Athletics Yukon hosted its annual Yukon Cross Country Championships on Sept. 21 at the Mount McIntyre ski trails in Whitehorse.
A total of 91 runners in 12 categories raced distances between 350 metres, for runners under six, and eight kilometres, for adult runners.
The under six division included nine runners who each ran 350 m and was the only division without individual times recorded. Finn Morash finished first, followed by Tommy McConnell in second and Claire Connell in third.
The next group to race was the under nine division on a one-km course. Peter Embacher won the race with a time of four minutes and 47 seconds, with Tammo Wladron second in four minutes and 48 seconds and Owen Parker third in four minutes and 52 seconds. Kuya Wellman-Gayne was the fastest girl in the race, finishing in five minutes flat. Second place went to Mallory (no second name was provided) with a time of five minutes and 52 seconds, and third place went to Clem Madsen with a time of six minutes and 19 seconds.
The winner of the two-km under 12 division was Nicholas Connell with a time of eight minutes and 22 seconds. Second place went to Nicholas Giangrande with a time of eight minutes and 22 seconds, and third place went to John Chisholm with a time of eight minutes and 23 seconds. The fastest girl was Josephine Bossert with a time of 12 minutes and 37 seconds, followed by Merel Graham with a time of 13 minutes and three seconds, and Sian Hamilton in 13 minutes and 16 seconds.
Under 14 runners tackled a three-km course. First place went to Simon Connell who finished in 11 minutes and 36 seconds, while Daniel Phillips-Freedman was second in 11 minutes and 49 seconds, and Jonah McConnell was third in 12 minutes and 14 seconds. The fastest girl in the division was Cheyenne Tirschmann with a time of 13 minutes and 32 seconds, followed by Aramintha Bradford with a time of 14 minutes and four seconds, and Avery Kinsella with a time of 15 minutes and 51 seconds.
In the under 18 division, women ran a five-km course while men ran a six-km course.
Kate Mason was the women’s winner with a time of 21 minutes and 39 seconds. Second place went to Constance Lapointe with a time of 22 minutes and 24 seconds, and Sophia Giangrande finished third with a time of 22 minutes and 26 seconds.
The winner of the men’s race was Derek Deuling with a time of 22 minutes and eight seconds, followed by Sasha Masson with a time of 22 minutes and 54 seconds, and Victor Thibeault with a time of 22 minutes and 56 seconds.
The under 20, under 35 and under 40 divisions all happened on an eight-km course.
Darby McIntyre won the men’s under 20 race with a time of 31 minutes and 12 seconds.
In the under 35 race, Ben Gruenke finished first in 36 minutes and 22 seconds, followed by Gwenael Sinquin in 36 minutes and 57 seconds, and Sarah Johnson — the fastest woman — in 42 minutes and eight seconds.
Brian Horton won the under 40 eight-km race with a time of 32 minutes and 21 seconds, followed by Simon Lapointe in 32 minutes and 57 seconds.
Moving up to the under 45 division, women ran seven km while men ran eight km. Maura Sullivan won the women’s race with a time of 30 minutes and 40 seconds, followed by Aisha Montgomery in 36 minutes and four seconds. Harry Borlase won the men’s division with a time of 34 minutes and 44 seconds, followed by Peter Giangrande in 38 minutes and 27 seconds.
The under 50 division also included a seven-km course for women and an eight-km course for men. Glenda Koh won the women’s race with a time of 36 minutes and 51 seconds, with Amanda Mouchet second in 37 minutes and 36 seconds, and Laura Salmon third in 37 minutes and 46 seconds. Scott Williams won the men’s race with a time of 31 minutes and 54 seconds, with Paul Gort second in 36 minutes and 37 seconds.
John Stamp raced in the under 55 division, finishing the seven-km course in 32 minutes and 34 seconds.
Deb Kiemele finished the six-km under 60 course in 38 minutes and two seconds.
The Championships are the last major event of the season until the Winter Solstice Run in December.
Contact John Hopkins-Hill at john.hopkinshill@yukon-news.com
