The Under Armour Eastside 10K is getting crowded.
The 13th edition of the Vancouver race attracted a record 3,700 runners Sunday morning, making it the largest field in the event’s history. The race moved through Gastown, the Downtown Eastside, Strathcona and East Vancouver before finishing with more than a few sweaty people discovering that 10 kilometres can be considerably longer than it looks on a map.
The weather was cooperative. Sunny skies and ideal racing conditions produced competitive racing at the front and plenty of personal bests throughout the field.
Andrew Davies
Andrew Davies, the 2024 Eastside 10K champion and Canadian cross-country champion, returned to the top step of the podium, winning the men’s race in 29:32 after a closely contested battle.
The 25-year-old Sarnia, Ontario native has been remarkably consistent over recent years, having won the Cobble Hill 10K, which acted as the provincial 10K Championships. He finished in the identical time of 29:32. That same year, he won the TC10K in 29:31. The UBC Thunderbild alumn also ran 29:37 in Ottawa that year.
Dayna Pidhoresky
Dayna Pidhoresky, the 2019 Canadian marathon champion and a Tokyo 2020 Olympian, won the women’s race in 33:15, to set a new personal best, just two weeks after breaking her PB in the half marathon, having won the Windsor Waterfront half marathon in 1:11:37.
“Finally took down one of my longest standing PBs a few weeks ago at the Windsor Waterfront Half Marathon,”She wrote on social media. She is gearing up for the Toronto Waterfront Marathon next month.
Her previous best was 33:20 at the 2018 TC 10K in Victoria, BC. She ran 33:02 in Toronto once, but the course was ineligable for records due to the downhill nature of the course.
During the Eastside 10K, neither course record fell, but the absence of a record performance at the front did little to diminish the day. The race attracted athletes ranging from Olympians and past champions to first-time racers, with participants representing 11 of Canada’s 13 provinces and territories.
Eastside is a big fundraiser
The event raised more than $50,000 for Downtown Eastside charities, putting it on course to establish another fundraising record. Over its 13-year history, the Eastside 10K has now generated more than $400,000 for community organizations, including the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre, PHS Community Services Society, Urban Native Youth Association, KidSport BC, La Boussole Centre Communautaire Francophone and Promise Vancouver.
Canada Running Series also donated all leftover race-day food to the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre and collected hundreds of clothing and shoe donations from runners.
So, 3,700 runners ran 10 kilometres through Vancouver, a few of them ran it very quickly, thousands else ran it considerably less quickly, and the neighbourhood received more than $50,000 in the process.
That is a pretty good Sunday morning.
“Every year, the UA Eastside 10K demonstrates what’s possible when sport and community come together,” said Kri Shier, Race Director, Canada Running Series West. “We saw outstanding performances from elite athletes, inspiring achievements from first-time runners and incredible support from spectators throughout the course.”
From the looks of the numbers, the Eastside 10K is doing something right. The field is growing, the fundraising is growing and, apparently, Vancouver still has plenty of people willing to voluntarily run 10 kilometres on a Sunday morning.
Not a bad combination.
lite Men’s Race Results:
Top three
Men
- Winner: Andrew Davies –29:32
- Second: Benjamin Preisner – 30:12
- Third: Moktar Said – 30:41
Women
- Winner: Dayna Pidhoresky – 33:15
- Second: Makenna Fitzgerald – 33:38
- Third: Samantha Jory – 34:38
