The Georgian Bay Coyotes have had a busy week with races for both their high school and elementary school runners. On Thursday, October 24, runners from over 50 secondary schools descended on the Greens at Renton to compete in the Central Western Ontario Secondary Schools Association Cross Country Running Championships. The day was cool, sunny, and full of anticipation for the more than 1,000 competitors.
The Georgian Bay Coyotes were represented by Kate Earle, Lydia Menard, Bryson Cleland, Harry McLennan, and Sebastian Mei in the Novice category. All finished the four kilometre distance within 19 minutes – with the fastest Coyote crossing at 14:44.
Isabel Spence and River Jones had impressive performances in the Junior races, showing poise and determination over the hilly 5km course.
Wes Brown laced up his cross-country spikes for his last high school cross country competition and was visibly proud and relieved to be finished with his gruelling six kilometre race.
On Sunday, October 27, fourteen of the elementary school-age Coyotes raced at Minor Track Association Cross Country Championships at Alex Robertson Park in Pickering. This event was attended by close to 600 runners from all over Ontario.
Tyke girls Iris Herman and Madeline Armstrong were the first Coyote athletes to race and they faced a crowd of 71 runners on the line. Both racers demonstrated keen determination, finishing in the top half of Ontario’s best racers. Iris Herman took 10th place while Madeline Armstrong took 32nd.
The Coyotes had two Tyke boys, Caleb Cleland and Eli McPhatter, ready to race next. Caleb was hoping to defeat his rival, Edward Scratch. He set out hard and took an early lead and continued to lead comfortably for over a kilometre, but his competitor poured on a burst of speed in the last 200m and just managed to steal first place. Caleb was very pleased with his silver Provincial medal and will continue to work hard in order to compete with his rival in the near future.
The Atom girls’ race was the next event of the day and it was the largest by far, boasting 140 young runners. As a result of such a large contingent of racers, clubs were given designated starting boxes. The Coyotes’ six Atom girls had to line up in two rows for their start. At the gun, the massive crowd took off and saw several falls before the 50m mark. Fortunately, all the racers bravely got back up and rejoined the masses. The Coyote girls faced two kilometres of hilly terrain, and thanks to their weeks of hill training, they all looked strong fighting their way up amongst the crowds. The Coyote girls all finished within a minute of each other. Mila Dolan crossed first for our team, taking 37th position, with McKenna Marshall and Madelyn Moores close behind.
Coyotes senior girl Chloe Burgess toed the line for her 3km race next. In the spring, this young lady broke her ankle in three places and couldn’t walk for six weeks. She then faced many hours of physiotherapy and has made an incredible recovery. She had some tough luck on the course, rolling her ankle and fighting through pain, but she finished well. She has been an inspiration to her teammates and coaches as we watch her gain ground and fight her way back into racing.
The final racers for the Coyote club were Senior boys Nathan Leary and Coby Roberston. They both looked confident and strong as they wove their way up and down the hills and through the pack of 52 racers. Nathan was pleased to catch and pass a rival racer from the Saugeen track club and finish in 30th place, while newcomer Coby Robertson was pleased to gain more racing experience and work on knowing his pacing.
The club will soon take a well-deserved two-week break before resuming training for the indoor season on November 16. For more information about the team, please visit their website at: www.georgianbaycoyotes.com.
