On Saturday, October 24, eleven young runners from the Georgian Bay Coyotes Track Club travelled to Queenston Heights Park in Niagara-on-the-Lake to compete in the Minor Track Association’s Cross-Country Provincial Championships. The event featured 26 teams from across Ontario, with 336 athletes taking part in the races.
The course consisted mostly of grassy terrain, with gentle, rolling rises and falls that made for some very fast finishing times. The weather was a balmy 16 degrees Celsius, an unusual treat for a cross-country championship.
The day began with the Peewee category, as the Coyotes’ youngest runner, Jones McIntosh, nervously toed the line. This was Jones’ first MTA race, and it was quite a debut. He got off to a good start, positioning himself in the front third of the field. By the finish, he was battling for second place and held on to claim the silver medal, getting the Coyotes off to a great start.
Eight-year-old Edison Scholl was the next Coyote to race. He took off quickly and settled into the lead pack. As he entered the winding final 400 metres, Edison was sitting in second place by a narrow margin. He timed his final push perfectly, sprinting through the last 100 metres to claim first place in the Mite boys’ category.
The Tyke girls, Dani Adair, Eleanor Cleland, Zanna McIntosh, and Lena Orosz, were excited to take on their 1.5-kilometre race as a team. All four girls got off to clean starts and stayed close together throughout the race. Dani was the first to cross the line, taking third place overall. Eleanor followed in sixth, Zanna placed 15th, and Lena finished 20th. Teams were awarded points based on their athletes’ placings, and when the results were tabulated, the Coyote girls claimed first place as a team, finishing ahead of the Durham Dragons and Etobicoke Track teams.
Seasoned racer Iris Herman and teammate Evelyn Scholl were next to compete. They faced the largest field of the day, with nearly 70 girls crowding the starting line. Both took off quickly, trying to get ahead before the course narrowed between some trees and wound around a baseball diamond. Unfortunately, Iris was swallowed up by the crowd and had to work her way forward throughout the 2-kilometre race. She fought valiantly and placed 10th among some of Ontario’s best runners. Evelyn finished 37th, an impressive result for an athlete in the younger age group of the two-year racing category.
Atom boys Casey Mothersell and Caleb Cleland warmed up alongside Hugo Martinek, a runner from the Collingwood Runners. The boys were in good spirits as they faced a field of 50 competitors. They got off to strong starts and settled into the second pack of racers. They navigated the course carefully, avoiding a detour taken by the rabbit that derailed the race of the leading runner. Both had strong finishes, placing 11th and 12th, respectively, just over 15 seconds behind first-place finisher Edward Scratch.
To close out the day, Avery McPhatter and Mila Dolan prepared for the 3-kilometre Senior girls’ race. Mila had struggled with knee pain during the season but arrived looking fresh and strong. Avery attacked the start and secured a strong position, while Mila also started well and gradually worked her way up through the pack. In the second half of the race, Avery battled a stitch in her side but resisted the urge to give in and continued pushing to the finish. Mila completed her 3 kilometres in just over 12 minutes, placing 20th, while Avery crossed the line moments later in 28th.
It was an exciting and rewarding day for the Coyote runners, who put their training and determination to the test. Remarkably, with a small team of just 11 athletes, the Coyotes returned home with three individual provincial medals and four medals for winning the Tyke girls’ team title—a terrific tally for the club.
The team continues to train as some of its high school athletes prepare for CWOSSA this week, while others gear up for the Athletics Ontario Provincial Championships. To learn more about the Georgian Bay Coyotes, visit www.georgianbaycoyotes.com.
