TSC at Great Trek 2022!

What is the Great Trek?

Formerly known as the Fall Classic, the Great Trek is put on by UBC in partnership with RUNVAN® as their fourth and final event of the year. The Great Trek features in-person or virtual races for everyone, including:

RUNVAN ® Hat-trick (all three runs combined, equivalent to 36.1 km)

Athletes all across the TSC-Sphere ran different races on Saturday. Check out their times below and see what the Great Trek meant to some of our athletes!

Hat-Trick Runners

4 athletes from our Thunderbird Sport Clubs performed the Hat-Trick at the Great Trek and put their stamina to the test! 3 athletes from Triathlon took on the half marathon, 10k and 5k. Mahish Rajdev showed strong results in all races, placing very well overall and in his age and gender category. Olivia Baldassare and Ava Peacock also crushed the races, placing well in their age categories. With their performances at the Great Trek, they further master the running discipline and look on to the New Year where they'll put their swimming and their cycling skills to the test against other triathletes.

Mahish Rajdev, TSC Triathlon, smiling through the half marathon. Credit: RunVan

Olivia Baldassare, TSC Triathlon. Credit: RunVan

Ava Peacock, TSC Triathlon, celebrating completing one of her runs. Credit: RunVan

Athlete Spotlight - Isabel Evans, Women's Tennis

"Overall, the Hat Trick was an incredible experience for me. It put so much into perspective as to what I am capable of. (...) The most special part is that I completed it here at UBC, with several other UBC athletes, in my final year of undergrad. It really bookends my university experience and will be something I will look back on after graduation this spring." - Izzy Evans, TSC Women's Tennis

Isabel, or Izzy, Evans, Club Lead from Women's Tennis, also ran the Hat-Trick.  When asked about taking on the Hat Trick, Izzy writes, "I signed up for the Great Trek Hat Trick a bit on a whim, if I am being honest. I messaged my dad two weeks before the race and asked if he thought I could physically survive running 36.1 km. His response was 'You will be great - no worries.' So, I signed up for a race longer than any run I had ever done.

Izzy Evans, running through the Half Marathon. Credit: RunVan

My New Year's resolution, or better put goal, was to run at least a mile every day this year. Those daily runs constituted my training for this event. The sport of running itself was probably my first love. I competed at a high level in high school, but life and team dynamics got in the way . It was actually my tennis teammates and friends here at UBC that encouraged and motivated me to get back into it.

I have always found running to be such a fun way to connect with truly anyone, to relax the mind, and to test your limits. The Great Trek Hat Trick was all of that for me. I ran most of the half marathon with my teammates and friends, Madi and Graeme. The rest of the race I was on my own, listening to my own thoughts and body’s protests. The last 5km was where I really 'emptied the tank' as my coach used to say.

Overall, the Hat Trick was an incredible experience for me. It put so much into perspective as to what I am capable of. I am very excited to reach for new goals in future races after having completed this. The most special part is that I completed it here at UBC, with several other UBC athletes, in my final year of undergrad. It really bookends my university experience and will be something I will look back on after graduation this spring."

Izzy performed this feat on top of organizing and running the Tennis Sport Clubs' annual Mixer later that evening which was a huge success! Way to go Izzy!

Half-Marathon Runners

Triathlon SC had a strong showing with athletes hitting big strides on the Half-Marathon. Mahish Rajdev, led all of our TSC Athletes with a time of 1:26:37 which placed him 46th overall and 15th in his age and gender category! Pauline Steines was our fastest female with a 1:37:15 finish earning a 7th place finish in her age and gender category! Ari Rosen and Olivia Baldassare also placed in the top 20 in their age and gender category.

Nordic Skiing had a strong showing with their athletes as Alex Beauchemin and Josh Goh both earned top 10 finishes in the age category, placing 5th and 8th in their age category respectively.

Runners from other teams include both Men's Tennis and Women's Tennis also had runners take on the Half-Marathon on Saturday, with Madi Fan and Graeme McIntosh finishing with times of 1:56:54 and 1:56:55, respectively. Great start to their morning as they also went from finishing the race into preparing for the Tennis Mixer. Victor Samyn from Alpine Skiing started his morning with the race and ran with a time of 2:02:55.

Gordon Wong, from Triathon SC running the Half-Marathon. Credit: RunVan

Pauline Steines, running her way to a 7th place finish in her age/gender category. Credit: RunVan

10 KM Runners

Our only 10 km runners were Mathias Pederson from Nordic Skiing and Ethan Blake and Carson Wong from Triathlon, outside of those who ran the Hat-Trick! Mathias was the fastest TSC athlete with a time of 39:56, coming 22nd out of 845 runners and 9th in his age category. Both Ethan and Carson placed in the top 10 in their age group with Ethan placing 3rd with a time of 43:00 and Carson with placing 8th with 45:15. Check out their times and placements below!

Ethan Blake, TSC Triathlon, ran a 43 flat and placed third in his age category! Credit: RunVan

Carson Wong, TSC Triathlon, ran a 45:15 and placed 8th in his age category! Credit: RunVan

5 KM Runners

"This has been by far the most fun I’ve ever had during a race. (...) I love the course that wraps around campus on Marine drive, runs through on Main Mall, and ends with a super spectator friendly finish right in front of the AMS Nest. All the volunteers were lovely, and I’m absolutely signing up for next year’s Great Trek!" - Aidan Morton-Nonomiya, TSC Triathlon

Aidan at the front of the pack for the 5 km race. Credit: RunVan

The 5 km race had a strong showing from our TSC athletes, with 5 of them earning a top 10 finish in their age categories, including two first place finishes! Aidan Morton-Nonomiya, an executive from Triathlon Sport Club, had a great showing placing 2nd overall, and first in his age group by hitting a personal best of 17:04 (holding a 3:25 min/km pace). Ethan White trailed in 7th place, but first in his age category with a time of 18:25. Abby Edison, also from Triathlon, was the 2nd female finisher and 23rd overall with a time of 19:44.

After the race Aidan said, "This has been by far the most fun I’ve ever had during a race. Honestly, it was really fun seeing all the other runners and UBC Recreation staff throughout the course! And there’s a huge range of running experience at The Great Trek, so it’s an enthusiastic and encouraging environment all around. For me, this 5k race was a PB (personal best), thanks to Preston and a few others who pushed each other at the start. I love the course that wraps around campus on Marine drive, runs through on Main Mall, and ends with a super spectator friendly finish right in front of the AMS Nest. All the volunteers were lovely, and I’m absolutely signing up for next year’s Great Trek!".

Overall, there was a great showing from our TSC athletes in attendance! We congratulate all our TSC athletes and alum who ran in the race on what they achieved! If you know someone who ran the race and would like to find photos of themselves, they can check out the page here and search up their bib number for photos.

The Great Trek marks the end of Run Van's race portfolio for 2022. If you are interested in running any of their races, check them out here! Their first race in 2023 is the First Half, register here if you want to take part of the first half marathon in Vancouver for 2023!