It was supposed to be just a fun run in the park. But that was until the ringers showed up.
On Saturday, the 5-kilometer Maxwelton Salmon Adventure Chum Run, held at the South Whidbey Community Park, turned into one of the fastest races run in the state this summer. In addition to drawing ranked triathletes and runners from the island, the race — which had its fifth annual running last weekend — attracted more competition than the locals could handle, something that has been a rare feat of late.
This year, the race went to two Bellingham runners — Matt Ellis and Kathleen Harris — who swept the top men’s and women’s spots for their team, Fairhaven Runners. In doing so, they made a race that was already stacked with island runners with top finishes around the state in other races this year a wild dash through the woods.
“This is by far the best field ever assembled on the island,” said a duly impressed Matt Simms.
The Langley marathoner, who recently took second place in the North Olympic Discovery Marathon in Port Angeles, placed fifth behind Ellis and three of his teammates. Simms’ time of 17 minutes and 22 seconds was exactly a minute slower than the winning time.
Saturday’s Chum Run also drew the largest field in the event’s history, with more than 100 runners taking to the course.
On the women’s side, Harris used her experience as a career cross country runner to just edge South Whidbey’s top female runner and triathlete, Marti Riemer-Reese. After being tracked by Riemer-Reese on the wooded trails and around the playfields that contained the running course, Harris managed to pull away in the final, flat portion of the race to take 17th overall in 19:12. Riemer-Reese — who won the women’s division at the Lake Padden Triathlon in Bellingham two weeks ago — was 13 seconds behind her at the finish line, taking 20th place.
Harris gave credit to her four-woman team for her victory.
“We were trying to run together,” she said.
Although that didn’t exactly work out, all the Fairhaven Runners placed well enough to take take team championships in both the women’s and men’s divisions. The team competition, which was new to the race this year, was the main draw for the Bellingham runners. Men’s winner Ellis, whose team took the top four individual places at the Chum Run, said the setting could not have been more perfect.
“I like the 5K distance,” he said. “It’s over quickly.”
Other notable placings by South Whidbey runners came from former professional cyclist Nate Reese (eighth, 18:05), high school track and cross country state competitor James Sundquist (ninth, 18:12), professional runner Leon Shordon (11th, 18:30), marathoner Charlie LeWarne (13th, 18:44), and Ironman triathlete Curt Gordon (15th, 18:55).
