The 2021 Canadian Cross-Country Championship day was a good one for steeplechasers. John Gay and Geneviève Lalonde, both 3,000m steeplechase finalists at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, respectively took home gold in the men’s and women’s 10k open races at Wesley Clover Parks in Ottawa, Ontario.
Gay of Vancouver and Lalonde of Moncton were the final two winners on a day that saw more than 1,000 runners brave a frozen course and temperatures well under zero.
The full results can be found here: https://www.sportstats.ca/display-results.xhtml?raceid=114091
Here is a breakdown of what happened on the course, per category.
Open Women’s 10k
Geneviève Lalonde broke away from another steeplechaser, Maria Bernard-Galea of Alberta, shortly after the mid-point of the race to capture her third consecutive ACXC title in a time of 36:21. The two women ran away from the pack in the first kilometres of the race, and Bernard-Galea held on for silver in 36:45. Toronto’s Alexandra Lucki claimed bronze in 37:54.
Lalonde was pleased with her race and said that being the defending champion did not add much pressure.
“Every course is different and competing and doing your best never gets old,” she said.
Open Men’s 10k
The men’s race was unpredictably dominated by a trio of track athletes, while defending champion Mike Tate fell to eighth place.
The lead pack was still ten men wide in the late stages of the race, when John Gay made a surged that gapped everybody by 50 metres. He crossed the line in 31:34. Charles Philibert-Thiboutot of Quebec, a 3:34 1,500m runner, finished second in 31:42, followed closely by 800m runner Cameron Proceviat. Gay said seeing fellow track runners like Lalonde and Bernard-Galea dominate the women’s field gave him confidence as he prepared for his race.
“I figured that was just as good a justification as any for me to go for the win… I’m glad I could keep my foot on the gas pedal,” he said, before smiling and adding that he is two for two in races since becoming married to his wife Camille.
Women’s U20 6k
Sadie Sigfstead of Edmonton posted the most dominating win of the day, running the course in 22:14 and finishing a full minute and 11 seconds ahead of second place finisher Maya Kobylanski of Surrey, B.C. Katie Newlove of Ottawa rounded out the top three, clocking in five seconds after Kobylanski in 23:30.
Sigfstead, a freshman at Villanova, was just one week removed from the NCAA championship, where she finished 93rd. She said she accomplished her goal of finishing her year on a higher note, despite struggling with Ottawa’s tough weather and course.
“It was a tough, gritty, cold race today, you never really feel great during it… your momentum gets constantly broken, you had to get used to not feeling smooth,” she said. “I was happy to be out there today – a great end to the season.”
Men’s U20 8k
17-year-old Nolan Turgeon elected to race up a category to test himself over 8k instead of 6k and ended up stealing the show. The young Quebecer from Victoriaville posted a time of 26:26, beating Red Deer’s Jared Howse by five seconds. Spencer Hardy of Vancouver came in at 26:59 for bronze.
Turgeon gapped the entire field early on, but then retreated to run with the pack when the wind started feeling strong.
“I’m glad I was strategic,” said Turgeon, before pointing to his bloodied knee and adding that the course was muddier and more technical than he had expected. “I felt so good that way and had lots left to give at the end.”
Girls’ U18 4k
Ruby Broadbent of Victoria put nine seconds on Toronto’s Emily Cescon in what ended up being a two-horse race. Stephanie Bertram of Toronto narrowly beat out Christina Peet Williams of Chilliwack for bronze, posting a time of 15:08.
Broadbent, through frozen cheeks, said the support and cheers from her coach, mother and teammates helped her to bring her A-game, despite the early morning’s temperature of -7 degrees.
“I was hoping to go top five, and I’m really happy with how it felt.”
Boys’ U18 4k
A pair of teammates from the London Western Track and Field Club. Aiden Coles and Heath McAllister finished first and second in a tight race to the podium, posting times of 19:49 and 19:52, respectively. Erik Unger of Selwyn, Ontario was third in 19:54.
“We came out here with the goal to take the team title… that was our sole goal coming here.” said Coles, whose twin brother Tristan finished fourth. “(ACXC was) probably all our best races of the season.
Master’s women 8k
Jen Millar of Victoria won the race in 32:47, propelled by a fan club comprised of her former teammates at Queen’s University from 20 years ago. Tiffany Newell of Welland, Ont. and Robyn Poulin of Vernon, B.C. had a close fight for silver, with Newell pulling ahead by two seconds and stopping the clock at 33:18.
There were hints of nostalgia to Millar’s race.
“20 years ago I was running in this, so it kinda brought me back to those roots,” she said, her teammates still cheering in the background. “(My teammates) were giving cues on where I was.”
Master’s men 8k
Aaron Holmgren of North Saanich, B.C. dominated the first sanctioned race of the day. His time of 28:55 bested silver medalist Jean-Pierre Poulin of Mont Saint-Hilaire by 44 seconds. Hajin Tola of Toronto finished just five metres back of Poulin and claimed bronze in 29:41.
Master’s 6k (70+)
John Clarke of Orangeville, Ontario won commandingly in 27:25, beating second place finisher Michael Secker of Edmonton by more than three minutes. Secker’s time of 30:59 gave him a six second win over Ray Tucker, who finished third in 31:05. Avril Douglas of Richmond, B.C. was the top female finisher in 37:01.
