We are now just over a week away from the 28th annual TC 10K here in Victoria. With thousands of runners from the island set to run, we take a look at the clinics that train our local runners from the ground up to run this event. Tyler Bennett has more.
Four clinics from across the Island and beyond met at Elk Lake earlier this month, as runners of all shapes and sizes took their final preparation run before the 28th annual TC 10K on April 30th.
“Today was all of the clinics. TC 10K has 14 clinics from around the lower mainland, and they all go away and do their own thing, they have their own clinics and their own locations,” Oakland Clinic’s Sandy Robertson says.”Today is the day, three weeks before the race, that all the clinics come together and just run together as a big group all the way around Elk and Beaver Lakes.”
“It’s a nice chance to experience what it’s like to run in a large group,” Henderson Rec Centre coordinator Wade Borthwick says. “A lot of these people this is their first time running 10k, so to be able to get out with all these other people who are really into it and really enjoying it, and it’s really a great opportunity to try out that distance and with a little bit of a crowd to ease into what the TC 10K is going to be like.”
“Getting all these clinics together, a lot of these people don’t know each other,” Oakland’s Anita Fernando says. “But they just have that running bit in common so they just come out here and have a lot of fun with people they’ve never met before.”
The clinic organizers say the best thing about running their programs is the progression of the runners, and seeing people achieve their goals.
“The most fantastic thing about the clinic is, seeing people of all levels, all ages, all backgrounds, really some people coming just off the couch starting fresh,” Robertson says. “Starting really slowly and through the course, it’s incredible just watching so many different people pushing themselves and getting to that point where they amaze themselves to actually completing a 10K.”
“[There was] so much chatter out on the trail today,” TC10K clinics coordinator Illoana Smith say. “People saying ‘oh gosh this is the furthest I’ve ever done, I’ve never done this distance before and just feeling that confidence and they’re looking forward [to the race] rather than worrying so much about being not prepared they feel confident for the first time so it’s good.”
With Elk lake under their belts, these runners now look forward to conquering the TC 10K in just over a weeks time.
Tyler Bennett
