B10

DARYL STEEVES
ON THE RUN

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It may have actually been a good thing that Conquer the Canuck race had to be cancelled last week because the month ahead has some crazy racing throughout the province.

September is a great month for running in New Brunswick and the calendar reflects it. There are more than 13 events this month at every distance from one mile to the marathon. This weekend is a great start with four races on tap. Saturday, it's the Miramichi River Runners Mile Championship. Sunday, the distance gets longer with the 5-km Race against the Reds in Fredericton. If you want to go even longer, the Demi-marathon de Saint-François also goes Sunday. This great event has a family focus with additional distances at 8-km, 3-km and a Future Series run for the kids.

The Demi-marathon de L'Acadie continues its impressive streak of events this month with a relatively flat run in Tracadie-Sheila Sunday. The other big news this weekend is the inaugural Subaru Half Ironman race in Mactaquac. This looks like a start of a great event for New Brunswick and some top athletes have already signed on. There are two spots for Ironman Canada up for grabs so the racing will be intense. You can register at http://www.atlanticchip.ca/events/.

If you are looking for something a little shorter, the CFB Gagetown Triathlon might be just right. This event is a perfect place to get your triathlon career started or to enjoy a little more comfortable setting. You can also register for this one at http://www.atlanticchip.ca/events/.

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LEADING THE WAY: With no races last weekend, this is a perfect time to see who is leading the way so far this season. Let's check out some of the fastest times. At the 5-km distance, the quickest time belongs to Alex Coffin of Saint John with a 15:46 at the Rave Run. For the women, it is Paula Keating leading with a 17:59 at the Miramichi June 5-km. At the 8-km (5-mile) distance, Dean Strowbridge of Willow Grove is the man to beat with a 28:43 at the Brent Kelly 5 Miler. For the women, April Lambert of Saint John was also very quick at the Brent Kelly with a season-leading 33:49.

Moving up to 10-km, Chris Brannon of New Maryland blazes the way for the men with a 33:20 (Fredericton Marathon) and for the women, Keating once again leads the way with a 37:42 (Chipman). The half marathon also belongs to Keating (1:22:16 at Miramichi). On the men's side it's back to Coffin with a 1:14:09 at that same race. At the full marathon distance it is Coffin again at 2:47:33 (Fredericton) and for the women, Heidi McLellan of Bathurst leads the way at 3:19:38 )Marathon de la Baie Des Chaleurs).

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TIP OF THE HAT: This week our Person on the Run goes out to Bill MacMackin of the Saint John Track Club. Bill has provided the vision and leadership to direct the passion of the coaches and athletes of this small club to do great things. Their athletes were standouts at the Canada Games and other events this summer. Bill's leadership, along with that of many others, has led to the upcoming renovations of the Canada Games Stadium. Most recently Bill and his team have worked with Dave Munro at the University of New Brunswick to plan the first Canadian Interuniversity Sport varsity team, track and field, to be based in Saint John in the fall of 2010. Like so many endeavours in our city, the Saint John Track Club is another example of Margaret Mead's quote, "never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." Well done Bill.

Gotta run"‰"¦

Daryl Steeves is the department head of Allied Health at the NBCC Saint John campus. He writes a weekly column throughout the running season. Visit his website at www.ontherun411.com.