June 15th, 2008
The Vikes Inaugural Championship Breakfast
The inaugural Vikes Championship breakfast event to be held in McKinnon Gym, on September 30th, 2008, is your chance to support Vikes Athletics and bolster the Athletic Financial Award avenue for our valued student-athletes. In addition to the funds raised at this event, the University of Victoria has agreed to match the first $150,000 in profit with all proceeds raised going to athletic financial awards.
The Victoria International Running Society is pleased to support the Championship Breakfast, our financial contribution will directly benefit the Arthur Taylor Endowment Fund. An athlete/student award established by the Society three years ago.
June 11, 2008
On-line invitational requests have now been closed.
For further information: trackclassic@mac.com
June 04, 2008
Track Classic celebrates Twentieth Anniversary
For 20 years the Victoria International Running Societyhas operated the Victoria International Track Classic to provide a high calibre track and field meet for our Canadian athletes and striving to make Victoria the running capital of Canada.
June 19th, 2008
Reed, fellow Olympians ready to put on show at
Track
Classic
CLEVE
DHEENSAWTimes Colonist
Veteran
Canadian Olympian Kevin Sullivan, 34, of Brantford,
Ont., chuckled that he will “pull a Rocco Mediate” on
hometown sensation Gary Reed tonight in the 20th annual
Victoria International Track
and
Field Classic.
“Tiger still won,” responded Victoria’s Reed, during
the press conference for the event held at Centennial
Stadium.
But then Reed caught himself and quipped with a smile:
“Wait, but Tiger is done for the rest of the year so I
take that back.”
Reed and Sullivan are definitely on for the rest of
this track
season,
which will culminate with the big dance in the stunning
Bird’s Nest Olympic Stadium at Beijing.
Among the highlights will be the showdown between Reed
and Sullivan in the men’s 800 metres. Reed, the 2007
world championships silver medallist in the event, can
claim hometrack advantage. But so too, in a way, can
Sullivan. One of Canada’s greatest middle-distance
runners, Sullivan won a stirring silver medal in the
1,500 metres at Centennial Stadium at the 1994
Commonwealth Games and also ran on the
Centennial track
during
the national Olympic trials in 2000 for Sydney and 2004
for Athens.
“I’ve been coming to Victoria for 14 years for big
meets and have so many fond memories of this place that
I feel right at home in this great track
community,”
said Sullivan, who placed a highly-credible fifth in
the 1,500-metre final at the 2000 Sydney Summer
Olympics.
Sullivan has reached standard in the 1,500 and needs to
place in the top four at the national Olympic trials
next month in Windsor to make it to Beijing and his
third Olympics.
“I love competing and being around the other athletes
and I’m still having fun doing it . . . it sure beats
looking for a real job,” said Sullivan. “It’s a year at
a time for me now but I’m still running well and still
enjoying it.”
Reed looks forward to the Victoria meet every year.
“It’s a hometown crowd and it’s exciting,” said Reed,
who has made standard in the 800 and needs only to
place in the top four at the Olympic trials in Windsor
to get to Beijing.
“It’s the only chance the hometown fans get to see me
race. And this being an Olympic year, it’s a very
important race. With Beijing fast approaching, every
race has its purpose at this point.”
Diane Cummins of Victoria, a 2004 Athens Olympian and
Commonwealth Games silver medalist, will be looking to
make the Olympic standard tonight in the women’s 800
metres.
“I love this meet and definitely the biggest thing for
me is the hometown crowd and I hope it lifts me because
we’re nearing some major deadlines [to make standard
for Beijing],” said Cummins.
Other Canadian highlights tonight on the
track
include
Beijing hopefuls Priscilla Lopes and Angela Whyte
squaring off in the women’s high hurdles. The marquee
field performers include national record holders and
highlylikely Beijing-bound Dylan Armstrong in the shot
put and Scott Russell in the javelin.