Apr.28/02, Victoria — Two hometown athletes improved on their Sun Run results, as Lucy Smith won the women’s race and Bruce Deacon was first Canadian at the Times Colonist 10k in the province’s capital city. The weather was perfect for the 7000+ participants. Stories to follow. See www.timescolonist10k.com for results and more.

Here’s our first story to arrive, from triathlete Luke Dragsta (13th, 32:37):

“On the start line, people were surprisingly calm in the first five rows — there was no squishing or shouldering for position. One of the Kenyans, however, was five rows back so I grabbed him and set him directly in front of me. As a 5’9″, 153 lb triathlete, I felt like a real Clydesdale in their midst!

“Without much further ado the gun went off and a lead pack immediately formed up ahead, while a group of 5 triathletes plus veteran runner Keith Butler and a few others made up the second pack. At 3 km we were already testing each other, taking turns pushing the pace as we made our way down Dallas Road along the beautiful waterfront.

“As we passed the live band at about 4 km I started to play ‘air drums’ to deter my competition. I was feeling pretty good at this point so I decided to lead the chase pack for a second time. We had already dropped a number of guys and I think there were four left: myself, Butler, National Team triathlete Stefan Timms, and long distance triathlete Don King. As we reached the turnaround point, Mr. Butler reassumed the lead from me but I was tight on his heels.

“There was a slight headwind after the turnaround, so I decided to remain tucked in until we reached Cook Street and then make my ‘make it or break it’ move. I strung the group out nicely when I went but Butler was staying unnervingly close and I couldn’t shake him. I tried to focus on the guys from the first pack who were coming back to us, but I kept hearing those feet behind me and they weren’t getting any more distant.

“I really started to hurt at 9 km and was worried I’d get passed, but I pushed really hard for the last km and managed to put a little more time on Butler. I crossed the line 13th in 32:37, which was a nice little PR for me.

“It was really a perfect day for a race and there were tons of people out to watch, so I was pretty excited at the finish. A really nice booster for the upcoming races in May and June.”