If you have been around the Club long enough, you already know who holds the number one spot. Heck, you have likely known since we started writing this list. Murray Link of North Dundas District High School is widely considered to be the GOAT (the greatest of all-time) high school cross country runner in this area of the province. It is no surprise to see his name atop this list. A dominant force, the Winchester native would finish his high school career as a back-to-back-to-back winner of the provincial crown.
Link’s first go around at the OFSAA cross country championships was a fruitful endeavour, claiming silver behind Toronto’s Ricardo Santos in what would be the first of three battles the pair would engage in over the years.
In grade 10, Link finished off the podium in seventh, while Santos sat out the competition due to the OFSAA transfer policy. However, a year later the pair would again go head-to-head for provincial bragging rights. What transpired on that six kilometre course that day is certainly not something you hear of every day.
Link would win his first gold medal at the Championships, braving winter temperatures at the Boyd Conservation area in Woodbridge, but a chill in the air wasn’t the only thing trying to slow him down that day. While Link crossed the line two seconds ahead of Santos in a time of 20 minutes and 38 seconds, the margin of victory could have been much larger.
Link added his own touch of intrigue to the battle when he ran 40 metres off course before realizing the error of his way. “I knew something was wrong when I looked behind and no one was there,” said Link to the Toronto Star. “Then I saw Ricardo running another route and decided to quickly backtrack.”
A year later, the pair of Santos and Link went to battle once more, with Murray again taking victory, this time in the senior boy’s race. Link would again emerge victorious in his final championship run, winning in London by a comfortable 10 second margin to complete the three peat.
By winning back-to-back senior boy’s titles, Link became just the sixth runner at the time to accomplish the feat in the near 40 year history of the OFSAA championship, joining the likes of Olympians Bruce Kidd and Kevin Sullivan as well as famed high school runner Greg Anderson.
Following his graduation, Link accepted an athletic scholarship to the University of Arkansas where he would study Agri-business and run for the Razorbacks. Link helped the Razorbacks capture three NCAA team titles and twice earned All-American honours in cross country. After finishing his collegiate career, Link returned to the family farm in Winchester where he was a dairy farmer for over 16 years before having to step away because of a congenital bone deformity in 2017. Link’s name continues to live on at the Club with his son Jack running in the Aspire Program these days.