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The 43rd Harriers Pioneer 8K to go Sunday, January 9 has been postponed due to snow, the Omicron variant and of all things a lack of portable toilets.

There continued to be snow on the course.

A few elite athletes were in town to race, so they got together to do a time trial over 6kms as well as a 2 x 1km effort afterward.

There was 1500m Olympian Natalia Hawthorn, 2 x Olympians Gen Lalonde and Natasha Wodak as well as Kate Ayers.

This video contains footage of the workout as well as post-workout interviews.

The current wave of the coronavirus has caused health authorities to limit capacity at sporting events and require distancing protocols reminiscent of the beginning of the pandemic. Locally, the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks postponed a home game scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 8. The Smart Dolphins IT Solutions New Year’s Day Polar Bear Swim, the largest on Vancouver Island was cancelled.

The current restrictions continue to Jan. 18. For the Pioneer 8K, it would be the return of seven-time winner and record holder Natasha Wodak. She holds the fastest time nationally from the event at 25:28, is a former national record holder in the 10,000m and half-marathon.

Also in the field was to be Genevieve Lalonde, also a two-time Olympian and is the current national record holder in the 3000m steeplechase. Leslie Sexton, one of Canada’s fastest marathon runners, was to race among several other elite athletes.