Other than the occasional muddy spot, Timothy Mundall liked the North Face Dirty Feet Tunnel run Sunday.
Starting above Naramata at Arawana and turning back at Glenfir, the Salmon Arm runner was the first to bust through the finish line in one hour, 23 minutes, 26 seconds in the 20-kilometre solo category. Mundall’s brother James was second at 1:24:28, while Penticton’s Stacey Cleveland place third overall at 1:27:24 on the women’s side.
“It was good, weather was perfect,” said Timothy, racing in Penticton for the first time. “Nice to start up hill and finish downhill for a nice, good finish.”
Cleveland said the event was fantastic and found the course to be in good condition.
“Great views of Penticton and Naramata,” said Cleveland, adding that the views did make the run easier. “KVR is a fantastic trail. I run it a lot. With the improvements they have made to the surface of it, certainly makes running a lot more pleasurable.”
Cleveland, who in the summer placed 50th among 100 senior women during the 2012 World Mountain Running championships in Temu, Italy, as a member of Team Canada, found coming back tough with the headwinds. She was happy though to be running on a downhill grade.
“I can’t complain about that,” said Cleveland when asked about her result.
Grace Hiom, of the North Face Dirty Feet Tunnel run, said the event went really well and they were happy to attract 120 runners.
“This event will return for 2013 and the response from the runners was that it was an amazing run with beautiful scenery, great trail, well organized with awesome food and prizes,” said Hiom.
Participants took to the events Facebook page to post comments.
“You guys did a great job with the trail runs this season and I’m looking forward to running at least one of your new 50k’s next year,” wrote Chris Stina.
“One of the best races yet,” wrote Erin Sian. “Looking forward to the next visit to Penticton just to do this trail again.”
Kamloops’s Simon Soerenson placed third overall behind the Mundall’s at 1:32:38 in the 20-km solo category.
Wrapping up the top three in the women’s side was Christina Nilsen of Kamloops finishing in 1:33:17 and Sue Parfitt of Kelowna at 1:35:27.
Tara and Steve Milne from Lake Country won the co-ed two-person relay team coming in at 1:54:51, while Annette and Jacob Hiom of North Vancouver were second clocking in at 1:54:39. Third was Lynne and Bruce Schoenne of Penticton finishing in 2:05:32.
In the men’s two-person relay team, Jeremy Angus and Dillon Vestner took first clocking in at 1:31:20, while Steffyn Hunt and Dulton Bunting finished in 1:34:40.
The women’s two-person relay team was won by Jennifer Elfenbein and Elise Desjardine of Kamloops in 1:33:44. In second was Mari Jordet and Synnove Sunde of finishing in 1:44:38. In third was Deanna Stout and Carman-Anne Schulz also of Kamloops in at 1:45:47.
There were 42 runners on the women’s side and 25 on the men’s side. There were five co-ed teams, 17 women’s teams and two men’s teams.
Most of the athletes came from the Thompson/Okanagan area, except for two from Peterborough, Ont.
The next Dirty Feet event is a snowshoe race in Kamloops Feb. 5.