Congratulations to Speedfarm who won the new team competition, the “Island Series Cup,” with a low score (reverse scoring system) of just 298 points.

The team that sports the tractor logo narrowly defeated the Prairie Inn Harriers who finished second with 360 points. Third was upstart Capital City Run Crew with 1047 points.

While only three clubs managed to field a complete team in all eight races (three men, three women), Speedfarm held second place all season and only needed to make sure that they had the counters, to toe the line on Sunday. They did that in spades. Pictured above is approximately half of the entire Speedfarm contingent.

Ceevacs Road Runners, Capital City Run Crew, and Run to Beer Comox Valley were the only teams of the top 20 to field the requisite three women and three men in all eight races, in the five-race minimum competition.

After a 419-point showing at the Comox Valley RV Half Marathon, then unable to field a team for the McLean Mill 10K, Speedfarm dug deep and scored an incredible 21 points in Sooke, to put themselves back in the running. Scoring 60 in the ultra-competitive Synergy Health Centre Bazan Bay 5K sealed the deal — what a run.

In Sooke, four of the top-five male finishers were Speedfarm runners: Brennan Smith with the overall win (1 point), Owen Torres in third (3 points), and Martin Odendaal and Michael Mitchell going fourth and fifth. The juggernaut was broken up by Harrier Andrew Russell, the first master, and second overall finisher.

Jennifer Erickson helped the cause by winning the race in the time of 37:13 and bettered by only 10 men. Emily Tesseder and Sofia Donneke went third and ninth, respectively.

Amongst the speedy Speedfarm women was third-place finisher Melanie Van Soeren with Saltspring Sneakers, Catrin Jones in fourth with the Prairie Inn Harriers, Laura Schwertfeger, in fifth, Emily Bugoy (Mettle Heart Endurance), Natasha Parsons (Badass Chicks Run Trails), and Lucy Smith (Prairie Inn Harriers).

RESULTS