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Eastside 10k

Sep 06 2017
0

Olympian Natasha Wodak Leads Field for Under Armour Eastside 10k

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by Paul Gains

Canadian Olympian Natasha Wodak heads a strong women’s field for the running of the Under Armour Eastside 10k, in Vancouver on Saturday September 16, though she is cautious about being considered the favourite.

The 35-year-old is coming off an excellent 10,000m performance at the 2017 IAAF World Championships – she finished 16th in a season best 31:55.47 – and then proceeded straight into a well-deserved rest period.

“I took a week off after the world track and field championships and have been doing some easy running.” she reveals. “It has been going well. I have been listening to my body and it is feeling good right now.”

Foot surgery last December left her playing catch up throughout the spring and summer leading to inconsistent performances. To add to the mix, she switched coaches and is now being guided by one of her heroes, 1984 Olympic 3,000m bronze medalist, Lynn Kanuka. In London she was inspired by the surprise appearance of Kanuka at the warmup track on the day of the 10000m final. The coach had only arrived in London hours before the race.

Two years ago, Wodak set an Eastside 10k event record of 33:04. She has a best 10k road time of 31:59 (Ottawa 2015) and also holds the Canadian 10,000m record of 31:41.59 which quali-fied her for the Rio Olympics. She was 22nd in the Rio 10,000m final. When she looks over the Eastside 10k field she points out that along with the ‘usual suspects’ there might be another sur-prise.

“Sarah Inglis is from Scotland and is training out here. She has been doing some training with me,” Wodak says of the graduate of Trinity Western University. “I wouldn’t be surprised if she runs low 33 or 33:30 so I am definitely going to not take her lightly either.”

Inglis finished just ahead of the Canadian at the Portland Tack Festival 5,000m in June so they are well aware of each other’s abilities. Rachel Cliff, who ran a personal best 10,000m (32:00.03 for 20th place) at the world championships is among the challengers along with marathoners Leslie Sexton, the defending Eastside 10k champion, and Lanni Marchant.

Marchant, the Canadian marathon record holder at 2:28:00, signed an endorsement contract with Under Armour in May but suffered kidney stones which required surgery. Since then she has kept her cards close to her chest and pulled out of the world championships where she had been entered in the 10,000m. Still, Wodak says she will underestimate no one.

“I think it’s going to be a really great competitive race,” Wodak continues. “I feel like we are all in the same boat, Rachel and I coming back from worlds and taking some time off, Lanni coming off a bit of an inconsistent spring and summer, so I don’t know where she is at. Leslie had a big injury in the winter and had a slow comeback. Obviously, I want to win in my hometown.”

The men’s race features 2015 Eastside champion Geoff Martinson of the BC Endurance Project a former Canadian 1,500m international, who has been tearing up the roads the past few years. He has a best of 29:26 (2016) on the roads but ran 28:48.33 on the track in June of this year in-dicating he has much potential at this distance.

The race which has been sold out for a couple of weeks, doubles as the BC championships hence the excellent turnout of local talent. Justin Kent (30:26 personal best) and Kevin Coffey (30:13) should also be contention for the prize money. The race winners will receive $1,000 with second and third earning $600 and $400 respectively. The top BC runners will collect a further $400, $300 and $200.

There is even more money at stake. Since the Under Armour Eastside 10k is part of the seven race Canada Running Series there are points to be had. The winner here will earn 60 points, and, with Wodak currently in the lead thanks to dominant victories at the Race Roster Spring Run Off 8k and Toronto Waterfront 10k earlier this year, she can solidify her grasp on the over-all title – and $5000 prize money.

For a complete start list see: https://canadarunningseries.com/2017/08/ua-eastside-10k-2017-elite-starting-list/

For more information on the run see: www.eastside10k.com

Sep 01 2017
0
crew challenge

#UAeastside10k Crew Challenge

By | Charity, Eastside 10k | No Comments
Eastside 10k Crew Challenge Detail
  • The crews will be grouped according to the charity they are supporting and will be evaluated by the combined group effort. The group of Crews supporting the same charity is referred to below as the ‘Charity Team’.
  • The winning Charity Team will be the group with the highest total points accumulated across the 5 categories.
  • Each Charity Team must fundraise a minimum of $500 for their charity to be eligible for prizing.
  • Fundraising totals will be tallied based on online fundraising pages as of 6:00am PST race day, Saturday September 16, 2017. But fundraising will remain open 2 weeks after the event.
  • Runners must be registered on their appropriate teams, by the close of online registration, Monday, September 11, 2017 midnight PST to be counted for prizing.
The five scoring categories:
  • Fastest Team
    • Combined time of the three fastest female runners and three fastest male runners.
    • Scoring 3, 2, 1. Highest value = fastest Charity Team.
  • Largest Team
    • Total number of runners registered on your team that finish the run.
    • Scoring 3, 2, 1. Highest value = largest Charity Team.
  • Total Fundraising
    • Total amount of team fundraising for their charity.
    • Scoring 3, 2, 1. Highest value = most raised by Charity Team.
  • Average Fundraising
    • Total Fundraising divided by the number of runners. Giving an advantage to smaller crews.
    • Scoring 3, 2, 1. Highest value = highest average by Charity Team.
  • Charity Influence
    • Each Charity Team will be evaluated by their respective charity and awarded up to 3 bonus points.
    • The charities will evaluate the crew’s participation on Social Media influence (tagging and promoting fundraising), Volunteering (supporting the charity in person)
Prizing:
  • 1st Place
    • Unique placard denoting your 2017 Championship.
    • Canada Running Series Sponsors Prize package.
    • $500 donation to your team’s Charity.
    • 5 – 2018 Canada Running Series West seasons passes.
  • 2nd Place
    • $300 donation to your team’s Charity.
    • 3 – 2018 Canada Running Series West seasons passes.
  • 3rd Place
    • $100 donation to your team’s Charity.
Our 2017 Charity Partners:

DEWC

Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre

The Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre (DEWC) is one of the busiest women’s centres in the country, operating a non-profit Drop-In Centre and Emergency Night Shelter in one of the poorest communities in Canada. DEWC is unique in that it is one of the only safe spaces within the Downtown Eastside specifically and exclusively for all women and their children, and has been a permanent and pertinent part of the community since 1978.

Instagram: @dewcvan
Facebook: @DowntownEastsideWomensCentre
Twitter: @DEWCvancouver

Greater Vancouver Food Bank

The Greater Vancouver Food Bank is a non-profit organization with a mission to empower people to nourish themselves by providing access to healthy food, education and training. The GVFB provides assistance to over 26,500 people weekly through 14 food locations and close to 100 and community agencies located in Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster and North Vancouver. The GVFB is committed to its vision of accessible, healthy and sustainable food for all and through community collaboration, is pro-actively working to help end hunger.

Instagram: @VanFoodBank
Facebook: @VanFoodBank
Twitter: @VanFoodBank

 

PHS Community Services SocietyPHS Community Services Society

PHS Community Services Society (PHS) is an innovative and well-established non-profit organization located in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES) community. The agency has extensive property management experience in complex mixed-use projects and primary care initiatives. The PHS improves the lives of thousands of vulnerable individuals each year through housing, health and support services. Clients served represent the most marginalized populations residing in Vancouver’s DTES and facing multiple barriers due to their mental health and substance use. Through many successful partnerships, PHS contributes to the development of best practices in health, mental health and harm reduction.

Instagram: @PHScss
Facebook: @PHSCommunityServicesSociety
Twitter: @PHScss

Sep 01 2017
0
10 tips for 10k

10 tips for 10k

By | Eastside 10k, Training Tips | No Comments

Dylan Wykes & Rob Watson, two of the coaches at Mile2Marathon, gave us 10 tips for this year’s Under Armour Eastside 10km and how to prepare for the event. Check them out!

1. Be prepared for race morning:

Leave nothing to chance. Know what you are going to eat, know how you are going to get to the race, and know where you are going to stash your gear. Arrive early, as there’s no need for added stress on race day; you are there to compete and perform. Unnecessary stress will affect your performance. Oh, and bring lots of dry clothes!

2. Warm-up:

For some this is a 20 minute run and active strides. For others this is a 5 minute walk and some
stretches. Either way, get those muscles loose and ready to go, it’ll help avoid injury and have you
primed to go when the gun sounds.

3. Find your place:

Get on the start line and line up with people at the same level, or pace as you. A
45:00 10km is a great accomplishment, but you probably shouldn’t be lining up at the very front- you will get pulled out too hard and will impede faster runners. On the other hand, if you want to run 35:00 get yourself to the front, otherwise you are going to spend too much energy passing people and trampling over slower runners.

4. Get off the line:

The first km of a race is always fast. You will feel fresh and frisky. If you are several seconds faster than your goal pace do not worry, get the fist km in and then settle into your race.

5. Settle and flow:

From 2-6km you should relax and find your flow. If you are pushing too hard at 3km you are going to have a bad time- both literally and figuratively. Have your goal pace in mind and focus on maintaining that effort and rhythm. Being 5 seconds too slow is fine as you can make up time with a strong last 2km, but being 5 seconds too fast can be disastrous as when you blow up you’ll be giving time back in chunks.

6. Enjoy the scenery:

The Under Armour Eastside 10km course takes you on a tour through some of Vancouver’s most beautiful and culturally rich neighbourhoods. Appreciate the city and take it in. We live in a really special place.

7. Find a group:

There is power in numbers when it comes to racing. Working as group can help a lot. A group can pull you along, and you can lock in and roll. Find a friend and roll together… until 9km, then all bets are off!

8. Focus:

This is racing, it is supposed to hurt! Your legs will burn, you’ll fight for breath and you’ll want
to stop. You trained for this. Focus on your goals and stay positive. The pain of racing is brief, and that post run beer/brunch tastes so much better knowing you earned it.

9. Bite your tongue and go:

When you get to 9km it is time to get going! This is where you put your head down and give it hell. Dig deep and push, and when you are 400m out it is time to empty the tank. Give it everything you have until you cross the finish line.

10. Reap the spoils:

Congratulations on finishing the Under Armour Eastside 10km! Now enjoy yourself a bit- go get brunch, drink a beer or just do something to spoil yourself. You have earned it!

More info on the Under Armour Eastside 10k can be found here.

Aug 30 2017
0
VE10k elite list 2017

UA Eastside 10k 2017 Elite Starting List

By | Eastside 10k, Elite Athletes | No Comments

Under Armour Eastside 10k

2017 Elite Starting List

Bib #Last NameFirst NameCityProvince
2MartinsonGeoffVancouverBC
3WykesDylanVancouverBC
4JustinKentBurnabyBC
5CoffeyKevinVancouverBC
6HuntTheoVancouverBC
7NgenoBenardSurreyBC
8MutaiDavidEldoretUG
9GravelChristianVancouverBC
10WatsonRobinVancouverBC
14WilkieMarkVancouverBc
15BrockervilleRyanCoquitlamBC
16ShahmirzadiCamronMenlo ParkCA
17BauerJesseEdmontonAB
18BrowneNicholasVancouverBC
19LogueRobertVancouverBC
20MichieTomVancouverBC
21NicholsonDrewSurreyBC
22LoewenRonaldLangleyBC
23BlazeyPaulVancouverBC
24GomezInakiVancouverBC
25DunfeeEvanRichmondBC
26HopwoodJeremyRichmondBC
27AmundsonGusVancouverBC
28KimuraKyleVancouverBC
31LonerganKillianThunSwitzerland
32BradfordKeithCalgaryAB
33OdermattCraigVictoriaBC
34NapierChrisVancouverBC
35O'ConnorKevinVancouverBC
36BarthChrisWhite RockBC
37AdkinsTimVancouverBC
38HatachiTatsuyaCoquitlamBC
39NewbyJamesSquamishBC
40PortmanBryanNanaimoBC
41PtuchaStephenRichmondBC
Bib #Last NameFirst NameCityProvince
F1SextonLeslieLondonON
F2WodakNatashaNorth VancouverBC
F3CliffRachelVancouverBC
F4MarchantLanniLondonON
F5InglisSarahLangleyBC
F6WilkieSabrinaVancouverBC
F7Lewis-SchneiderMegVancouverBC
F8ElmoreMalindiKelownaBC
F9MorozJenVancouverBC
F10TherrienBrittanyVancouverBC
F12LeeAndreaVancouverBC
F13MooreKatherineVancouverBC
F14LongridgeCorriVancouverBC
F15MacGregorMeredithVancouverBC
F16CherakStephanaCalgaryAB
F17LeeKirstenPort CoquitlamBC
F18PepinCherylNorth VancouverBC
F19ZimmerLissaVancouverBC
F21WatkinsCatherineVancouverBC
F22LovigChristyKelownaBC
F23KasselMelanieChilliwackBC
Aug 22 2017
0

Course Preview – Under Armour Eastside 10k

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This year’s Under Armour Eastside 10k features a brand new course as well as a new start/finish area outside the Woodward’s Development on Cordova St. Check out the course map as well as course preview photos below. The run is now SOLD OUT but we still have some volunteer positions available or just come out to cheer runners on!

Photographer Rob Shaer snapped a couple photos over the weekend to give you a preview of some of the new course – check them out below!

Aug 18 2017
0
lanni goal setting UA

Setting goals like an Olympian: Lanni Marchant

By | Eastside 10k, Elite Athletes, Training Tips | No Comments

Setting Goals like an Olympian: Lanni Marchant

under armour lanni

Whether it’s your first race or your 100th, you always need to set a goal.

Best Health web editor Lisa Hannam had the chance to interview Canadian Olympian and Under Armour athlete Lanni Marchant about realistic goal setting and the runner’s greatest accomplishments.

In the interview, Lanni explains her strategy for goal setting, in which she utilizes a work-backwards approach and vocally shares her goals with others.

“In 2012, I wanted to go to the Rio Olympics, so [my coach and I] worked backwards, in terms of how to qualify. But we also had goals for each season leading up to my qualifiers, [like the] Canadian records, Championship races, and medal contention etc.

UA Bandit banner ad

“For life goals, I’ll always keep that target in mind but I know that there might be some different paths and bends in the road to get there.

“Regardless of the goal, I have learned that I have to be vocal and share my goals with those around me. Keeping it a secret means I am carrying the risk of failure solely on my shoulders. When I share my goals with my family, close friends and coach, it means they are there to help me when I hit a bump or come to a crossroad and need help.”

To read the complete interview click here.

With less than two months until the Under Armour Eastside 10k, it’s time to set your goals!

Aug 11 2017
0

Feature Friday – PHS Community Services Society

By | Charity, Eastside 10k | No Comments

Founded in 1993, PHS Community Services Society (PHS) is a non-profit housing, health care and community development agency providing services in Vancouver and Victoria, B.C.  PHS develops, maintains and advocates for affordable housing for adults who have been marginalized as a result of homelessness, physical, mental health and behavioural issues, substance dependencies and more. They also provide low-barrier harm reduction, drug treatment and primary health care services. 

PHS operates and manages 21 low-barrier residences and over 1,200 units of rental housing that include emergency shelters and transitional housing. In addition to providing housing, PHS offers a range of health care services that are both embedded in their housing, and available to the broader community. Their multidisciplinary team of physicians, specialists, nurses and social workers offers comprehensive primary care, mental health and addiction treatment services. They also offer monthly internal medicine, gynecology and women’s health clinics. 

In an effort to foster and grow a sense of community for marginalized people, PHS aims to empower, generate trusting relationships and help them to determine their own course of recovery. They see people, not their pathology, and work hard to offer stability, compassion and love to those who need it most. PHS believes that there are solutions to homelessness and the opioid crisis, and that implementing them will require love, resiliency and – most importantly – political will. 

PHS has developed a range of innovative community based programs to meet the diverse needs of the thousands of people they serve each year. Programs include needle distribution and collection, community gardens, low-barrier methadone treatment, managed alcohol programs, dental care, alternatives to traditional detox, and more.    

Above all, PHS strives to be a champion for social inclusion, a leader in social innovation, and an advocate for marginalized people whose voices are rarely heard.  PHS is perhaps best known for leading the advocacy effort to open North America’s first supervised injection site, Insite, in 2003. Advocacy remains a major focus for PHS today, and their work continues to yield remarkable results for the community. For example, PHS was there to fight against the closure of the low-barrier New Fountain Shelter 2011, and later this year, PHS will be operating the ‘new’ New Fountain Shelter on East Hastings that will open in 2017, thanks to the innovative planning and renewed funding of BC Housing. 

To learn more or make a donation, click here. 

Jul 28 2017
0
dewc

Feature Friday – Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre

By | Charity, Eastside 10k | No Comments


With Love for the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre
By Kate Gustafson

 

We can, all of us, agree that Vancouver has a brilliant running community. It’s in all of the training, racing and being together that expands our awareness of the place we call home. It was the idea of “home” that sent me searching for ways to support our most vulnerable neighbourhoods.

Through fundraising and volunteer work I’ve come to know the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre (DEWC), a community at that’s equally strong, supportive, and full of incredible people. They provide basic needs, like a warm lunch, and a safe, non-judgmental environment for women from all walks of life, who live or work in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver. In the act of opening their doors for the past 39 years, the DEWC transforms lives. For many of us, running has transformed our own.

As a runner who treasures the road’s quiet moments before the city wakes, the DEWC is equally peaceful before the lunch rush. On volunteer shifts, I’ve sorted through donated clothes and set up tables accompanied by a hum of others putting their heads down to complete the task at hand. Like any rainy, snowy or sweltering race day, the show must go on. It should also be known that these meals are an amazing, daily feat; accomplished by creative, compassionate and hardworking kitchen staff.

The meals program is the DEWC’s most underfunded and important program, as food is the main draw to get many women in the door. Once inside, the DEWC has the opportunity to teach women about other programs and services, and provide access to much more than basic needs.

As a passionate runner and supporter of the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre, my hope is that you’re inspired to learn more, get involved and support this incredible community in whatever way you can.
https://www.dewc.ca/

Want to help raise funds for DEWC at the Under Armour Eastside 10k? Start your fundraising page here or donate directly to the charity!

Jul 27 2017
0

#UAEastside 10k Training Run, Pacers, Shirt and Medal Reveal

By | Charity, Eastside 10k | No Comments

The Under Armour Eastside 10k unveiled their 2017 finisher medals and race shirts at their kick-off event last night. Over 50 local runners and race day pacers celebrated the unveiling of this year’s memorabilia with a 6k social run.  The run went out on a loop from the Greater Vancouver Food Bank (GVFB) and featured parts of the new 2017 race course.  The GVFB is one of the key charities for the UA Eastside 10k this year.

The medal for the Under Armour Eastside 10k’s 5th anniversary features the East Van cross. Presented in the same unique dog-tag style medal featured in previous years, this year’s medal features another iconic landmark of Vancouver’s Eastside.

The 2017 Under Armour Pace Team joined in on the medal and shirt reveal.  In preparation for race day, the pacers received their pacing kits and got a first hand look at the course.  There will be a pair of pacers for each of the following times: 45:00; 50:00; 55:00; 60:00; 65:00; 70:00 and 75:00. They will be running to help you achieve your race day goals!

A big thank you to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank for showing runners around the facility, and for helping out at the event.

About The Greater Vancouver Food Bank (GVFB)

The Greater Vancouver Food Bank is a non-profit organization with a mission to create empowering environments that provide and promote access to healthy food, education and training. The GVFB provides assistance to over 26,500 people weekly through 13 food locations and more than 80 community agencies located in Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster and the North Shore. The GVFB is committed to its vision of accessible, healthy and sustainable food for all and through community collaboration, is pro-actively working to help end hunger. Donate today!

Training Run Photos

Meet the 2017 Under Armour Pace Team

Jul 21 2017
0

Feature Friday – Vancouver Food Bank

By | Charity, Eastside 10k | No Comments

An Important Member of the Food Bank Family

It’s 5:30 a.m. Every Tuesday morning, Kat Perrara hops out of bed eager to see her friends at the Greater Vancouver Food Bank’s Southside Depot.

Kat makes the long commute from Surrey to Burnaby.

It’s 7:30 a.m. when she reaches her destination which is already buzzing as the Food Bank truck works with volunteers to unload food from the main warehouse.

As Kat walks into Southside Community Church, she is greeted with a hot cup of coffee and a sandwich. Chatter fills the room as volunteers catch up on what has happened in since they saw each other last.

The volunteers work together to unload the truck and set up their stations.

When 9:30 flashes, Kat is waiting at the greeting table where she welcomes and scans in Food Bank members.

It was only four years ago that Kat stood on the other side of the greeting table — as a member of the Food Bank.

She would stay for hours talking and laughing with the other volunteers and even helping out where she could. They told Kat she should become a volunteer, and without hesitation she did. In return, she gained another family.

“We celebrate birthdays and anniversaries together. We get together when someone in the group has lost someone, and we collect donations amongst the volunteers if someone is going through a rough time,” Kat says. “We really take care of each other.”

The clock strikes 11, and the last of the members come in. The volunteers at Southside begin to clean up and prepare lunch. As the doors finally close, and clean-up is finished, the volunteers gather for a quick bite before they head out.

Kat is one of hundreds of volunteers who have found a family through her volunteering experience with the Greater Vancouver Food Bank. To find out more about volunteering opportunities with us, please visit:

https://www.foodbank.bc.ca/get-involved/volunteer/