Runners woke to lifting clouds and a perfect 15C morning for this year’s Totem to Totem race.
Katerina Birklein-Lagassé of Montreal made good on it, winning the women’s marathon with a dazzling time of 3:29:42 — fast enough to qualify her for the Boston Marathon in April.
Birklein-Lagassé was hot on the heels of the first-place men’s marathon runner, Haida Gwaii’s own Luke Borserio, who crossed the line at 3:27:11.
“It was amazing — it’s really beautiful,” she said shortly after finishing on Saturday, July 20 and just before a recovery ocean dip at the beach in front of the Haida Heritage Centre.
In the half-marathon, the top medals went to Jordan Arthur of Forest Grove and Masset’s Katie Willmot.
The 10k winners were a couple of Kellys from Victoria, with Karmen Kelly taking the women’s prize, and Adam Kelly the men’s.
Once again, women out-hustled men in the all-important category of showing up, with nearly twice as many women taking part.
With “Maui 26.2” tattooed on his calf to mark his first marathon finish in 2012, Stephen Tollas left other guys few reasons not to try a Totem to Totem race next July.
That’s because Tollas ran and walked the 10k with some fancy new gear in his chest— a combined pacemaker and implanted cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) that he got in February following a heart attack.
“Anything to keep moving, to keep the heart going is such a motivation,” he said, joking that other runners better stay 10-feet back in case the new defibrillator sent him flying.
“It’s good for the mind, everything,” he said. “It’s refreshing.”
Scott Bell looks light on his feet at the start of the half-marathon. (Andrew Hudson photo) 
Kelly Miller takes off on the half-marathon. (Andrew Hudson photo) 
From left, Claire Hooper, Leila Olsen, Sachi Dyment, Hussain Sirhan, Gauhlaans Suzuki-Brown, Robbie Jongewaard, Tiisan Suzuki-Brown, and Shae-Lynn Pearson set off on the Totem to Totem 10k race on Saturday, July 20. (Andrew Hudson photo) 
From left, in front, Kelvin Adomako, Layla Reynolds, McKenna Willmot, Mallory Wallace, and Terry Wallace start off on the 10k with a cycling volunteer. (Andrew Hudson photo) 
Leidys Irina Barrios Barona waves as she strolls the 10k. (Andrew Hudson photo) 
From left, Donna Bottay, the Silly Sisters Marilyn Bliss and Maureen Bailey, Jane Dobree, and Lucia Larose walk the 10k. (Andrew Hudson photo) 
Amita Jaluria of Daajing Giids sets off with a four-legged friend. (Andrew Hudson photo) 
Masset’s Tando Dwyer, left, and Joe Pellietier run the oceanside half-marathon route. (Andrew Hudson photo) 
From left, women’s half-marathon winner Katie Willmot, Matthew Janzen, and men’s marathon winner Luke Borserio lead the pack. (Andrew Hudson photo) 
Dan Slessor is all smiles at the halfway mark of the 10k race. (Andrew Hudson) 
Women’s marathon winner Katerina Birklein-Lagassé crosses the line with a Boston-qualifying time of 3:29:42. (Andrew Hudson photo) 
Totem to Totem medals, designed and donated by Haida artist and avid runner Robert Davidson. (Andrew Hudson photo)
Race organizer David Seymour said he was really hearted to see the Totem to Totem draw 170 runners overall this year, continuing a steady climb back to the pre-pandemic record of 190.
All the runners were Canadian, hailing from big cities such as Toronto, Richmond, and Calgary as well as villages such as Gitsegukla and Hudson’s Hope.
Seymour said the Totem to Totem has come far since it started with just five runners in 2006.
One big help was finding a surveyor who could exactly measure the 42.2 km marathon route through Skidegate and up to St. Mary’s Spring and back so they could register it as a Boston qualifier. Organizers lucked out when they found a certified surveyor who wanted to visit Haida Gwaii to fish and see eagles.
Another major supporter of the race each year is Haida artist and avid runner Robert Davidson, who designs and donates the race medals.
Speaking to everyone gathered at the start line by the Haida Heritage Centre and its six Haida totem poles, Seymour dedicated the race to all the volunteers who make the race happen.
In particular, Seymour thanked the late Robert Jongewaard Sr., a familiar face at the Miller Creek and Balance Rock water stations over the years. Seymour also acknowledged the many years of behind-the-scenes work by Doris Rosang of the Skidegate Band Council.
“I know the runners are grateful to you volunteers for coming out and supporting them,” he said.
For a full list of the 2024 results and more info, visit www.totemtototem.com.
Fun facts
Did you know that “marathon” means fennel in Greek? In ancient Greece, the coastal town of Marathon had lots of the herb growing in the area.
At 42.2 kilometers, a marathon is roughly the distance between ancient Athens and Marathon — a flat run that a Greek messenger is said to have made while carrying news of a victory over an invading Persian army in 490 BC.
But the distance of a marathon varied for years after the first modern Olympics was held in Athens in 1896.
The standard was finally set exactly a century ago at the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris.