), of Kelowna, was third with an a-g time of 38:38.

In the men's age-graded division, Alan Kerr of Penticton, (M60-64) was first in 32:59. Rory Switzer, (M45-49), of Kelowna, placed second in 33:25 edging out Salmon Arm's Roy Dagneau (M70-74) by another mere six second difference.

Thanks once again to Peter Pollhammer for the Age-Graded Results, and that link includes five race age-graded scoring. As well, he has updated the age category five race scoring Women Men. Please check your scoring to insure that all your races are shown. If not, it's likely that a missing race is due to a misspelling of your name which will be shown further down the list. Two such errors were found in the four race scoring but were not corrected. Those corrections have been made to the five race scoring.

The next race is the series is race number six, the Peach City Runner's Blossom 10 Miler, a point to point race which starts at 9:00 AM, May 13th (Mother's Day) on the Naramata road. Bus transportation to the start line will leave from the SS Sicamous at 8:00. Anyone driving to the start is asked to swing by the Sicamous to check for anyone needing a lift.

Mar 27

Four Race Age-Graded Scoring

AG4racescoringWomen AG4racescoringMen

Please check your scores. Note that unlike the age category scoring where 30 points is awarded for first place, the age-graded scoring starts at 200 points. The point divisions between the placings are the same however.

Age-graded scoring for the River's Spring Run-Off has also been posted. 2007 Age-Graded Results

Mar 22

The River's Spring Run-Off Results

Results for the The River's Spring Run-Off have been posted.

Philip Rist, of Vancouver, (who BTW has a 2:17:21 marathon PB) finished first overall in 32:46 ahead of Hans Aabye, of Merritt, (34:00). For Hans this was his fourth consecutive series age category win. Greg Johnson, of Vernon ran third in 35:21.

Master Rita Ivanauskas, of Vancouver took the women's division in 38:49 ahead of Katherine Moore, of Vancouver (41:15) and Yvonne Timewell of Kamloops, (41:19).

Peter Pollhammer has calculated the age-graded results but they are incomplete, as yet, pending some needed birthdates. Unofficial medal placings, (not likely to change) have Rita Ivanauskas (F40-44) on top in this category as well, with an age-graded clocking of 36:36. Lauralee Welder (F50-54), of Kelowna, was second in 38:28 and Anna Desireau (F40-44), of Kamloops finished third with an a-g time of 39:47.

In the men's age-graded division, Jack Miller (M60-64), of Cache Creek finished first in 30:56 ahead of Philip Rist's (M35-39) 32:23 second place finish. Roy Dagneau (M70-74) was third in this category with an a-g time of 33:23. And Roy too has had four consecutive series age category wins this year.

The next race in the series (#5) starts at 10:00 AM April 1st, the Oliver OK Photo Lab 10K with it's offer of a bottle of wine for every competitor above the 15-19 age category. That's in Oliver, the wine capital of Canada!

Cool Running has a links page with over thirteen hundred running related links. If you have some time on your hands, check it out here or find the newly added link under the Links heading to the left.

Four race series scoring has been posted. Four race age-graded scoring to follow soon.

A plug too for the Campus to Campus Half Marathon & Bookworm Relay Race that goes this Sunday March 25 in Kelowna. This link, Campus to Campus, is correct but there may be a problem with their web page loading. Unlike Summerland, this one is a net downhill, with a lot of flat! One other Interior half marathon note to mention, the Westbank Half, in April, has been discontinued.

Mar 13

Penticton Lakeside Resort 5K age-graded results

Age-graded results for the Lakeside can be found here or with the link to the left.

Mar 11

Penticton Lakeside Resort 5K

Results for the Penticton Lakeside Resort 5K have been posted.

A record turn out in spite of the pre race rain. Again this year the flat and fast Lakeside hosted the BC Provincial 5K Championship. Cliff Childs of Kelowna, (M16-19) who holds a fifth place ranking in the BC High School X-Country ratings, finished first, in 16:22 ahead of Hans Aabye of Merritt (16:32) and Tom Evans of Penticton (16:47).

In the women's division Vanessa Tilson (F16-19) of Vernon, out sprinted Chantelle Deacon (F00-15) also of Vernon, by nineteen seconds to finish first in 19:20. Kelowna's Cindy Rhodes took third in 20:41.

Age-graded results to follow.

Race #4 in the series, The River's Spring Run-Off 10K, goes next Sunday, March 18th at 10 AM from the Arthur Stevenson School, Banks Road, Kamloops (Westsyde). This is an all new location and a direction map can be found here or with the entry forms.

Mar 6

Oliver Photo Lab 10K

In case you haven't checked the fine print of the Oliver OK Photo Lab 10K, which goes April 1st. It reads

10 K runners only. Wine to all finishers over 20 years old.
Wine from Tinhorn Creek, Gehringer Bros., and Hester Creek wineries. Finishers must be at the awards ceremony to receive wine and spot prizes.

Just to be clear, that's a bottle of wine, not a wine tasting! And that should read ... 20 years old and over.

Mar 5

Summerland Centennial Half results

Overall Centennial Half and Age-Graded Centennial Half results have been posted. This is the first year with this race as part of the series and the first time in five years that the series has included a half.

Yours truly was the race director. Thanks to all who attended. Registration was at one hundred and seventeen, more than doubling the fifty two in last year's inaugural. A light overnight snowfall, that melted prior to race start, necessitated marking the course with rather small signs instead of flour. As a result four runners ran off course, three of these being the overall first three finishers! Not good, but the error did not result in any change to what would have been the order of finish had the first three stayed on course, except of course for their finishing times. It was solely the RD's fault that Hans Aabye, who had possibly as much as a kilometre lead on the field, went off course. A corner, intended to be marked after race start, wasn't marked for him and he continued down Victoria, all the way to the 10k marker, before being redirected back to the finish line. He crossed the finish line in 1:21:11. Based on his pace, for the calculated extra distance, his time has been adjusted to 1:16:45. Hans felt he was on pace for a 1:16:15 to 1:16:30 finish at the 19k mark. Last years best, was 1:16:32.

Second and third went to Martin McMahon (1:26:35) and Chad Ulansky (1:27:47) both of Kelowna. Their times have not been adjusted for their off course error. Had they not been in such a hard fought battle for second place they might have seen the direction sign! (Although the RD does accept some fault for their error as well.)

No such RD headaches in the women's overall division! Danita Schreiber of Kelowna, set a new, albeit young, course record finishing in 1:33:55. Cindy Rhodes, also from Kelowna, took second in 1:37:02 with Stephanie Grahame of Penticton third in 1:39:26.

Age-graded top placings

Hans Aabye's (M20-29) assigned finish time of 1:16:45 gives him the well deserved top spot in this category. Roy Dagneau (M70-74) was second with an age-graded clocking of 1:18:10. Second place overall finisher Martin McMahon (M40-44) took third in an a-g time of 1:22:38.

Cindy Rhodes (F50-54 1:26:46) topped Danita Schreiber (F40-44 1:28:29) in this category. Lauralee Welder of Kelowna (F50-54) rated third in 1:28:43.

There are changes to the race day posted M40-44 and M45-49 age category placings. Chris Wilson of Kelowna was third in the younger of those categories, not fourth in the M45-49. Unfortunately, a database record in the race computer for another individual with the same name, was used for the race day results.

None of the short comings of the 2007 Summerland Centennial Half will be repeated in 2008! Lessons were learned, reference notes will be written and improvements made. Thanks to all who volunteered and a special thanks to Steve King who took on race announcer duties ... after running the race! (And apologies to those that crossed the line unannounced.) Race certificates, not available on race day, can be picked up at future series races.

The next race in the series is the 2007 Provincial 5K Championship Penticton Lakeside Resort 5K March 11th. The race course map has also now been posted under the 'Entry Form' heading. The entry form for the April 1st Oliver OK Photo Lab 10K can be found there as well.

Feb 22

The Starting Block 10K Results

Another year of the Interior Running Road Series is underway! This year, as well as age category scoring, the series will include age-graded scoring. With age-graded scoring there will be one overall male and female series champion at years end. Runners will be competing for a one year keeper trophy that will be engraved with the name of each year's winner. The male trophy will be named in honour of Willis Greenaway and the female trophy will honour Heidi Muckle-Gader, both being long time IRA series runners. Age-graded series points will be tallied at the end of each race, in the same manner, as the age category scoring. The points, however will start at 200, not thirty as is done in the age category scoring. This will allow for scoring differences for the majority of the field. (Thirty points was used with last year's trial version and everyone below the 23rd placing ended up tied with one point. Thanks to Dan Kunzelman, for suggesting this change.)

Great to see the re-appearance of the Salmon Arm Hilltoppers ... we didn't see much of their most colourful running attire last year!

Overall SB10K results and age-graded results 2007 for the Starting Block 10K have been posted.

Starting Block Overall top placings

Hans Aabye of Merritt, the 2006 M20-29 series winner, and Greg Johnson of Vernon, the 2006 M30-34 series winner, duelled for first and second with Hans coming out on top in 34:44 and Greg finishing in 35:21. Vernon's Nathan Champness took third in 36:37. Congratulations also to Conner Clerke of Kelowna (36:48) and Joel Johnson of Vernon (37:58) both running in the under fifteen age category who finished fourth and fifth overall.

In the women's division Sarah Clark of Vernon took first in 40:04. Vernon's Vanessa Tilson (F16-19), running her first ever series race, placed second in 41:13 and Danita Schreiber of Kelowna ran third in 41:57.

Starting Block Age-graded top placings

Peter Pollhammer (M60-64) of Kelowna, last years trial version age-graded series winner, edged Roy Dagneau of Salmon Arm (M70-74), the 2005 age-graded series winner by just four seconds. Hans Aabye (M20-29) was a close third.

For the women, Sarah Clark's (F35-39) overall first place finish, topped the age-graded division too, besting second place Danita Schreiber (F40-44) by eleven seconds. Diane Leonard of Kelowna, (F60-64), who placed 25th in the women's overall division, finished third.

The next race in the series is the Summerland Centennial Half February 25th. The registration form for the Penticton Lakeside Resort 5K March 11th has also been posted. And again this year, as in 2006, the Lakeside will be the Provincial 5k Championship.

Feb 8

President's message:

Welcome Runners to the 2007 Canadian Tire Interior Road Race Series and The Starting Block Cross Country Series. Get ready to lace up those shoes and hit the streets and trails for a great year of racing. We welcome back all of last years races as well as the Summerland Half Marathon. Be sure to make the trek to Lavington (Hwy 6 East out of Vernon) this weekend as The Starting Block 10k goes at 10:00am. The Starting Block wishes to announce as a major sponsor of this years race donating numerous prizes.

I regret that my son's hockey tournament will keep we out of the field this weekend but I look forward to seeing you all at the half marathon in Summerland as well as numerous races throughout the season. So don't let a little ice and snow on the roads stop you from making some of these early runs. If you have any concerns, comments or questions feel free to email me anytime jspannier@sd19.bc.ca as the executive is here to try and build the best series possible.

So I wish you all a great season of running that is void of injury.

Safe driving and Happy running to all.

Your new IRA President,
Jarrett Spannier (Revelstoke)

Jan 14

Willis

Some health news, regarding Willis, can be found at the Pounders site www.pentictonpounders.com

Jan 14

Summerland Centennial Half

The information sheet, map and entry form for the SCH have been posted. (Summerland Centennial Half entry) Online registration will be available soon as well.

Jan 10

The Starting Block 10k / The Rivers Spring Run Off 10k

Entry forms for these two races can be downloaded with the links to the left. Please print out both pages for the The Starting Block as the waiver is on the second page. Online registration, for this race is available at Active.com for a $3 additional fee.

The River's Spring Run Off 10k is an all new course in an all new location. Map to follow.

Dec 31

2006 at the finish line

A lot to get caught up on here before we start a new running season ... and all of it much overdue!

IRA Annual General Meeting of November 18th

- Pauline Hill and Dan Kunzelman have stepped down as president and treasurer. Big thanks for their time and commitment in keeping this organization running smoothly over the past three years. (And a note that Pauline is now using her maiden name, Ulatowski.)

- Jarrett Spannier and Sherry Maligaspe have accepted the roles of president and treasurer for 2007. The remainder of the executive remains the same.

- Wendy Schroeder and Jarrett Spannier were chosen as the 2006 Runner's of the Year. Larry Campbell was awarded the Heinrich Spiller Award of Courage.

- After a one year trial, the road series, will now officially include age-graded results and scoring. The overall series male and female age-graded winners will be recognized with a trophy that will awarded annually and engraved with the recipients name. It is proposed that these awards will be named after Willis Greenaway and Heidi Muckle to honour their long time commitment to the sport and involvement in the road series. (Congratulations also, to the 2006 trial version age-graded series winners, Peter Pollhammer and Lynda Proce.)

- The 2007 race schedule was finalized. The Summerland Centennial Half was added as a 13th race is the series and will be held on the last Sunday in February each year - in between the Starting Block and Lakeside 5k. The Rivers Spring Run Off and the Bike Barn (now) 10K will be held on new courses for 2007.

Updated results

The 2006 Results link has been updated to include the 2006 award winners. The Series Participation table has been updated to include the past year. And from the amalgamation of results necessary to put that table together it is not too difficult to come up with other statistics regarding annual race numbers and the like for anyone interested.

2007 Wish List

Bill Stephens, the long time president of the this association, has race results for all the series races dating back to 1983. These results are paper copies only and my hope is to get these results into the web page archive, originally by posting scanned copies, and perhaps finding the time (and or volunteers?) to enter the data digitally.

The Starting Block 10K is only 42 days away ... out with the old and in with the new! Best wishes to all, in attaining your 2007 goals!