Last week’s ferry trip to Vancouver Island proved worthwhile for Squamish resident Margreet Dietz, who posted a personal-best time of three hours, six minutes, 10 seconds at the Goodlife Fitness Victoria Marathon on Sunday (Oct. 9).
On top of her personal best, Dietz was eighth overall among women in the 42.2-kilometre running event, first in her 40 to 44 age group and since the event was a provincial championship, she is also the 40 to 44 female provincial champion.
According to Dietz, she was feeling good about the race from the start.
“Having just run the Bellingham Bay Marathon two weeks earlier in 3:09, I made sure to avoid getting caught up in the start-line sprint,” she said on her blog. “I hit the one kilometre mark spot on in 4:22. It was a great feeling to have hit my pace immediately.”
She maintained a strong pace for the remainder of the race, averaging 4:24.6 per kilometre and said that the final mile was challenging but rewarding.
“I was closing in on the female runner ahead of me,” she said. “It was now time for the final sprint, all or nothing. At the sign of 200 metres left, I caught her and kept steaming towards the finish, oblivious of cheering spectators. I noticed a 3:06 on the main clock above the finish, and knew that elusive personal best was mine too.”
The race was a family affair for Dietz, as her sister Angelique Dietz and her partner Tim Moore also competed in the race. Moore finished 10th in his 40 to 44 age group, with a time of 3:16:49, while Angelique posted a time of 4:42:30 in her first marathon.
Squamish resident Jennifer Roberts also had a good showing at the race, finishing 14th in her 45 to 49 age group with a time of 3:49:33.
Deborah Finck was the top local finisher in the accompanying half marathon (21.1 km), finishing in 1:43:47, good for 11th in the female 50 to 54 division.
Next up for Dietz will be the Whistler 50 Ultra on Nov. 5.
For complete Victoria Marathon and Half Marathon results, see www.runvictoriamarathon.com. For more details on Dietz’s race in Victoria, visit her blog at www.margreetdietz.com.
