A few clouds and a slight breeze made the perfect conditions for the more than 160 runners who came out to the 23rd annual Peach City RunFest.
Chris Swift was the first runner to make it across the finish line on Sunday, with a time of 40:19 in the 10k distance.
鈥淚t was a perfect day to race,鈥� he said. 鈥淣ice, good cloud cover. Good temperatures and a lot of good competitors today.鈥�
Swift had a two-minute lead over the next runner, Vancouver鈥檚 Thomas Lane, who finished at 42:12 on May 19.
A native of Castlegar, Swift had raced at RunFest a few years previously, before taking a break and returning this year.
In the half-marathon, Penticton鈥檚 Matt Bevilacqua placed first in his first time competing at RunFest.
READ MORE:
鈥淚t feels awesome to win here,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a great place to train. I run the Channel pretty much three times a week, there and back, 14k. It鈥檚 a beautiful place, I love it. This course is a beauty too, you know, you鈥檝e got the lake, and you鈥檙e running around the lakeshore, and you鈥檝e got a beautiful day. Perfect weather for a marathon, it鈥檚 awesome.鈥�
The running is about more than just staying active for Bevilacqua, who took to it after a series of misfortunes over the last year.
鈥淢y mom was diagnosed with breast cancer, and she鈥檚 been battling breast cancer, and she鈥檚 just getting over it. She鈥檚 now cancer-free and I鈥檓 proud of her. I started running for her. To inspire her, and here we go,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd also my house burned down in February, so that kept me sane as well.
Amanda Kontkanen, who runs the five-kilometre Park Run in Penticton every weekend, was first in the women鈥檚 half-marathon and fifth overall, with a time of 1:38:40. This is Kontkanen鈥檚 second first-place finish in the half-marathon where she finished six minutes ahead of the next woman to place, Lorna Froese, with 1:44:52.
READ MORE:
Between the ParkRun and other races, Kontkanen gets a lot of practice.
鈥淚 do the Blossom Ten-Miler right before, which helps out to get this one going. It鈥檚 not a huge race, it鈥檚 just my size, and maybe that鈥檚 why I keep winning it,鈥� she said with a laugh.
Jody Evans from Oroville took home the first place spot in the women鈥檚 10k, with a time of 45:37.
To report a typo, email: editor@pentictonwesternnews.com.
<>
newstips@pentictonwesternnews.com
Like us on and follow us on .
