BC Super Series Launches with Serious Competition on Sunday

Some of BC’s best road runners will help kick off the inaugural race of the new BC Super Series on Sunday – the Harriers Pioneer 8K in Saanichton on Vancouver Island.

An intriguing men’s competition will feature Olympic marathoner Dylan Wykes, Commonwealth Games steeplechaser Chris Winter, PanAm Games marathoner Rob Watson, and FISU 10,000m representative Brandon Lord, as well as members of the University of Victoria CIS Championship winning cross country team.

The women’s race will feature recently crowned Canadian Cross Country Champion Natasha Wodak, who set a Canadian 8K record on this course in 2014, and her training partner who finished third at the Cross Country championships, Rachel Cliff, as well as the World 50K Championship Bronze medallist Catrin Jones.

The masters competition will be equally compelling, with Canadian Masters Cross Country Champion Craig Odermatt up against Kevin O’Connor and Jim Finlayson. And on the womens side Marilyn Arsenault and Lucy Smith will do battle.

The BC Super Series is a collaboration between BC Athletics and 12 of BC’s best road races, which bring the best athletes in BC together in competition, and encourage participation from all abilities.

The 12 races were selected based on the quality of the events and the competitiveness of their fields. They include BC Championship races at 5K, 8K, 10K, Half and Full Marathon distances. Collectively the 12 events will bring together over 100,000 participants, present over $100,000 in prize money, and raise over $1,000,000 for charity in 2016.

Complete series details at www.bcathletics.org/BCSuperSeries

The Harriers Pioneer 8K is also the first race in the 2016 Frontrunners Island Race Series. The race starts at 11:00am from the Saanich Fairgrounds. Entries will be taken on the day. Results will be posted at racedaytiming.ca