© Copyright – 2025 – Athletics Illustrated
Brandon Vail and Meg Lewis-Schneider, both with the club Speedfarm Racing, won the 2025 Westcoast Running Sooke 10K on Sunday, March 9, in mild but wet conditions.
Vail led from gun to tape and finished in a new course personal best of 31:02. The former University of Victoria Vike had won the Cobble Hill 10K in January, which hosted the BC 10K Championships. He finished at 30:54 on the flatter Cobble Hill course, which also offers a slight downhill finish. That performance stands as his personal best.
Vail’s Sooke performance was better in comparison and one minute faster than his Sooke performance the year prior.
Vail said, “Going into the race, I knew the course was hilly, so I kept the effort under control until we got up and over the main climb with about 3k to go. At that point, I put the foot down to the finish. I got some great encouragement during the race, especially from the lead cyclist, which really helped to stay focused. The time ended up being over a minute faster than last year, which I am excited about!”
Finishing in second place was Prairie Inn Harrier Running Club’s Andrew Russell, who also won the master’s 40-plus category. With that performance, he set a new age group course record in 32:10. Taking third was Brennen Smith with Speedfarm. He clocked in at 32:21.
Meg Lewis-Schneider
Lewis-Schneider finished behind just eight men for the win of the women’s race. She clocked in at 35:30.
“Today was a solid effort, and I’m happy with it — the rollercoaster hills and classic West Coast weather made it even more wild and fun. I went in unsure where my fitness was at since this is only my second race of the year! My season started later than planned after a string of colds and flus, but now that I’m finally in the clear, I’m excited to get back at it,” shared Lewis Schneider. “Seeing familiar faces, working with my teammates, and building on my fitness makes it all worth it. The best part of these races is always the community and the energy.”
Taking second was Zoe Hamel in 36:38 with Esprit RC. Finishing in third was Georgia Ginther in 37:23 in her first race after a year off. The former University of Victoria Vike is also now with Speedfarm.
Another course age-group record was set when 50-54 athlete Andrew Wilson clocked in at 39:20, becoming the second 40-plus master and first in her age group.
There was a record number of finishers for this event at 495.
The next road race in the eight-race series occurs Sunday, March 16 in Nanaimo, BC. The Bastion 12K, rescheduled due to snow, is moved to its old location. The 2025 edition was to be run in Lantzville, just North of Nanaimo.
The Vancouver Island Race Series hosts races as short as 5km and up to the half-marathon distance.
