Runners young and old were greeted with sunshine and brisk temperatures as they suited up in green for the annual St. Patrick’s Day 5km run.
The Skeena Valley Runners Club hosted 100 participants for the family-oriented event, which started and finished at Coast Mountain College, and saw some impressive sub-20-minute times.
“We had everyone from more serious runners worried about pacing, all the way up to family members who walked most of the route,” said Stephan Girard, president of the Skeena Valley Runners Club.
The top five times went to Aaron Sadlier (18:41:21), Adam Marcinkiewicz (19:24:36), Adrienne Kaul (19:55:00), Michael Christensen (20:13:20) and Luke Warkentin (21:27:60).
Jacob Critchley, Cash Tennery, Henry Girard, Abrielle Weston and Athena Yaschuk placed top five in the under-12 division. The three top runners, both male and female, from every age category received a medal.
“Sub-20 pacing across several people, that’s pretty decent competition at a local level,” Girard said.
The run offered newcomers a fun atmosphere to lace up their new runners, and more seasoned athletes the opportunity to get outside for one of the first runs of the season.
“It’s a great event for local folks,” Girard said. “It’s something to train for through the winter months because it has that serious element if you want it to be, or it can be a fun run, or anywhere in between.”
If you want to run, the Skeena Valley Runners Club encourages anyone to reach out about joining. Membership is $20 for the year and includes group runs, discounts on goods and services from B.C. Athletics partners, Liability and Accident Insurance and a discount on all virtual and in-person Skeena Valley Runners races.Contact the club at skeenarunners@gmail.com for more information.
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