Two Nanaimo athletes used talent, fitness, perseverance and veteran know-how to place well at an Island adventure race last month. Norm Thibault and Stefan Jakobsen of Team Frontrunners Nanaimo were second in their division at the Atmosphere Mind Over Mountain Adventure Race on Sept. 24 in Cumberland.
“Norm and Stefan’s enduring presence in the race scene is super impressive,” said Bryan Tasaka, race director, in a press release. “Both are veteran MOMAR racers and both have been on the podium numerous times. Norm participated in at our first race in Duncan in the 2000 and, 16 years later, is still performing strong and taking top spots.”
Thibault and Jakobsen finished the 50-kilometre course in four hours, 52 minutes, 48 seconds. The race included mountain biking, paddling, orienteering and trail running.
Two other local teams had podium finishes. Justin Barr of Nanaimo and Kevin Pond of Nanoose Bay teamed up with two other Island teammates to finish second in their division in 5:26:34, 10 minutes faster than the Nanaimo team of Ryan Kurytnik, Orphée Bernard, Jason Hendricks and Mark Overton, which placed third.