Two first-time winners
in 37th annual Harvest Festival 25K Road Race
Jason Simmonds/Journal Pioneer Steven Baglole won his first Harvest Festival 25K Road Race in Kensington on Saturday morning. His time was one hour 36 minutes 21 seconds (1:36:21).
Baglole was the overall winner and Pizio-Perry was the top-placing female in the 37th annual Harvest Festival 25K Road Race on Saturday morning. Baglole's time was one hour 36 minutes 21 seconds (1:36:21) while Pizio-Perry, who was tied for 10th overall, stopped the clock in (1:54:08). The top 50-and-over runner was Francis Fagan of Charlottetown, who had a time of 1:52:26. Fagan, 60, was eighth overall.
"I was really pleased with the race," said Pizio-Perry, who resides in Greenmount. "It was a great turnout, there were all kinds of spectators all along the course, which makes it a lot of fun.
"I'm hoping to come back next year."
Nicknamed the "Killer Course" for its challenging hills, the race started at the Old Church of Scotland in Stanchel on Route 225, and finished in front of Community Gardens.
"It's a tough course," added Baglole, who's originally from Summerside and now resides in Charlottetown. "There are lots of hills and you have to be ready for them, or they'll eat up your legs."
Third attempt
It was Baglole's third time running the Harvest Festival race.
"Last year was not good," he said. "It was very hot and I think I was sixth or seventh.
"The first year I did it my time was a lot better than last year, but I think I was fifth or sixth."
Baglole and second-place finisher Scott Clark, who had a time of 1:37:39, battled for the lead early.
"It's a tough course. There are lots of hills and you have to be ready for them, or they'll eat up your legs." - Overall race winner Steven Baglole
"Then I pulled ahead a little bit, and tried to build a little bit of a gap," said Baglole, 34. "It was a nice day for running. It wasn't too hot, and there was a nice breeze."
Baglole's strategy was simple.
"Just to run by feel, and try to stick with the leaders if I could for as long as I could," he explained. "Then if I felt all right, I'd try to get ahead of them at some point."
First time
For Pizio-Perry, it was her first time running the race.
"I'm pleased with it," said the 33-year-old. "I knew there were a lot of hills.
"I just wanted to take one hill at a time and go from there."
Pizio-Perry said she survived the challenging early stages of the race well.
"Probably with about 7K remaining my legs started tightening up a little bit," she said. "But when you think 7K after what you have finished, it's not too bad."
And by that time Pizio-Perry had opened up some breathing room. The second-place female, last year's winner Rebecca Pike, was almost three minutes off the pace at 1:57:01.
"There were a few ladies with me for the first little while at the beginning of the race," said Pizio-Perry. "I'm not quite sure when I pulled away from then.
"It was during the big-hill section."
jpsports@journalpioneer.com
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