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Logan Boehmer cemented his place in the Yukon's running elite by winning the Yukon Cross-Country Championships this weekend.

The 21-year-old blazed to a top finish on the 10-km course along the ski trails at Mount McIntyre Sunday afternoon.

Boehmer finished in a time of 36:57, besting second-place finisher Simon Lapointe (41:55) by close to five minutes.

"I just tried to focus on getting up the hills as fast as possible, and coasted on the downhills,鈥� Boehmer said. "I want to perform to the best of my ability and push myself so I know I gave as much as I could on that day.鈥�

Boehmer had never competed in the territorial championships before his victory run yesterday. He said the highlight of his season was competing for the Yukon at the Canada Summer Games in Sherbrooke, Que.

"I felt really good about my Canada Games performance,鈥� he said. "I had a personal goal that I worked all summer to achieve. The (Klondike) road relay was really good too. I felt really good about my time there.

"I'm still feeling a little tired from the Canada Games, because we put in a lot of training, but I feel really good about this season. I just gave it as much as I could for every race.鈥�

Boehmer admitted he was hoping for a little more competition, but noted last year's champion David Eikelboom and fellow Canada Games attendee Logan Roots were out of town.

The championship win does not spell the end of the season for Boehmer. He will run the half marathon in Victoria, B.C. on Thanksgiving weekend 鈥� a tradition many Yukoners share.

He is also attending Yukon College to study social work.

"I really feel good about this year,鈥� Boehmer said. "I feel like I've kind of just set a goal and then worked really hard to achieve it. All the hard work I put into it makes me feel good about where I am now.鈥�

Just 16 runners competed in this year's event, down considerably from 45 last year. A few took wrong turns along the course, resulting in some skewed finishing times.

Organizer Don White drew up the courses with the help of Google Maps.

He said the territorial championships are modelled after the national standards, but alterations are often made to suit the Yukon race field.

"This race is basically the last in the schedule,鈥� White said. "If we were a larger jurisdiction and this was the championship, then this would be the selection race if we were going to send anybody out to nationals.

"But we don't send a team. We couldn't send a full team any way,鈥� White explained. "People that want to go to nationals? Have at 鈥榚r. We'll pat you on the back.鈥�

Only two women ran the masters eight-km event, with Sue Bogle (41:28) finishing well ahead of Laurie Drummond (50:20).

In the men's masters eight-km competition, Tom Ullyett (39:20) edged White (41:02).

Thomas Bakica (4:40) beat Constance Lapointe (4:54) by 14 seconds to win the one-km youth category, while Darby McIntyre (19:51) out-raced Luke Bakica (23:14) to win the four-km race.

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Logan Roots (4:38) topped the field at the Baked Caf茅 One-Miler Run-Walk, held last week as a fund-raiser for a new timing clock.

Roots beat out David Eikelboom (5:05) and Aidan Bradley (5:41) for the honour.

The Canada Games athlete has since returned to school at the University of Victoria.

Brittany Pearson-Smith (5:43) won the women's side, beating out Jody Eikelboom (6:20) and Janet Clarke (6:37).

Sixteen competitors took part in the race, which ran from the entrance to Robert Service Campground to the S.S. Klondike.

"The display clock crashed,鈥� organizer Don White explained of the fund-raiser.

"We've been collecting money to replace it for years.鈥�