Kip Kangogo and Whiting Win the 46th Royal Victoria Marathon

Kip Kangogo captured the 46th Royal Victoria Marathon on Sunday, finishing the 42.2-kilometre course in two hours, 24 minutes and 28 seconds to secure his first-ever marathon victory in the city.

Breaking Through the Victoria Tape

The 47-year-old veteran runner from Lethbridge, Alberta, finally broke through after previous close calls in the B.C. capital, including two runner-up finishes. This is so sweet after so many times here knocking on the door, he said.

Yet the full marathon title had eluded him. He came closest in 2013, running a sub-2:15 marathon before Lamech Mokono set the still-standing course record of 2:13:42.

I tell people I contributed to the record by pushing the pace. Kip Kangogo

This time, he pushed past the competition to claim the top spot. Michael Zahara of Calgary finished second in 2:28:30, and Alex Bowns of Maple Valley, Washington, took third in 2:32:15 along the Dallas Road and Beach Drive waterfront course.

Sibling Rivalry on the Waterfront

Whiting spent 36 kilometres running alongside her triplet brother, Dan Whiting, before pulling ahead. Both qualified for the Boston Marathon, an official qualifier for which the Royal Victoria serves, and plan to race together next April. They dedicated their Sunday run to their late triplet brother, Kevin, who died in an avalanche. Whiting, a mother of three who has also raced 10 Ironman triathlons, noted that her professional background on the Island gave her extra familiarity with the course:

I’m a physiotherapist, so I knew many of the people out there on the course. Fawn Whiting

Charlotte McNair of Banff secured second place among women in 2:49:27, while Tessa Ladner of Calgary finished third in 2:52:02.

Record Crowd Joins RVM Races as Wodak and Vail Win

The weekend drew a record 17,596 participants across all events, marking an increase of over 2,000 from the previous standard set the prior year.

We got emails from people who couldn’t find anywhere to stay because the city was fully booked for the RVM races. Cathy Noel

In the half-marathon events, two-time Olympian Natasha Wodak captured the women’s title in 1:14:32, marking her fourth victory in the race. Brandon Vail, a former University of Victoria Vikes standout, won the men’s half-marathon in 1:05:39. Matthew Travaglini of Calgary took the men’s 8K in 23:48, and Chloe Hegland of North Saanich won the women’s 8K in 27:39.