Top Western Canadian runners competing in BC Cross Country Championships on Saturday

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Scottish runner Sarah Inglis will be competing in Saturday’s BC Cross Country Championships at Beaver Lake Park in Victoria, BC on Saturday. She will be among several top-level runners in the province to compete for the provincial title. However, she is not eligible to run for Canada, so the title may go to Victoria-based Geneviève Lalonde.

Tokyo Olympian and defending 2020 Pan Am Cross Country Cup winner Lalonde will be seeking the win. Some of the other top athletes include Alycia Butterworth, Lisa Brooking, Lindsay Carson, and Rebecca Bassett, who finished third during the Royal Victoria Marathon 8K clocking a new personal best performance of 27:30. It was her first road race in some time due to ongoing injury issues. In that race, Inglis improved her own course record to 25:35.

Inglis went on the following week to win the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront 10K breaching the 32-minute barrier for the first time in her career with a 31:59 finish time.

Katelyn Ayers, Kirsten Lee, and Madelyn Brunt are also in the field. Brunt, a UBC Thunderbird alum set at least five new personal bests in 2021.

Ally Ginther, Ayers, and Carson, a four-time winner of the RVM 8K event all went top-10, which made for a deep field for a local road race.

Lalonde and Inglis will go 1-2, who knows the finish order. Lalonde owns the national 3000m steeplechase record at 9:22.40, which she set competing in the Tokyo Olympic Games in August. Lalonde set four new personal bests in 2021. The Victoria-based athlete will be tough to beat.

Inglis owns a 5000m best of 15:24.17, while Lalonde has run 15:48.60. Both excel at cross-country. The race should be exciting.

Noticeably missing will be Rachel Cliff and Natasha Wodak. Wodak is the former Canadian 10,000m record holder and multi-time World Cross Country Championships, competitor. She will be taking time off after a busy marathon-training year and a competitive Tokyo Olympic marathon performance. Cliff is also a former national record holder in the half-marathon and marathon. She is continuing her base training after experiencing some injury issues earlier in the year.

Men’s field

Also missing from the event is the seemingly perennial winner, Lucas Bruchet, who is also taking time down from racing. The break comes after the Olympics and competing in the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront 10K, finishing a close second to Ben Flanagan — 28:41 to 28:49.

Most of the top names are all affiliated with the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds including former Victoria resident Tyler Dozzi, as well as Thomas Nobbs and recently married John Gay.

Jonah Brost and Josh Kozelj will be in the mix as well. Brost grew up in Saanich (Greater Victoria) and Kozelj from Coquitlam (Greater Vancouver) competed for the local University of Victoria Vikes. He is in his final year of eligibility in the USport league and is competing for the UBC Thunderbirds, while he completes his Master of Journalism degree.

Dozzi grew up in remote Terrace, BC in the north. As a teenager, he convinced his parents that he was going to move to Victoria to train under two-time Olympian Bruce Deacon and his Prairie Inn Harriers running club youth team. Dozzi was also set on competing for Oak Bay High School, which boasts a long tradition of winning, led by now-retired Keith Butler. Dozzi arrived, improved, and went on to break provincial records. He and Nobbs competed at a recent Vikes-hosted cross country meet with Nobbs taking the win. It will be interesting to see if Dozzi will close the fitness gap from that September race.

Liam Dwyer, Christian Gravel, and Mathieu Gauthier will also be competitive in this race. Dwyer is also a former Victoria resident having graduated from nearby Mount Douglas High School. He is enjoying his second year at UBC.

Meet details

BC Cross Country Championships

Victoria (Saanich / Beaver Lake), British Columbia, October 23rd, 2021

U18, U20, Senior & Master Prices:
$17.00 (regular deadline – Oct 19)
$25.00 (late deadline – Oct 21)

Ages 9-15 (U16) Prices:
$12.00 (regular deadline – Oct 19)
$20.00 (late deadline – Oct 21)

Masters 70+ will run 6km, concurrently in the 8km event.

Recognition of results and performances for Team Selection, Rankings, Program Services, Annual Awards, Records, and Funding Support requires the appropriate BC Athletics Competitive Athlete Membership.

Schedule

2021 BC Cross Country Championships & Junior Development Championships

(Final Schedule)

For a detailed view of how the loops will work for each event, click here.

BC Athletics Membership and the BC Cross Country Championships, age category is based on your age at the end of the year (December 31). 

Masters age in competition is based on your age on the day of competition.

Notes:

* U18 may run up in the U20 event to qualify for the BC Team — must indicate race # when entering.