© Copyright – 2026 – Athletics Illustrated
The 2026 Harriers Pioneer 8K race offered a new course at an old venue, the Saanich Fairgrounds, located 20 minutes north of Victoria.
The double loop route is fairly flat, with gently rolling sections.
The race that went on Sunday, January 11th, was won by University of Victoria Vike athletes Madelyn Eybergen in 26:23 and Jaxon Kuchar in 24:34, both setting new personal bests.
Louise Maruk of Vancouver, who was leading the race until approximately 4kms, made a wrong turn, putting Kuchar in the lead. Maruk never recovered from the error.
The start of the race was marred by event record holder Natasha Wodak tripping and cutting herself on the asphalt in several places. She continued and finished second.
Due to technical difficulties (GoPros on mountain bikes), much of the second half of the race is not included.
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