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Bogle, Langbakk set personal bests

The snow in the high country signals that the competitive running and walking season is coming to a close.

The snow in the high country signals that the competitive running and walking season is coming to a close.

Don’t tell that to the almost 50 runners and walkers going to the Royal Victoria Marathon over the Thanksgiving weekend. Most certainly don’t tell that to the 17 devoted runners and walkers who attended Tuesday’s Intersport 5K Road Race Championships.

The weather was ideal for running with sunny skies, light winds and a plus13 Celsius temperature.

And there were personal bests everywhere, even though the racing season itself is tapering.

For the second time this season, female running royalty Sue Bogle smashed the 20-minute barrier. Finishing in 19:54, she ran a personal best for this season and set the fastest time of the season by a female runner on the five-kilometre course.

Grimacing as she sprinted the last 50 metres, it was as if she were “delivering a message,” as they say in hockey circles, to her usual competitors who did not attend the championships.

More than six minutes behind Bogle there was a group of four runners contending for second and third spot.

Masters runner Christine Paradis claimed second with a symmetrical time of 26:26 while 16-year-old runner Coralie Ullyett finished in third, just four seconds after Paradis (26:30).

In the male category, it was a battle between youthful thoroughbred Luke Carlos and 30-something veteran Brent Langbakk.

Many people would have placed their money on Carlos, a varsity level runner who ran the five kilometres in an amazing 16:57 just a few weeks ago.

But Langbakk, who represented Canada at the World Orienteering Championships in Ukraine last month, showed why he was the “it” boy of the running community a few years ago.

Langbakk finished first overall by holding off Carlos with a blistering 16:39. But just eight seconds later, Carlos thundered over the finish line posting a season personal best of 16:47.

A few minutes behind the Carlos-Langbakk drama were masters runners Bill Matiation, Keith Thaxter and Tom Ullyett who all had their sights on third spot.

In the end, it was no contest.

The 49-year-old Matiation passed Ullyett in the second kilometre and Thaxter in the fourth kilometre.

Matiation ran a season personal best of 18:32, claimed third spot overall and won the masters men category.

Long-distance runner Thaxter also ran a personal best, breaking the 19-minute mark for the first time this season with a time of 18:51.

The lone walker was the dedicated Doris Dart who covered the five-kilometre course in 43:08.

High School

mountain bike series

Season three of the popular Whitehorse High School mountain bike racing series kicked off on Wednesday, September 13 at Porter Creek Secondary School with more than 50 racers on the trails around the school.

FH Collins’ Brad Koprowsky led the Grade 8 boys’ division, while Vanier’s Matthew Pollard and Porter Creek’s Peter Hanson finished second and third.

Logan Roots finished first for FH in the Grade 9/10 division, followed by PC’s Jason Zrum and Jack Lanigan.

It was an FH Collins sweep in the Grade 11/12 division, with Troy Henry finishing first, followed by teammates Lee Hawkings and Nansen Murray.

In the open girls’ division, Porter Creek had a home trail sweep, with Kelsey Kabanak, Kaitlyn McDonald and Casey McLaren finishing one, two, three.

Ben Seifert took the top spot in the BMX category for FH.

The second race took place this Wednesday on the trails of Mount McIntyre, hosted by Ecole Emilie Tremblay.

The Grade 8 division had a new winner, as PC’s Josh Kelly won in his first race, Matthew Pollard finished second again, and FH’s Drew Spicer took third.

The Jason Zrum improved from second to first place in the Grade 9/10 race; PC’s Logan Boehmer and FH’s Geoffroi Bourcier rounded out the top three.

Troy Henry won his second race in a row for FH in the Grade 11/12 division, and Lee Hawkings repeated in second. Ryan McLaren took third for PC.

Kelsey Kabanak repeated her win in the open girls’ division, Casey McLaren took second and Claire Lindsay put FH on the board after missing the first race.

Ben Seifert led the BMX division, followed by fellow FH riders John Krow and Jordan Slessor-Morrison.

The next race in the series is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Wednesday, September 26 at the Magnusson trails on Grey Mountain Road.

Radical Reels

Catch the steepest and deepest in high-adrenaline outdoor sport films when the 2007 Radical Reels Tour comes to Whitehorse this Friday.

Hurtle down steep untouched powder, feel the cold spray of stomach-dropping kayak first descents, fly high with the world’s wildest BASE jumpers, and much more in extreme mountain sports.

Growing out of the famous Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour, Radical Reels screens the best in action sports filmmaking, audience-tested and programmed for maximum excitement.

The Radical Reels Tour kicked off in the winter of 2004 in a limited number of special locations, and now visits about 15 states and provinces.

This is the second time that Coast Mountain Sports has been able to bring Radical Reels to Whitehorse.

The Tour comes to the Yukon Arts Centre tonight (Friday) at 7:30 p.m. — tickets are $15, available at the door or Coast Mountain Sports.