The Tim Hortons Valley Marathon was last Sunday. It wasn't the only game on that weekend, what with Julie Curwin going 10:43 against the big dogs at Kona and Tracy Crowell and Tom Soehl's 3:49 and 3:02 at Chicago, but one thinks it was the most accessible by road. As an aside, we also saw Dan Smith (10:38) and Elizabeth Seiffert (11:15) in the Kona results (there's always a Cyclesmith connection!).
Due to it's close proximity by road to most of the major triathlon centres of Nova Scotia, there were many triathletes signed on for the various events on offer; full marathon (42.2 km), half-marathon (21.1 km) 10 K (er, 10 km) and 5 K (you see where we're going with this).
Someone's mascot at the sigh-in. Epi-pen anyone?
In point of fact, we couldn't find any names we recognised in the 5K list, but the usual caveat applies viz the list was 224 names long and the TNS Member Tracking Software (TM) is/ has been/forever will be on the fritz (why-ever we paid for this POS is beyond us; surely we can get a computer to do this for us) so if we missed you it was human fallibility, not malice, so leave us a comment below or on FB
The 10 K was a relatively easy course, setting out from the Acadia campus in Wolfville to Greenwich, hanging a right down over the train-tracks and the Cornwallis River to Port Williams, running a box around Port Williams before heading back to Acadia back the way you came and finishing on the Acadia track. The major difficulties were the hill climbing up to the lights at Greenwich on the way home with ca. 3 km to go and the turn. The turn was near-as-dammit at the Port Williams Bistro, who do a great plate of fish-and-chips, or maybe a lamb-burger all washed down with a locally brewed beer. Like we said, passing this without going in was a major difficulty!
The first familiar name we saw was Bridgetown KOS RD James Hayward, coming in 2nd overall in 38:23. Of course, with Soloman Tsenameskei winning in 32:13 despite going off course and dong more distance (according to our sources), James was really first real person! Charles Verge was next with a 42:24, Virginia Soehl was 5th lady overall in 45:32. We also saw Mike Pettipas (45:38), Dianne Chaisson (47:26 and 2nd AG), Candice Stapleton using her Worlds form for a 49:25 PB and Nancy Petrie, 3rd AG in 49:28. As always, we're too much of a gentleman to tell you what AG those actually are.
The marathon and half-marathon started in the same manner as the 10K, but 30 minutes earlier. A quick 500m square around Wolfville before heading out of town to Greenwich and taking the same right down to Port Williams. Instead of doing the box around town and heading back we all headed straight past the Port Williams Bistro (hmmm, lamb-burger) and into the lanes. The Half turned just after the Fox Hill Dairy (another major obstacle, as they have a great line in ice-cream and possibly the best cheese curds for poutine in the province). The marathon carried on across the Wellington Dyke and wended it's way through the lanes through Canning to Kingsport where they turned and came back. The course is rolling, with a few serious hills.
The wind was a major factor on Sunday, blowing in hard from the east; possibly gusting at over 50 kph! The winding nature of the course meant the runners were constantly tacking in and out of the wind, with a short headwind stretches followed by crosswinds, then tail-winds and so on. Whether this is better or worse than doing ten or twenty kilometers out into a headwind before ten or twenty wind assisted kilometres back will surely be a matter for debate. For the record, this was one of the windiest races we've ever done, and we were in the '05 Bluenose!
Riverport RD Tom Rogers at the sign-in with forty-five minutes
and counting to his first half-marathon, ever!
The first triathlete, well duathlete, back in the half was Matt White's fine 7th place in 1:21:02, a full second faster than his time in the 2007 event, which was neither windy or hilly (being on the old Kentville course). Matt claims that this was his first long run "in months", but sub-4 minute kilometre pace surely begs to differ. Next in was yours truly. We pace-bunnied a friend, Matt C., in the full out to the turn at 12 km before booting it for the remaining 9 km home. We picked off a fair few people on the way back, including one guy who actually said to us "no you're not" when he was passed and upped the pace. We thought not too, held his heels, successfully counter-attacked at the farmers market with 2 K to go and didn't see him again!
As an aside, the whole reason for bunnying Matt C. (Matt W didn't need bunnying, much less by us) was to help him qualify for Boston by not going out like gang-busters and saving something for the last 10 K. So we're dead chuffed that he made his qualifying time by a full five minutes. Way to go Matt, see you in Hopkington next Patriots Day.
The next triathlete back after us was a newcomer to Nova Scotia; Brooke Brown, whose 1:28:03 got her first lady. Brooke recently moved her from Toronto for her graduate work. We actually met her for the first time at World Du's in Edinburgh, where she did a 39' ten-K in R1. Welcome Brooke.
Next we see Dan Thompson (1:29:47) closely followed by Kelly Amirault (as in Shawn), who was second lady with 1:30:28. We think that Rob Welsh in 1:33:24 is Brooke's partner. We checked him out on Sportstats and found his results included several half-Ironman distance dus. Stacy Juckett-Chestnutt (1:36:53) was probably finding Wolfville colder than the Greek islands! Then we see Shane Hawkins (1:38:44), Caryn Small Legs-Nagge (1st AG), Gayland Goodwin (1:39:00), Terry Curley (1:45), Tammy Slaunwhite (1:52:54), Tina White (1:53:52), Patsy Langille (1:55:40), Kari-Ellen Graham (1:55:50), Louis Dionne (1:55:50), Moka Case (1:56:18), Mike Kennedy (1:57:56) and Riverport RD Tom Rogers (2:09:56) in his first half-marathon ever.
The marathon was exciting, with only 85 seconds separating the first four runners. In Nova Scotia, marathons are usually decided by minutes, not seconds. Chris Mackenzie, in his annual marathon, clamined 4th in 3:01:54, which might also be a PB.
That includes a couple of outings on the much flatter Kentville course too. Then there's the cold Chris has been nursing for a couple of weeks. Chuck in the hills and the wind and that was quite a performance. Then we see Stephen Abbott (3:24) closely followed by first lady Sherri Goodwin (3:28). Garth Spinney also ran 3:28, 8 minutes faster than Barrington earlier this year and a full 18 minutes faster than Valley last year! Next up was Rachel Fox (3:25), winner of her AG at '05 Investors, Rhonda Cook (3:39 and 1st AG), Nancy Neatt (3:40), the Mark Campell-Ron MacDougall tandem (3:46), Elizabeth Corkum (3:50), Janet Salo (4:25) and Aaron Thibault (4:50).
A word or two on the Campbell-MacDougal tandem. They'd teamed up by the time we caught up to them at 27 kms (we hopped on our bike straight after our finish and rode out, dropping a gel off to Matt C on the way). The results suggest that Ron was the pilot and Mark the rear-gunner and this picture to the contrary, was not always the case.
The conversation was varied, admittedly much of it scatological in nature, but it also touched on how many people could fit on the TA's bike, a novel interpretation of embryology to support one's Boston entry, clan squabbles ("the Campbells are coming") and dairy products. Mark took especial exception to Ron's use of the kilt as a sail during the tail-wind sections, often asking Ron to "take in his spanker", to which Ron would usually reply that he was trying but he was having problems with his bowsprit. On the downhill sections Ron would often make reference to his "highland charge" which, to this displaced Brit, could only bring to mind Kenneth Williams description in Carry On Up The Khyber "you have not made war, but think how frightening it would be to have such a man charging at you with his skirts flying in the air and flashing his great big bayonet at you"
So frightening it could be, at least one of the RCMP staffing the route gave Ron a verbal warning that a ticket would be forthcoming should he have a wardrobe malfunction and do a Marilyn in the headwinds! We're not sure what section of the criminal code this may come under, but he may have been referring to Captain Keane's lecture to Private Widdle in Carry On.... "there are two specific occasions when wearing of underpants is permissible; one - church parade and two - gymnastics display, and only then when ladies are to be present"
Fakir, off! indeed!
This weekend marked McScotch's second marathon in eight days and brought the Tartan Tally to 36 with Mark chalking up event 21 on the Counter, leaving it looking like this
Both still have a full schedule of events coming up too. Let us know if you've hung up your wheels for the season or if you're going to carry on racing until the calendar runs out of events.
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