The seventh Girlfriends Half Marathon, a women-only 13.1-mile run and walk, will take place at 9 a.m. on Sunday in Vancouver.
Up to 3,000 women will run and walk a course that starts and finishes on 11th Street at Broadway in downtown Vancouver. The mostly-flat course follows the waterfront trail along the Columbia River and winds through Fort Vancouver National Site.
Registration is open through Saturday. Cost is $80. The event is staged by Northwest Personal Training.
Over its first six years, the Girlfriends Half Marathon has raised more than $250,000 for the Susan B. Komen for the Cure foundation and for the Kearney Breast Center at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center.
To register, to volunteer, or to learn more, visit www.nwpersonaltraining.com.
The Kids Mini Marathon gives children the chance to run 12 miles prior to the main event. At 12:15 p.m. on Sunday the kids will run 1.1 miles to complete their 13.1 miles. Cost to participate in the Kids Mini Marathon is $30, with that money going to the Children’s Center, a Vancouver nonprofit that assists at risk kids.
VLC shines at wet Row for Cure
Several boats from Vancouver Lake Crew won races during the Portland Row for the Cure held on Sept. 29 on the Willamette River.
The VLC junior girls double of Gabi White and Katie Hickey and the VLC junior boys double of Tuck Wilcox and Michael Hewitt each won their race. Also winning gold medals for VLC were the masters mixed double of Michelle Mand and Bob Farentinos and the women’s quad of Tracy Crossman, Nancy Chandlee, Cami Cadran and Cheryl Hryciw.
The VLC women’s quad of Ellen Torres, Suzanne Borchers, Kathy Gillespie and Jonelle Bataglia took third place.Vancouver Lake Crew won the trophy for the club that raised the most money. The VLC raised $3,925 for the for Susan G. Komen for the Cure breast cancer charity. According to VLC coach Alan Stewart, Ellen Torres raised $2,697 of that total.
Tourney highlights local pickleball
Enrique Ruiz of Vancouver won two gold medals during the Pickle Barrel Classic pickleball tournament.
The tournament held Sept. 28-29 at Club Green Meadows drew 162 players from five states and Canada.
A 2012 USA Pickleball Association national champion, Ruiz won the men’s singles tournament and the mixed doubles competition teaming with Caryn McComas.
Including those titles, the host Columbia River Pickleball Club accounted for 51 medals. The club had 52 players entered and collected 20 gold medals, 13 silver medals and 18 bronze medals.
This was the second year the club hosted the Pickle Barrel Classic. Competition was divided by skill level, ranging from beginners to national champions.
Pickleball is a racquet sport played on a badminton court. A plastic ball is hit with a paddle over a net that is just under three feet high.
Soccer club plans fundraiser
Washington Timbers FC, a youth soccer club serving Southwest Washington, will hold a scholarship dinner and auction from 6:30-9:30 p.m. on Oct. 18 at 400 S. Andresen Rd., in Vancouver. The event, which raises funds for player scholarships, costs $45. For an additional $10, there is a VIP event from 5:30-6:30 p.m. In addition to dinner, the event will include silent and live auctions. To learn more, or to purchase tickets, visit www.washingtontimbers.com.
A Portland Timbers Alliance club, Washington Timbers FC fields both recreational and advanced competition youth soccer teams in Vancouver, Camas and Washougal. It serves about 3,000 players, 2,000 of them in recreation soccer.
COMMUNITY SPORTS NEWS is published each Tuesday. Submit items by sending e-mail to paul.danzer@columbian.com, or call 360-735-4521.
