Since the first running of Athletics Yukon’s One Miler race in 1991, the location has changed multiple times, from 4th Avenue to Main Street to the Millennium Trail. It has also changed from an early-season event to a Canada Day race to a late-season event.
The only thing that hasn’t changed is the fast times.
For the fourth time in five years the winning time was under five minutes at the Baked Café One Miler Tuesday downtown along the waterfront trail.
Whitehorse’s David Eikelboom placed first overall with a time of four minutes and 58 seconds — a personal best for the 29-year-old.
“A five-minute mile — it’s not a four-minute mile, but it’s one of those time goals, so I’m glad to have done that,” said Eikelboom, who ran a 5:05 in the event three years ago.
As fast as he was, he didn’t have much time to spare. Joe Parker, a three-time medalist in snowshoeing at the 2016 Arctic Games, was close behind. The 16-year-old finished five second back at 5:03.
“I didn’t realize that Joe is as fast as he is,” said Eikelboom. “I could hear Joe’s footsteps pretty much the whole way through there. I thought, ‘Alright, I’ve got to work here.’”
Whitehorse’s Brittany Pearson, 25, was the top female and fourth overall at 5:42. She’s been consistent with her times in the event the last few years. She ran a 5:43 at the event in 2013 and a 5:42 in 2012.
“It’s rare that I actually run a one mile,” said Pearson. “Typically I run the five (kilometre), but I think it’s good. I was hoping to run under six minutes and I got there, which is good.”
Parker wasn’t the only junior age runner to finish top 10 in the field of 24. Far from it. The fifth to 11th place finishers were all under 18.
“Most people say ‘a 10-mile, I’m going to have to do a bunch of training,’ but a one-mile everyone is going to come out and say, ‘I can do that,’” said Eikelboom. “So we see this huge showing of youth, who all ran really, really well.”
“I’ve never seen so many of the younger runners out at one of our events before,” said Pearson. “I was surrounded by people I could see over top of, which was actually a good race strategy. Nothing impeding my view of the finish line.”
Contact Tom Patrick at
tomp@yukon-news.com
Top 20 finishers:
1st David Eikelbom – 4:58 (male)
2nd Joe Parker – 5:03 (male)
3rd Jeff Larsen – 5:28 (male)
4th Brittany Pearson – 5:42 (female)
5th Brahm Hyde – 5:45 (male)
6th Naoise Dempsey – 5:46 (male)
7th Thomas Moore – 5:48 (male)
8th Thomas Bakica – 5:55 (male)
9th Neil Mikkelson – 6:25 (male)
10th Isaac O’Brien – 6:26 (male)
11th Connor Cozens – 6:35 (male)
12th Sue Bogle – 6:40 (female)
13th Luke Cozens – 6:41 (male)
14th Kate Mason – 7:00 (female)
15th Christie Harper – 7:01 (female)
16th Sawyer Adams – 7:07 (male)
17th Kristin Chislett – 7:24 (female)
18th Kylie Bird – 7:25 (female)
19th Lisa Freeman – 8:03 (female)
20th Gregory Freeman – 10:19 (male)