Senior Boys 1A 5000m
In his first year in the Senior Boys division, Grade 11 athlete, Noah Louwerse, took the gold with a time of 16:10.30. He was also the Senior Boys Eastern Valley Zone Champion, having won that race with a time of 16:35.60. Louwerse was joined by Sam Pitzey who claimed the silver and Miles Graham claimed the bronze, with times of 16:19.50 and 16:23.90, respectively.
Senior Girls 2A 5000m
Rachel McDonald of Southridge took the top spot out of 114 runners. She won the race by over 25 seconds, running a time of 18:01.40. This win has come after a 2nd place finish at the South Fraser Zone Championships and a 5th place finish at the BC Athletics Provincial Championships. Claire Goodison, who was 2nd at the Vancouver Sea to Sky Zone Championships, claimed another silver, finishing behind McDonald in a time of 18:30.60. Catelin McDonald rounded out the podium running the course in 18:46.30.
Senior Boys 2A 5000m
Summerland Secondary's Peter Kunka, having placed second at the Thompson Okanagan Zone Championships a few weeks ago, secured his place in the history books, claiming the provincial title by running a time of 15:31.00. Maxwell Holmes of Pacific Academy followed closely behind in 15:39.90 and Lucien Dixon-Lawless claimed the last medal position in 14:46.00.
Senior Girls 3A 5000m
In a much anticipated race which brought together top contenders from Vancouver Island, Surrey and Vancouver, who have gone back and forth all season, it was Alexa Dow that came out on top. Dow, a Grade 11 athlete, who was second at the BC Athletics Provincial XC Championships and first at the Vancouver Island Zone Championships, ran her way to gold and a BC High School Provincial Championship with a time of 17:23.30. She was joined on the podium by second place finisher, Delphine Gosselin, who was third at the BC Athletics Provincial XC Championships and first at the Vancouver Sea to Sky Zone Championships. Maella Hodgson rounded out the top three with a time of 18:04.70. Hodgson was the BC Athletics Provincial XC Champion and South Fraser Champion.
Senior Boys 3A 5000m
The Senior Boys 3A category was no different, bringing together big names who were all after an individual title. The race had 180 competitors and it was Yemane Mulugeta who showed his dominance over the 5km course. He won the title by over 30 seconds, in a time of 14:36.10 and was the only athlete to dip under 15 minutes. Mulugeta has had quite the season so far, having won all of the South Fraser League Meets and winning the U20 BC XC Club Championship and South Fraser Zone Championship. He was joined by Oak Bay duo, Charlie Mlotshwa and Tyler Browne who finished second and third with times of 15:11.00 and 15:23.70, respectively.
Para
5 athletes competed in this division: Ronan Wiens, Abet Gutsche, Ryder Provost, Levi Kaech and Aidan Kelly. Wiens placed first, running 7:47.4, Gutsche was second in 8:13.8 and Provost was third in 9:03.4.
Congratulations
Now, as the dust settles and the cheers of the crowd still echo in our minds, we applaud the exceptional efforts of every young runner who gave their all and remember, it is not just about winning races; it is about pushing boundaries, challenging limits and of course forging friendships through a joint love of running.
We would also like to say a special thank you to our talented MileSplit coverage team, @streetliqhtz and @tyandemfilms - thank you for all that you do!