Sunshine Coast Athletics
Running Club
Welcome…
We are a BC Athletics affiliated running club located on the Sunshine Coast of BC. We welcome runners of all ages and abilities, from Port Mellon to Lund and everywhere in between. New members welcome: start enjoying the benefits of being part of our club!
Organizing your own event? Equipment rental available. Online booking and payment option.
Club News and Notices
See recent club results/reports/photos — Longest Day 5k/10k
SCA Facebook page
AVID Facebook page
Summer Speed Training location switch starting June 18
All welcome to join us for some fun interval sessions through the summer months! Tuesday mornings at Kinnikinnick and Thursday evenings at Hackett Park, Sechelt. See Training page
Mile Races coming up fast
The Sechelt Canada Day Mile and the Sea Cavalcade Mile are nearly upon us — have you signed up yet? Save $5 by pre-registering online. We've ordered some really cool age group medals for July 1st, with a Canadian Flag motif. See calendar for details.
Super Saver Discount for the 2014 Fool's Run: going fast!
Hurry, there are only 26 spots available (as of June 17) at the super discounted rate. www.foolsrun.com
Welcome new members
If you've been thinking about it but aren't sure if the club membership is for you, come out and join us for a session and 'try before you buy'! Workout or trail run, your preference. And remember, club members who volunteer at one SCA event get a free entry into another one. Also, for SCA-organized events on the Lower Coast you won't be charged the extra fee for signing up race day.
Destination Races hosts new Wine Country Half Marathon in Kelowna
These folks (former website clients of Teresa's) put on a great series of half marathons in California and Oregon, and now they're coming to BC! This is a BCA sanctioned event. Happening September 7: see website
Sunshine Coast Trails website
Check out this awesome website for a guide to all the trails on the Sunshine Coast. Maps, directions, descriptions, and more. www.sunshine-coast-trails.com
Recent Race Results & Event Reports
North Shore Credit Union Longest Day 5k/10k, June 14, Vancouver
Photos by Charles Mackey
We weren't the only ones wearing a 5k bib in the 10k: Kevin O'Connor also switched distances (and ended up winning the 10k).
The morning was rainy but the weather cleared up beautifully for this evening race at UBC. We had planned to take the 2:50 ferry over and run the 5k (with Maria doing the kids' mile), but we left it a little too late and ended up missing by minutes (actually they closed the gate more than 5 minutes before actual sailing time, arghh). So we had to get the 4:50 (stupid summer schedule), which of course was 20 minutes late, and with Lions Gate traffic we ended up arriving at UBC just after the 5k had started. Maria didn't mind missing the kids' mile as she had Sports Day that morning (and we'd already run at least 800m from the parking lot), but the rest of us wanted to run somehow. The helpful folks at packet pickup asked if we would like to switch to the 10k which started 20 mins after the 5k, and we thought why not — and we'd all run it together to help Alex in his first ever 10k. THEN pig out at the BBQ.
Approaching halfway
This year the course direction was reversed due to construction at 16th and East Mall, limiting passage to the small pedestrian path — which was fine for a spread-out field at the end of the loop but wouldn't have worked for large crowds at the start. There were also several little out and back and loopy bits through campus which added more turns, slowing down the speedy types but not an issue for everyone else. The temperature was very pleasant in the evening sun, with no noticeable wind, beautiful shady areas, and some nice long flat sections. After a 4:35 first km, we settled into a pace that Alex could work at and maintain for the longer distance, with the goal to 'pick it up in the 2nd half'. At the end of the first loop, after climbing the hill at the bottom of 16th Avenue and the super steep little connection to the pedestrian path at the top, Alex didn't think he'd be able to go any faster in the second half. We crossed the 5k checkpoint at 23:30.
Alex & Larry flew past me with about 80m to go. All I could do was laugh and do my best to trail in behind them.
With less than 2k to go I told Alex and Larry I was going to speed up and put some distance between us, knowing that over the last 400m I'd have no chance to keep up with Alex's sprint. So off I went, checking behind at the corners to see how much lead I had, trying to gauge if it would be enough, but not too much. Flying downhill on Stadium Road they were coming on strong and I realized my pacing was a little off… just as I crested the final little hill on the grass approach to the finish line, a little too soon, they blew past me like rockets. We all ended up negative splitting, excellent for Alex's first ever 10k. Even though the race awards were based on very broad age groups, they have posted 5 year division results, and Alex was 3rd in the 16-19 grouping, only 9 seconds behind 2nd place. And 4th place was only 12 seconds behind Alex.
Fellow club members Steve & Suzette raced the 5k with excellent times around 23 minutes, and Suzette was 2nd among women 50-54.
5k 22:57 Steve Merrick 13th M45-49 23:44 Suzette Narbonne 2nd F50-54 10k 46:19 Alex Nightingale 3rd M16-19 46:20 Larry Nightingale 4th M50-54 46:23 Teresa Nightingale 2nd F45-49
Running Room Shaughnessy 8k, May 26, Vancouver
As always this was a challenging course with that big hill at the beginning and two more hills mid-race. The conditions were excellent this year, cool and dry. This was Alex's first 8k. Photos by Keith Dunn. Videos on YouTube
30:42 Larry Nightingale 3rd M50-54 37:38 Alex Nightingale 7th M<20
Iron Knee 25km, May 26, North Vancouver
Roger's Report: One of my favourite Lower mainland races is the Iron Knee 25km event which was held on Sunday in North Van, great running conditions at about 14 degrees with really good trail conditions this year — dryish and fast. Some years it is a mud bath which can make the very rooty and rocky sections extremely treacherous (i.e. lots of wipe outs).
Have a look at the race profile, a real mountain running challenge this course! Starts with about 5km of steady climbing, this is an old profile that misses the first kilometre that has been added the past two years to bring the distance to 25kms, it now goes straight up from Cleveland Park to Grouse base when it eases off slightly before the bigger climbs to come.
Unusual age divisions this year — Under 40, 40-49 and Over 50 — so I was competing against a lot of "young" 50-year-olds but still made the podium (2nd).
2:18:48 Roger Handling 2nd M50+ (out of 20)
BMO Vancouver Marathon & Half, May 5
Probably one of the warmest Vancouver Marathons ever: by 5am it was already 16 degrees, and it only got warmer from there, with full sunshine and very little wind. A nice day for spectators but tough for the full marathoners who started 1 hour after the halfers. Didn't seem to bother Helen though — she ran nearly as fast as she would have in Boston if she'd been allowed to finish, handily winning her age group (out of 6).
Marathon: 4:45:08 Helen Sabourin 1st F70-74 5:02:35 Litze Boghean Half Marathon: 1:49:52 Suzette Narbonne 1:51:13 Steve Merrick
Vancouver Sun Run 10k, April 21
Super nice sunny morning and lots of Coasters were running or walking. Club results:
1:06:54 Debra MacWilliam 1:26:17 Elizabeth Boghean
BMO Sunshine Coast April Fool's Run, April 7, Gibsons
For race report see race website. Here are the club results, congrats to everyone. Welcome to new club member Reece Taylor, for whom this was his first organized race!
1:47:48 Reece Taylor 1:50:44 Steve Merrick 1:52:07 Suzette Narbonne 4th F50-54 2:07:07 Janet Harrison 2:23:37 Litze Boghean 2:26:29 Shaunna Asselstine
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