Women and charities for women remain the winners in the wake of the sold-out Goddess Run that filled park trails in Saanich on March 2.
In its third year at Elk and Beaver Lake Park, the sold-out, all-ages run included generations of families, best friends, running clubs and more tackling five and 10-kilometre routes to raise funds and awareness for Victoria Women’s Transition House and Victoria Hospice.
“Even after 14 years, I still get emotional at the start line as I look out at the sea of goddesses, knowing they all have their own story and reason for why they are here today,” said founder Cathy Noel. “Knowing that we have raised over $280,000 for charity over the 14 years is a big reason why we continue to put on the Goddess Run each year.”
The top three women in the 5k were Evan Fikowski (22:25), Yana Hempler (23:53) and Harper Murdoch (25:28). The top three in the 10k were Julia Molony (45:18), Ruline Van der Westhuizen (47:53) and Kate Harrop (47:57).
The 850 runners raised $16,400 for the two charities. Since 2012, more than 15,000 runners have crossed the finish line, raising $280,000 for charity partners.
“It was also incredible to see the youth coming out – both as participants and as volunteers,” Noel said. “Both our 5k and 10k races were won by U20s and our volunteer pool was made up of students from St. Margaret’s School as well as Camosun College sport management students. Winner of the 5k, Evan, wasn’t even alive when we started the Goddess Run 14 years ago. The youth are what will continue to make our sport grow.”
Find the full results online at goddessrun.ca.
