For the first time ever, the trails recently opened up by the brand new Sea to Sky Gondola hosted a race and Squamish residents used their home-trail advantage for strong results at the Skyline Ridge Run on Saturday (June 21).
Local runners dominated the 10-kilometre race, with Squamish’s Eric Goodwin completing the course in 44 minutes, four seconds. Goodwin beat out second-place finisher Vincent Pagot from Whistler by 46 seconds to win.
Squamish native Sophie Demers posted the top female time, clocking in at 54:59. Her time was the eighth fastest on the day. She beat out second-place female Stacy McDougall by 48 seconds.
Goodwin, fresh off a 48th-place finish at the Test of Metal on June 14, admitted he didn’t know a lot about the course before the race.
“I’ve been up the gondola but had never hiked any of the trails, so I went into it a bit blind,” he said, laughing. “But it’s a really good and fun course. It’s so beautiful out there and Ted [Tempany, trail builder] did a great job.”
He started strong and said he tried to hang with the top runners before making a move at the right opportunity.
“I just tried to stick with the top runners,” Goodwin said. “I’m fairly strong on the hills because of mountain biking so I knew that when I got to the big hills I could try to get ahead of everyone else so that’s where I went for it.”
Goodwin said the course is challenging, particularly the Switchback Hill portion of the race.
“There was definitely some walking in parts on Switchback,” he said. “But overall it’s an amazing course and a lot of fun.”
Demers said she scoped out the course and walked it a few times before the event and said it was challenging but fun.
“My strategy was don’t die and keep breathing,” she said, laughing. “I was battling at the beginning but then I just focused on my own race and had fun.
“I think the hardest part was the flat bit at the end. The hills weren’t too bad but the flat part makes you think like you’re almost there, but you’re not.”
A total of 120 runners competed in the 10 km event. Other locals in the top 20 included: Jacob Melville (third), Kasper Woolley (fifth), Brad Warkentin (sixth), Korbinian Geisser (10th), Nathan Romanin (11th), Karen Willis (12th), Alex Deslauriers (13th), Susan Hollis (14th), Karina Benevides (16th), Jenna Green (17th), Daphne Radford-Park (18th) and Kyle Macrae (19th).
Toby Perkins of North Vancouver posted the top time in the 21 km, finishing the course in 1:51:03. He beat out Squamish’s Jeff Thompson by two minutes and 24 seconds to secure the win.
Squamish’s Brendan Urlocker was originally named the winner of the race but according to organizers, he became unranked after he failed to complete the entire course.
Vancouver’s Ashley Ramsay had the top female time, completing the course in 1:59:24. Ramsay beat out Squamish’s Tammy Shore by more than seven minutes.
A total of 35 racers took on the 21 km race and other locals who participated included: Mark Haldenby (fourth), John Furneaux (sixth), Caroline Water (10th), Arnault Vernhet (11th), John Redpath (13th), Barbara Brigidear (16th), Vikki Weldon (19th), Krista Pitts (21st), Kathy Purves (25th), Niki Hurst (28th), Andrew Borchert (30th), Rodney Wilson (33rd) and Tanya Stewart (34th).
For complete results from the race, visit www.racedaytiming.ca/results/2014Skyline10K#.U6izgBbH2xo.
