On Saturday, April 4, and Sunday, April 5, nine athletes from the Georgian Bay Coyotes track team participated in the Minor Track Association’s Provincial Indoor Championships at York University. Athletes spent 16 long weeks training through the winter months outdoors, running hills, intervals, and many very tough winter boot workouts in fields of deep snow in preparation for this culminating event of the indoor season. Athletes were well prepared, and they rose to the occasion.
The strong team of Atom girls were the first Coyotes to race. Madelyn Moores, Iris Herman, and Avery McPhatter toed the line in the first heat. All three girls went out there and meant business. Madelyn set out aiming to beat the six-minute barrier and did just that. Her determination earned her a 16-second personal best. Iris raced with a steady increase in effort, displaying an impressive sprint to the finish and she knocked five seconds off her personal best. Avery McPhatter was very careful in her pacing and spread her energy out perfectly, leaving enough for a strong finish and an impressive seven-second drop to her previous best.
Mila Dolan, also an Atom girl, was organized into the second heat of racers. She went in with the slowest seed time in the pack, but she fought hard, leading the pack for a portion of the race. By the middle, her competitors caught up to her, but she finished with a strong kick, moving up in the rankings and knocking five seconds off her personal best time.
The Coyotes’ Seniors, Nathan Leary and Chloe Burgess, then took their turn racing the 1500m. Chloe was in the first heat of Senior girls. She struggled with congestion from a cold and found it difficult to match her typical pace. She crossed the line a bit disappointed but realistic about future successes.
Nathan was in the first heat of Senior boys and started with a well calculated pace. He broke away from eight of his competitors and enjoyed the feeling of leading the main pack of racers for most of the race, only being challenged in the last 50m. He finished with a quick sprint and was pleased to knock a whopping 15 seconds off his previous best.
After the lunch break, Mila laced up again to race the 400m. Her heat of girls all went in with the same seed time which made for some great racing. Mila went out hard and looked strong throughout the two-lap sprint. She earned another personal best and finished third in her heat.
On Sunday, April 6, McKenna Marshall and Nathan Leary arrived early to the track to race the 2000m, a challenging 10-lap race. Both runners held steady splits over their lengthy race. McKenna had never raced the 2000m before and she posted a great first time of 8:03. Nathan had raced this distance previously and set himself some challenging goals. He was pleased to see his efforts pay off as he crossed the line a full minute faster than his previous best. Overall, McKenna placed 8th and Nathan took 6th, earning each of them a ribbon. It was a very successful morning.
Later Sunday afternoon, athletes arrived at the track for the 800m race. Mite girl Ella Cleland was first to bravely toe the line. She was reserved in her pacing over the first three laps, and realized she had lots left to sprint to the finish. She took second place by a wide margin and earned herself the silver medal.
The Atom girls were next to tackle the 800m. Madelyn Moores, Iris Herman, and Avery McPhatter were all eager to attempt breaking the 3-minute mark for this race. Madelyn took off hard and held on tight. She managed to stop the clock at 2:58 and had lots to smile about. Avery and Iris were close behind, and coaches are confident that hard work will see them make that breakthrough soon. Mila Dolan raced in the second heat of Atom girls. This was her third race of the weekend, and she went out fiercely, hunting down yet another personal best. She achieved her goal and snatched 10th place overall.
Caleb Cleland, Coyote Atom boy, went into his race knowing that his winter training had been challenging due to illness. He was realistic in his goals and paced himself accordingly. He laid out some very successful lap splits and finished strong. With a new season ahead, Caleb is looking forward to setting new goals and personal bests soon.
Finally, the Seniors, McKenna Marshall and Nathan Leary ended the day for the Coyotes. It was thrilling to watch their gutsy passes and their claiming of space on the track. McKenna pushed herself to take six seconds off her previous best. Nathan, for the third time this weekend, pushed himself to a nine-second improvement over his best time.
“All in all, it was a hugely successful weekend for our young Coyote runners. They competed against the best in the province and held a strong presence in all their races. Coaches are very pleased with their personal achievements and proud of their sportsmanship and determination,” said the team.
