Canadian Wes Dearborn won the BAC Jingle Bell 5K in Pembroke yesterday as the festive season gained in momentum.

A record field of 265 runners and walkers congregated at Mills Creek Road and it was Dearborn, from Toronto, who was home first in 18 minutes and eight seconds after blazing a trail along Pitts Bay Road, on to St John’s Road and through Blackwatch Pass, before heading back along North Shore Road, making the descent of Cox’s Hill and finishing alongside the sponsor’s property on Mills Creek Road.

Stuart Palmer was second in 18:53 before a couple of promising youngsters finished third and fourth — 12-year-old Jayden Ming in 19:11 and Ryan Outerbridge, 10, in 19:13.

The first female runner was Deon Breary in 19:57, with Victoria Fiddick less than a minute behind in 20:47. Fifteen-year-old Quaashie Douglas was the third female to cross the line, in 20:50.

Winnelle Simons led the way in the walking race in 34:27 but only a few seconds behind was a furious finish, with Leonard “Shinah” Simons and Gary Young a stride apart on 34:31.

There were as many as 50 runners from the Beat the Couch group, some in their first 5K race. The motivation was to beat a couch that was pushed along the route by Chris and Ashley Estwanik, the champion road runners.