Ryan Leef wins Canada Day run; finishes race in under five minutes

The one-miler. It's a legendary running race.

The one-miler. It’s a legendary running race.

Some say that the mile is the classic test in track and field. It combines speed and stamina.

On May 6, 1954, at Oxford University a British medical student, the now famous Sir Roger Bannister, became the first human in history to break the four-minute barrier in a time of 3:59:4.

Until then, many experts believed that such a feat was physiologically impossible.

Since that time, more than 1,000 runners have completed the mile in under four minutes including several Canadians. The world record is 3:43.

There were only 10 participants in Athletics Yukon’s annual Intersport Canada Day One Miler held last Wednesday afternoon.

The course was on the “riverwall” portion of the Millennium Trail starting near the Robert Service Campground and finishing near the SS Klondike in Rotary Park.

The numbers were small, but the participants were happy before and, especially, after the race. They knew that they had run this special distance made famous by Bannister more than 50 years earlier.

The ever-modest Ryan Leef was the first to cross the line. He might have been aiming for the course record of 4:19. After all, he once ran a 4:12 one-mile at the Canadian Track and Field Championships.

With a first place time of 5:03 he was clearly thinking more about the glory of Canada Day than his own personal gain.

Behind Leef was Tom Ullyett (5:37), Don White (5:51), the first woman Sue Bogle (6:09), Bob Bowerman (6:15), Coralie Ullyett (7:01), Dillon Cozens (8:11), Connor Cozens (11:22) and Mike Cozens pushing his youngest son Luke Cozens (11:29).
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Intersport five-km run/walk

Even a temperature of 20 degrees can feel as hot as Hades. So it was at Tuesday night’s weekly Intersport five km fun run and walk. Almost 30 runners and walkers raced through warm temperatures tempered by a refreshing breeze from the North.

This week’s event saw the very young and the older participate including two young athletes Marcus Dueling and Benjamin Grundmanis.

In the women’s side of the five-km run, Janet Clarke made a cameo appearance in grand style. Clarke, an archetype for masters runners, placed first in 21:41.

Close behind Clarke was newcomer Megan Wilson (22:03) who crossed the finish line just 22 seconds later. Running a pace that could qualify her for the Boston Marathon, Jennifer Whippet finished third with a time of 25:55.

Coralie Ullyett came next sprinting to the finish with a time of 26:52. Rounding out the top five was the consistent Ginny Macdonald who can always be counted on to go the distance and finish the race no matter what the length is.

A funny thing happened in the men’s five km on the way to the finish line. Not surprisingly, Bill Parry took control of the race in the first few hundred meters. Parry settled into a comfortable pace that allowed his slower competitors to run close to him for a change.

But at the four-km mark Parry stopped running and dropped out of the race. This put Tom Ullyett in first place (19:49) closely followed by Nova Scotian Chad Bauld (20:08) and triathlete Jud Dueling (20:33).

Astonishing everyone with his speed, the almost 60 year old Bob Bowerman (21:48) finished fourth.

Like his mother Ginny on the women’s side, the affable Danny Macdonald placed fifth (22:51).

On the walking side it was a 1970’s style battle of the sexes. Rick Griffiths and Tanya Astika race-walked toe-to-toe for the first 4.5-kilometres. But with the finish line in sight the sprinting began. Astika (35:23) was the victor crossing the line 10 seconds ahead of Griffiths (35:33) to claim first place.

Maggie Griffiths (39:50) arrived a few minutes later taking third spot.

Articles submitted by Tom Ullyett on behalf of Athletics Yukon.