Runners in the spotlight

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Pizio-Perry, Baglole top runners in road race ch'ship series

http://www.journalpioneer.com/Sports/2011-03-15/article-2332996/Pizio-Perry%2C-Baglole-top-runners-in-road-race-chship-series/1

Pizio-Perry, Baglole top runners

in road race ch'ship series

Submitted photo

ADL/Sport P.E.I. achievement winners received their awards at the P.E.I. RoadRunners Club annual general meeting and awards dinner in Charlottetown recently. From left: Jennifer Pizio-Perry of Tignish, top senior female runner; Thomas Lewis of Marshfield, junior male winner; Barrie MacWilliams, representing ADL, and Steven Baglole of Cornwall), top senior male runner.

Published on March 15, 2011

Staff ~ The Journal Pioneer

CHARLOTTETOWN - The P.E.I. RoadRunners Club recently celebrated another successful year during its 34th annual general meeting and awards dinner at the Charlottetown Legion.

Steven Baglole of Cornwall and Jennifer Pizio-Perry of Tignish won the Hashems Variety Senior Male and Female Road Race Championship Series, and ADL/Sport P.E.I. senior achievement awards. These awards are presented to runners who collect the most points based on their placing in various club races.

In the junior male category, 16-year-old Thomas Lewis of Marshfield won the ADL/Sport P.E.I. achievement award while Ellen Burnett of Charlottetown and Arielle Schleichkorn of Summerside tied for the ADL/Sport P.E.I. junior female achievement award.

Top rookies

Arnie Johnston of Summerside was announced as the Cox & Palmer Law rookie of the year. Johnston competed in 16 races, including the tough Harvest Festival 25-kilomoetre event and the Prince Edward Island half marathon.

Manny Costain of Summerside was awarded the Proude's Shoes most improved runner.

Over past three racing seasons, Costain improved his average pace from just under eight minutes per mile to a fast 6:30 pace per mile, setting new personal bests at all race distances.

Inspirational award

The Ewen Stewart Inspirational Runner Award went to Lynn Anne Hogan of Kensington and Ronda Bellefontaine of Prince Town Road. The award, sponsored by the Prince Edward Island Marathon, is named in honour of a founding member of the club.

Hogan and Bellefontaine started by offering a learn-to-run five-kilometre program, which quickly grew into the "Island Girls Running Club" that encourages and supports more than a dozen women - and now some of their spouses - from the Kensington area. This took them from "the couch" to the finish line of the half marathon in two years.

Hogan actually completed her first marathon this past fall at the Prince Edward Island Marathon.

RoadRunners of year

John Van Ekris of Charlottetown was named the 2010 Sporting Intentions male RoadRunner of the year, recognizing his efforts to organize a Tri-Province Terry Fox 50-kilometre Bridge Run, raising $4,000 for Terry Fox, as well as his own ultra-runs, including a 100-mile run on his birthday.

Janet Norman-Bain (Oyster Bed Bridge) was recognized as the 2010 Good Guys Auto Glass female RoadRunner of the year for her many contributions to the club, including promotion of running on the Runman blog.

Volunteer of year

Les MacKay of Charlottetown was presented with the Gemini Screen Printing & Embroidery volunteer-of-the-year award. A teacher at Charlottetown Rural, MacKay acted as race director for four 2010 runs. MacKay's motivation was to help his students maintain an active and healthy lifestyle, and to help them raise funds for charity organizations that the students support.

Lifetime membership

An honorary lifetime membership was presented to Parker Lund, a former resident of Charlottetown. Lund was instrumental in the formation of the P.E.I. RoadRunners Club back in 1977, when road racing was in its infancy on Prince Edward Island.

Congratulations 2010 Award Winners

Last night, Friday March 11th, the PEI RoadRunners Club held their annual banquet & awards ceremony. This is always a well attended event, a really nice social gathering, and a great chance to see these folks out of their running clothes and without numbers pinned onto their shirts.

Alex and I have enjoyed putting the slide show together the last few years (it's at the bottom of this post) and since I'm at every race I got recruited onto the Awards Committee a couple of years ago and get to help decide who gets these annual awards.

What went down last night totally stunned me. Almost 24 hours later I still am at a loss for words so I'm going to go ahead and post my photos, the links to the winner's write-ups (click on their names) and the video slide show and hope that before the weekend is out I can find the words to add to my heartfelt "Thank You" in a follow up post.

Congratulations to all of last night's award winners.

ADL/SportPEI
Achievement Award Winners

&
Hashems Variety
Points Champions

• Senior Male - Steven Baglole
• Senior Female - Jennifer Pizio-Perry
• Junior Female - Ellen Burnett & Arielle Schleichkorn
• Junior Male - Thomas Lewis

Proude's Shoes
Most Improved RoadRunner

Manny Costain

Cox and Palmer
Rookie of the Year
Arnie Johnston


Gemini Screen Printing and Embroidery
Volunteer of the Year
Les MacKay


Prince Edward Island Marathon / Ewen Stewart
Inspirational Runner Award
Ronda Bellefontaine
and
Lynn Anne Hogan


Honourary Lifetime Membership Award

Parker Lund


Sporting Intentions
Male RoadRunner of the Year
John Van Ekris


Good Guys Auto Glass
Female RoadRunner of the Year
Surprise!!

Janet Norman-Bain

PEI RoadRunners 2010 Slideshow from jypsy norman-bain on Vimeo.

More Photos

PEI RoadRunners AGM and Awards Banquet

The 2009 PEI Roadrunner Awards banquet was at the Charlottetown Armories.
107 people attended. I had good food and a good time.

Jamie Whynacht was the guest speaker.
He talk about a new plan for healthy active living on PEI.

I made the slideshow.

PEI RoadRunners Club 2009 Slideshow from jypsy norman-bain on Vimeo.

Congratulations to all the award winners.

Award Winners

Most Improved Runner: Mike Murrins ~ Rookie of the Year: Rebecca Pike

Female RoadRunner of the Year: Jen Nicholson ~ Male RoadRunner of the Year: Ivan Gallant

Inspirational Runner Award: Kent Mill ~ Volunteer of the Year: Michael Irvine

ADL/Sport PEI Achievement Award Winners
&
Hashems Variety Points Champions

Billy Van Ekris, Sandra Gregory, Rebecca Pike, Steven Baglole
with Barry MacWilliams from ADL

More Photos

2010 PEI RoadRunner AGM and Banquet

You are invited...

The 2010 PEI RoadRunners Club AGM and Banquet will be held on Friday, March 5th, 2010 at the Charlottetown Armories on the corner of Water and Haviland Streets, Charlottetown.

There is a "Welcome Social" starting at 6:30 pm, with the meal and AGM starting at 7:00 pm.

Come out and celebrate a successful 2009 season for the PEI RoadRunners Club. Congratulate our award winners! Enjoy a recap slideshow of the 2009 race season, and socialize with your running buddies. It will get you pumped for the 2010 running season!

The cost is $20 per person.

The main entree is chicken, baked potato and salad, and a vegetarian meal (5 vegetable stir fry) is also available. Desert will be assorted pies.

Please use the link
http://peiroadrunners.pbworks.com/RoadRunner-Banquet-RSVP
to RSVP by Wednesday March 3, 2010.
(We need to let the caterer know how many meals to prepare)