Sunny weather greeted more than 40 participants in the Chocolate Claim Pre-Skagway 10 Miler race Sunday.

The run described as a perennial favourite in the running community started and finished at Rotary Peace Park in Whitehorse, following a route along Robert Service Way and Miles Canyon Road, over the Miles Canyon bridge, along the Chadburn Lake Road, through Riverdale and back to the park.

Even with a north wind, most of the racers said the 10 C temperature Sunday morning was ideal for the event.

Running 10 miles in just over an hour 1:03:18 17 year old junior male runner Ray Sabo was the fastest overall in the event, having recently returned from the Canada Summer Games as a member of Yukon's track and field squad.

The fastest woman was Kelly Spiers of St. Catherines, Ontario, posting a time of 1:11:42. Having just finished hiking the Chilkoot Trail on Friday, Spiers decided to enter the race just for the fun of it. In doing so, she dethroned Sue Bogle, the second fastest women this year, with a time of 1:12:44. Bogle was last year's fastest woman.

After the race, Bogle said she was surprised how well Spiers did on the hills, considering she's from the relatively flat Niagara area of Ontario. Bogle stayed with Spiers for the first couple of kilometres, then got dropped, but thought she'd catch Spiers during the hilly section of the Schwatka Lake Road. But Spiers powered up the steep hills, leaving Bogle reaching for her power gel.

With some of Whitehorse's fastest masters male runners Steven Waterreus, Chris Locke and Bill Parry absent from the event, it looked like another masters speedster, Dan Shier, would be first across the line. But after pacing masters runners Steve Cash and Tom Ullyett for the first eight kilometres of the 16 km race, Shier uncharacteristically put on the brakes, leaving Cash and Ullyett to battle it out.

Cash became the second overall runner across the finish line, in a time of 1:06:38.

The ongoing popularity of the 16 km race stems from the fact most participants use it as a training run for the Klondike International Road Relay, which goes from Skagway to Whitehorse every September.

This year, the 10 Miler attracted two residents of the Czech Republic, Jan Polivka and Miriam Lukszovo, who have been working in Whitehorse for the summer and are now preparing to return home for another school year.

It also saw two teenaged friends from Vanier high school, 15-year-old Emily Wale and 14-year-old Coralie Ullyett, participate in the event for the first time.

Ullyett said she was doing it to prepare for Leg 9 of the road relay. Wale, a promising runner whose speed has been noticed at the Tuesday night Intersport 5 km Fun Runs, hasn't been picked up by a Road Relay team just yet.

Here are the full results from Sunday's race:

Midget Women (15-and-under)

1. Emilie Wale, 1:26:55

2. Coralie Ullyett, 1:38:39

Juvenile Men (16-17)

1. Ray Sabo, 1:03:18

2. Matthew Sutherland, 1:14:02

3. John Parry, 1:14:02

Open Women (20-34)

1. Kelly Spiers, 1:11:42

2. Miriam Lukszovo, 1:24:07

3. Cindy Freeman, 1:24:27

4. Staci Kindervater, 1:33:09

5. Emma McKennikey, 1:42:57

Open Men (20-39)

1. Joel Macht, 1:11:02

2. Jan Polivka, 1:17:18

3. Dan Curtis, 1:29:07

4. Patrick Anderson, DNF

Masters Women (35-44)

1. Sue Bogle, 1:12:44

2. Helen Stappers, 1:18:05

3. Keltie Hollingdale, 1:18:53

4. Kathy Randall, 1:25:57

5. Suzanne Duncan, 1:27:07

Masters Men (40-49)

1. Steve Cash, 1:06:38

2. Tom Ullyett, 1:07:24

3. Dan Shier, 1:09:31

4. Rob Legare, 1:10:24

Masters I Women (45-54)

1. Nancy Thomson, 1:23:56

2. Polly Thorp, 1:27:13

3. Margaret Mundell, 1:28:09

4. Brenda Dion, 1:29:55

5. Joyce Kashman, 1:37:19

6. Sue MacDunn, 1:41:33

7. Ginny Macdonald, 1:48:24

8. Darlene Metaseji, 1:53:17

9. Catherine Ziegler, 1:53:17

Masters I Men (50-59)

1. Don White, 1:09:40

2. Ross Knox, 1:15:31

3. Chester Kelly, 1:18:51

4. Grant Macdonald, 1:25:31

5. anonymous, 1:29:38

6. Carl Rumscheidt, 1:31:51

7. Ted Dean, 1:32:17

8. Dave Mills, 1:40:12

Masters II Women (55-plus)

1. Rosemary Plaskett, 1:41:33

2. Nancy Brady, 1:53:17

Athletics Yukon would like to send a special thanks to the event sponsor, The Chocolate Claim.

Also, thanks to all the volunteers: Tanya Astika, for organizing the event; Linda Stratis, for timing; course marshalls Ruth Hall and Clare Robson; Michael Brooks, Pat Daws, Linda Balcaen, Travis Freisen, Emma Ullyett and Christine Smith at the aid statons; and Tom Ullyett for course deflagging.