Toby Gorman, Cowichan Valley Citizen
Published: Friday, October 13, 2006
COWICHAN BAY -- Ron Bowker has an idea and he's running with it.
The longtime Island foot race enthusiast intends to make Vancouver Island a hot spot for runners across the country by establishing a pro series that will be exclusively Canadian and will provide money -- and lots of it -- to top runners.
Bowker, who broke the news to runners and media at the Bay Pub in Cowichan Bay yesterday afternoon, expects that his new series -- called RunFest for now -- will not only attract Canada's best runners to Vancouver Island, but also make the home-grown athletes more competitive on the world stage by boosting internal competition through cash prizes.
"I have a vision of hosting the best runners in Canada and having them compete for real cash prizes they can sustain themselves on," said Bowker.
Bowker said upwards of $30,000 will be up for grabs in the series' first race, the Bay Run in Cowichan Bay, on March 3, 2007.
That would make the event the most lucrative single-day race in Canada. Top male and female winners can expect to win at least $5,000 of that prize money.
"The purse money could go higher," said Bowker. "That number is based on what I know I can do. I'd like to see it go to $50,000 or $60,000, with prize money 20 places deep."
The Bay Run will likely feature an eight-kilometre run for men and a six-kilometre run for women with $1,000 being awarded for race leaders at each kilometre mark. Bowker anticipates such events will attract the 40 best male and female runners in Canada to the Island.
At least 13 other events are planned in the RunFest series, though not all will carry Bowker's "primo" designations that go with the $30,000 in prize money.
He said he will add at least two more "primo" races to the 2007 calendar if
corporate sponsors buy into his program. "Essentially, the purse money goes back into the running community so the best Canadian runners can train better and travel better," he said.
Bowker said the RunFest 2007 schedule should be out by the end of November.
Bowker is the former running and track coach at the University of Victoria.
He also held several coaching positions with Team Canada at various international events such at the Summer Olympics, Commonwealth Games and world track and field championships.