© Copyright – 2024 – Athletics Illustrated

Daniel Damian and Katelyn Ayers, both representing the Victoria Endurance Club — associated with the University of Victoria Vikes — won the 2024 Bazan Bay 5K on Sunday.

A Vike-like theme: The men’s race

Daniel Damian clocked a new 5K personal best time finishing in 14:22. The 20-year-old Victoria native, who typically races middle distances and up to the 3000m event with the University of Victoria Vikes, was aiming for closer to 14 minutes. It was an attempt at former Vike Geoff Martinson’s course record of 14:12 set in 2012. Martinson had competed in the 2011 Daegu World Athletics Championships in the 1500m.

Damian shared, “Great race and atmosphere out today. The goal was to give it an honest effort to see where the fitness was at after a big block of training and I was very pleased with the outcome. It was awesome seeing so many people out running on a beautiful Sunday morning in Sidney!”

Daniel Damian for the win with a personal best. Photo credit: Joseph Camilleri.

Greater Victoria is not just home to the Vikes, the Vancouver Island city hosts many top-level triathletes. One of them being Liam Donnelly, living and training in Victoria, but is originally from Campbellville, ON. He took second in the time of 14:38.

Former Vike, now with Speedfarm, Brandon Vail, took third in the time of 14:44. Vail needed to run around 15:00 minutes to take the Vancouver Island Race Series points championships from Cowichan Valley’s Dusty Spiller. Spiller led by a slim margin before the gun sounded, but opted out of racing. Vail, originally from Edmonton, AB, seized the opportunity. The Speedfarm team also won the Vancouver Island Race Series Cup, which is scored similar to the reverse scoring system of cross-country. It is their second consecutive title.

More Vikes followed with Jaxon Kuchar taking fourth in 14:58, Gabe Van Hezewijk fifth in 15:03 and Jacob Webster sixth in 15:06, all running under the Victoria Endurance Club brand. It was a long, single-file line of sub-15 and low-15-minute finishers racing to the end in a picturesque race environment with the San Juan Islands and Mount Baker in view on a sunny day. A light headwind likely slowed the athletes by seconds.

Prairie Inn Harrier Running Club’s Andrew Russell took the masters (40-plus) win in the time of 15:19. The top U20 junior was Tyler Browne in 16:24.

The women’s race

Katelyn Ayers clocked a sub-16-minute performance at Bazan Bay. She officially crossed the line in a gun time of 15:55 and a chip time of 15:54. Ayers had just set a personal best in Vancouver at the St. Patrick’s Day 5K in March at 16:17. In January she set a new 3000m indoors personal best in Boston at 9:09.66. Interestingly, it matches exactly her 3000m steeplechase points performance run of 1095 pts from her 10:00.09 clocking back in 2019 at the Payton Jordan Invitational — oh, for the want of a second.

Ayers told Athletics Illustrated, “The purpose for us was to get in a hard effort on tired legs at the end of a training week. We aimed for consistent pacing throughout the race and see if we could get close to 16 minutes. I was able to work with a few athletes out on the course and dig deep to just sneak under 16 in 15:54, not too far off my track PB.”

Ayers has competed for Canada at the World Cross Country Championships and is seeking a spot on Team Canada heading to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

“It was a fun way to get in a road race before my outdoor track season kicks off at Payton Jordan Invitational at the end of April. We’re focusing on the 5,000m this summer to garner as many points and run as fast as possible in my pursuit of qualifying for the Olympics and representing Canada,” added Ayers. 

Finishing in second place was Jennifer Erickson who competes for Speedfarm. She also won the season series with the most points over the eight race events. She clocked a 16:44.

Katelyn Ayers taking the win and sporting the Victoria Endurance Club brand. Photo credit: Joseph Camilleri.

Erickson is running at her best, as the 30-year-old clocked a 5000m pb of 16:55.48 in the Rotary Bowl in Nanaimo last July. and, like Ayers, at the St. Patrick’s Day 5K, she improved her road record to 17:00. The Bazan Bay 5K represents a 16-second improvement. Vike Elise Coates took third (Victoria Endurance Club) in 16:55. Coates has set 1500m, mile and 3000m personal bests this season — all indoors or “short track.”

Carley Gering of Esprit RC won the masters (40-plus) division in 18:10. She also won the masters division for the series championships, helping her team to second place overall.

Roslyn Smith of the Comox Valley Road Runners ran a new Canadian best time of 24:03 (gun) and 23:59 (chip) in the 75-79 age group, bettering Diane Leonard of Kelowna who clocked a 26:15 in Sept. 2022.

About the Vancouver Island Race Series

As it turned out, the Bazan Bay 5K had the most finishers in nine years at 619, despite two other races happening in the city over the same weekend. The 27th edition was the 21st at the 5K distance and offers one of the fastest 5K courses in North America. The event was run over the 8K distance for the first six years of its existance.

The Vancouver Island Race Series is run from January to April each year, with eight road races from 5K to the half-marathon. In its 45th year, there were record crowds in the Sooke 10K, Comox Valley RV Half Marathon and the McLean Mill 10K.