It came down to the final few seconds after 7 months of competition to determine the winners of the 2014 Timex BC Road Running Series. After Kimberley Doerksen crossed the finish line in 35:17 at the Summerfast 10K she had to wait to see if it was quick enough to surpass Catherine Watkins in the rankings. As the clock ticked past 35:24 Watkins would be unable to improve her existing point score, and so Doerksen moved to the top of the podium, and with it collected $1,000.
Similar stories played out down the field for minor places, as runners either completed their fifth race in the series to qualify for series awards, or looked to discard a low score with a faster time.
The Timex BC Road Running Series comprised 15 races, held throughout the province, starting at the Harriers Pioneer 8K in Saanichton in January, and concluding with Saturday’s Summerfast 10K in Vancouver’s Stanley Park. Times are converted to a point score, with an athlete’s 5 best scores determining their place in the rankings. The top 4 men and women at the series end are invited to represent BC at the Timex Series Finale held in conjunction with the Canadian 10K Championship at the Oasis ZooRun 10K in Toronto on September 20.
When the dust (or more accurately the rain) had settled, VFAC’s Doerksen beat Watkins by just 4 points, 4398 to 4394. Sabrina Wilkie took third with 4355 points. Top 10 women were:
| 1. Kimberley Doerksen | 4398 |
| 2. Catherine Watkins | 4394 |
| 3. Sabrina Wilkie | 4355 |
| 4. Jen Moroz | 4195 |
| 5. Melissa Ross | 4185 |
| 6. Claire Morgan | 4165 |
| 7. Katherine Moore | 4136 |
| 8. Shauna Gersbach | 4063 |
| 9. Kristin Smart | 4056 |
| 10. Brittany Therrien | 3989 |
On the men’s side, Prairie Inn Harrier Geoff Martinson was untouchable, winning 4 of his 5 races outright, and scoring a record 4527 points – the first time anyone has exceeded 4500 points. The battle for second was much closer, and was only decided at the final race. Despite Theo Hunt beating Adam Byles on the day, his margin was not enough to surpass Byles in the rankings, as Byles scored 4324 to Hunt’s 4315. Top 10 men were:
| 1. Geoff Martinson | 4527 | |
| 2. Adam Byles | 4324 | |
| 3. Theo Hunt | 4315 | |
| Logan Roots | 4181* | *Not eligible for prizing as an Athletics Yukon member |
| 4. Kevin O'Connor | 4174 | |
| 5. Nicholas Browne | 4110 | |
| 6. Craig Odermatt | 4095 | |
| 7. Mark Bennett | 4031 | |
| 8. Chris Barth | 3963 | |
| 9. Aaron Weidman | 3950 | |
| 10. Chris Napier | 3853 |
Complete 2014 Timex BC Road Running Series information and rankings can be found here.
The 2015 Timex BC Series will kick off again on January 11, 2015 at the Harriers Pioneer 8K, also hosting the 2015 BC 8K Championship.
2014 Timex BC Road Running Series winners (photo credits Rick Horne):
