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UPDATE: Gerlach wins derby

Hundreds turned out for this year's Mission Soapbox Derby
Gage Mack crosses the finish line Saturday at the 2014 Mission Soapbox Derby.
Gage Mack crosses the finish line Saturday at the 2014 Mission Soapbox Derby.

North Vancouver's Megan Gerlach dominated the Mission Soapbox Derby for the third consecutive year.

The 14-year-old grand champion blew away her competitors as she crossed the finish line in just 36.26 seconds hitting speeds of 57.1 km/h.

Gerlach's closest competitor, William Dorbric, who is also from North Vancouver, finished at 39.01. His top speed was 53.1 km/h.

The fastest racer from Mission was Teagan Dunnett, who finished third overall in the tournament with a time of 39.36, and 52.8 km/h.

"It was a phenomenal day," said Mission and District Soapbox Derby Association president Remco Bergman. "I had a blast. We have good kids in Mission, good parents too."

Connor Pattison was named the Rookie Boy of the Year, and Helena Phillips was crowned the Rookie Girl of the Year. Gerald Becker won the Sportsmanship Award.

Beckett Evans received the first Citizen Award, presented by Abbotsford-Mission MLA Simon Gibson.

Evans received the award after declaring the race was not about winning, it was about participating and having fun, said Bergman.

In the mayor vs. mayor race, which kicked off the day, Abbotsford's Bruce Banman finished about a car length ahead of Mission's Ted Adlem.

While the average speed for the day was 45 km/h, the mayors' top speed was just 35 km/h.

It was the slowest race all day, chuckled Bergman, who is stepping down as the association's president to focus on his own career.

"There is a really good crew of people running the derby," said Bergman, who is considering being a volunteer next year. "But we need board members."

For more information about the MDSDA, visit missionsoapbox.com.