They came from Atikokan, Rainy River, and all points in between to test themselves against a tough course in Devlin.
The annual Rainy River District Cross-Country Challenge once again took place at Crossroads School—and this time it was even more challenging.
A combination of unseasonably warm weather last Wednesday and a course that was a muddy bog in some places pushed the 380 runners from 12 district elementary schools to their limits.
Although there were a number of impressive performances, none of the runners achieved a personal best over the course that ran mostly through the bush behind the school.
“We had slower times because the track was so soft,” acknowledged Crossroads principal Brian Love, who also is president of the Rainy River District Athletic Association.
“It was also surprisingly warm, especially in the afternoon,” he added.
Indeed, some of the runners did have a problem with the heat.
Alicia Desserre of Sturgeon Creek School saw her aspirations to do well in the Grade 8 girls’ event evaporate in the afternoon heat when she encountered breathing problems midway around the course.
She wound up well back instead of near the front with her schoolmate and eventual winner, Selina Potter.
“I have a cold and I just couldn’t breathe,” Desserre said, still looking winded nearly 15 minutes after the race.
Despite the adverse conditions, however, there were some who seemed to flourish on the challenge.
In the opening event, Jalena Strom (Sturgeon Creek) finished a full 1:04 ahead of the field when she scampered over the 3.2-km course in a time of 16:02.
In the Grade 4 boys’ race, Ian Friesen (Sturgeon Creek Alternative Program) was equally dominant, breaking the tape a full 1:16 ahead of second-place finisher Will Anderson of St. Francis in a time of 13:40. Nolan Ross, also of St. Francis came in third.
In the final event of the day, Talbot Johnson (Mine Centre School) was the only runner to break the 13-minute barrier when he took the Grade 8 boys’ race in a time of 12:56.
James Saunders (Crossroads) was second in a time of 13:20 and Jaden Chorney (Riverview) was third at 13:36.
The most exciting race of the day was the Grade 8 girls’, which almost ended in a photo finish.
A mere three seconds separated the top three runners as Morgan Riley (Atikokan High School) and Emma Elliot (Robert Moore) were breathing down the back of Potter, who hung on for top spot in a time of 14:45.
Potter led the race from start to finish, but had to press hard to fend off the strong challenge at the end.
Brandon McGinnis earned the first victory for the host school in taking the Grade 5 boys’ race in a time of 13:13. Donovan Cousineau (St. Francis) was second in a time of 13:20 while Jason Angus (Crossroads) took third place with 13:55.
The west-end dominance continued in the Grade 5 girls’ race when Kaylee Heyens (Sturgeon Creek) won handily in a time of 15:03. Kristina Robertson (Robert Moore) was second while Jillian Langtry (St. Francis) took third.
Dirk Friesen gave S.C.A.P. its second victory, matching his brother’s performance to take the Grade 6 boys’ event in a time of 13:53.
Brady Heyens (Sturgeon Creek) finished a strong second—despite having to run most of the course with one shoe after losing the other less than 600 metres into the race.
He finished only 18 seconds behind the winner in a time of 14:10. Rodney Spencer (Mine Centre) was third in 14:22.
Lindsay Rory (Robert Moore) topped the Grade 7 girls with a time of 13:51, followed by Taylor Latimer (St. Francis) in second at 14:28. Carrie Bragg (Sturgeon Creek) rounded out the top three in a time of 15:32.
Afterwards, Love noted the number of students participating was up from last year even though there were fewer schools involved. That, he said, bodes well for the future of the cross-country program in district schools.
“Our future looks very bright,” he noted Friday. “We have a lot of good young runners and the team we are sending to Thunder Bay [on Oct. 23] will be very strong.”
The meet in Thunder Bay is the Mid-Canada Cross-Country Championships sponsored by the Royal Canadian Legion, which encompasses schools from Manitoba to Manitouwadge.
The top 10 runners in each division will receive scholarships to attend the Legion Sports Camp for one week at the International Peace Gardens, located near the Manitoba-North Dakota border.
“Kids come from all over North America to attend that camp,” Love noted.
It also is from this elite group that the team for next year’s Canada Games will be selected.
Oct. 23 will be a busy day in Thunder Bay. The Northern Ontario Schools Chess Championships are being held that same day and Love noted that could present serious time-management problems for some of the competitors.
“I’m praying none of my runners are in the chess championships,” he quipped.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
