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Two-time winner won't be in this year's Great Lake Walk

By Don Bodger - Lake Cowichan Gazette

Published: September 10, 2009 10:00 AM

The two-time defending champion of the Great Lake Walk won’t be going for a three-peat on Sept. 19.

Campbell River’s Jason Wellard, 34, did not file his entry application before the Sept. 1 deadline.

Wellard first won the 56-kilometre event in 2005 in four hours, 55 minutes and 27 seconds before slipping to seventh in 2006. He returned to the winner’s circle the last two years, with amazing times of 4:35:28 in 2007 and 4:37:58 in 2008. Jason’s mom Kathy Wellard of Quadra Island, who is also a two-time Great Lake Walk participant, said Jason is currently traveling and visiting relatives in New Zealand with his wife and two children. “If he was here, he definitely would have done it again, for sure,’’ Kathy said.

Jason Wellard won’t exactly be relaxing while he’s away, however. Kathy said he’s going to enter a 100-kilometre event in Australia in November. GLW organizer Joan Hieta said it would have been great to see Wellard in the running again, but it opens up an opportunity for someone else. “That’ll make it a little more exciting, actually,’’ she said. Hieta said the total number of entries this year will be around 350 by the time late-arriving Pearson College student spots are taken into account, “which is a little bit down. The economy has a little bit to do with it, too.’’ Last year’s registration reached 417. Organizers would like the total to remain around 400 to keep it viable and justify all the hard work required of volunteers. Hieta again has a superb committee in place and loads of volunteers. “Everybody just does their job so efficiently and stuff, it’s amazing,’’ she said.

The Great Lake Walk starts at 5 a.m. from Youbou. The first finisher can be expected back at the Cowichan Lake Sports Arena any time after 9:30 a.m., with a steady stream of runners and walkers coming across throughout the day until dusk. Hieta encourages people to come out and support the competitors as they complete the grueling route. There will be non-stop entertainment at the finish while waiting. Hieta added people shouldn’t forget about the late-finishers who will be on the course a long time. “The very, very end ones — everybody’s gone home,’’ she said. “They’ve been out there 12 or 13 hours and about to drop dead. There’s nobody there to cheer them on.’