Jun 22 2011 - New event added to calendar

On July 10, 2011 the IndigenACTION Half Marathon & 5km Friendship Walk/Run in Moncton New Brunswick will take place.  For more information visit: http://runnb.ca/Calendar/view-event.php?id=620

Jun 17 2011 - Grand Bay- Westfield Canada Run Event History

The Marathon by the Sea was the major catalyst for a wave of road races in the Saint John area that quickly took advantage of the localized running boom. Many of these events continue to this day including the Catch the Bug Road Race, the Hampton 5 Miler, and the Grand Bay Westfield Canada Day Run. Our committee always felt a bond with the Hampton event as they started just the year before and we usually had similar attendance.


The Canada Day Half Marathon event was a creation from a very dynamic group of people. The original committee consisted of Earle Burrows, Alex Coffin, Keith Doiron, Ethel Harrison, Dennis Hickey, Jack Keir, Paul Looker, Martina MacDougall, and Gary Mittelholtz. RCMP Officer Paul Looker had organized running events in Grand Bay- Westfield prior to 2002 but everyone involved hoped to create something on a larger scale for the community going forward.


The first year in 2002 was very exciting! It was the one and only year that we ran past and behind Scholtens before heading back towards Westfield. Local Legend Chris Brake won the half marathon in 1:18:25 with top triathletes Stephen Vienneau and Earle Burrows in 2nd and 3rd. Kelly Tolentino (who has since moved to the US with her husband Rodney) won the women’s title in 1:36:14 with top triathletes Gina Spear-Burrows and Shelly Gauthier in 2nd and 3rd. Alex Coffin won the 10K in 35:33 while 13 year old Spencer Mason won the 5K in 19:25. Everyone loved finishing at the rink and the parade afterwards was a nice touch. We also had a beer garden in the finish area! We had 73 in the half, 55 in the 10K, and 24 in the 5K.


2003 brought our first taste of controversy. Everyone liked our new turnaround at the post office but the decision to not recognize the 5kers was not popular. Our numbers increased to 93 in the half marathon and 81 in the 10K. Chris Brake broke his record in the half with a 1:17:L28 beating military runner Dave Shirley while former University star Heather Goodfellow won the women’s title in 1:28:26 beating Gina Spear-Burrows. Todd Price won the 10K while 2002 Half Winner Kelly Tolentino won the women’s 10K title in a new course record of 42:25.


2004 was our “hot” year. Our water stations were severely tested and the times were much slower due to the heat. Chris Brake took his third consecutive half title in 1:22:18 followed by Bruce Rosvall and Glenn Trites. Elita Rahn ran an incredible 1:30:03 considering the conditions with Gina Spear-Burrows second. Joe Oliver who later spearheaded the new track at River Valley Middle School won the 10K by 12 seconds over Todd Lambert. This prevented a husband wife sweep as April Lambert won the women’s title in the 10K in 45:25. David Tree and Monica Vautour established new records in the 5K with times of 19:14 and 23:32. We had 88 in the half, 112 in the 10K and 63 in the 5K.


Ironically, 2005 was our biggest year but this was also the year that the Miramichi Rock’Run was created giving us a competitor for our Fredericton area runners. John Herron took the title in the half beating Todd Price and Glenn Trites. On the women’s side, Krista McCluskey won a tight battle against future committee member Trina Goguen with only 16 seconds separating them at the finish. Dean Strowbridge became a major player in the local scene by beating 50-59 age group star Michael Coyne by only 2 seconds in the 10K. Oromocto’s Francine LaVallee won the women’s title. Satish Punna narrowly defeated Stephen Mundle in the 5K. There were 112 in the half, 145 in the 10K and 54 in the 5K.


2006 had an interesting story in local legend Gilles Gautreau taking an ill-fated attempt at Chris Brake’s record in the half. Gilles won the half in 1:18:45 followed by Todd Price and John Herron. 50-59 Age Group Star Michael Coyne ran 1:21:14!! Local runner Arlene Harrigan defeated defending champion Krista McCluskey by 30 seconds in 1:36:24. Maggie Johnson took her second straight third place finish. The 5K was almost as exciting however as Chris Brake decided to take the 5K record down a notch by winning in 17:22. Another 50-59 Age Group Star pushed him though as Derek Fisher finished second in 17:55. Brent McCullum finished third in 18:10 which would have also broken the course record. The women’s race in the 5K was a highly dramatic finish. Monica Vautour once again won the 5K but by only 1 second over Vicki Woods. Merina Farrell was only 3 seconds behind Vicki!! In the 10K, Dean Strowbridge continued his progression to faster times with a 35:53 while local runner Donna McCullum won the women’s title in 45:10. 50-59 Age Group Star and Run NB Hall of Famer Eunice Phillips ran a 47:08!! There were 102 in the half, 117 in the 10K, and 68 in the 5K.


2007 returned Chris Brake back to the half where he ran a new course record of 1:16:56. We had a great battle between 50-59 age group stars in the half with Michael Coyne running 1:22:21 and Robert Jackson 1:25:13. April Lambert took the women’s title in 1:34:15 with a very exciting battle over Maggie Johnson 1:35:12 and Trina Goguen 1:35:50. Evan Arsenault 36:36 and Krista McCluskey 43:39 were the champions in the 10K. The 5K featured two winners under 19 with Brent McCullum running 17:56 and Rebecca Barton running 20:34. At this point, we had moved from shorts to singlets and our singlets featured the artwork of local artist Elizabeth Donnelly-Nelson who now also served on our committee. We had 105 in the half, 95 in the 10K and 72 in the 5K.


2008 was both a year for excitement but also some challenges. The half marathon and 10K were combined to create a 10 miler to address traffic issues and parade conflict.. We also had a lot of excitement over the new track that had been created near the start/finish area. Both the half marathon and the 5K would now start on the track with the finish remaining the same. The turnaround was now at the town hall which was a big improvement over having to use the post office hill. Unfortunately, the start line was moved incorrectly and both races ended up being 500 meters long. Alex Coffin narrowly edged Chris Brake in the 10 Miler 57:28 to 57:57. Newcomer Suzanne Doucet won the women’s title in 1:10:12 over Gina Spear-Burrows and Arlene Harrigan. Brent McCullum defended his 5K title while Marla Sachilone edged Monica Vautour. There were 99 in the 10 Miler and 70 in the 5K.


2009 was a return to stability with the 10K added back by using a double loop of the 5K course. We also paid to get all three distances certified for Run NB sanctioning. Alex Coffin set the new course record in the 10Miler with a 56:18 followed by John Herron and Todd Power. Newcomer Brenda Guitard ran a great race to defeat defending champion Suzanne Doucet 1:10:03 to 1:10:47. Arlene Harrigan was third. Dean Mercer won the 10K title in 39:40 while Ontario runner Lisa Little edged Patti Doyle 48:07 to 48:32. Matt McNeil just missed Chris Brake’s 5K record with a 17:39. Kari Pettinger won the women’s title in the 5K with a 12 second victory over Heather Wood. We had 98 in the 10 Miler, 49 in the 10K and 78 in the 5K.


2010 became a memorial year as we celebrated the life of Gary Mittelholtz. Gary was there right from the start and he promoted activity in our area like few others had or could.. We renamed the 10 Mile event after Gary and were very lucky to have members of Gary’s family at the race. Both champions broke the course record as Alex Coffin won the 10 Miler in 54:18 and Elita Rahn won for the women in 1:09:22. April Lambert was less than a minute behind. Defending champion Brenda Guitard was 3rd. In the men’s race, John Herron added to his record top 3 performances by accomplishing that feat a 6th time. Bruce Rosvall was third. Albertan 50-59 runner Ed Bickley ran 38:49 to win the 10K but this missed the 50-59 best mark of 36:37 that Michael Coyne ran in 2005. Michael Coyne finished second this year but was 60 so he established a new 60-69 record of 39:13. Colleen McQuaid took the women’s 10K title in 44:23 and finished 3rd overall!! Gabriela Tymowski was second for the women and Anne Wall was third. Andrew Vail won the 5K in 18:36 while former University star Renee Embree narrowly missed the 5K women’s course record with a 21:09. We had 92 in the 10 Miler, 50 in the 10K and 97 in the 5K.


Looking ahead, our numbers are quite impressive considering the number of events that now surround us. In 2010, the Cross Border Challenge in Amherst on July 3 had over 300 finishers with many from New Brunswick. The Miramichi Rock’n’Run on July 4 had 279 finishers with almost everyone from New Brunswick.


Our event has left a great legacy for our town with both participants and volunteers coming from the town or nearby West Saint John. The event has donated many dollars including funds for the new community track. We also continue to attract visitors from far away like our 2010 10K winner from Calgary.


We hope that you come join us to celebrate our 10th year. It is a great way to start your Canada Day activities and the festivities continue after our race at the beautiful new Brundage Point Centre.



Highest Finisher Count- 2005 (311 finishers)

2010 Finisher Count- 239 finishers



Half Marathon Records

Overall Men Chris Brake, Saint John, 1:16:56 (2007)

Overall Women Heather Goodfellow, Halifax, 1:28:26 (2003)

Under 20 Men Michael Stockford, 1:46:30 (2003)

Under 20 Women Cara Duffy, 2:16:04 (2003)

40-49 Men Gilles Gautreau, Rothesay, 1:18:45 (2006)

40-49 Women Arlene Harrigan, Grand Bay-Westfield, 1:36:24 (2006)

50-59 Men Michael Coyne, St Stephen, 1:21:14 (2006)

50-59 Women Marlene Henry, 1:55:34 (2003)

60-69 Men, Phil Booker, Fredericton, 1:40:25 (2007)

60-69 Women, no racers

10 Miler Records

Overall Men Alex Coffin, Saint John, 54:18 (2010)

Overall Women Elita Rahn, Carter’s Point, 1:09:22 (2010)

Under 20 Men Andrew Vail, Saint John, 1:20:41 (2009)

Under 20 Women, no racers

40-49 Men Alex Coffin, Saint John, 54:18 (2010)

40-49 Women Brenda Guitard, Saint John, 1:10:03 (2009)

50-59 Men Robert Jackson, Fredericton, 1:05:38 (2009)

50-59 Women Arlene Harrigan, Grand-Bay Westfield, 1:14:24 (2009)

60-69 Men Joe Burke,Saint John, 1:10:39 (2010)

60-69 Women Annabelle McRae, Hampton, 1:28:37 (2009)

10K Records

Overall Men Alex Coffin, Saint John, 35:33 (2002)

Overall Women Kelly Tolentino, Saint John, 42:25 (2003)

Under 20 Men Evan Arsenault, Saint John, 36:36 (2007)

Under 20 Women Erin Shaw, Saint John, 50:57 (2003)

40-49 Men Tony Robinson-Smith, Fredericton, 38:54 (2005)

40-49 Women Arlene Harrigan,Grand-Bay Westfield, 44:56 (2007)

50-59 Men Michael Coyne, St Stephen, 36:37 (2005)

50-59 Women Eunice Phillips, Fredericton, 47:08 (2006)

60-69 Men Michael Coyne, St Stephen, 39:13 (2010)

60-69 Women Alice Gaunce, Grand Bay-Westfield, 55:08(2005)

5K Records

Overall Men Chris Brake, Saint John, 17:22 (2006)

Overall Women Rebecca Barton, Fredericton, 20:34 (2007)

Under 20 Men Matt McNeil, Saint John, 17:39 (2009)

Under 20 Women Rebecca Barton, Fredericton, 20:34 (2007)

40-49 Men Garth Millar, Saint John, 19:33 (2007)

40-49 Women Monica Vautour, Saint John, 22:43 (2006)

50-59 Men Derek Fisher, Saint John, 17:55 (2006)

50-59 Women Patty Richard, Summerside, 28:12 (2005)

60-69 Men Frank Kelly, Saint John, 27:03 (2006)

60-69 Women Emma Gionet, Saint John, 35:39 (2006)

Article by: Alex Coffin / June 17, 2011

Jun 16 2011 - Sport Chek Miramichi Rock N Run

The Sport Chek Miramichi Rock n Run is taking place on July 3/11 at 8AM..  It is a 1/2 Marathon run, 10K run/walk and 5K run/walk event.  Our route takes in scenic views of the beautiful Miramichi River.  New this year: Personalized race bibs if registered by June 18th. Great race kit and lots of draw prizes as well as over $1100.00 going to race winners.  Check out our website at www.rockinrun.ca  Register today!!
 

Jun 8 2011 - Be an Early Bird - Ben's Smart Marathon by the Sea

Be an early bird and register by June 15 at www.marathonbythesea.com

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• 2013-05-10 - Attention 10 Km Chaleur Banque Nationale Runners
• 2013-05-03 - Fast and Furious Rave Run
• 2013-04-25 - Fredericton Marathon Registration Closed
• 2013-04-22 - Bids to Host Canadian Championship Series Events
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