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Hamilton's 115th
'Around the Bay' Road Race
And the winner is:
Kenya's Thomas Omwenga, running
out of Burlington, won the 30k in a time of 1:35:29.
Edward Tabat, running out of Oakville, came in second
at 1:39:00; Giitah Macharia of Hamilton was third
in 1:41:03.
Burlington's Lucy Njeri won
the women's 30k race for the second straight year
in a time of 1:50:27. Liz Maguire of Ottawa was
second at 2:00:15, followed by Quebec's Nathalie
Goyer in 2:01:33.
A
video tour of the Around The Bay Road Race course |
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Weather doesn't deter eager runners
March 30, 2009
Jon Wells
The Hamilton Spectator
(Mar 30, 2009)
Hamilton's annual celebration of running and the human spirit
is known for beastly weather, passion, pain and joy, and
yesterday's Around the Bay Road Race had all of it. A record
9,400 competitors in neon, tights and hats (and one guy
in a rocket-themed costume) started the race in pouring
rain and frigid air. Runners had adrenalin and churning
legs to keep them warm, the same could not be said for volunteers
helping along the 30- kilometre route. At the soggy No.
2 drinking station at Beach Boulevard, 11 kilometres along,
you could hear angry waves pounding the shoreline.
Rain? Wind? Cold? "Nothing new for this race,"
said Eric Ross, with the 308 Triumph Sea Cadets, who have
manned the No. 2 station at the race for 21 years. "If
they're willing to run, we're willing to pour," said
Sandy Churney. A few of the soggy cadets wore "Maid
of the Mist" rain gear while stacking more than 3,000
cups of water and Gatorade on tables before any runners
showed. "I wish Saturday's weather was today,"
said soaked 15-year old Haley Cran. It was all worth it,
though, once hot Hortons drinks arrived, and the first runner
appeared like an approaching train through the Woodward
Avenue tunnel. "Woo-hoo! Here come the runners!"
Eventual race winner Thomas Omwenga glided by the cadets,
taking no drink, staring straight ahead, no emotion, all
power and grace, strides swallowing the pavement, disappearing
down the boulevard in the rain.
The race is the thing, sure, but Around the Bay is about
more than running, it is a communal experience of participants,
family and friend spectators and volunteers. (And even motorists,
like it or not, who felt the power of the event, cars bunching
along city routes from the chaos.) Lou DeBreau and Rick
Blackborow stepped out of their homes on Beach Boulevard
to watch under their umbrellas. (There were fewer beach
fans out this year, because of the weather.) "We're
always here, come rain or snow," DeBreau said with
a grin. "I mark it on the calendar every year to remind
myself to get out. You see them training on the boulevard,
you know it's coming. Would I (run)? Not unless a couple
of guys in blue were chasing me." Another spectator
was Ange Agostino, holding a handmade cardboard sign withering
in the rain, that said "You Women Cick Ass" (YWCA),
for his wife, Kim, a trainer at the Y who trained with a
group of women for the event. Ange used to race himself,
but wear and tear caught up with him, he needs a hip replacement,
and no more pounding the pavement for him; doctor's orders.
He knew when he heard the raindrops in the morning that
it would be a tough one for the runners, skin chafing and
blistering and even bleeding from the soggy gear. "I
do miss it," he said. "When you're out there,
you think, 'what am I doing this for?' But when you finish,
it feels great."
The race aces having long passed on the boulevard, the
majority of the runners flowed by in bunches, taking a drink
on the fly, tossing the cup, shoes crunching over the empties,
cadets scrambling to fill new ones. These runners are the
heart of the event, those in it not for the title or prizes
but more personal goals, with visions of glory that they
carry within. For many, Around the Bay is an annual checkup
for not just the legs and heart, but the soul. Liza Crawford,
32, from Oakville, runs with a slogan printed on her shirt:
"In memory of my Daddy I go all the way Around the
Bay and so does my sister." Jack Crawford died almost
two years ago from a heart attack, age 54. Liza and her
sister Jaclyn race for him, it is how they have chosen to
grieve and honour him. Their goal is to run a 30-km or greater
race for every year of his life, 54 races between them.
Liza ran two marathons in three weeks last year. Sunday
was Jaclyn's first.
The race ended inside dry and warm Copps Coliseum, a big
crowd on hand, cheering, holding signs ("Go Dad!"),
taking pictures. Runners who had hit the wall back on the
course now find a final push.
At the finish line they pass under a spotlight, but it
lasts just a second, then they disappear into the crowd,
searching for familiar faces that reflect back their sense
of triumph.
jwells@thespec.com
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