The sixth annual Survivorfest befell from June 10 to 11 in Sherwood Park, Alta., and as soon as once more the official six-hour and 24-hour Canadian nationwide championship resulted in a number of spectacular performances. Final yr, Woodstock, Ont.’s Amanda Nelson was the star of the present, breaking the feminine 100-mile and 12-hour information, however this yr it was Catrin Jones’s flip to shine. Jones broke the 6-hour Canadian document with 78.571 km, in addition to the 50-mile Canadian document, in 6:08:16.
The B.C. ultrarunner isn’t any stranger to setting information; she had already set each the six-hour and 50-mile information again in 2020, when she ran 6:09:12 within the 50-miler, then circled and accomplished 75.538 km to interrupt the 6-hour document just a few weeks later.
Since Survivorfest started, it has been a qualifier for athletes wanting a spot on the Worldwide Affiliation of Ultrarunners (IAU) World Championships. A few of the finest ultrarunners from throughout the nation make their approach to Strathcona Athletic Park’s 400m monitor to check their limits, and several other different athletes got here away with {qualifications} and information.
Michel Leblanc, Richard MacDonald and Tim Higham certified for the Canadian 24 Hour Nationwide group. Together with Jones’ information, Carla Rodriguez DiMitrescu set a brand new Girls’s 6-hour Mexican document with 66.268km, and Kathia Rached set two new Lebanon girls’s information by operating 200 km, in addition to operating for your complete 24 hours.
Enjoyable for all
In celebration of Satisfaction Month in Alberta, the occasion included a non-binary class for the primary time. “June is a crucial month for all Albertans and past. We’re so excited to now have a non-binary class to extend inclusion and permit for extra athletes to really feel comfy within the sporting world,” says Laura Sherrer-Townsend, Survivorfest race director and founder.
All proceeds from the occasion went to the Saffron Sexual Assault Centre; Sherrer-Townsend has been very vocal about her personal experiences with sexual assault, and her dedication to stopping sexual violence is the principle motive she began Survivorfest Working Occasion in 2018.
This yr’s occasion was an enormous success, and Sherrer-Townsend solely sees it getting greater from right here. “We’re solely going to develop and we are able to’t wait to see what subsequent yr brings! An enormous shout-out to our athletes, supporters, volunteers, donors, and the neighborhood at giant–we couldn’t have finished any of this with out you,” she says.
