Cool temperatures and light rain didn't dampen the spirits of the more than 48,000 participants in Canada's largest 10 km run.
Taking over the streets and bridges of downtown Vancouver on Sunday morning, the Sun Run crowds included a sizable contingent from the Sunshine Coast - from experienced runners to first-timers, from sub-40 racers to two-hour walkers - of all ages and sizes.
The overall race winners were Mike Power of Australia in a sub-30 minute clocking and Nicole Stevenson of Toronto in a personal best 32:29. Those kinds of times are beyond the comprehension of all but a few hundred participants.
One of those few hundred was 15-year-old Shaun Stephens-Whale of Roberts Creek, the fastest local finisher in the April Fool's Run two weeks ago, who took just over a minute off his 2004 Sun Run time to record a personal best 36:52, making him also the fastest local finisher in the Sun Run.
What's behind Shaun's dramatic improvement?
"This year I have grown a bit which helps, and I've been training more," said Shaun. "Last year was my second real race (besides the April Fool's Run), while this year I've done a few more races: UBC Duathlon, Spring Run-Off 10 km."
Shaun's plan was to go out fairly fast on Sunday, which he did, covering the first (downhill) mile under 5:30. Though pleased with his time, he was slightly disappointed not to win the U16 division. Shaun finished second to Jamie Clark of Maple Ridge (35:28).
"I felt I could have run faster - I never felt bad during the race," Shaun added.
A few of Shaun's friends were also in the Sun Run, including Clayton Jones (41:51), Alex Robertson and Brynn Clingwall, whose family walked the 10 km distance together while he ran. Other young Sunshine Coast athletes with notable times include Connor Richey and Stuart Richey, both under 45 minutes, and Katherine Short in 45:01.
Local Sun Run training clinic participants were happy with their achievements and enjoyed the atmosphere, with many recording personal bests.
Chuck Steemers (44:33) took four minutes off his time from last year, while John Denham attained his goal of a sub-48 minute clocking. Special congratulations go to past clinic participant Peter Corbett for smashing the one-hour mark by more than five minutes.
For many in the clinic, the 10 km odyssey was a life-changing experience.
Clinic leader Karen Cawsey says the highlight for her is seeing the joy of the first-time runners after their achievement."At the beginning of the 13-week training program, some of these people had difficulty running two minutes, let alone 10 km," said Cawsey.
On the other end of the spectrum was Halfmoon Bay resident John Bayzand, who has completed the Sun Run every year since 1987.
Though his finish time was nowhere near his fastest time of 50 minutes, that isn't his goal these days. He was accompanied by granddaughter Lawrence Beauvais and her friend Nicole Maseja, aged11 and 12, both in their first-ever 10 km race. They have been training since January and both enjoyed the experience.
All in all, a total of 162 Sunshine Coast residents completed the Sun Run, including a number of family groups. See all results in the Sports Ticker on page C4.
