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Runners race to the top

It was perfect running conditions for racers as 15 participants ran in the Skeena Valley Runners Club’s annual King of the Mountain race June 19.
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Kurt Biagioni runs down the Terrace Mountain hiking trail.

It was perfect running conditions for racers as 15 participants ran in the Skeena Valley Runners Club’s annual King of the Mountain race June 19.

Race organizer Geoff Phillips said the event went well and there were brand new winners this year with Kitimat’s Matt Reeve and Terrace’s Sherrie Hamer taking the top spots.

There was a slight mix-up with runners when three of them ended up taking a wrong turn.

“The first quarter of the trail on the mountain has many branch trails and next year we will remember to flag more of those and prevent runners from taking a wrong turn,” Phillips explained.

Runners departed from the Terrace arena at 10 a.m. and headed north on Kalum Street, turning onto Munthe Ave. where they headed up Terrace Mountain.

Participants then ran the hiking trail and exited  Johnstone St. to Park Ave. before returning back to the arena and the finish line.

At the top of Terrace Mountain, there were volunteers on hand to pass out water and record times. There was also water and fruit for runners at the finish line at the Terrace sportsplex.

“I’ll say it was well-organized from start to finish,” said Kurt Biagioni, a second time participant in the King of the Mountain race.

Phillips said the Skeena Valley Runners Club has been moving the date around for the past few years but will now be sticking with the month of June for the race next year.

They are also considering changing the route from the hiking trail on Terrace Mountain to the cycling trail and welcome all input from interested runners.

This year’s top three competitors are as follows:

In the men’s category, Matt Reeve from Kitimat was first with a time of 46:37,  followed by Richard Kriegl from Terrace with a time of 49:32, and Michael Hogg – also from Terrace – who came in at 53:59.

For the ladies, it was all Terrace winners with Sherrie Hamer in the top spot with her time of 56:21, followed by Sheryl Radford at 1:00:23 and Shelly Haynes – Marrelli who had a time of 1:03:38. With the exception of three years, The King of the Mountain has been held continuously since 1977.