On Saturday, June 1, a small contingent of the Georgian Bay Coyotes Track Club and their families travelled west to Southampton to participate in the annual Huron Shore Run in support of local non-profit organizations.
It was an early, but beautiful, morning to run and the Coyotes represented their club and community well with their infectious smiles and strong efforts. Coyote runners and their family members participated in the 3km, 5km and 10km races with most of the runners besting their previous road race times. Of note, 10-year-old Madelyn Moores finished her 5 km race with a personal best time of 23:32 and secured herself 3rd place in the youth female category.
While the Coyotes’ younger runners raced close to home, high school-aged Coyotes Isabel Spence and Emmett Leary travelled to Windsor to compete at the University of Windsor’s Alumni Stadium for OFSAA West regionals on June 1. After two weeks of paring down the competitors at BAA and CWOSSA, they found themselves amongst some of the very best in Ontario.
Isabel Spence competed in the Novice girls 800m race. Her competitor Anieu Chan of Vincent Massey school set a new record in the event, running the two laps in 2:10.23, and replacing a record that had stood for the past 12 years. This posed a very big challenge for the entire field of girls. Isabel went in with specific times in mind in order to pace herself for her best race, but the fast start led her and some of the others to feel the pressure of keeping with the leader. This resulted in a slower second half of the race. Despite a very challenging field, Isabel placed a very respectable 7th, but coaches and parents were feeling heartbroken as this means her journey forward to OFSAA has been cut short. Isabel has incredible determination and will to learn more about racing tactics and she has gained some valuable experience from this tough race. The future is very bright for this young runner.
Emmett Leary competed in the Novice boys 3000m race. He got off to a fast start and needed to settle in for his seven and a half lap run. Emmett was part of a tight group of four leading the pack, but Emmett was looking to build a gap between himself and the other runners, so he took the lead and held a strong pace. One other runner, Charlie Bender from St. Mary’s high school in Kitchener, stayed hot on his heels for the entire race and passed him with about 300m to go. Emmett did not chase him, remembering to reserve his energy for the next race as his second-place finish ensured his position in the OFSAA finals in London. It will be interesting to watch the two come head to head again next weekend.
For more information about the team, please check their website at: www.georgianbaycoyotes.com
