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Another great year of Road Racing in NB
For those of you who were not at our Hall of Fame and Awards night in Beresford on November 15th, just let me say you missed a great night. Thanks must go out to Mario Boudreau and Denis St-Onge and their committee for putting on such a great event. The banquet set a new high for participation with 142 on hand, beating the previous record of 122 set in Miramichi two years ago.
Some of the things you missed.
• Seven of the eight award winners were on hand to receive their recognition
• The round table with Sylvio and Roger D. Lévesque
• All the door prizes
• The Elite prize winners
• Our four Education Award winners
• The best buffet ever
• Our Hall of Fame now sits at 14
• The 2015 Banquet has not yet been awarded
• We welcome Shelley Doucet to the Board
WOW! Plus we had a total of 18 provincial age group records set this year.
Thanks
Brian
President
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NB Records set in 2014 |
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Courtney Halfpenny - W20 10-mile – 1:14:51 Grand Bay NB
Shelley Doucet - W30 10-mile – 1:02:10 Toronto ON (Provincial overall)
Eunice Phillips - W60 5-mile – 37:26 Hampton NB
Marcelle Breau - W60 15k – 1:15:20 Grande-Digue NB
Peggy Couper - W70 5k – 28:06 Bermuda
Peggy Couper - W70 10k – 53:33 Saint John NB
Peggy Couper - W70 Half Marathon – 2:01:12 Saint John NB
Maryse Jacob - W70 15k – 1:36:57 Grande-Digue NB
Maryse Jacob - W70 10-mile – 1:47:05 Grand Bay
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Matt McNeil - M20 10-mile – 52:15 Grand Bay NB (Provincial overall)
Paul Gallant - M30 10-mile – 57:44 Grand Bay NB
Claude DeGrace - M60 Marathon – 3:12:26 Ottawa ON
Phil Booker - M70 5k – 21:07 Toronto ON
Phil Booker - M70 10k – 45:16 Woodstock NB
Phil Booker - M70 15k – 1:09:17 Grande-Digue NB
Phil Booker - M70 10-mile – 1:15:58 Grand Bay NB
Phil Booker - M70 Half Marathon 1:40:46 Miramichi NB
Phil Booker - M70 Marathon 3:53:55 Fredericton NB
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Note: These are provincial age group records except for the provincial overall records of Matt McNeil and Shelley Doucet. Click to see all NB Records |
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2014 Running Room SuperSeries Winners - Click link to view photos of the Top 3 winners of each category |
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Event of the Year |
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15KM de Grande-Digue - Grande-Digue, NB
Grande-Digue is one of the very few races that puts elite runners at the forefront of the event and rewards them for all the hard work they put into their craft. Year after year, they put on a smoothly-run event that pleases each and every participant.
Sylvio Bourque is credited with running one of the Elite races in the province over the past nine years and this year is no exception, with nine men going under 53 minutes and the winner missing the record by 10 seconds. It was, in the opinion of most runners, the most competitive event of the year.
Charline and Judson Cassidy are pillors of the race and without them there is no race.
Not only is the 15km de Grande-Digue the unofficial opening race of the RunNB season but is also the Event of the Year. We wish to congratulate Sylvio and his team for their accomplishment.
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Photo above: 15Km de Grande-Digue is the 2014 Event of the Year. Syvio Bourque is the event's Race Director since its first year in 2005 |
Photo above: Bill MacMackin (R) President of Athletics NB presents Sylvio Bourque with the Event of the Year award for the 15km de Grande-Digue (Photo by Brian Richard) |
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Male Runner of the Year |
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Dean Strowbridge - Willow Grove, NB
Dean competed in nine Super Series races this year, coming second in his 40-49 age group in the Super Series. These races included the Provincial Championship 5 miler at Hampton, where he was first overall, gaining his first Provincial title.
Dean completed course personal bests in the Brent Kelly 5-miler, Island View 5km, George Gallant 10 km and Fall Classic 10 km. He also gained overall personal bests for the 5 km in Miramichi, the Hampton 5 miler and the Sweet Caroline 10 km.
Apart from his own running, Dean is well known for always encouraging other runners and training with them to help them achieve their goals.
RunNB is proud to present Dean with the Male Runner of the Year Award.
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Dean at the start of the Hampton 5 Miler |
Dean Strowbridge and Paul Gallant, 2014 co-winners of the Male Runner of the Year with RunNB's Past President, Gilles Gautreau |
Dean as winner of the 2014 Hampton 5 Miler |
Paul Gallant - Bathurst, NB
Paul competed in 16 Super Series races this year, winning his very competitive 30-39 age group.
Paul’s times, from the 5 km through to the half marathon, all improved this year and he is now ranked in the top three in the Province for all these distances.
Paul travelled to Ontario this year to compete in the Canadian 10 km Road Race Championship. He finished 20th overall in a time of 33:29.2, and was the fastest male from New Brunswick.
Congratulations on a great year of running. RunNB is proud to present Paul with the Male Runner of the Year Award
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Paul running in the 15Km de Grande-Digue |
Dean Strowbridge and Paul Gallant, 2014 co-winners of the Male Runner of the Year |
Paul running in the 2014 Hampton 5 Miler |
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Female Runner of the Year |
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Paula Keating - Miramichi, NB
This is the sixth year in a row that Paula Keating has been named Female Runner of the Year. In 2014 she again proved what an amazing elite athlete she is!
She finished first in the ‘Run for the Cycle’ with a time of 5:42:17 and average pace of 3:57/km. This was nine minutes ahead of her nearest rival.
Paula competed in seven Super Series races, winning all of them, including the New Brunswick Championship 10km in Shediac and the Championship half marathon in Miramichi.
Paula recently competed in the New York Marathon finishing as the top Canadian woman and placing third in her age group.
RunNB is proud to name Paula Keating as Female Runner of the Year.
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Paula Keating winner of the 15Km de Grande-Digue |
Paula Keating overall winner of the Legs for Literacy 10K in Moncton |
Paula Keating & Shelley Doucet, co-winners of Female Runner of the Year with Robert Jackson |
Shelley Doucet - Quispamsis, NB
This year was Shelley’s first full year of racing. She competed in 15 races, winning 13 of them. She finished second in the other two races (which were the Woodstock 10K and Toronto 10 Miler) finishing after two elite runners from out of province (Sweden and Toronto). In her first and only attempt at the 10 mile distance, she broke the New Brunswick provincial record for that distance by almost six minutes.
In 2014 she had the best women’s time in the province for the 5km, 10km, 10 mile, and half marathon distances. Shelley has also broken a number of course records this year (most by several minutes) and now holds 10 course records. What a great achievement in her first full year of racing.
RunNB is proud to name Shelley Doucet as Female Runner of the Year 2014.
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Up and Coming Female Runner of the Year |
Courtney Halfpenny - Quispamsis, NB
Courtney burst onto the running scene this year at a fast pace and got even faster as the year progressed!
She competed in 11 Super Series races gaining 705 points and winning her 20-29 age group by nearly 500 points. She was the only runner in that age group, including men and women, to complete the Run for the Cycle, which she did in a time of 6:47:04.
Courtney trained hard throughout the year and is now one of the top 20 fastest women in the Province at each of the five Run for the Cycle distances.
It will be exciting to see her running career progress in the future.
RunNB is pleased to recognize Courtney as the Up and Coming Female Runner of the Year.
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Courtney running in the Hampton 5 Miler |
Courtney finishing 26.2 miles at Marathon by the Sea |
Courtney running in the Hampton 5 Miler |
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Up and Coming Male Runner of the Year |
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Jean-Louis LeBlanc - Bas Cap-Pelé, NB
Jean-Louis has been running consistently for only two years. This season he completed 20 Super Series races for a total of 953 points finishing second in his very competitive 50-59 age group. He ranked sixth in the Run for the Cycle with a time of 3:39:30 at an average pace of 4:39/km.
Jean-Louis improved his times over all his race distances throughout the year. Although he completed 20 Super Series races he was still getting faster at the end of the season.
October was a special month for his running. He ran a personal best 5 km time at Island View Eagles, finishing in a time of 18:51. The following weekend he ran his first ever marathon, at Legs for Literacy in Moncton, in a time of 3:39:30.
Jean-Louis attended most of the races this year with his son Luc, who is also a fast runner. He is always willing to talk about running after racing and is very supportive to other runners.
Jean-Louis you have had an outstanding year of running and RunNB is happy to recognize your achievements with the Up and Coming Male Runner of the Year Award.
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Jean-Louie racing. |
Competing in the Hampton 5 Miler |
Jean-Louis receiving his award from Michael Lynch |
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Personal Achievement Award |
Phil Booker - Fredericton, NB
Phil has enjoyed a wonderful year of running. He ran in 35 races, including three marathons, in Fredericton, Quebec and PEI. He won his 70+ Super Series age group, gaining 1050 points from 17 races.
While competing in these races he set six new Provincial age group records as follows:
5K - 21:07
10K - 45:16
15K - 1:09:17
21.1K - 1:40:46
42.2K - 3:53:55
Phil enjoys seeing and competing with his running friends. He is always ready to talk before and after racing and greets everyone with a big smile on his face.
RunNB is pleased to recognize Phil’s wonderful year of running with the personal achievement award.
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Phil Booker in Miramichi |
Phil Booker running Hampton 5 Miler |
Donald Wade,Vice President of RunNB presents Phil Booker with the Personal Achievement Award. |
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Inspirational Person of the Year |
Allan Lagace - Pointe-Verte, NB
Allan Lagacé was born prematurely and was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. After numerous surgeries to increase his mobility, he was unfortunately injured in a hunting accident. Allan always dreamed of playing hockey but since he couldn’t skate, he had to try other sports. One of his dreams was to run a marathon, but he didn’t think he could run such a great distance. Despite his distinctive gait, he was able to overcome his lack of confidence and started running, first for the pleasure and then for the competition. He ran his first 10km in 1987 and that’s when he discovered his passion for the sport. Since then, he has competed in numerous races, even winning 2nd and 3rd place in his age group. In 2013, the Chaleur Running Club and the Chaleur 10km organisation recognized his accomplishments but presenting him with a beautiful trophy. Finally, this year, Allan realized his dream by running the Legs for Literacy Marathon.
RunNB is proud to recognize Allan Lagacé as Inspirational Person of the Year for his courage and determination at overcoming adversity.
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Allan running in a 10km race in Miramichi |
Allan Lagacé receiving his award from Sylvio Bourque |
Allan Lagacé |
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Walker of the Year |
Cathy Smith - Saint John, NB
Cathy has put much time, effort and dedication into her training, which has enabled her to become the very fast walker we have seen this season. She has combined training outdoors with extensive gym work and has become fitter and faster as the year progressed.
Cathy won the 10 km walk at the Scotiabank Fredericton Marathon in May in a time of 1:12:12, more than 12 minutes faster than the walker in second place! She walked the 5 km at Miramichi’s Rock N Run and the 12 km at Marathon by the Sea in Saint John. She completed the New Brunswick Challenge by competing in her first ever Nordic Walk, the 10 km at Legs for Literacy in Moncton, which she won in an impressive time of 1:14:43.
When Cathy is not competing, she can often be seen supporting the running community by taking super photographs at races.
Cathy, RunNB is proud to recognize your dedication and achievements with this Walker of the Year Award.
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Cathy Smith (L) with her good friend, Elaine Boulanger |
Cathy Smith in the middle with Sue Watson (L), Holly McKay (R) |
Mary Brosnan,Race Advisor with RunNB presents Cathy Smith with the Walker of the Year award |
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Other Award Winners |
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Media Award - Robert Lagacé - Caraquet, NB
Media Award was presented to Robert Lagacé, journalist with Acadie Nouvelle, for his excellent reporting of road racing in NB.
Run For The Cycle - Male: Lee Roy - Bathurst, NB / Female: Paula Keating, Miramichi, NB
Elites $eries winners - Male: Paul Gallant - Bathurst, NB / Female: Paula Keating, Miramichi, NB
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Brian Richard (l) presenting the Media Award to Robert Lagace (r) |
Lee Roy (l) and Paula Keating (m) add the best times in Run For The Cycle times in 2014
Paula Keating (m) and Paul Gallant were the top prize winners in the Elite $eries |
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2014 RunNB Hall Fame Inductees |
Roger D. Levesque - Balmoral, NB
Roger D. Levesque is a well-known runner from Dalhousie Balmoral area who has been running all his life.
He is not only an accomplished runner but also excels in boxing, judo, scuba diving, downhill skiing and ski patrol.
Roger has run over 128 marathons including 15 Boston marathons in his running career, which dates back to 1984. He also ran numerous half marathons, 10k and 5k races over his running career.
He moved to Balmoral in 1983, got involved in cross country skiing and chose les Aventuriers x-c ski Charlo for his club. He was club president from 1990-91.
Besides running he was the first President of the Restigouche Road Runners in 1981.
He is still volunteering in many road races in the area and in 2006 he ran the Boston Marathon and raised $12,000 for a young cancer victim.
Roger is still running today and has qualified for his 16th Boston Marathon in 2015, even after being diagnosed with pulmonary embolism at the time.
RunNB is pleased to welcome Roger as the 13th member of our honoured Hall of Fame.
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RunNB is pleased to welcome Roger as the 13th member of our honoured Hall of Fame. |
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Joe Richard - Saint John, NB
Joe Richard, who passed away in 2009 is to be honoured posthumously. Over a period of nearly sixty years, Joe Richard excelled in boxing, skating, and as a runner, from 1932 to 1991.
He competed in numerous middle-distance and longer events, including three appearances at the Boston Marathon.
Joe was never the beneficiary of formal coaching, but trained vigorously and continuously on his own. Over his career Joe has been presented with more than 150 trophies, medals, ribbons, and certificates, and he was recognized as the preeminent middle-distance runner in the Maritimes during the 1950s.
Surely Joe’s enduring claim to fame will be the longevity of his athletic career. Joe has established a long and distinguished record in distance running.
He is up there and competed against the legendary George Gallant in many races, winning his share.
RunNB is pleased to welcome Joe as the 14th member to our honoured Hall of Fame.
We welcome his wife Kay to come forward and accept this award.
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Brian Richard, President of RunNB, presents Kay Richard (no relation) wife of Joe Richard with the Hall of Fame Award |
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