Cross country runners hit stride
TASSS students first, second in midget girls run at Kawartha meet
Anna May and Nadiya Linde Elmhirst are inseparable friends even on the cross country run course.
The Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School Grade 9 athletes finished first and second respectively in the midget girls fourkilometre race at the Kawartha High School Cross Country Championships.
They were among 220 entries competing Wednesday at Jackson Park ahead of COSSA next Wednesday in Belleville.
The relationship between May and Linde-Elmhirst goes back five years to when they joined the Trent Swim Club. They competed against each other in elementary school cross country when May attended Lakefield Intermediate and Linde-Elmhirst went to North Shore.
“I really enjoy being on the same team,” Linde-Elmhirst said.
“We not only push each other in races, like we did in elementary school, but we push each other in practice, too. I feel like I’m faster and better since we’ve been training together.”
In elementary school, LindeElmhirst always beat May in running while May was the quicker swimmer. That’s changed in high school.
“We kind of flipped,” May said. The girls ran almost side-byside for 2.5km. They pulled away from the pack at the midway point and May broke away in the final 1.5km to win by 21 seconds.
“We run a lot together in practice and all through elementary school pushed each other to be better,” May said. “We pace ourselves off each other.”
“If I was running by myself,” said Linde-Elmhirst, “I probably wouldn’t have a good pace but running with Anna, I think it’s the same vice-versa, we push each other.”
So, how much competition exists between friends?
“I’d say there is competition between us but at the end of the day we’re both happy for each other wherever we place,” May said.
All participants at Kawartha move on to COSSA where only the top four in each division advance to OFSAA.
“A goal of mine is definitely to move on to OFSAA,” Linde-Elmhirst said.
“I’m nervous about (COSSA), for sure,” May said. “It’s a big race.”
May finished in 16:08 and Linde-Elmhirst in 16:29 with Crestwood’s Mackenzie Garside third in 16:59.
Crestwood’s Jack Workman won the midget boys race in 15:23 followed by Alex Jackett from St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Peter’s Jack Ryan.
The top junior girl was Adam Scott’s Molly Strain in 19:12 over five kilometres followed by Cobourg Collegiate’s Sophie Cunningham and Adam Scott’s Sophy Wood. St. Thomas Aquinas’ Ian Dafoe finished first among junior boys in 18:02 followed by CCI’s Nick Hogan and I.E. Weldon’s Henry Stephenson.
St. Peter’s Audrey McCarthy led the senior girls six-kilometre race in 25:24 with teammate Tara Black second and Weldon’s Aly Dimoglou third. Pre-race favourite Marisha Thompson, of Norwood District, led at the halfway point but withdrew in the second half. She is still eligible for COSSA.
St. Peter’s Tristen Jones won the senior boys race in 20:54 followed by teammate Matt Cottam and Haliburton Highlands’ Isaac Little.