Veteran runner Logan Roots posted the quickest time of 315 runners and walkers in Sunday’s 15th annual Yukon River Trail Marathon.

The 21-year-old Yukoner who now lives and trains in Victoria finished the 40 kilometres in two hours, 50 minutes and 49 seconds, 10 minutes and 34 seconds ahead of the second fastest marathoner, Tristan Knutson-Lombard of Juneau.

Debra Jonasson of Whitehorse was the fastest female Yukoner in the marathon, finishing in 4:22:41 behind Anchorage runner Teri Buck and her time of 4:10:33.

The pace set by Roots averaged out to 14 kilometres per hour, or 8.7 miles per hour.

Jonasson’s average pace clocked in at nine kilometres per hour, or 5.7 miles per hour.

Roots said in an interview this morning he wasn’t able to see behind him to gauge what sort of lead he was maintaining, because of the twisty and hills nature of the course.

Volunteers working the seven watering stations did provide some information regarding the status of his lead based on split times reported by the previous station, he explained.

It was Roots second river trail marathon, and his second victory, having won the race in 2012.

This time around, however, things were a little different, a little tougher, noticeably tougher, Roots said jokingly.

He said the addition of Heart Brake Hill and then Dam Hill within a relatively short distance of each other in the last five kilometres presented an additional challenge, indeed.

“All you are thinking of is the finish line at that point – let’s get over this,” he said of the very last hill.

“You pretty much have no power left in your legs. You can run on the flats but .... I would have been crawling up the Dam Hill if people weren’t out there taking pictures,” he said.

Roots said he was somewhat acclimatized to the 25 C temperatures, as it’s been that way or hotter throughout the previous month in Victoria where he runs the trails daily.

Race organizer Ken Sylvestre said while it was somewhat warmer than Yukoners are used to, there was some periods of overcast and a little breeze to keep it comfortable.

And with 82 volunteers staffing the race and the seven watering station, there was not issues of dehydration, he said.

Sylvestre said half-marathon walker Tom Ullyett did come across a sow grizzly and her cub, but they left the area without issue.

“He backed off when he encountered the bear and the cub and the cub kind of took off in the other direction and the sow kind of followed the cub.”

Sylvestre said this year’s field of runners and walkers was the largest ever by about 25 participants, as race organizers have previously capped registration at 300.

The Yukon River Trail Marathon is well known, and is on the list of many from far and wide as a race they want to compete in one day, said the organizer.

“It is one of the more challenging courses in Canada,” he said. “There are some other ones, but it is quite a challenging course.”

Not only is it tough, but it offers beautiful scenery, he added.

Sylvestre described the time recorded by Roots as fantastic, given the terrain.

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Yukon River Trail Marathon

Race Results

——— Marathon 40 km Male Open
(14-39)

1. Logan Roots, Victoria – 2:50:49;
2. Tristan Knutson-Lombardo, Juneau – 3:01:23;
3. David Eikelboom, Whitehorse – 3:04:49;
4. Sam Herreid, Fairbanks – 3:36:55.
——— **Marathon 40 km Male Masters (40-49) **

1. Chris Ross, Whitehorse – 4:46:09.
——— Marathon 40 km Male Masters Plus (50-59)

1. Keith Thaxter, Whitehorse – 3:56:39; 2. Grant Finnighan, Vancouver – 5:04:04; 3. Glen Brown, Vancouver – 5:36:38. ——— Marathon 40 km Male Masters Plus Plus (60+)
——— 1. Don White, Whitehorse – 4:02:39;
2. Rob McWilliam, Gillies Bay, B.C. – 5:47:19.
——— Marathon 40 km Female Open (14-39)

1. Lindsay Hallvik, Juneau – 4:43:40;
2. Joanna Young, Fairbanks – 4:44:30;
3. Trudy Gardner, Yellowknife – 4:58:17;
4. Brianne Bremner, Whitehorse – 4:59:42.
——— Marathon 40 km Female Masters (40-49)

1. Nathalie Dugas, Whitehorse – 5:19:12;
2. Fran Nyman, Whitehorse– 5:19:25;
3. Doreen Bicknell, Whitehorse – 5:34:52;
4. Sonja Seeber, Whitehorse – 5:41:58.
——— Marathon 40 km Female Masters Plus (50-59)

1. Teri Buck, Anchorage – 4:10:33;
2. Debra Jonasson, Whitehorse – 4:22:41;
3. Joanne Van Bibber-Widrig, Whitehorse – 5:10:05.
——— Marathon 40 km Female Masters Plus Plus (60+)

1 Janet E. Green, Courtenay, B.C. – 5:04:38;
2 Mary McDonald, Conway, Arizona – 6:59:46.

Further race results for the half marathon and walker categories will be published Tuesday.