Sunday Hike to Waterfall

On November 15th a few of us took a hike to a lovely waterfall. We sat on moss cover stumps and stones and enjoyed egg salad sandwiches, homemade cookies and a few peanut m&ms Danny's hunter friend shared with us. It was foggy down in Sooke that day, but the sun found us for most of our hike. We also came upon a few other random things....like old cars.



Vince in awe.

The photo shoot....
Pin up.....

Gunner Shaw. November 29th 2008

A few of our STARRS tackled the Gunner Shaw yesterday, it sounded like a challenging 10k. Good work folks.




The 24th Annual Gunnar Shaw X/C trail race was away at 1 PM 29 Nov. under perfect weather. There were 420 runners who finished this fall classic 10K. This character trail race, if there ever was one, goes up and down Thetis Lake Park trails...real lung burners for some of us. The infamous swampy water crossing is now a distant memory due to a new culvert. You could actually run through it. This 10k x/c run is the largest in Canada and one of the hardest ones. The overall winner in a blistering time of 35:31 was Scott Simpson of PIH. The top Male Master was Gord Christie in another awesome time of 39:58 and good for 10th overall. The top female and also top Female Master was Lucy Smith in a super time of 41:36 and 24th overall.

STARR had 9 runners who survived the hilly course without a scratch. First in was Roger Plamondon in the M40-49 group. Roger crossed in with an excellent time of 44:51 and was 8th in a field of 52. He was 51st overall. Our 1st female in was Jackie Eddy with a super 53:53 finish. Jackie was 4th in a field of 21 and 188th overall. Next in was Bruce Hawkes who also broke the hour with a 59:05. Bruce, in the M60+ group, was 10th in a field of 15 and 256th overall. Well done Bruce.

Lisa Grieg was our next lady into the finish line. Lisa finished with 
a strong 1:00:17 and 19th in a large field of 62 in the F40-49 
division and was also 268th overall. Not far behind and also with an 
excellent finish of 1:00:36 was Tom Burgess in the 60+ group. Tom was 
good for 11th and 271st overall. Next to follow and in her 1st Gunnar 
Shaw was Jodie Coderre in the F40-49 grouping with an excellent 
result of 1:01:03. It was good for 22nd and 278th overall. Next to 
hit the beach was Vince Trahan in the 60+. Vince finished with a 
tough 1:05:13 which was good for 12th and 322nd overall...just not my 
day. Hot on his heels was Sharon Cormier in the F40-49 division. 
Sharon finished with 1:05:22 and good for 32nd and 324th overall. 
Last but not least to hit the beach was Heather Devereaux in the 
F40-49 group. Heather was in with 1:08:30 and 45th in the field. She 
was also 359th overall. It was a great day for all the STARR's and a 
good turnout. Jackie directed the picture taking on completion of the 
race. Some of us finished at AVADAR's for post race food before 
hitting the road for home. See you all at Stewart Mountain for 
another leg burner.

The 3rd Annual Bear Mountain 10K

The 3rd Annual Bear Mountain 10K was off at 9 AM on 15 Nov. Weather conditions were mixed...a little drizzle, a little fog, cloudy, overcast, even a clearing attempt...all perfect running conditions. There were over 300 starters...a record field for this years event covering the hilly 18 hole golf course path. The overall winner was Ryan Day in the M20-29 group in a time of 34:38...outstanding. The top Female was Samantha Dubinsky in the 20-29 grouping. She crossed in a time of 46:44 and 39th overall. The top Male Master was PIH Kevin Searle with a 38:47 and 9th overall. The top Female Master was Kathleen Brewin from FR Westshore in a time of 47:19. There were 4 STARRS competing in this "Canada's Hardest 10K". First in was Jackie Eddy. Jackie did a trifecta in todays run...1st in her age division, broke the course record and broke her own record of 50:39 set in 2007. She was in with a an awesome time of 50:12 and was 1st in a field of 14 in the F50-59 age group and was 72nd overall. Next to cross was Jodie Coderre in her 1st go at the mountain. Jodie finished with an excellent time of 55:53 and 9th in a large field of 50 in the F40-49 age group and was 143rd overall. Another excellent run. Next came the ole guys. Vince Trahan was in with a strong 59:27 finish. He was 7th in a field of 10 in the M60-99 age group and 185th overall. Hot on his heels was Tom Burgess, also in the 60-99 group. Tom was also in with a strong 1:00:32 and finished 8th and was also 196th overall. After the awards some of us did the pool and hot tub experience...so nice. Then it was over to Jack's for a libation and some more food. Then it was back to reality. To really test your mettle, word on the street is that there will be a Bear Mountain Half-Marathon next year. Next on the hit list...Gunnar Shaw...BE THERE.

The 12th Annual Thetis Lake 20K Relay

The 12th Annual Thetis Lake 20K Relay was run on 11 Nov. The 1 PM start was hectic to say the least. With a record number of 170 registered teams (165 teams finishing) and 650 runners, the first leg start was pandemonium. The rain held off long enough to complete the event under overcast skies. The winning team "PIH - Activa" finished with an awesome time of 1:04:10. STARR had four enthusiastic teams...Sooke Stompers (Senior men), Intense Energy (Super Veteran Men), Spandex Ballet (Senior Women)and Silver Edge Sword (Family). Even though some of the teams were short on personnel, we still managed to come through in good shape. Our first team in were the Sooke Stompers consisting of Mark Ziegler and Roger Plamondon. Due to runner dropout and shortage, Mark ran the 1st two legs and Roger ran the last two. They finished 3rd in a field of 10 with an excellent time of 1:28:30 and 39th overall. Pretty darn good for a 2 man team. Next team to complete the course was " Silver Edged Sword". The team consisted of Calvin Cormier, Mike Warnhoff, Sharon Cormier and Jackie Eddy. They finished 9th in a field of 21 with a strong 1:37:09 and good for 79th overall. Our next team in was "Spandex Ballet". Heather Devereaux (Elvis in drag), Lisa Grieg (our figure skater), Kiya Kelley (not sure what) and Jodie Coderre (you lil devil). Decked out in their eye popping colourful spandex outfits, this core of Sooke's finest delectable diva's finished with a 1:48:55 and were 13th in a field of 23 and also good for 118th overall. Way to go ladies. You gals were SIZZLING. You were definitely the best dressed...hands down. Last but not least, "Intense Energy". Tom Burgess, Danny Eddy and Vince Trahan. This team was down a man due to family commitments so Vince ate up the last two legs. Finishing in a time of 1:54:12, they finished 3rd in a field of 4 and were 137th overall. After the awards, some of us headed for Tim Hortons for the race post mortem and Roger treated us all...I think. Let's work on some team names for next year so STARR can get honourable mention. Job well done to all and to Jackie for organizing the troops.

Spandex Ballet Relay Team, Thetis '08

Good times were had by all at the Thetis relay this year, a few runners took the fun to new heights. Looking good ladies!