On Sunday, greater than 4,500 runners took to the streets of the Vancouver neighborhood of Kitsilano for the sold-out 2024 Vancouver Part Marathon. The elite box boasted among the best marathoners within the nation, but an American sub-elite, who paid for a bib, completed moment general with a time of one:11:30.
Matthew Walker of Westerly, R.I., was once visiting Vancouver on holiday and made up our minds to join town’s part marathon. His choice ended up incomes him a fab $200 money for his second-place end (for first amongst non-elites). Justin Kent of Burnaby, B.C., took house the win by way of a considerable six-minute margin, completing in 65:09.
Since Walker was once no longer from Canada, he was once ineligible for Canadian elite prizing, which might have awarded him $600 for moment position. The 24-year-old edged out Sam Wensink of Langley, B.C., by way of handiest 8 seconds for the second one spot at the podium.
In spite of no longer being within the elite box, Walker is an skilled sub-elite runner who competed for a number of seasons within the NCAA with the College of New Hampshire monitor and box workforce. In step with his social media, he’s partial to vacation spot races; remaining December, he positioned 14th on the 2023 Honolulu Marathon in 2:39:15.
It’s no longer incessantly that you just see a sub-elite crack the rostrum at a significant Canada Operating Sequence race just like the Vancouver Part Marathon, but a equivalent scenario passed off two years in the past on the similar race when Samantha Jory received the ladies’s race outright.
Wodak wins in her fatherland
Coming off a Canadian part marathon name remaining weekend, two-time Canadian Olympian Natasha Wodak discovered herself on best of the rostrum as soon as once more within the ladies’s part. Wodak received the race by way of 90 seconds forward of her Tokyo 2020 Olympic marathon teammate Dayna Pidhoresky, completing in 1:13:52. Pidhoresky caught with Wodak till across the 15-kilometre mark, then hung on for moment position with a time of one:15:22. Jamie Hennessy of Burnaby, B.C., completed 3rd in 1:18:47.
For complete effects from the 2024 Vancouver Part Marathon, click on right here.