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Victoria’s Brandon Vail and North Vancouver’s Natasha Wodak won the 2025 Bazan Bay 5K on Sunday in near-perfect race conditions.
Men’s race
Vail, originally from Edmonton, but competed for the University of Victoria Vikes, clocked a fast 14:31 for the win over the hard-charging Jaxon Kuchar, who finished just two seconds back. Taking third was Chris Gregor in 14:42. Vail runs for Speedfarm, the three-time defending champions of the Island Series Cup — the series championship.
Vail’s first go at the Bazan Bay 5K was in 2024, where he finished in the time of 14:44. Sunday represents a new personal best for the 25-year-old.
“The race went really well. It started out fast, so I tucked in for the first kilometre. After that, I moved to the front and led the rest of the race,” shared Vail. “I kept the pace honest throughout as my main goal was to improve my 5k time from the Bazan Bay and Barn Burner races last year. There was only a brief lull in pace around the turnaround point, but I picked up the pace again for the last 2k and ended up being a solid negative split. The race was close, and I had to push hard in the final stretch to hold off the competition.”
The top master (40-plus) was Andrew Russell with the Prairie Inn Harriers. He clocked in at 15:19 and was 10th overall.
Kuchar runs for Victoria Endurance Track Club, while Gregor was representing Mercury Rising Triathlon Club.
Eight men ran sub-15 minutes. Nineteen run sub-16.
Women’s race
Three-time Olympian Natasha Wodak ran her first Bazan Bay 5K and won in the time of 16:01. She was also the first master 40-plus finisher. She holds the national record in the marathon at 2:23:12 and the best-known time for the 8K distance, run during the Harriers Pioneer 8K in 2013 — the first race of the Vancouver Island Race Series. She clocked a 25:28 finish time, which continues to be the event record.
Wodak runs for the Prairie Inn Harriers. She will be racing the Vancouver Sun Run and the BMO Vancouver Half Marathon. “The course record is 1:12, I will try to break the record.” The Sun Run goes Sunday, April 27, and the Vancouver Half Marathon is on May 4.
“A beautiful day to race a 5k. Everyone was smiling and enjoying the sun, and there were good vibes,” shared Wodak.
Asked about her effort over what for her is a very short race, she said, “I wanted to just put in a good hard effort, knowing that we (coach Trent Stellingwerff) had not really done any specific 5k training. We weren’t quite sure what that would look like. But I am pleased with 16:01 to open up my spring season.”
Her personal best in the 5km was run in 2019 in Vancouver, where she clocked a 15:36 performance. Her best in the half-marathon is the former Canadian record at 69:41 from 2020.
Taking second was Esprit Run Club’s Zoe Hamel, finishing in 16:39. Marisha Thompson clocked a 16:40 for third place. She competes for the Victoria Endurance Track Club.
Shari Boyle from Calgary was the second master clocking in at 18:17. She runs in the 50-54 age category.
Five women ran sub-17, while six more ran sub-18. A total of 51 athletes ran under 17 minutes.
It was the 22nd running of the Bazan Bay 5K and the sixth most finishers (629) in the event’s history. For the six years prior, from 1996 to 2001, the race was an 8K distance event.
