CRS home >> Scotiabank Vancouver Half
NEWS RELEASE — June 25, 2006
Exciting Half-Marathon finish at today's Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon & 5K
Event also raises over $102,000 for VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation
VANCOUVER, June 25, 2006 — More than 4,500 competitors, including a roster of elite half-marathon racers, helped make the Eighth Annual Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon (SVHM) & 5K one of the most competitive road races of the season. Participants were also running to raise funds for VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation's Your Health—Your Choice to support a variety of important programs and centres at the hospitals, including the Dr. Patty Clugston Chair in Breast Reconstruction Surgery, Burn and Wound Healing Research, the Diabetes Centre at VGH, Cardiac Care and the in it for life Fund, which funds top priority medical needs.
In the men's half-marathon, defending champion, Giitah Macharia of St. Catharines, Ontario, sprinted home for the win in a time of 1:04:30 narrowly defeating 2005 third place finisher, Danny Kassap of Toronto, ON who was only 8 seconds back with a time of 1:04:38. In completing the eastern sweep, Joseph Nsengyumva of Ottawa, ON rounded out the top three finishing with a time of 1:04:52. Top BC finisher, Jim Finlayson of Victoria ran strongly in for fourth place with a time of 1:06:56.
On the women's side, the west ruled the race with Calgarian Lisa Harvey leading from start to finish winning in a time of 1:17:59. Coquitlam native Leah Pells finished second in 1:18:49 and local favourite Nancy Tinari of Vancouver finished in third with a time of 1:22:10.
The 5K Run/Walk saw Vancouver's Dave Reed win for the second consecutive year crossing the line at 17:02, while Liz Jones also of Vancouver was the top female finisher and second across the line with a time of 18:52.
The Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon & 5K is part of the prestigious Canada Running Series. Growing in annual popularity, it is also a highly successful fundraising event. While donations are still being tallied, over $102,000 is expected to be raised for VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation. Scotiabank has once again matched $15,000 of the funds raised by its employees, many of whom participated in today's event. The event has now raised more than $530,000 in its eight-year history.
The award ceremony struck an emotional chord when the top team fundraising award was presented to "Hike for Mike," a more than 30-person team of family and friends, raising just over $10,000 for the Leukemia and Bone Marrow Transplant Program at VGH in memory of Mike Hopkins, who lost his battle with leukemia last fall. Allison Hopkins, Mike's wife, commented about her inspiration for the fundraising effort: "We would like to give back a little, on Mike's behalf, and maybe at the same time help another family spend precious time together," she said. The top individual fundraising award was presented to Tirth Kular, Personal Banking Manager, Scotiabank, King George and 102, who raised an outstanding $12,727 for the Dr. Patty Clugston Chair in Breast Reconstruction Surgery.
For complete race results, please visit www.canadarunningseries.com/svhm or contact Clifton Cunningham, Race Director, Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon & 5K, (604) 839-7889.
- 30 -
For more information contact:
Clifton Cunningham, Race Director, Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon & 5K
(604) 839-7889, clifton@canadarunningseries.com
Jennifer Baxter, Scotiabank, (604) 818-9072, jennifer.baxter@scotiabank.com
Jon Hicke, VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation (604) 875-5196 jon.hicke@worldclasshealthcare.ca