Pattinson expected to give boost to St. Clair runners

The St. Clair Saints men's cross-country team has become one of the strongest in Canadian college sports.

Saints' head coach Paul Boots believes the addition of Riverside high school product Lily Pattinson moves the women's team closer to that level.

“She won WECSSAA (cross-country) in Grade 10, so she's talented and she trains super hard,” said Boots, who announced the addition on Thursday. “She's going to be a great addition. She could be one of our best runners.”

An honour roll student, the 17-year-old Pattinson was heading to university, but changed direction when she was offered a position in the paramedic program at St. Clair.

“I want to be a paramedic,” she said.

The 5-foot-5 Pattinson began running in Grade 3, but her adoptive parents were surprised to find out she was capable of doing it.

“My parents didn't know I could run, but my coach (Janet Benson) did,” Pattinson said. “I was adopted from China. I suffered from malnutrition and had rickets. They took me to see (Dr.) Steve Radovich and he told them both legs are really good for running.”

But Pattinson hasn't just been a standout cross-country runner. She has captured five OFSAA swimming medals, including three gold medals, and continues to swim at the club level. Pattinson also trains with two-time Canadian Olympic cyclist Kelly-ann Way.

“I do triathlons as well,” Pattinson said. “I was a swimmer, then got into running and then triathlons. I want to do an Ironman (Triathlon), but that's way in the future.”

Pattinson believes the cycling and swimming help her when it comes to running.

“I think mostly the swimming helps make me a better runner with the endurance from doing laps,” she said. “The biking, too, because it works different muscles.”

Boots said with Trinity Davis now healthy and Mya Palumbo, Hailey Jones and Natashia Atherton returning, the Saints could be in the podium hunt at the OCAA championships next season after finishing fifth in 2019.

“We don't have any individual personal champions, but six girls that can all be top 20 and when your sixth runner finishes ahead of another team's fourth runner, that's how you get to the podium, which we think we can do,” Boots said. “It's literally 30 seconds here and 30 seconds there and I think (Pattinson) will help quite a bit.”

Pattinson is looking forward to running with Davis, Palumbo, Jones and Atherton, who all competed at the WECSSAA level.

“I know some of the people running and it's pretty cool running as a team,” Pattinson said. “I'm looking forward to the team environment, having people to run with, because in high school I was kind of on my own.”

As for Boots' prediction of a podium finish for the team, Pattinson isn't ruling anything out.

“I personally think that would be pretty cool, but we all have to do our part,” said Pattinson, who is running about 40km a week.