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.
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.
