(Montreal, Canada---27 July 2019) William Cox running to bronze in the U20 3000m steeplechase at 2019 Canadian Track and Field Championships at the Claude Robillard Sports Centre in Montreal. 2019 Copyright Sean Burges / Mundo Sport Images.

Lions run well on championship weekend

by linkinbioUniversity

It was championship weekend across most of the country as the three of the four university conferences held their respective conference events Saturday. Among those finding a way to the podium was Will Cox who took home the bronze medal at the Atlantic University Sport (AUS) Championships in Moncton.

Cox, a second year student at Dalhousie University, edged out Graydon Staples of St. Francis Xavier by four seconds to claim his first AUS cross country medal. Cox completed the eight kilometre course in 25 minutes and 53 seconds to lead the Tigers to a commanding conference title.

Staying in Moncton, Mackenzie Kitchen and Ivy Bialowas placed 11th and 12th respectively in the women’s contest. Kitchen, running for Dalhousie, finished in 32 minutes and 2 seconds, eight seconds ahead of the University of New Brunswick’s Bialowas. Dalhousie and UNB finished second and third respectively in the team standings.

At the Canada West Championships in Saskatoon, Robbie Mitchell produced a 17th place finish to help the Calgary Dino men capture team silver and earn a spot at the USports Championships November 20th in Quebec City.

On the women’s side, Katie Newlove finished 12th in a time of 30 minutes and 30.2 seconds to help her University of British Columbia Thunderbirds capture their third straight CanWest title.

Closer to home, the Carleton Ravens traveled to Quebec City for the RSEQ Championships where the men finished tenth. Cameron Bruce was the top finisher on the men’s side, placing 47th overall in 28 minutes and 25.8 seconds. Pippa Norman was the top female for the Ravens, completing the eight kilometre course in 34:02.6 to also place 47th.

The university conference championships conclude this Saturday with the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees heading west on the 401 to compete at the OUA Championships in London.

Full results from the respective conference championships can be found at the links below:

AUS – https://www.atlanticuniversitysport.com/sports/wxc/2021-22/files/2021-AUS_XC_Results.pdf
RSEQ – https://www.sportstats.ca/display-results.xhtml?raceid=113844
CanWest Women – https://www.webscorer.com/race?raceid=258999&embed=2
CanWest Men – https://www.webscorer.com/race?raceid=259010&embed=2

Presidents_corner_banner

President’s Corner – October 2021

by adminlinkinbio

Hi everyone – and Welcome to our October President’s Corner!

The monthly President’s Corner is an opportunity to see what’s happening within the Club, to hear about what our Board of Directors is working on, and to learn about what we discuss at our monthly meetings.

What happened this month?

Our Executive Director and Head Coach, Richard Johnston, reported that our cross country season was off to an exciting start with the successful hosting of the Capital XC Challenge at Mooney’s Bay on October 1st and 2nd. He also gave an update on the preparations that are underway for the 2021 Canadian Cross Country Championships taking place at Wesley Clover Park on November 27.

Did you know that there are several ways to get involved with the Canadian Cross County Championships? You can…

  • Race in the Competitive u18, u20, Senior and Masters’ categories; or
  • Take part in the Community 5km; and
  • Volunteer!

You can register for one of the races AND sign up to volunteer online.

In other news, we are excited to report that our Club has been approved for the Ontario Trillium Small Business Grant! The hard work of our staff cannot be understated; congratulations to all those who contributed to securing this funding! Among other initiatives, this grant will be used towards hiring a part-time staff member, strengthening our safe sport policies, and upgrading some of our equipment.

The future is bright – our Club has applied to host several major events and are hoping to secure the NACAC championships in Ottawa in May 2022!

Tell me more!

Our annual audit will be taking place at the end of October and the audit reported will be released in time for our 2022 Annual General Meeting.

Last but not least, the first outdoor Ottawa Lions banquet was a HUGE success! Congratulations to all 22 athletes who were recognized for their outstanding performances over the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons and thank you to all who attended.

If you missed the banquet, you can find a copy of the President’s address below:

Forrest Gump once said that “Life is like a box of chocolates, because you never know what you’re going to get”. The past two years are certainly emblematic of that. Looking back to October 2019, the last time we came together to recognize and celebrate the success and accomplishments of our athletes, coaches and members, I don’t think that anyone could have predicted that a few short months later, we would be confronted by a global pandemic that would impact not only our ability to operate as a Club but also our day-to-day lives in an unprecedented way.

 

And yet, here we are. We truly have weathered this storm together. As athletes, coaches, parents, officials, staff, volunteers and members of the Board, we can be proud of what we have accomplished together – whether those accomplishments have been personal bests, Olympic successes, championship medals, the organization of a successful meet, congratulating an athlete after a practice and everything in between. Tonight’s Award banquet recognized these successes. We also took the time to recognize and honour the contributions and lives of those who are retiring from the Club or are no longer with us. You will not be forgotten and will be missed.

 

On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would like to congratulate all athletes for their accomplishments over the past two years. I would also like to recognize the continued dedication and commitment of all of our coaches, volunteers, officials and staff. To Richard, Connor, and Zach – you each have played an integral role in ensuring a safe return to sport for all of our members, athletes and campers – and we thank you. To our new staff members, Tim and Yolande, welcome to the team! We are excited to have you on board.

 

And lastly, to Jessica, who will be moving on after more than five years as our Office Manager, will we miss you. On behalf of the Board of Directors, thank you for ensuring that our Club ran smoothly, for always having a smile on your face when you welcomed us to the track, we’ll miss you – but we wish you the best of luck in your new adventures. 

 

Congratulations again to all members and to tonight’s award recipients!

 

That’s it for this month! Have a wonderful rest of October and a Happy Halloween!

 

Jennifer Dumoulin

President, Board of Directors
Ottawa Lions Track and Field Club
president@ottawalions.com

 

(prepared jointly with Zeena Rashid, Secretary, Ottawa Lions Board of Directors)

 

If you post on social media please tag @mundosportimages on Instagram or tag Mundo Sport Images on Facebook. (Ottawa, Canada---02 October 2021) Andre Alie-Lamarche (Ottawa Gee-Gees) competing in the University Men’s / Open Men’s race at the 2021 Capital Cross Country Challenge held at Mooney’s Bay in Ottawa. Photograph 2021 Copyright Sean Burges / Mundo Sport Images

Alie-Lamarche leads Gee-Gees at Marauder Bayfront Open

by linkinbioUniversity

Running along the shores of Lake Ontario, a small contingent of university and club runners toed the line at the Marauder Bayfront Open last Friday in Hamilton for some fine tuning ahead of the upcoming month of championship running.

Gee-Gee runner Andre Alie-Lamarche was the top performer in the fast heat of the men’s university eight kilometre race – placing 25th overall in 26 minutes and 16.8 seconds. The third year International Development and Globalization student has been the top scorer fo the Gee-Gees squad in every race he’s competed in this year.

Adrian Fournier was the second Gee-Gee across the line Friday, finishing in 46th overall. The pair of Alie-Lamarche and Fournier led the Gee-Gee men to a seventh place finish in the team standings, just two points behind Laurier.

The top Raven runner was Nicholas Hawyrsh in 85th.

On the women’s side, the Gee-Gees were led by Skye Pellerin and her 48th place finish. The second year student finished the eight kilometre course in 33 minutes and 28.7 seconds.

The Gee-Gee women failed to post a team score as only four runners completed the race after Kylee Fowler had to pull out.

In the community six kilometre race, Nolan Legare placed 9th in 21:38.9.

The Ravens were scarcley represented in Hamilton as they prepare for this weeekend’s Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) Championships in Quebec City.

The Gee-Gees will return to action the first Saturday of November with the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Championships on the Thames Valley Golf Course in London.

OTTAWA - July 14, 2021: Nicholas Pedersen competing at Ottawa Summer Twilight #11 at the Terry Fox Athletic Facility.

Pedersen sets new best at Canadian 10k Championships

by linkinbioNational

The 2021 season has been a shift into a new gear for Nicholas Pedersen. The 21-year speaks about a shift in his mentality – to running courageously. The shift continued to pay dividends Sunday morning in Toronto as he set a new lifetime best  at the Canadian 10K Championships. Pedersen crossed the line in a time of 31 minutes and 45.0 seconds to place 41st.

“I am incredibly pleased with the result,” said Pedersen of his first Canadian senior championship performance. “Given the fitness going into it, I knew that sub 32:00 was ambitious yet within range of possibility.”

Sunday’s performance was just the latest in a line of what seem to be continually improving performances for Pedersen. The early season saw him set back-to-back bests over 5,000 metres on the track – taking nearly 15 seconds of his previous best. He then followed that up with gold in the 3,000 metre steeplechase at the Ontario Open Championships. “The more I run courageously the more that I realize it is less about the courage and more so about the trust I put in my fitness and the training I have done which allows me to race the way I do,” Pedersen describes.

Sunday’s performance is seen by Pedersen as good litmus test for his ultimate goal this fall – the Canadian Cross Country Championships to be held in Ottawa. “I only plan on coming with that much more fitness and intensity come November 27 to put on a show for everyone who supports me and to represent [the Lions] through racing with every ounce of heart that I have.”
Pedersen was not the only Lion competing in Toronto this past weekend as wheelchair racer Josh Cassidy took to the line following his top-five performance at the Boston Marathon six days prior. Cassidy crossed the finish line in a time of 21 minutes and 50.0 seconds.

“I used to live near Lake Shore Boulevard near High Park and never raced any STWM weekend events, so this was really fun to do,” Cassidy told Athletics Canada following the race. “They just made this [wheelchair] event a couple of weeks ago, so it worked out with my schedule. It was a demonstration. Hopefully it is something to build on for the future with prize money and a bigger field. It’s funny, whenever I am driving roads, I am always eyeing them up for training. And on Lake Shore, you can never do that unless it’s shut. It was fun to get out there, a fun course.”

Copyright Brian Rouble/Shuttered Moments

Cassidy fifth at Boston Marathon; XC competes in Sherbrooke

by InternationallinkinbioUniversity

The world’s oldest marathon race returned to the streets of Boston Monday morning with a familiar face near the top of the leader board. Canadian record holder Joshua Cassidy placed fifth with a time of 1:28:56 – his fastest marathon since the 2017 edition of Boston.

Traditionally held on Patriots Day, the third Monday in April, the 125th edition of the BAA Boston Marathon was pushed to the October date as a result of COVID restrictions following its cancellation in 2020.

Monday’s event almost didn’t happen for Cassidy, who almost pulled out of the event in September after losing two and a half weeks of training due to a sinus infection. Despite the break, the three time Paralympian held tight to the front of the pack throughout the race. Cassidy battled for third with South African Ernst Van Dyk all the way up Heartbreak Hill, a 600 metre ascent between the 32 and 34 kilometre marks. Continuing the battle towards the finish, Van Dyk narrowly pulled away, while Cassidy nipped at the line by American Aaron Pike, who finish one second ahead.

Cassidy, who is also awaiting the birth of his first child with partner Laiken appeared content with the result, writing on Instagram “not bad, needed a bit more quality training, but so happy to be out there, happy to be home again, and grateful for everyone with the Boston Marathon team.”

Back in Canada, a small collection of Lion, Gee-Gees, and Ravens took part in the the Vert et Or Invitation cross country race on the campus of the University of Sherbrooke on Sunday. Nico Pedersen was the winner of the open men’s eight kilometre race with a time of 25 minutes and 49.4 seconds. Nathan Meraw of the Gee-Gees was the top male in the university section, placing 43rd in 27:58.8. The top female honour went to Kylee Fowler, a first year student with the Gee-Gees, who placed 42nd in 34:02.3. Carleton’s Sophy Wood was the top Raven in 46th.

Complete results from the Vert et Or Invitation can be found on the FQA website.

Leslie Estwick Coaching

Estwick named head coach of Team Ontario for Canada Summer Games

by linkinbioProvincial

In a post on their Instagram feed yesterday, Athletics Ontario announced Leslie Estwick will serve as head coach for Team Ontario for the 2022 Canada Summer Games. The Games are scheduled for August 6-21 with the Athletics portion being held at the newly developed Canada Games Park in St. Catherines.

Estwick is no stranger to the experience of the Canada Summer Games, having represented Ontario as an athlete at the 1981 Games in both the high jump and heptathlon. More recently, the long time jumps coach has served on the coaching staff for Team Ontario at the past three Summer Games. In addition to her Canada Games experience, Estwick has also served on Canadian Mission Staffs for multiple Commonwealth and Olympic Games’ teams.

“I am honoured and grateful to receive this appointment,” said Estwick in the Athletics Ontario announcement. “I have loved my Canada Summer Games experiences as an athlete and an assistant coach and I recognize its value in athlete development. I am really excited and looking forward to working with AO staff, coaches and managers to assemble an amazing Team O and bring an unforgettable experience to the next generation of athletes.”

 

Presidents_corner_banner

President’s Corner for September 2021

by adminlinkinbio

Hi everyone – and Happy (very early!) October! Welcome to our September President’s Corner!

The monthly President’s Corner is an opportunity to see what’s happening within the Club, to hear about what our Board of Directors is working on, and to learn about what we discuss at our monthly meetings.

Ottawa Lions Board of Directors’ September 2021 Meeting

During the September 13th Board of Directors’ meeting, our Executive Director, Richard Johnston, spoke to the exceptional performances of our athletes in the Ontario U20, U18 and Open Championships. Our Twilight Meets, which wrapped up in August, were also a huge success! The Board of Directors would like to thank and recognize Richard, Jess, Zach, and Connor, as well as all of our volunteers, coaches, officials, and athletes, for putting the effort in to ensure safe and successful meets throughout the summer.

Heading into the fall season, Richard announced that our youth and competitive programs have great numbers, including a strong contingent of varsity athletes from both the University of Ottawa and Carleton University. There are also several events to look forward to in the coming months! On October 1st and 2nd, many of our athletes competed at the Capital XC Challenge at Mooney’s Bay Park. If you weren’t competing, we hope that you were able to come by and show your support!

This year will also mark the first time in history that the Canadian Cross-Country Championships will be held in Ottawa. Mark your calendars – the event will take place at Wesley Clover Parks on November 27, 2021. We will continue to share more information about this event as it becomes available.

The Board of Directors also has some exciting projects on the go!

  • Our President, Jenn D., has been working to create a partnership with the Algonquin College Sports Business Management program to provide student interns with on-the-ground experience working with local sport organizations.
  • Jenn D. has also volunteered as the Safe Sport Champion for the Ottawa Sport Council’s Slack Workspace. Participating in the OSC Slack Workspace will strengthen our Club’s relationship with other local sports organizations and will help grow safe sport initiatives in the City of Ottawa.
  • James and Jen P. made recommendations to streamline our Club’s donation process.

Athlete and Coach Recognition

As a Club, we have much to celebrate since the last President’s Corner update. In late July and early August, several Ottawa Lions represented Canada at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Congratulations to Melissa Bishop-Nriagu, Lauren Gale, Tim Nedow and Glenroy Gilbert, who made us proud as they competed on the world stage!

We would like to offer our best wishes to Hugh Conlin who has announced his retirement from coaching. Hugh has been with the club since 1976 as a sprints and hurdles coach.

The Board of Directors would also like to recognize the loss of former athlete Steve Nkusi and would like to extend its deepest sympathies and condolences to Steve’s family and friends.

Staffing Changes

In September, we also said goodbye to Jessica McRae as she moved on from the Ottawa Lions after more than five years as our Office Manager. Her tireless efforts in ensuring the club ran smoothly while always having a smile on her face as she welcomed us to the track will no doubt be missed, and we wish her the very best of luck in her new adventures.

With this in mind, we would like to welcome two new staff members, Yolande Jones-Grande and Tim Nedow! Yolande has joined our team as our Executive Assistant & Registrar and Tim as our Manager of Youth Programs.

Ottawa Lions Banquet

Finally, we are so excited about the Ottawa Lions Banquet, that was held on October 2nd, 2021, at the Terry Fox Athletic Facility. Starting at 5pm, this outdoor event was a night to honour our members and all their hard work from the past 2 years.

It was great to see so many of you there!

 

Jennifer Dumoulin

President, Board of Directors
Ottawa Lions Track and Field Club
president@ottawalions.com

(prepared jointly with Zeena Rashid, Secretary, Ottawa Lions Board of Directors)

 

KO6A1537

Season starts off with a bang at Capital Cross Country Challenge

by linkinbioLocal

Not too often you get to wrap a Dicken’s quote into a write up about a cross country race, but the conditions at this past weekend’s Capital Cross Country Challenge was straight out of the opening lines of A Tale of Two Cities. Friday afternoon’s  high school section was most certainly the best of weather, while Saturday seemed to bring the worst of weather, but none of that seemed to deter any of the more than 520 runners competing.

Running under near ideal conditions, Amelia Van Brabant dominated the varsity girls field as she finished the grueling five kilometre course in a time of 17 minutes and 54.55 seconds. The grade 11 student at Earl of March High School in Kanata crossed the line more than a full minute ahead of runner-up Clara Hegan. The girls junior varsity crown was taken by Isabella Chiumera of St. Pius X, while Lauren Alexander of the Lions was third.

Frontenac Secondary School’s Angus Skinner claimed the win in the varsity boys five kilometre race in 16 minutes and 2.07 seconds, 21 seconds ahead of St. Paul’s Zackary Sikka. Caden Turcotte, of Kingston’s Physi-Kult Running Club, rounded out the medalists in 16:44.55.

Producing the tightest finish on Friday was the boys junior varsity four kilometre contest, where Simon Rosenthal of Montreal’s Villa Maria High School crossed the line 14 minutes and 13.61 seconds, just two seconds ahead of Mother Teresa’s Will Sanders.

The clear sunny skies of Friday quickly turned into dark grey rain clouds over night, but as bleak as the skies may have appeared, it failed to dampen the excitement for both the elementary school children and post secondary runners.

The open women’s six kilometre contest was won by Charlotte Langley of Queen’s University in 23 minutes and 6.04 seconds, but it was McGill who would claim the team title with an impressive 28 points as they managed to place all five of their scorers in the top-10. Sophy Wood was the top scorer for the Carleton Ravens, placing 30th overall in 25:23.69, while Kylee Fowler was the top runner for the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees.

The open men’s race was dominated by Queen’s as Kirby Mitchell led the Gaels to a sweep of the top four positions, winning in 19 minutes and 7.94 seconds.  The Gaels totaled 19 points, 32 ahead of second place McGill to take the team title. The Gee-Gees placed third with 111 points led by veterans Andre Alie-Lamarche and Adrian Fournier who place 7th and 11th overall respectively. The top Lion was Nicholas Pedersen, who finished a spot behind Alie-Lamarche in eighth. Darion Dillabaugh of Carleton was the top Raven, placing 27th overall.

The cross country season continues this coming weekend, October 10th, with the both the Gee-Gees and Ravens travelling to Quebec to compete in the Sherbrooke Invitational.

For complete results and photos from the Capital Cross Country Challenge, visit our results page.

OTTAWA - October 2, 2021: Zach Quevillon and the Aspire group at the 2021 Ottawa Lions Track and Field Club Annual Awards Banquet held at the Terry Fox Athletics Facility. Photograph Copyright 2001 Miles Rowat

Lions celebrate the best of past two year at awards banquet

by linkinbioLocalStatistics

For the first time in Club history, the Ottawa Lions gathered on the Mondo surface at the Terry Fox Athletic Facility to celebrate their annual awards banquet. Last night’s ceremony was a unique event as it also served to recognize the stand out efforts from the COVID shortened 2019-20 season. In total, 22 athletes were recognized for their outstanding achievements on the track and in the field, while the Sean Cole Memorial award for dedication to Club service was presented to long time official Rick Watkins for the leadership he has shown in building a strong team of officials in the Ottawa area in recent years.

The Gilbert Awards, named in honour of Olympic champion Glenroy Gilbert, are handed out annually to the most outstanding male and female athletes in the Club for both track and field events. Olympians Tim Nedow and Melissa Bishop-Nriagu captured their sixth and seventh Gilbert awards respectively, while 800 metre runner Stephen Evans and javelin thrower Olivia Merritt were both first time Gilbert winners Saturday night.

Saturday night’s victory was the sixth straight of Nedow in the men’s field event category, equaling the Club best of former decathlete Patrick Arbour. The Brockville native surpassed the Olympic shot put standard with a heave of 21.11 metres in his opening meet of the season back in April to qualify for his second Games. Hampered by an injury in Tokyo, Nedow placed 31st.

Melissa Bishop-Nriagu took home top honours among female track athletes for the seventh time and the first since the birth of her daughter Corinne in 2018. The 31 year old qualified for her third Olympic Games on the strength of a seasonal best effort of one minute and 58.36 for 800 metres. Bishop-Nriagu also experimented with the 1500 metres more in 2021, shattering her previous Club record by nearly five seconds and just missing out on the Olympic standard in a second event.

Fellow 800 metre runner Stephen Evans took home his first Gilbert Award for men’s track on the strength of a new personal best effort that moved him to second on the Club’s all-time list. The former USports champion  consistently ranked among the top 800 metre runners in Canada throughout he season and culminated his season with a personal best performance of 1:48.28 to place second at in an American Track League.

Olivia Merritt finished the 2021 season ranked among the top javelin throwers in Ontario on the strength of a new personal best effort of 45.08 metres at one of our summer Twilight Meets. Merritt’s throw also moved her to tenth on the Club’s all-time rankings in the event.

The most outstanding athletes in the under-20 category went to a pair of athletes who each produced international level performances in 2021. Sprint hurdler David Adeleye, who took home the honour for top male, just dipped under the global standard for this year’s World U20 Championships with his 14.14 second clocking en route to a third place finish at the Ontario championships.

Bianca Borgella set multiple Canadian records in all three of the sprint events in the T13 category in 2021 including besting the 100 metre standard for the Tokyo Paralympic Games. The University of Ottawa student was a finalist over 200 metres at the provincial championships and helped anchor the Lions to a second place finish in the 4×100 metre relay.

With the honour last night, Borgella became the second T13 athlete in Club history to be named most outstanding U20 athlete. Three time Paralympic medalist Stuart McGregor received the same honour in 1998. In addition to her U20 award, Bianca also received the Sam Estwick Memorial Award for most outstanding para athlete.

Luca Nicoletti took home the honour of most outstanding male in the under-18 category after capture the under-16 award two years ago. Nicoletti had a splendid season on the track, moving to number five all-time on the U18 200 metre list with a blistering 21.97 second clocking and nabbing one gold and three silvers at the Ontario Championships.

The top under-18 athlete on the women’s side was distance runner Amelia Van Brabant. The grade 11 student had a break out summer on the track that saw her smash personal best across all her events – highlighted by a 9:57.73 clocking to win gold over 3000 metres at the Ontario Under-20 Championships. It was the seventh fastest time among U18 women in Club history.

The honour of most outstanding U16 female was shared between the pair of Koree Yach and Joceyln Giannotti. Yach was a gold medalist as part of the U18 winning 4×800 relay that recorded the fifth fastest time at that age level in Club history and recorded the third fastest 2000 metre steeplechase among U16 athletes in the Club. Giannotti was a bronze medalist at 2000 metres at the Ontario U16 Championships.

Serge Faucher, a double gold medalist over 200 and 400 metres at the Ontario Masters Championship, took home the honour of most outstanding male masters athlete. Similarly, Kimberley Howitt received top billing as female masters athlete for her double gold at 400 and 800 metres at the provincial championships.

The Lions also recognized Olympic team members Melissa Bishop-Nriagu, Lauren Gale, Tim Nedow, and head coach Glenroy Gilbert as recipients of the President’s Award, handed out annually to athletes who represented their country on a national team in international competition.

Below is a complete list of those recognized last night.

Gilbert Awards (Senior)

Female
Track: Melissa Bishop-Nriagu
Field: Olivia Merritt

Male
Track: Stephen Evans
Field: Tim Nedow

Most Outstanding U20

Female: Bianca Borgella
Male: David Adeleye

Most Outstanding U18

Female: Amelia Van Brabant
Male: Luca Nicoletti

Most Outstanding U16

Female: Koree Yach and Jocelyn Giannotti
Male: Not Awarded

Most Outstanding U14

Female: Not awarded
Male: Not awarded

Denis Landry Award (Most Outstanding  University of Ottawa)

Female: Madison Clarke (2020) / Maeliss Trapeau (2021)
Male: Kyle Sprague (2020) / Quinn Lyness (2021)

Most Outstanding Carleton University

Female: Pippa Norman (2020)
Male: Michael Pinnock (2020)

Sam Estwick Award (Most Outstanding Para Athlete)

Bianca Borgella

Most Outstanding Cross Country 

Female: Ivy Bialowas (2021)
Male: Kevin Robertson (2020) / Sebastian Cino (2021)

Most Outstanding Masters

Female: Wendy Alexis (2020) / Kimberley Howitt (2021)
Male: Serge Faucher (2021)

Most Outstanding Road Racing

Not awarded

Most Outstanding Combined Events

Not awarded

Sean Cole Memorial Award (Dedication to Club Service)

Rick Watkins

President’s Award (National Team Member)

Kevin Robertson (2020 Pan Am Cross Country)
Melissa Bishop-Nriagu (2021 Olympic Team)
Lauren Gale (2021 Olympic Team)
Tim Nedow (2021 Olympic Team)
Glenroy Gilbert (2021 Olympic Team)

ACXC_Ottawa

2021 Canadian Cross Country Championships Take Over the Capital

by linkinbioNational

As Ottawa weather turns cold and wet, the country’s best cross country racers will heat up the trails of our Nation’s Capital for the 2021 Canadian Cross Country Championships, to be held November 27.

“Winning a national championship is always a special experience for an athlete. Athletics Canada is proud to provide a safe environment for all the competitor to do what they do best – compete. The same goes for the coaches, officials and race volunteers that make these events happen. With this being the first time the Canadian Cross Country Championships have been held in Ottawa, it is all the more special to put on this first-class event, with our first-class partners, in one of Canada’s greatest cities,” said Athletics Canada CEO David Bedford.

This race for the gold marks Ottawa’s first time hosting the event, a feat the capital will repeat in 2022. Wesley Clover Parks in Nepean will be the site where the first national cross country champions since 2019 will be crowned. The 2020 event was cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Run Ottawa has decades of experience showcasing the best road racers Canada has to offer at Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend.  Working with Athletics Canada as the Local Organizing Committee for the Canadian Cross Country Championships is an honour and pulls us off the road and into whatever Wesley Clover Parks has to offer in late November!”, said Ian Fraser, Executive Director, Run Ottawa. “Run Ottawa is also privileged to partner with the Ottawa Lions to help us execute a stellar Championship for Canada’s best athletes.”

Wesley Clover Parks is a new setting for Cross Country in Ottawa. While races are annually contested at Mooney’s Bay Park and The Hornet’s Nest, race organizers have created a challenging course that will allow athletes to push the pace on the flats, grind out the competition in the rolling wooded trails and take on the elements mother nature has in store for them in late November. The course has a bit of everything and will also allow spectators to get around to many vantage points and cheer on the athletes.

“As soon as it was shared that Ottawa would be the site of the 2021 and 2022 Athletics Canada Cross Country Championships, we didn’t waste any time. While it was only four years ago Ottawa welcomed the best in Canadian Athletics at the Canadian Track and Field Championships, we are thrilled to welcome Canada’s best harriers to Wesley Clover Parks,” said Ottawa Lions Track and Field Club Director and Head Coach Richard Johnston.

Upwards of 1,000 competitors descend on the host city every year to compete in the Canadian Cross Country Championships in the U18, U20, Open and Masters age categories. Consistent with Athletics

Canada’s mandatory vaccination policy, all athletes, coaches, volunteers and spectators will need to provide proof of full vaccination to participate in the 2021 Canadian Cross Country Championships.

The deadline to register for the 2021 Canadian Cross Country Championships is Monday, November 15 at 7 p.m. ET.

 

Important Links  

2021 Canadian Cross Country Championships information
Registration
HTG Sports hotel preview
HTG Sports hotel booking   
Volunteer information