Whitehorse Daily Star

Image title

Photo by Marcel Vander Wier

A WET ONE – A runner navigates through a maze of puddles near the Rotary Centennial Bridge during the Yukon 10-km Championship hosted last night by Athletics Yukon along the Millennium Trail in Whitehorse.

Image title

Photo by Marcel Vander Wier

CHAMP – Kieran Halliday was the big winner at last night's 10-km championship.

Image title

Photo by Marcel Vander Wier

TOP FEMALE – Anett Kralisch finished second overall in 43:19 and was the top female finisher in the 10-km event.

Image title

Photo by Marcel Vander Wier

EN ROUTE – Runners begin the 10-km championship en masse last night just after 6 p.m.

Image title

Photo by Marcel Vander Wier

YOUNG SPEEDSTER – Sammy Mather continues to shine, finishing third overall in Tuesday's 10-km championship.

Halliday blows away field in 10-km championship

Kieran Halliday added another Yukon championship to his belt last night – a final accolade before he returns to school later this week.

By Marcel Vander Wier on August 20, 2014

Kieran Halliday added another Yukon championship to his belt last night – a final accolade before he returns to school later this week.

The 18-year-old runner blazed through the Yukon 10-km Championship route along the Millennium Trail in 36:49 – first among the eight people taking on the challenge.

The young runner will be taking his talents to the University of British Columbia this fall, where he will split his time between engineering studies and running with the school’s cross-country team.

Halliday admitted he wasn’t sure what to expect in terms of competition last night. Yukon races tend to be somewhat of a crapshoot in terms of which elite runners show up to race.

“When I started out, I had a few guys on my tail, which had me worried,” Halliday said post-race.

In fact, former high-performance cross-country skier John Parry was just 40 seconds off Halliday’s pace after five km, but he ended his race there.

While eight runners competed in the 10-km championship, seven others ran the usual Sportslife-sponsored fun run, hosted each Tuesday throughout the summer at F.H. Collins Secondary School.

Anett Kralisch finished second overall in 43:19 and was the top female finisher in the 10-km event.

The 39-year-old Kralisch said the run was her quickest this season.

“This was perfect running weather,” she said of the cool, drizzly atmosphere. “I’m really happy with my time.”

Kralisch has competed in a variety of local races this season, including the Summer Solstice run up Grey Mountain and the Skagway Half Marathon.

“I come out once in a while,” she said. “It’s always a good test for me.”

Sammy Mather, 11, placed third in the 10-km event with a time of 46:14.

Last month, Halliday won the five-km championship, edging Yukon MP Ryan Leef by one second with a time of 17:34.

Asked what it means to win both events, Halliday chuckled.

“Well, I like Tim’s cards,” he said, referring to the $5 gift cards from Tim Hortons and Starbucks handed out by Athletics Yukon to top race finishers.

Be the first to comment

Add your comments or reply via Twitter @whitehorsestar

In order to encourage thoughtful and responsible discussion, website comments will not be visible until a moderator approves them. Please add comments judiciously and refrain from maligning any individual or institution. Read about our user comment and privacy policies.

Your name and email address are required before your comment is posted. Otherwise, your comment will not be posted.