66It’s starting to become an annual tradition of excellence. Nathan Kendrick earned his third victory at the seventh annual Millarville Run to the Farmers’ Market Half-Marathon on a stormy June 16. “The win is always the main goal, it’s why I do these things,” said Kendrick, a Calgarian. “You actually don’t get to win a lot. You’re in races with one thousand people, five thousand people and only one guy wins. “It’s nice. I have family that live just outside Turner Valley so I come out and visit with them. I enjoy the area, my cousin has horses so I come out and ride. “It’s great to see the support the community has for the event.” Kendrick, who won back-to-back in 2013-14, has finished no lower than second in his five entries at Millarville and was a two-time record holder in the half. On a tempestuous morning with intermittent showers and steady wind there would be no more records set. “The temperature was actually good for running, but the wind was pushing you back for the last 12K or so of the race,” Kendrick said. “That slowed things down. It was pleasant out there, it didn’t start raining until a couple minutes after I finished.” For the other 99 per cent of competitors, rain came into play near the finish line at the famed racetrack. Okotokian Dan Marsh, known for his exploits in full marathon as a previous runner in Boston, made a late charge and finished one minute shy of Kendrick. Okotoks’ Charl Voolsteedt rounded out the top three finishers. “I started up a gap after about a kilometre and at 5K there was no one anywhere near me,” Kendrick said. “I looked back at about 15K and (Marsh) was maybe 50 feet back and I thought ‘crap I better run this last 5K and put a little more distance in between me and him.” Hinton’s Lynsey Romano’s time of 1:31.04 was tops among female racers, three minutes faster than second place finisher Okotokian Heidi Frehlich, fresh off her Heartbreak Hill as a 2018 Boston Marathon competitor. The event featured 392 racers in the half-marathon, 53 teams in the relay, 105 in the bun run and 186 in the 8-mile. The relay race saw the team of Dawn Ladds and Darcy Bell in top spot while Foothills Composite graduates James Hanna and Anthony Cortvriendt ‘Dynamic Duo’ combined for the second best time. Spartan pride was on full display in the 8-mile run. Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School teachers Rob Lederer, Yvonne Chow and a litany of past and present students filled the results board with Spartans baby blue. The likes of Kyle Webster, Konrad Krusche, Nico Belanger, Oliver Turski and the teachers themselves finished in the top-10. Carstairs’ Luke Ball had a ball as the quickest in the 8-mile bun run. The seventh incarnation of the race featured the next generation of fleet of foot. The inaugural 3K race gave families and energetic youngsters their first chance to cross the racetrack finish line. Okotokian Sadie Bull looked like she could have done another lap of the course as she sprinted to the line, finishing a good three minutes in front of her dad Ryan. “I wanted to run it with my dad and maybe beat my time that I usually run in my 3K race,” Bull said. “I liked it. We wove through the trees and it was a nice trail run. There were a lot of zigzags we had to weave through.” Mateo Johnston broke the 14-minute mark, finishing first overall in the 3K race which featured 75 competitors. “There was a girl about 20 seconds behind me so I was trying to keep up my pace,” said Sadie, 11. “I see a lot of people sprinting and I knew I had to keep my pace and then at the end turn it on.” The Millarville Run to the Farmers’ Market is a fundraising venture for the Millarville Racing and Agricultural Society and kick-off to the market season. Net proceeds from the event go towards facility maintenance and program development and in particular to replace the riding arena that collapsed on the site last spring. For more information go to millarvillehalfmarathon.com
