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PHOTOS: Calgary runners take top positions in Victoria half marathon

Event returns with half marathon, 8k run

Sarah Inglis scored her third win as 8k champion and broke her own course record in the Royal Victoria Marathon 8k on Sunday.

Overnight winds cleared the way for sunny skies as more than 4,000 people raced through the streets of Victoria in the Royal Victoria Half Marathon and 8K Road Race on Oct. 10.

For Inglis broke her own 2019 course record by eight seconds finishing in 25:35, as well as setting a new W30-34 age group record. Second was Victoria’s Mariah Kelly in 27:05 and third was Rebecca Bassett from White Rock in 27:29. Top master was Victoria’s Andrea Minter (34:19). An age group record was also set in the W70-74 by Gwyneth Woodson (39:26).

Inglis, from Scotland, was pleased with her win considering she had been injured during the summer. “I only really had five weeks of training, so I had no idea how I was going to do today,” said Inglis. The Scottish runner has been living and training in Surrey for the last eight years, though she still represents Great Britain. Her next competition is the 10K Canadian Championships next weekend.

The men’s race was won by Langley’s Reid Muller in 24:00, second was Kevin Friesen from Nanaimo in 24:10 and third was Vancouver’s Theo Hunt in 24:21. Victoria’s Matthew Carlson was the top master finishing in 27:33. Muller, a track and cross-country specialist in his senior year at Washington State University, also set an age group record in the M20-24 breaking a record that stood for 35 years (Gary Barber: 24:20).

A pair of Calgarians, Mathew Travaglini and Leanne Klassen won the half marathon event.

In the men’s field Calgary’s Matt Travaglini finished first with an unofficial time of 1:06:45. The first place women’s finisher was Leanne Klassen of Calgary in an unofficial time of 1:17:18.

RELATED: Road closures set as half marathon, 8k return to Victoria streets

Travaglini, won the men’s event in 1:06:44 closely followed by Coquitlam’s Brendan Wong in 1:06:53. Third was Logan Roots from Courtenay finishing in 1:10:00. Top master was Jeff Vogt from Kelowna (1:14:24). This was Travaglini’s first time running the RVM Half Marathon and he came to the race confident having won the Calgary Half Marathon last month. “This course was gorgeous and one of the best I have raced,” he said.

Klassen was a favourite to win and she didn’t disappoint hitting the tape in 1:17:15.

“This was my first time running here and it was a beautiful course but challenging with the head wind. There were so many on the course cheering us on it felt great,” Klassen said.

Second – and top master – was fellow Calgarian Maria Zambrano in 1:18:16 and third was Greater Victoria athlete Chloe Hegland finishing in 1:18:40.

There were three female age group records: Zambrano set an age group record in the W50-54, Jillian Fong in the W55-59 (1:22:03) and Roslyn Smith in the W70-74 (1:46:25).

Rory Switzer scored the lone male age group record in the M60-64 (1:22:13).

The new out and back route took participants through James Bay, Beacon Hill Park and along Dallas Road on a fast and flat course. The half marathon had 2,715 registrants and the 8K 1,704.

For more full results visit runvictoriamarathon.com.

RELATED: Royal Victoria Marathon returns with in-person racing this fall

c.vanreeuwyk@blackpress.ca


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