Over 500 runners gathered at Abbotsford’s Clearbrook Park Saturday to take part in the BC Cross Country Championships.
North Vancouver’s Chris Winter had little trouble repeating as senior men’s champion by covering the rain soaked 10-k course in 30:22.58.to pocket the $500 first place prize. Oliver Collin (Univ Victoria) placed second (30:34) with Trinity Western’s Joel Deschiffart in third (30:51).
For Winter, the former University of Oregon steeplechase specialist, it was a good performance as he readies himself for the Canadian Championships to be held at Vancouver’s Jericho Beach Park on the last Saturday of November.
The senior women’s first place prize ($500) was taken by Trinity Western’s Sarah Inglis as she covered the 6-k distance in the good time of 20:36. World ranked triathlete and Abbotsford resident Alison Jackson, also representing Trinity Western, was second (20:44). Third place in the women’s competition was taken by Lindsay Carson (20:53).
Valley Royal athletes won two medals at Saturday’s competition. Rachel Mortimer was the gold medallist in the 13-year old girl’s division. Mortimer, the Lafarge Grand Prix winner, cruised over the 3-k course in 10:51 to place well in front of Ocean Athletic runner Hannah Milic who placed second (11:08).
Lockhart Macgregor is now returning to top form after missing last Spring’s track season in order to play baseball. Although Macgregor struggled a bit during runs in the first part of this season, he was in good form Saturday as he battled it out with Naniamo’s Jayden Watson. After exchanging the lead several times during the 2-k run, Watson was able to pull ahead in the last 600m to win the race in a time of 8:00.33. Macgregor crossed the finish line in 8:02.64, just over 2-seconds off the pace of the winner.
Full results of Saturday’s competition can be found here.