YMCA Half Marathon returns
Kasey Walsh of Holy Cross also won in 2014
Kelly Smith was the first woman to cross the finish line in the Half a Half at the 39th annual YMCA of Central East Ontario Balsillie Family Branch, Peterborough Half Marathon, Half and Half, 5K Walk/Run and Kids 1K Fun Run in support of the YMCA Strong Kids Campaign on Sunday in Peterborough.
The Holy Cross Secondary School cross country running team need to look no further than coach Kasey Walsh for a role model.
The 36-year-old Peterborough native won the women’s halfmarathon at Sunday’s YMCA of Central East Ontario HalfMarathon. It was her second time winning the race, she also crossed first in 2014, in 1:29:27 just under her goal of 1:30.
Ajax’s Matt Lozano was the overall winner breaking the tape in 1:19:23 beating Kingston’s Tim Gillespie by two minutes, seven seconds. Omemee’s Danny Tresise was close behind in 1:21.50.
There were 740 runners, up from 725 last year, competing in half-marathon, half-a-half, 5K and children’s 1K distances. The start-finish line was in front of the YMCA on Aylmer St. with a course winding past Little Lake, across Lansdowne, up Ashburnham, west on Hunter and north on Armour to a turnaround near Trent University.
Walsh began running as a student at St. Peter’s Secondary School where she ran with her current training partner Anne Cavanagh in cross country. Cavanagh finished two spots behind Walsh. Now as a teacher, Walsh started a cross country team at Holy Cross this year. Walsh’s high school experience made her a lifelong runner and she hopes to pass that to her students.
“It’s a pretty small team right now but I’m hoping it will grow. It’s a hard sell with teenagers,” said Walsh. “Lifelong runners, that’s what I tell them to try to be. It’s where I started so I hope to get a few kids and inspire them to keep running.”
Walsh said the last couple of years she went out too fast.
“I paced properly,” she said. “I didn’t go out too fast. To break 1:30 was my goal and I did that. Sometimes you don’t have control over being first. Today it worked out. It’s pretty fun to win your hometown race, that’s for sure.”
She took the lead around Beavermead Park on the way back from the halfway point.
“The weather was perfect except for the wind but for February it was good weather,” said Walsh.
Lozano, 19, a nursing student at Centennial College, was running in Peterborough for the first time. His college cross country coach brought a bunch of runners to the race.
“I’m into trying new races and I’d heard this race is well organized so I wanted to try it,” said Lozano.
He knew the 2016 race winner Matt Leduc, who is also from Ajax, and had an idea he could contend for the win.
“I wasn’t really planning on winning but it just ended up happening,” he said. “It’s a good feeling. I’ve been training hard all throughout the winter so it’s good to get this accomplishment.”
Lozano, who took the lead at the 10-kilometre mark, said he’d heard it was a difficult course.
“They weren’t kidding when they said it was going to be a tough race. I wasn’t expecting that really big hill (on Hunter St.) midway. Just looking at it was intimidating but I knew what goes up must come down so I really took advantage of the hills going downhill.”
Toronto’s Michael Doyle won the BrandHealth Half-a-Half in 38:08 with Millbrook’s Kirk Hopkins seven seconds behind. Toronto’s Kelly Smith was the top women in 44:20. The winner of the AccuPed 5K walk/run was Omemee’s Andy Hein in 16:02.
Race director Jeff Crowe said the highlight of the day was the large number of children who signed up for the super hero themed Wildrock Outfitters 1K Kids Fun Run.
“We had 160 kids this year which is way above what we’ve had in the past,” said Crowe. “I think it might be because of the super hero capes they are wearing.”
He was pleased with the overall event.
“We had a bit of snow this morning but that’s all right. The roads were clear and the racers were happy with the route. They had no footing issues,” he said.