| Stage 7 Results |
| Sunday 22 August 2004 |
| RIM Park |
| Waterloo |
| Marathon |
| PLACE | Last Name | First Name | Sex | Bib | City | Prov | Country | Age | Time |
| Individual | |||||||||
1 |
Bedley |
Charles |
M |
10 |
Toronto |
ON | Canada |
31 |
2:32:42 |
2 |
O'Connor |
Nathan |
M |
18 |
Kitchener |
ON | Canada |
24 |
3:16:49 |
3 |
Parke |
Steven |
M |
13 |
Kitchener |
ON | Canada |
38 |
3:37:16 |
5 |
Callaghan |
Dan |
M |
11 |
Burton |
NB | Canada |
38 |
3:50:25 |
4 |
Pepper |
Jay |
M |
14 |
Kitchener |
ON | Canada |
26 |
4:03:13 |
6 |
Champagne |
Catherine |
F |
15 |
Oakville |
ON | Canada |
28 |
4:10:02 |
7 |
Harder |
Douglas |
M |
12 |
Waterloo |
ON | Canada |
34 |
5:28:25 |
| Relay | |||||||||
1 |
Longboat
Roa |
1321 |
ON | Canada |
2:32:42 |
||||
2 |
Crazy
Canucks |
1320 |
ON | Canada |
3:37:16 |
||||
3 |
Runners'
Choice |
1322 |
ON | Canada |
5:28:20 |
||||
4 |
7-to-Win |
1323 |
ON | Canada |
5:28:25 |
||||
Brief recap of Stage 7:
8 Days . . . 7 Stages . . . 160 km . . . 1 Tough Runner!
One Stage to go. After racing almost 118 km during the previous 7 days, one final test remains – the marathon. Coping with a variety of conditions ranging from fatigue, muscle strains and blisters, each runner bravely accepted the challenge ahead of them. Ideal weather conditions could not be used as an excuse, leaving their own mental and physical limitations as the difference between completing The ENDURrun and not.
With victory well within his grasp, Charles focused his attention on his pre-race goal of running each and every Stage faster than last year. With his goal intact after 6 Stages, Charles had to beat a time of 2:35:31 to complete his incredible objective. Admittedly feeling the effects of running at such a punishing pace throughout the prior week, Charles ran an astonishing 2:32:42 marathon. His cumulative time for 160 km was 9:37:38, smashing his fast 2003 time by 25:17. Equally impressive was the fact that Charles ran at an elite level for the entire event, all by himself. Throughout the 8 days, Charles demonstrated remarkable focus, sportsmanship and modesty. A true champion.
Catherine, the women’s champion, also ran each Stage faster than last year, and her cumulative time was 1:51:04 faster than last year. Catherine was noticeably stronger this year, and her performance was exceptional and personally gratifying.
Nathan’s first ever marathon proved to be well within his abilities, as his second half was faster than his first half. Strong and consistent all week, Nathan could remain a top competitor in this event for many years.
Steven had a definite strategy heading into this event. Pacing himself through the first 2 Stages, Steven then pushed hard during the 2 difficult trail Stages. Heading into today’s Stage, Steven was 24 minutes ahead of last years pace. The effects of running hard for 55.6 km of trails seemed to take it’s toll though, as Steven came up short in his goal of matching last years marathon time. But finishing 14:26 faster overall compared to last year is an amazing accomplishment.
Jay’s leg injury proved to be too much, and today’s time is not a true reflection of his physical ability over the marathon distance. Jay proved that he can conquer the mental demands of The ENDURrun, so it will be interesting to see how he performs next year.
Dan looked like he could continue on for a few more Stages, and was definitely getting stronger after each Stage. Dan learned a lot from this experience, which he hopes to use to his advantage in future ENDURrun’s.
Douglas was a positive and inspirational presence for the entire event, and it was a real pleasure to witness such commitment and perseverance. Thanks Douglas.
Congratulations to all participants on such a fine display of endurance.
In the Relay, Longboat captured the first Relay trophy, and is committed to return to defend their title.
Other awards presented today:
| "Sprint King" (Cumulative time of both time trials): CHARLES BEDLEY |
| King of the Mountains" (Cumulative time of both mountain Stages): CHARLES BEDLEY |
The format of The ENDURrun combines endurance and speed, patience and control, pacing and strategy. It combines road racing with technical trail running. It combines flat Stages with mountain Stages. It has time trials and mass starts. It has the pressure and challenge of racing day after day, without allowing for complete rest and recovery. It is the ultimate running challenge and a runners' ultimate goal. The ENDURrun does not favour one discipline over another, and as such, the winner of The ENDURrun is the most complete runner. Congratulations CHARLES BEDLEY 2004 ENDURrun Champion!