Published September 14, 2009 02:28PM
With ideal race conditions, the beautiful ocean side community of Sooke provided the perfect backdrop for a day filled with achievement, emotion, and qualifying at the Subaru Sooke Triathlon. On the same weekend the World Championships were taking place in the Gold Coast of Australia, many Age Group athletes in Sooke qualified to go to the 2010 Olympic distance World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. Not to be outdone in the Olympic distance event, the Half Iron distance competitors also took advantage of an opportunity to qualify for the 2010 Long Distance World Championships in Immendstadt, Germany.
In the pro race, local pro and former Canadian National Team member Kelly Guest dominated the field setting a new course record with a time of 4:12:15. Christine Fletcher, of Vancouver, returned this year to better her 2nd place from 2008 with the win in 4:39:27. This year’s event also included an Olympic Distance event which was won by Ironman Pro athlete Sara Gross who was contesting the shorter distance and Leif Baradoy of Calgary on the men’s side. Taking the victory in the Sprint event was Christopher Sunby of Victoria and Lesley Hartford of Mill Bay.
The day also included other eventful moments. The Bruce Bowman Junior Scholarship was awarded to commemorate the popular local triathlete who passed away earlier this year. In May a collection was taken from the participants at the Subaru Shawnigan Lake Triathlon and along with a matching donation from LifeSport coaching, two $750 Junior Scholarships were awarded by Bruce’s wife Rosie to local juniors Nicholla Kennell and Mathew Sharpe. Another special moment also came earlier in the day when Marie-Claude Magnan received her age group medal along with a proposal from her boyfriend John while standing on the podium. Marie-Claude accepted her award, and the proposal, with a big smile
2009 Subaru Sooke Half Iron Results
Sooke, BC, Canada
Men
1. Kelly Guest, Victoria, BC, 4:12:15
2. Ynuk Bosse, Vancouver, BC, 4:18:36
3. James Fry, Tri-Cities, BC, 4:30:09
Women
1. Christine Fletcher, Vancouver, BC, 4:39:27
2. Tanya Salomon, Calgary, AB, Canada 4:44:05
3. Susanne Russell, Vancouver, BC, 4:48:10