Whitehorse’s Logan Roots has achieved a Yukon runner’s hat trick.
The 22-year-old first won the Yukon Five-Kilometre Championships in July and then the Yukon River Trail Marathon for his third time early this month. Now he has the in-between distance title.
Roots took first overall at the Athletics Yukon’s Yukon 10-Kilometre Championships, starting and ending at F.H. Collins Secondary School, on Tuesday.
“In the second lap I guess I was feeling pretty good and maybe picked it up a little bit or maybe they slowed it down a little bit. I’m not sure,” said Roots.
“I felt pretty good on the hills still and ended up running a negative split (faster on the second lap than on the first lap.)”
Roots crossed the finish line with a time of 36 minutes and 46 seconds. Yukon MP Ryan Leef took second at 38:35 and Darby McIntyre, who captured gold and bronze in athletics at the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games three weeks ago, came in at 39:58 for third.
It was the fourth Yukon championship in a row that Leef, a masters runner, placed second behind a young open runner like Roots. But he doesn’t seem to mind at all.
“It’s always great to see Logan run. We’ve got our next generation of very talented distance runners and he’s running so strong late in the season after a busy year,” said Leef. “It’s nice for me to come out and be part of the crowd again and keep them within sight for a while ... Running has been such a big part of my life, so it’s nice to keep that going.”
Kieran Halliday, who won the 10-kilometre championship last year, decided to drop out after the first five-kilometre lap
“It was my first week back (from the Western Canada Summer Games) and I didn’t feel too great,” said Halliday. “Logan and I said we’d go slower, and then we didn’t. So I just called it.”
It was two in a row for Whitehorse’s Anett Kralisch on Tuesday.
Kralisch defended her women’s title, though she doesn’t seem to care much for the 10-kilometre distance.
“I’m not quite sure why I keep doing it,” said Kralisch. “Overall, the 10K is an awful distance. It’s just mentally really challenging. The 5K is over quickly, but not the 10K. You still have to race it. In some ways I prefer the half marathon to this because you can enjoy it more.”
Kralisch came in with a time of 44:37, almost a minute slower than last year. Sue Bogle placed second for females at 46:15 and Sarah Johnson third at 50:09.
“I haven’t been able to run much lately, I’m just recovering from a chest cold,” said Kralisch. “So I wanted to take it easy, but then somehow I got competitive. Sue Bogle pushed me and I was expecting her at any second to pass me. I think on any regular day she would be much faster than me.”
Roots, who won the 10K championships in 2013 as well, has had a very productive summer. He placed third for his age division and 19th overall at the Canadian Half Marathon Championships in Calgary, won the half distance in the Skagway Marathon and placed fifth at B.C.‘s 10-kilometre road championship.
Contact Tom Patrick at
tomp@yukon-news.com
Results:
Midget male
1st Darby McIntyre - 39:58
Youth male
1st Brahm Hyde - 57:41
Open male
1st Logan Roots - 36:46
Masters I female
1st Sarah Johnson - 50:09
2nd Melissa Yu Shott - 59:10
Masters II male
1st Ryan Leef - 38:35
Masters II female
1st Anett Kralisch - 44:37
2nd Megan Sharp - 57:48
Masters III female
1st Sue Bogle - 46:15
Masters VI male
1st Don White - 48:38
Masters VI female
1st Margaret Mundell - 51:33
Masters VII male
1st Keith Lay - 53:30
Masters VIII male
1st Dave Kalles - 1:09:48
Walking male
1st John Storms - 1:04:34
Walking female
1st Bonnie Love - 1:11:14