Oliver hosted a pair of Interior Running Association races April 10, as 176 runners hit the road to compete in the circuit’s 10-kilometre and three-kilometre road races.

The 10-kilometre race saw Penticton runners tearing up the track, with the top four finishers all hailing from the Peach City.

Josh Heinrich topped the standings, finishing the race in a blistering 36:03. He was tailed by David Matheson, who crossed the line at 36:14, and Hector Carlos, who hit the tape at 36:18.

Randy Houle was Oliver’s top finisher, making it across the line in a respectable 46:52, and placing 29th overall (6th in the male: 40-44 division).

Meanwhile, the three-kilometre race saw Oliver’s Miles Whittal take third place, with a time of 17:10. Whittal fell one second short of second-place finisher Hayden Bush, but both were blown away by Gage Stoll, who finished first with a time a 13:05.

Donald Lawlor was one of the hometown heroes running the 10-kilometre race, finishing in 1:03:04 and placing 10th in the male: 65-69 division (121st overall).

Lawlor, once an avid runner and coach in Vancouver, said the race “was well done this year.”

“It’s a good run, it was well laid out,” he said. “I think they improved the run itself, because they made a couple of changes to the course.”

The improved route followed portions of the Kettle Valley Railway trail, guiding runners along a “flat and fairly straight” paved course, which Lawlor said delighted many participants.

Despite the nice track, Lawlor lamented the fact that local runners were left in the dust by out-of-towners benefitting from co-operative training in larger cities.
“They kind of smoked us,” he said of the gaggle of strong athletes hailing from Kelowna and Penticton.

He said that runners from the bigger towns often have running clubs that allow them to practise together, and push each other to faster and faster times. That practice shows on race day, when Oliver residents (who don’t benefit from any local running club) have a hard time keeping up.

Lawlor said he would like to see a running club established in Oliver in the future, hopefully letting local runners make a good showing on their home turf.

For complete race results visit http://www.interiorrunningassociation.com.

By Trevor Nichols