Almost 1,300 participants turned out for Abbotsford’s annual Run for Water on Sunday as it returned to an in-person event.
The event started out at Mill Lake Park and included both a five-kilometre fun run and a 10 km run.
Also returning was the Run for Water trail race on Saturday, which saw participants take on either a 10 km, 25 km or 50km ultra run on the rugged single track of Sumas Mountain.
There were a total of 880 participants in the 5 km portion of this year’s event. The top three runners were: Mark Klassen of Mission (in the M35-39 category) with a time of 15:21, Edward De Jager of Abbotsford (M20-24) with a time of 16:55 and Jeff Holten of Vancouver (M35-39) with a time of 17:36.
The top three female finishers were Trisha Helmer of Abbotsford (F35-39) with a time of 18:30, Ariel Jose of Abbotsford (F14-16) with a time of 20:07 and Amy Windle of Langley (F20-24) with a time of 20:13.
The 10 km run drew 415 participants. The top three finishers were Kris Warkentin of Abbotsford (M40-44) with a time of 32:57, Ron Loewen of Langley (M30-34) with a time of 32:55 and Randy Vis of Langley (M35-39) with a time of 36:13
The top three female finishers were Maria Sang of Surrey (F30-34) with a time of 37:17, Susannah Luck of Langley (F40-44) with a time of 41:19 and Jaylene Mennen of Langley (F35-39) with a time of 41:30.
In Saturday’s trail races, there were 239 racers. The overall winner in the 10 km event was Riley Hall with a time of 1:03:53.1. The top female racer was Kaitlin Nelson with a time of 1:15:50.5.
In the 25 km event, the top racer was Michael Nishiyama with a time of 2:36:14.6. The top female was Jessica Temple wiht a time of 3:13:35.2.
In the 50 km event, the overall winner was Simon Widmann with a time of 5:28:47.4. The top female was Annabel Arnott, who finished in 7:37:58.
All proceeds from Run for Water events will supply clean water for villages in the Amhara region of northwest Ethiopia, including the community of Jahana, a community of 4,000 residents who have never had access to clean water.
Run for Water has partnered with Mennonite Central Committee and Afro Ethiopia Integrated Development.
Working closely with local community leaders, these three agencies are funding and building 15 wells in Ethiopia over the next three years.
Specifically, three wells are planned for North Achefer (a sub-district in Amhara), and two more in each of the following: South Achefer, Dangila Zuria, West Dembia, East Dembia, Gonder Zuria, and Fogera.
The direct cost to drill each well is approximately $15,000. Additional costs, including project support, as well as community training and education, brings the total to approximately $20,000 per well – or $100,000 per year for three years, or a total cost of $300,000 for all projects.
The goal is to provide over 13,000 people with clean water for the rest of their lives.
There is still another event in Chilliwack on June 3, the Ride for Water. That includes a 20K, 50K and 100K bike ride.
Visit runforwater.ca to view complete race results or for more information.
READ MORE: 1,500 participants expected for Run for Water in Abbotsford
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