Guest wins Subaru Sooke Triathlon in Record Time

Fletcher takes women's title; age groupers qualify for worlds.

 

kelly_guest_finish_line_photo
Kelly Guest crosses the finish line at the 2009 Subaru West Coast Triathlon Series. Photo courtesy Subaru West Coast Triathlon Series.
Sooke, British Columbia (September 13, 2009) -- With ideal race conditions, the beautiful oceanside community of Sooke provided the perfect backdrop for a day filled with achievement, emotion, and qualifying at the Subaru Sooke Triathlon. On the same weekend the World Championships were taking place in the Gold Coast of Australia, many Age Group athletes in Sooke qualified to go to the 2010 Olympic distance World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. Not to be outdone in the Olympic distance event, the Half Iron distance competitors also took advantage of an opportunity to qualify for the 2010 Long Distance World Championships in Immendstadt, Germany.

In the pro race, local pro and former Canadian National Team member Kelly Guest dominated the field, setting a new course record with a time of 4:12:15.

Christine Fletcher, of Vancouver, returned this year to better her second place from 2008 with the win in 4:39:27.

This year's event also included an Olympic Distance event which was won by Ironman Pro athlete Sara Gross, who was contesting the shorter distance, and Leif Baradoy of Calgary on the men's side. Taking the victory in the sprint event was Christopher Sunby, of Victoria, and Lesley Hartford, of Mill Bay.

The day also included other eventful moments. The Bruce Bowman Junior Scholarship was awarded to commemorate the popular local triathlete who passed away earlier this year. In May, a collection was taken from the participants at the Subaru Shawnigan Lake Triathlon and, along with a matching donation from LifeSport coaching, two $750 Junior Scholarships were awarded by Bruce's wife Rosie to local juniors Nicholla Kennell and Mathew Sharpe. Another special moment came earlier in the day when Marie-Claude Magnan received her age group medal along with a proposal from her boyfriend, John, while standing on the podium. Marie-Claude accepted her award and the proposal with a big smile.

2009 Subaru Sooke Half Iron Results, Sooke, BC, Canada

Men:
1. Kelly Guest, Victoria, BC, 4:12:15
2. Ynuk Bosse, Vancouver, BC, 4:18:36
3. James Fry, Tri-Cities, BC, 4:30:09

Women:
1. Christine Fletcher, Vancouver, BC, 4:39:27
2. Tanya Salomon, Calgary, AB, Canada 4:44:05
3. Susanne Russell, Vancouver, BC, 4:48:10

Top finishers from the Olympic and Sprint events, along with full race results are available at www.triseries.ca.