A number of familiar faces were first across the finish line at the 2011 Canada Day Rock 10K run in White Rock Friday morning.
For the second year in a row, Coquitlam’s Tatsuya Hatachi, 44, was the fastest runner on the course, finishing the race in 35 minutes, 50.4 seconds. He was followed by another well-known runner, South Surrey resident Tyler Ginther, who clocked a time of 37:26.1. Ginther’s a frequent participant in Lower Mainland races; he won the 2009 Innovative Fitness 5K, and was also second in the Houston Trail Run that same year.
Rounding out the Canada Day podium was another Surrey resident, Brett Armstrong, who crossed the line 2.2 seconds after Ginther. Two more Surrey runners, Stephen Redding and Andy Mullin, were fourth and fifth, respectively, followed by the fastest woman on the course, Calgary’s Amanda Johnston, whose time of 40:28.6 was 42 seconds quicker than second-place woman runner Tracy Wakaluk of North Vancouver, who was eighth overall. New Westminster’s Lara Duke and White Rock’s Corinne Issel were the third and fourth women to cross the finish line.
Finishing in ninth and 10th overall, respectively, were Abbotsford’s Ken Menzies, and Ross Brinkert, from Glenside, Penn.
In total, 214 runners took part in the race, which since being created in 2009 has become a Canada Day tradition in White Rock – the race starts and finishes at Marine Drive. Last year, more than 250 took on the challenge.