The adventure of running through hills, forests, and mountains, as well as the thrill of feeling the wind rush past your ears as you run down a hill are only two of the reasons why cross country runners love the sport.
Cross country is long distance running through any terrain. For TDSB meets, the distance varies with age and gender, ranging from 3.5 km to 7 km. The cross country season itself is three months long and consists of at least three races. To participate in the regional finals, runners are required to run in two mini-meets. The top four teams and five individuals from Regionals qualify for the City Championships held every year in Centennial Park. Only the top runners from Cities move on to the provincial championships (OFSAA). In the last few years, Garneau has had at least one runner qualify for this prestigious competition.
A Garneau runner races for the finish line. Photo: Jenna Wong
Cross country can be extremely competitive. Most runners train an average of three times a week, while more committed runners train between 4-7 times a week, mixing endurance, hill, and interval training.
MGCI’s Cross Country Team, coached by Mr. Pearce and Ms. Tharshan, consists of 12 runners. They practice as a team two times a week after school, but all runners are required to run at least once more on their own time. In September, they participated in a mini meet at Stan Wadlow Park and finished strongly, with four runners in the top 20 for their respective races. The runners also performed well at their subsequent race earlier this month at Warden Woods. Next, the team will compete at the South/West Regional Finals on 20 October at Sunnybrook Park, with hopes of moving on to the City Championships.
