Cochrane’s Calum Neff and Canmore’s Sara Hewitt pushed the pace to claim gold on a tough 5 Peaks trail running race June 8 at the Canmore Nordic Centre.
The 500-plus runners were greeted with dry trails and sunny skies for a knee-pounding day.
Neff, who recently made the Canadian National Trail Running team with a fourth place finish at a qualifying race in Quebec, handily won the 11-kilometre race with a time of 38 minutes, 50 seconds, good enough for a pace of 3:42 per kilometre.
Oliver Hatheway, a medical school student from Calgary, finished second with a time of 39:26. St. Timothy track coach Travis Cummings was third (40:32). Jess Simpson was the second fastest woman (47:17), followed by Kim McMurtry of Calgary in third (48:31).
Hatheway surprised Neff by sticking with him until the final 2.5 km, when Neff turned on the jets, using a downhill finish to his advantage.
“I had a few guys come with me this time. I let them carry the pace early on. The second place guy took it all the way to the second-last water station and then I broke away there. The course has a good downhill finish so I could roll it in,” Neff said.
The race was a training day for Neff, who will attend the trail running world championships in Poland this September.
“It’s like a dream come true. I’ve always wanted to be on the national team and wear the Canadian jersey,” Neff said.
Neff has been running for 25 years and said there are a few simple principles to follow when it comes to trail running.
“Being able to recover on your feet is key – not pushing too hard on the hills so you’re able to crest those hills feeling fresh. Staying on your feet is also key,” said Neff, who had a bad fall in last year’s 5 Peaks half marathon.
