Sunday’s Pioneer 8K loaded with Canadian distance talent

Olympian Dylan Wykes, Canadian 10,000m record holder Natasha Wodak, and Ironman Asia Pacific champion Jeff Symonds headline Sunday’s field

One of winter’s most competitive road races is taking place on Sunday as Saanichton, B.C. plays host to the Harriers Pioneer 8K. Sunday’s event is the first of 12 races as part of the BC Super Series and the opening event in the Vancouver Island Race Series.

“It will now be a five-way battle between Dylan Wykes, Chris Winter, Rob Watson, Brandon Lord and Shoayb Bascal for the victory and any one of them is capable of winning,” says High Performance Athletic Director Bob Reid.

The race begins at 11 a.m. local time.

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“With Natasha Wodak, Rachel Cliff, Catrin Jones, Marilyn Arsenault and Lucy Smith in the women’s race, these are the best men’s and women’s fields ever assembled at [the] Pioneer [8K] in 37 years and it will be a super kick-off to the new BC Super Series,” adds Reid.

Wykes, the third fastest Canadian marathoner of all time, will surely be one of the favourites along with Watson and Lord, both of who trained together this fall in Charlottesville, Va.

The race will also feature Canadian beer mile extraordinaire Jim Finlayson, who competed at the Flotrack Beer Mile World Championships in Austin, Texas in December.

Lord and Watson are expected to compete at the Houston Half-Marathon on Jan. 17. Watson is coming off a victory at the Boxing Day 10-Miler in Hamilton, Ont. over the Christmas break and will use the Pioneer 8K as a final tune-up.

Another interesting entrant for Sunday is Jeff Symonds, one of Canada’s top triathletes and the 2015 Ironman Asia Pacific Champion.

Just signed up for the @PIHRunningClub #pioneer8k this weekend. Looking forward to some fast running!

— Jeff Symonds (@JeffreySymonds) January 8, 2016

RELATED: Catrin Jones wins bronze at 50K World Championships.

The men’s course record, 22:58 set by Canadian Olympian Carey Nelson, has withstood the test of time, to the tune of 31 years (1985).

Wodak is the women’s course record holder having run 25:28 in 2013, a time that shocked the running community becoming the fastest Canadian women in history over the 8K distance.

Notables

Men
Shoayb Bascal
Brandon Lord
Jeff Symonds
Rob Watson (World Championship qualifier)
Dylan Wykes (Olympian, 2:10 marathoner)
Chris Winter (2014 Canadian Cross-Country Champion)
Jeff Symonds

Women
Marilyn Arsenault
Rachel Cliff
Catrin Jones (Bronze medallist at the World 50K Championships)
Lucy Smith
Natasha Wodak (Canadian 10,000m record holder)