Out of the 78 runners who touched down in Summerland last weekend for the annual Summerland Sweets Cross-Country Race, it was a hometown teen who emerged victorious.
There was nobody who finished the recent 7.4-kilometre race faster than Peter Kunka, whose time of 27:45 was good enough to clinch the first-place result.
Athletes of all ages, from Kamloops to Osoyoos, competed in the event on Sept. 24.
The local winner was listed in the 16 to 19 age category.
Hosted by the Penticton Pounders Running Club, the race comes first in the Starting Block Interior Cross-Country Race Series.
Kunka now has two first-place finishes to his name, when competing in events sanctioned by the Interior Running Association. The Summerland runner finished atop the podium at the Penticton-hosted Campbell Mountain race in September 2022.
Other notable performances from the recent Summerland event include one from Emma Carter, whose ninth-place finish placed her at the top among all female competitors in the 7.4-kilometre field.
The event also featured a 3.2-kilometre race, which saw Penticton’s Miles Hayden set a new course record with a time of 10:54.
Jordis Hickie was the top female finisher after posting a time of 13:23, among the 54 participating runners.
Next up in the Interior-based cross-country series is the 8.2-kilometre Larry Nicholas event, featuring the Kids’ Fun Run, in Kelowna on Oct. 1.
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