WESTAWAY’S NEW MARK EARNS CHEERS FROM BISHOP, CUMMINS

Jenna Westaway runs on an oval, in a circle. She runs, as she puts it, for and with the help of her community, her people. They include coach Dave Scott-Thomas, University of Guelph and Speed River Track Club teammates, her mother Myra, father Michael and younger brother Cal, her boyfriend Luke Charbonneau and the integrated support team of medical professionals that keeps her moving.

When she broke Diane Cummins’ Canadian record in the indoor 1,000 metres on Feb. 8 and followed it up last Sunday by running 1: 59.87 in the 800 metres — becoming the first Canadian woman to go sub-two minutes indoors while lowering Melissa Bishop’s national record — Westaway’s community grew two people larger and even more supportive.

Bishop and Cummins both messaged her with congratulations and encouragement.

“A huge part of the emotions that were so strong for me this past weekend were seeing the time and knowing that’s a reflection of the support of others and of the persistent work I have been putting in over the years,” said Westaway. “To see that manifest into a solid performance is really empowering and very satisfying.

“Despite track being an individual sport, of being an individual in the moment, it’s based in community and I believe that very strongly.”

Cummins owned the 800- metre mark for 13 years until Bishop broke it in 2016. Their achievements bond fierce competitors and exemplar y sportswomen whose careers basically span three generations. Cummins is 45, Bishop 30, Westaway 24.

“Three generations who know each other, competed against each other and continue to support each other,” said Cummins.

“If Jenna keeps going and I hope she does because she clearly has an amazingly bright future, I could be in my 60s before she retires. Trust me, I remember being on that line thinking I hope that young kid doesn’t beat me. Now to be able to cheer for her is pretty cool.”

For Westaway, reading the messages of encouragement from the women who owned the record before her is also cool. And it reinforces her belief in community.

“In their reaching out, all of a sudden this one achieve- ment was shared between a few people. Hugging my coach at the end of the race, that’s a moment shared.

“Now having this record means that when it’s broken, I have the chance to share it with that next person. So I’m looking forward to seeing who breaks it and reaching out to them and just having another moment.

“That’s what makes a record so fun. They’re made to be broken and they’re meant to be shared, to connect people between generations, to bring people together.”

This record in particular should be shouted from the rooftops, Cummins believes.

“This needs to be a big deal. What Jenna is doing is incredibly amazing and we just don’t seem to be making a big enough deal about it. To be the first woman in Canada ever to run under two minutes indoors is exceptional.”

It’s rare even around the globe. Westaway is one of just eight women from six countries to crack the two-minute mark indoors this season.

“I guess I haven’t let that one sink in too much,” she said. “It is cool. I feel good. It’s a step in the right direction.”

Her steps toward elite middle distance racing can be retraced to a couple of watershed events during her formative years in Calgary, where she was born.

“I was of the age where the Terry Fox Run in September was really quite big when I was in elementary school. I lived for that day. We used to count how many laps we could do of the outdoor track at my primary school and I would run myself dizzy.

“I couldn’t tell you how many, but I know I was hurting and just loving it. So that was the start of the running career, competing with the other kids, really just thinking about a Canadian hero.”

Into Grade 7, she played volleyball and soccer and had no idea track was a sport unto itself, until she witnessed Florence GriffithJoyner on TV.

“She put her hands on the track and flipped her fingers. It was the fingernails that got me. She put her hands on the track and just crushed the field. I said to my mom, this is a sport? You just run? You don’t have to kick a ball or pass anything? You just get to run? She said yes, do you want to try it? I said yeah.”

Westaway didn’t finish her first 800, the pain was so intense. But she asked her mom to sign her up for another, finished that one, and was hooked.