Photo by Marcel Vander Wier
BATTLE TO THE FINISH 鈥� Yukon MP Ryan Leef and Canada Summer Games runner Logan Boehmer run past the S.S.Klondike at the start of yesterday's Chocolate Claim run.
Boehmer edges MP Leef to take Chocolate Claim crown
Just four seconds separated Logan Boehmer and Yukon MP Ryan Leef at the finish line of yesterday's Chocolate Claim 10-Miler race.
Just four seconds separated Logan Boehmer and Yukon MP Ryan Leef at the finish line of yesterday's Chocolate Claim 10-Miler race.
Fresh off competition at the Canada Summer Games, the 21-year-old Boehmer had enough in the tank to gain a few strides on Leef en route to the win.
"We were running right beside each other the entire race,鈥� Boehmer explained. "He was pacing, and we worked off each other. At the end, I kind of kicked it by the hospital and won it. I wanted to beat him of course, but it felt pretty good to have someone to run with and push at the end.鈥�
Boehmer finished the 16 kilometres in 1:00:49, while Leef was runner-up in 1:00:53.
"It was a personal best on the course,鈥� Boehmer said of his time, which was four seconds off the time of last year's winner Ray Sabo. "I would like to do a bit better for next time. I was feeling pretty tired.鈥�
Lindsay Carson was the top female finisher, with a time of 1:02:24.
The route is centred around Rotary Park and includes three major climbs, including the first two hills on Schwatka Lake Road and another on Chadburn Lake Road.
The annual race serves as a final tune-up for the Klondike Road Relay, which sees teams of 10 runners complete the 176.5 kilometres from Skagway to Whitehorse. This year's relay will be held Sept. 6 and 7.
Last year, 1,330 runners took part in the 30th annual race. Team Scarecrow won for the third year in a row with a time of 11:29:43.
Boehmer will run Leg 8 for Team Scarecrow next month.
Leef said Boehmer ran an impressive race.
"We came into about the final kilometre and we both started really pressing the pace,鈥� the 39-year-old MP explained.
"About half a kilometre out, he made a pretty good surge and I just wasn't able to cover it. He's got great speed now and he was able to pull away. I just sort of did my best to keep the gap as close as I could.
"Normally in these races, somebody runs off somebody else's shoulder,鈥� Leef added. "He didn't do that at all. We ran side by side the entire way and just pushed. He showed a lot of strength in that final bit to run away like he did. My hat's off to him.鈥�
Leef said he was simply "pleased鈥� to keep pace with one of the Yukon's top runners.
"It's a really good sign for Yukon distance running, I'll tell you,鈥� Leef told the Star. "He and Logan Roots are both shining stars. It's been a lot of years since we've had two guys who could run under 16 minutes for a five kilometre at the same time, and both these guys are capable of doing it. It's pretty exciting for our future with those two.鈥�
Leef is currently a "free agent鈥� for the upcoming road relay. He is not on a team at present, but would be interested in competing.
Roots did not compete as he was running the Chilkoot Trail with another top Yukon runner David Eikelboom.
Thirty-one runners participated in the run, with 29 finishing.
It could be said Tom Ullyett was the big winner, as he took home a cake from Chocolate Claim.
TOP RESULTS
Male
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Logan Boehmer (1:00:49)
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Ryan Leef (1:00:53)
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Dominic Bradford (1:02:39)
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Scott Williams (1:05:43)
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Tedd Tucker (1:08:06)
Female
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Lindsay Carson (1:02:24)
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Amelia Fraser (1:15:53)
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Anett Kralisch (1:16:21)
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Helen Stappers (1:20:11)
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Julia Gerlach (1:21:16)
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Comments (11)
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CJ on Sep 5, 2013 at 4:05 am
JR, I know Chretien's government made some deep cuts. But there seemed to be a point to it, which was reducing the deficit, which seemed to plague all public policy for the decade before that. So while it was painful to some degree it seemed to make progress on what the goal was. I also didn't get the sense that the Chretien government was only capable of one or two objectives.
Harper's cuts are ideological. He inherited a good financial situation and ran up a deficit and now says he has to make drastic cuts to amend it. Every single day I'm aware of a reduced quality of life issue while I'm being told by the government how much better life is under them, using my tax dollars to do it. So he has to wear that and so does Ryan Leef.
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Atom on Sep 4, 2013 at 4:36 am
JR....we could just blame Sir John A MacDonald for that matter (the LRR's that is)....but then he wasn't around last year to reduce NRCan to 3 positions from 12....and on and on...it was the conservative Harper in power, at the time, with his minion(s).
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JR on Sep 3, 2013 at 4:43 pm
Actually CJ, the mass exodus of Federal Government jobs was a movement started by the Cretien liberal government. The problem was no one noticed or cared when HRDC offices in Watson and Dawson were moved to Whitehorse. Nor was a stink raised when jobs in a number of departments here were reduced and recreated in mass service area's such as Vancouver and Edmonton.
So we saw the reduction of large offices in Whitehorse and Closure of small community offices during the Liberal government. The whole government streamlining, of converting HRDC to HRSDC to SERVICE CANADA was a liberal initiative and now we cannot get a great many services in Whitehorse, gone is help with taxes, firearms, Status applications and many other services. What did a call to MP Larry's office at the time get you? The standard line, that by consolidating processing in larger centre's, and creating service centre's for government service help we streamline the system to better help Canadian's and save taxpayers money through efficiencies.
Problem is it didn't work, and a Territory Reliant of government jobs had over a third of them removed, and further losses due to devolution of other departments. Also part of Liberal regime.
But hey you keep trying eventually you will find some truth in your anti Harper propaganda, because obviously none of the comments against Ryan Leef above, have anything to do with the race he ran, but simply Liberal Rabble Rousing.
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CJ on Aug 29, 2013 at 2:17 pm
Oh, Nile, how small your dreams are.
And by the way, the picture you paint is nothing we didn't have when Larry Bagnell was MP and the Liberals were in power, except they managed to get by without decimating the civil service and jeopardizing the stewardship of our heritage.
Back then we could still aspire for jobs above ground that weren't directly connected to the ka-ching of the cash register and/or pillaging our resources. Kind of a bonus, to my way of thinking.
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Yukoner on Aug 29, 2013 at 7:34 am
Atom
I assume the (?) means you think I am not. Born and bred, 5th generation.
And like I said, this is not a political story, its about running. Sports is about elevating oneself. Ryan has always been a very talented athlete, less so a politician. But regardless, I still like Ryan personally, and have no problem separating the two.
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Jackie Ward on Aug 29, 2013 at 5:55 am
Quebec students? Excuse me? Is that the best you have? It doesn't matter who works those positions. It's our history. Do you care? They cut things that are vital to our economy. You support that? They cut positions they could of kept, and replace then with useless people in an office for millions of dollars that serve no one. Yeah, I guess you support that. Get a life.
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Atom on Aug 29, 2013 at 4:39 am
Nile.....alongside those Quebecers who couldn't get their Parks Canada jobs were the many long term Parks Canada employees who's positions were cut permanently, the environmental laws have been removed to allow for wholesale exodus of resources, when minerals become profitable again that is. Oh then there's the closure of the tax office......do I need to continue?
Harper is only a beneficiary of the mineral prices through the past decade, and that is a fickle plan. Lets all keep our heads in the sand....for Leefs sake.
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Nile on Aug 28, 2013 at 9:29 am
Ok Atom, I think that towing Harper's line has worked out quite well for the Yukon. We keep getting increased transfer payments, our territorial taxes are quite low and we have a voice in the current government. What do we have to complain about? The worst that has happened is some kids from Quebec couldn't get their Parks Canada summer jobs in the Yukon. If you just want a politician to shake hands and kiss babies and show up anywhere there's free food vote for Larry when he runs again.
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Atom on Aug 28, 2013 at 7:18 am
Yukoner (?)....now now, Leef is a politician by profession. He's running around for the cameras all the time but what has he done for the Yukon, except tow Harpers line?
Politics is public. If you want a better story on Leef, next time you're drinking with him tell him to focus more on his JOB. You'll be doing him a favour.
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Yukoner on Aug 28, 2013 at 4:48 am
Brice, that's a totally cheap shot. I didn't vote for Ryan, I don't agree with Harpers policies, I don't think Ryan is always doing what's best for us, BUT, this is a sporting event with nothing to do about politics. Personally, I've always liked Ryan and can have a beer with him and chat about athletics, just not politics. Lets leave the political BS out of stories like this.
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Brice Carruthers on Aug 27, 2013 at 5:42 am
Looks like Leef's running career is just as successful as his MMA career. Larry B must still kick himself for losing to this guy.