On July 5 and 6, the Georgian Bay Coyotes had 12 athletes compete in the Flying Angels International Championships hosted at York University. There were over 1,200 registrants in the meet which included athletes from seven different countries.
This was the second race of the season that saw all of the competitors battling with a heat warning and it did take a toll on the athletes. This combined with athletes being in the midst of their toughest workouts of the season, left some athletes short of their personal bests, though their efforts were valiant and the racing experience second to none.
The weekend got started with the 1500m races on Saturday. Madeline Armstrong ran the 1500m race for the first time and she put forth quite a gutsy fight, playing cat and mouse with a competitor before tiring the other racer out and keeping her position. She finished strong and took 6th place.
Iris Herman was next to make an appearance on the track and she also had a strong race and took 6th. Following her were teammates Madelyn Moores and Avery McPhatter who were both in the U13 heat of racers. Madelyn took off hard at the start of the race, eager to keep near the lead pack. This proved to be quite a challenge, and it left her a bit fatigued in the middle of the race. She finished well, taking 7th place while her teammate Avery took 9th place overall.
Nathan Leary was the last Coyote to race the 1500m and his race unfortunately was scheduled for the middle of the afternoon, a very challenging time of day for a longer race. Nathan fell a bit off his best pace, yet finished 9th overall. Interestingly, he crossed the line before a racer from a team called the Clarksburg Coyotes Track Club, based in Clarksburg, Maryland.
On Sunday morning, the Coyotes were back at the track in good time to start the day with the 2000m races. Runners Mila Dolan and Avery McPhatter bravely toed the line for this five-lap race. Both girls were a bit frustrated that they could not hold their pace quite where they wanted it, but they battled the heat and competitors as best they could, and Mila came away in 3rd place while Avery took 5th.
Nathan Leary was next to race, tackling the seven-and-half lap 3000m run. He was put on the track with the older age group which made for some good competition. In the first few laps of the run, the Clarksburg Coyote from the 1500m race worked hard to challenge Nathan, but Nathan maintained steady lap splits that saw his competitor tire after the halfway point. Nathan fought hard throughout the race and claimed 2nd place with his efforts.
Next to race was eight-year-old Eleanor Cleland. She entered the 200m run to get a bit more racing experience before the Provincial Championships in a few weeks. She flew around her half-lap, taking third in her heat and qualifying for the finals. In the finals, she bested her time from earlier and sprinted her way to a fifth-place finish. Before she raced the 200m final, she also raced the 800m. She was well warmed up from her initial 200m. She was placed on the track with the older age category of racers, and this gave Ella the push she needed to race her best. Unsure of her positioning against her own age group, Ella gave all she had and crossed the line a full sixteen seconds faster than her previous best time, and in doing so she also took first place in the U9 category.
The 800m races kept going all afternoon with Alessandro Brown being the next Coyote to compete. He had never competed at a track meet before but toed the line with some great training behind him and a positive attitude. He took off hard, chasing a very fast lead pack of boys. He held on tight for the second lap, and finished well, taking 5th place.
Iris Herman was next to race the 800m and she used her strengths brilliantly, taking off at the back of the pack and then working her way forward throughout the race. She took a full ten seconds off her previous best time, claimed 6th place, and crushed the three-minute barrier while she was at it.
Coyote Caleb Cleland had his mind set on getting a two-second personal best with his 800m performance and that was exactly what he did. Caleb took off hard and settled into the lead by the time the racers reached the 200m mark. He continued to hold the lead while announcers explained that the racers were close to matching or breaking the meet record for the event. Excitement mounted as it became clear that Caleb would break the record, though the moment was a touch bittersweet as a competitor behind him put forth a beautiful sprint and nosed out Caleb by less than half a second. Impressively, the first three boys to cross the line came in under the previous meet record time. Caleb was pleased with his second-place finish.
The Under 13 girls raced next. Organizers put both heats of girls on the track together which saw Mila Dolan and Avery McPhatter stepping to the line together. The competition was fierce, with the leader running a 2:36. The Coyotes gave all they had. Mila had a competitor on her heels for the last kick to the finish and she managed to hold her off and take fifth position.
Nathan Leary raced the 800m next, toeing the line again with the Clarksburg Coyote. The lengthier races seem to play to Nathan’s strengths, but he pushed hard in this two-lap sprint and finished just shy of his best time.
To finish the day, high school boys Bryson Cleland, Sebastien Mei, and Harry McLennan put their training to the test in the U16 800m race. It was exciting to have this group of young men along with the team and they competed well. Bryson battled hard with an older Clarksburg Coyote, and he crossed just behind him, taking 7th place. Sebastien and Harry proved to be each other’s closest competitors, and they put on a great show to end the day, finishing only four-tenths of a second apart and both claiming some nice new personal bests.
To find out more about the team, please visit their website at www.georgianbaycoyotes.com.
