A pair of Merritt runners kicked off their racing seasons with impressive performances on the weekend.
Marie-Josée Bedard, 40, was a winner of the ‘February Freeze 5K’ in Peachland on Sunday.
Bedard, an elementary school principal at L’Ecole de Collettville, recorded a new personal best time of 19:48 for the five-kilometre distance.
One week earlier, Bedard competed in Penticton’s second annual indoor triathlon. The event was held at the Penticton Community Centre Pool and adjacent South Okanagan Events Centre.
A total of 49 athletes (28 female, 21 male) took part in the indoor ‘tri’ which had participants swim for 15 minutes in the pool, cycle for 30 minutes on a stationery bike and run for 20 minutes around the concourse of the SOEC.
Bedard, who just took up swim training this past fall, completed 550 metres in the pool, biked 11.25 kilometres, and ran 42 quarters (the best of all female competitors) in the time allotted for each phase. Her points total of 42 placed her eighth overall.
Also this past Sunday, School District 58 superintendent Bob Peacock, 64, finished 69th in a field of 190 runners at the ‘Starting Block 10K’ in Lavington (outside Vernon).
Peacock, who had completed a 29km training run the day before, finished the 10K in 49:13, fourth-best for his age group.
Overall winner of the Starting Block 10K was former Merritt resident Hans Aaybe in a time of 34:05.
