Kelowna Runner Opens Interior Season With Win In 10K Event

Brad Bickley hit the ground running on Sunday in Lavington.

The first Interior Running Association event of the season saw the 25-year-old from Kelowna lead a field of 166 runners over the Starting Block 10-kilometre course with a time of 33:18. That was more than three minutes faster than runner-up Josh Heinrich (36:51 - M30-34) of Penticton.

Bickley, a former University of Alberta middle distance track and cross country runner, who moved to the Central Okanagan in 2015, bettered the time of last year’s winner, Hans Aabye, who was clocked at 33:40 in 2015.

Vernon’s Greg Edgar (M30-34) placed third overall in 37:32, while Gary Wade of Kelowna (M45-49) finished in fourth place with a time of 37:40. Fifth place went to TJ McBride of Canora, Sask. in 38:32.

Heather Johnson (F35-39) of Fruitvale led the female runners with a clocking of 41:03, good for 12th place overall, while Virginia Sellars (F40-44) of Vernon was second among the women in a time of 41:51. Third place went to Jane Jones (40-44) of Kelowna, who crossed in 44:38.

Age group winners on the day were:

Sergio Pio - Penticton - M50-54 - 38:37

Johannes Raath - Kamloops - M35-39 - 40:48

Randy Goncalves - Kelowna - M40-44 - 41:29

Roly Muller - Kelowna - M60-64 - 41:13

Lance Zablotney - Penticton - M55-59 - 44:35

Kendall Cowley - Kelowna - F20-29 - 45:44

Bob Peacock - Vernon - M65-69 - 45:53

Erica Moser - Vernon - F45-49 - 46:21

Gloria Woolner - Penticton - F55-59 - 47:32

Rosalie Swart - Kelowna - F50-54 - 47:39

Diane Vanderstar - Shuswap Falls - F60-64 - 48:22

Bill Faulkner - Kaleden - M70-74 - 49:10

Krista Boudreau - Vernon - F30-34 - 50:23

Diane Leonard - Kelowna - F70-74 - 50:35

Janice Wright - Coldstream - F65-69 - 55:58

Liz Borrett - Kelowna - F75-79 - 58:38

Complete results

Up next in the IRA Canadian Tire Road Race Series is the River’s Spring Runoff 10K in Kamloops on March 6.