WIKWEMIKONG—The runners were stretching, doing short warm up runs and hopping up and down in anticipation of the 10:50 pm start of the 42nd Annual Wikwemikong Road Race, as much to escape the damp mid-fall cold as in excitement to get the run underway.
“It’s a nice day for it,” laughed organizer Henry Hoy as he lined up the runners on the mark. “They will be happy it isn’t too warm after they have run a mile or so.”
In fact it was just about perfect weather for the event, with the sun only occasionally poking its face between the blessedly rainless clouds.
The run itself is fairly benign as 10 kilometre races go, as it follows a very slight uphill grade to the halfway water station before beginning an even slighter downhill grade to the finish line at Thunderbird Park.
But even more important than the grade and the lack of precipitation for the runners was the absence of a headwind.
“It was pretty bad last year,” admitted Mr. Hoy. “But there is hardly a breeze at all this year.”
The first runner across the line this year was Wikwemikong Road Race regular Neil Phipps of Sudbury, who finished the 10 kilometre run well ahead of the pack at 36 minutes 35 seconds, to be awarded The Expositor trophy for top male runner. Mr. Phipps came in barely five seconds off his 2013 finish.
The top female runner was Sophia Pereira, securing the Wikwemikong Board of Education trophy for top female runner, competing in the 13-15-year-old division. Her impressive time for the 10 kilometre run was 41 minutes, 27 seconds.
These are top tier competitors in the running field and were familiar faces to fans of the sport watching the runners come in, but some of the exceptional accomplishments of the day came from those in the non-competitive walking division. The walking division set out almost an hour before the runners began their race.
There was Bruno Henry (one hour, 26 minutes, 27 seconds) and his daughter Trinity (one hour, 30 minutes flat) who covered the distance before the first runners came in to do their final circuit around Thunderbird Park. “I didn’t want the runners to beat me to the finish line,” laughed Mr. Henry, who sprinted on ahead of his daughter at the last four minutes but who then circled back to accompany his daughter across the finish line. Both father and daughter were remarkably sound of breath following their run.
Franklin Odjig (one hour, 43 minutes and 47 seconds) was by his own account the oldest runner in the race at 73, but he was under stiff competition by fellow septuagenarian Phyliss Kinoshameg (one hour, 57 minutes and 35 seconds).
“I am the last but I am the first,” laughed Mr. Odjig. He said that he felt it was very important to remain active and fit to maintain a good quality of life as you age. “It is important for all ages,” he said.
Ms. Kinoshameg admitted that she almost decided not to go in the race this year. “I was hurting from yesterday,” she laughed. Apparently she had trained for the event by spending the previous day working in her garden. Ms. Kinoshameg was wielding a set of Nordic walking poles which she swears by for walking. Her set includes a set of spikes on the bottom (hidden by rubber tips for the fall/summer season) for winter use. “I keep them in my car,” she said. The spikes came in very handy this past winter when her car slipped into the ditch on glare ice. “I shouldn’t have been out in that,” she admits. “I slid into the ditch, but I was able to make it to the next house using these.”
The top three male runners included Brent Walker, second, at 39 minutes, 2 seconds and Todd Withers third at 40 minutes, 38 seconds.
The top three female runners included Sara McIlraith, second, at 41 minutes, 46 seconds and Laurel Leconte, third, at 46 minutes, 9 seconds.
Hunter Cranston, secured the male high school award coming in at 49 minutes and 12 seconds and Francesca Pheasant secured the female high school award at 50 minutes, 31 seconds.
Following the race a feast and award ceremony saw the distribution of medals and trophies to the participants and winners.
