Port Hardy's Ian Beatty was the top local finisher Saturday in the gruelling Kusam Klimb, the 23-kilometre mountain race held annually on Mt. H'Kusam near Sayward.
Beatty, 35, covered the up-and-down course in 4 hours, 10 minutes and 25 seconds.
The father-son duo of Bill and Lucas Rushton of Woss finished 10 seconds apart, with young Lucas, 17, apparently putting on a big final push to close in 4:35:32 to the 4:35:42 of Bill, 47. Denise Rushton, 47, also took part and was the top women's finisher north of Sayward, in 5:15:03.
Brad Nelson of Port McNeill, 50, was next for the northern end of the North Island, finishing in 4:48:34. Another Woss teen, Jacob Galeazzi, 16, came across in 5:05:01, and Louisa Bates of Port Hardy, 25, ran in 5:35:45.
Additional North Island finishers included Steve Bozman Jr. of Woss, 34 (6:33:26); Karin Sinclair of Woss, 39 (7:14:49); Krista Minar, 25, and Marian Minar, 30, of Port Hardy, who both finished in 7:29:57; Jim Swift of Port Hardy, 48 (7:50:27); Jen Swift of Port Hardy, 44 (7:53:56); Peta Kelly of Woss, 56 (8:02:26); Adrienne Ashford of Port McNeill, 41 (9:49:00); Sherri Wenman of Port McNeill, 35 (9:49:00); Ken Emms of Woss, 59 (9:54:59); Jim Corbett of Woss, 55 (11:00:41); and Jean Soutar of Port McNeill, 65, and Samantha Soutar of Port Hardy, 39, who were the event's last official finishers, in 13:41:33.