It was a familiar scenic view for an Okotoks runner, but this time with an added touch.
Charl Volsteedt of Okotoks won the 10km division of the 39th annual Sheep River Road Race in 38:02 on Saturday.
“This is the first time I have ran the race and I have lived here eight years,” Volsteedt said. “They moved the date and that made it easier — I just wanted to do some stuff for the community.”
He’s an avid fan of the extensive Okotoks path system, so while the race is new, the course wasn’t.
“I run down the river a lot for my training runs — it’s a beautiful place to run,” he said. “It’s a really flat course and that helps a lot.”
He said he got a bit tired at about the 6km mark.
“I could see the people coming around and so I knew I had to push it harder,” he said.
He wasn’t the only one pushing at the race. Okotoks’ Tristan Janusc was pushing his twins, Bodie and Briar, and the trio crossed the finish line first in the 5km run at 18:54.
He had little choice.
“If I didn’t push the twins, I would get in trouble because I would be leaving my wife behind with three kids,” the 36-year-old Janusc said with a laugh.
There are some difficulties, however. When you have a stroller, you either go to the front or to the back.
“With a narrow pathway I had to get out ahead of the crowd,” he said. “I went out harder than I wanted to, I usually pace a little bit better than that, but otherwise I would have been stuck in the crowd with the stroller.”
The annual race is a family event and it was the Janusc clan that got him running in the first place.
“I started running with my first boy five years ago with a stroller and then started running with older guys,” Janusc said.
He’s got a bigger goal next April, but will have to leave the stroller behind. He has qualified for his first Boston Marathon.
Not too far behind Janusc in the 5km, was the top female, Rosie Bouchard, a Grade 11 student at Foothills Comp.
“It went better than last year — I wasn’t as tired,” said Bouchard, who finished at 19:19.
With the proceeds of the race going to the Big Runners Club’s aim to promote running in Okotoks area, she’s living proof the club is on track with their efforts. Bouchard is a handful of young athletes receiving training at the Big Rock Runners clinics under the guidance of running guru Richard Ellum and others.
“He has helped me with my speeds and hills with repeats and stuff,” said Bouchard, who won a couple of races in the summer.
Bouchard will now aim for the high school cross-country provincial championships. She was third last year at 3km.
“I just hope to do my best this year,” Bouchard said.
There were approximately 50 young runners who participated in the 2km Kids’ run. The race was won by future phenom, Peter Wonderham in 7:46.
However, the loudest cheer for all runners was for St. Mary’s School Grade 3 student Sam Proctor.
Proctor, who has a rare disease affecting his balance, finished the 2km with the assistance of his mother Shannon. It was the farthest he has walked without the use of his walker.
His father, David, is running across Canada next summer to raise money for rare diseases research in 2018.
There were approximately 240 runners in various categories of the Sheep River Road race. To see the full results of the 39th Sheep River Road Race go to zone4.ca/results. The Big Rock Runners meet every Saturday at 9 a.m. for a recreational run and socializing. For information on the Big Rock Runners go to bigrockrunners.com.
