As the wind raged on Sunday morning, the Oakville Half Marathon kicked off bright and early for its 16th running at Shell Park, with over 700 participants.
After two years of virtual competition athletes and organizers, we're thrilled to be back in Oakville for a fantastic day of competitive running.
Things kicked off at 7:30 a.m. as the Half Marathoners and 10k runners left the start line. Fifteen minutes later, the 5k runners followed. The wind was howling as the runners made their way east along Lakeshore Road West towards Bronte.
As waves crashed along the shoreline, the sun finally began to peek out from behind the clouds to provide a touch of much-needed warmth to the throng of runners.
Mississauga's Sergio Raez Villanueva (M25 to 29) finished first in the half marathon with a time of 1:07:34. He wasn't about to let the frigid conditions bring him down.
"It was chilly," says Villanueva. "It was dark, but you know what, when the sun comes out, it's a little better. It's a little windy, but overall the energy and everything just makes you go faster."
Toronto's Devon Moir (F20 to 29) was the top female finisher with a time of 1:28:40, with an overall race ranking of 29/751.
She'll be off to the Boston Marathon this spring and was thrilled to have won the first race of her career in Oakville.
Moir said she "tried to stay with my race plan. I didn't get caught up with going too fast at the start."
Both Villanueva and Moir take home $600 for their efforts.
Oakville athletes - Half Marathon Rankings
- Men's Division: David Hainish (M35 to 39) came in 5th place with a time of 1:18:40.
- Women's Division: Ali Skinner (F30 to 39) was the 4th place woman to cross the finish line with a time of 1:30:59.
10km Rankings
- Men's Division: Ponram Gopalakrishnan (M40 to 49) came in 11th place at a time of 00:41:12.
- Women's Division: Annie Beauchemin (F50 to 59) was the 8th place woman to cross the finish line with a time of 00:48:28
5km Rankings
Milton's Andrew Taylor (M17+) came in first for the 5 km, followed closely in second by Oakville's Allison Thompson (F30-39) finishing at 00:18:14. She takes home the top prize of $550 as the top female competitor.
Luka Kirigin (M17+) was the top male finisher from Oakville in 3rd place (4th Overall) with a time of 00:19:18, receiving $450.
Official times for the Oakville half marathon are posted on the Sports Stats website.