MileSplit Articles and Top Headlines

Canada Track & Field and Cross Country News

Year

Lanni Marchant On Fire for Toronto Yonge Street 10km Paul Gains Mar 27, 2013

By Paul Gains

Five weeks of high altitude training in Kenya appears to have done Lanni Marchant the world of good as she has been setting the Canadian road racing scene alight.

Last weekend the London, Ontario native smashed the nine year old course record for the Around The Bay 30km race by almost a minute and a half finishing in a time of 1:44:40. That outstanding performance was preceded by a new personal best half marathon time in Nashville (1:12:17).

Jim Finlayson interview - Post Comox Valley Half Marathon Chris Kelsall Mar 25, 2013

Post race interview with Victoria's Jim Finlayson, after his attempt to break the Canadian Half Marathon master's record.

Rachel Cliff - Q & A - Post - 2013 World Cross Country Championships Chris Kelsall Mar 25, 2013

Twenty-four-year-old Rachel Cliff of Vancouver, BC competed in the IAAF World Track and Field Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland, where she helped Team Canada (senior women) to a top-10 finish. Teammate Natash Fraser finished one position in front of Cliff however, they recorded identical times. They finished in 24th and 25th position, respectively.

Catrin Jones Interview - Post Comox Valley Half Marathon Chris Kelsall Mar 25, 2013

Post race interview with Catrin Jones, winner of the Comox Valley Half Marathon and the Rift Valley Marathon in Kenya. She had returned to Victoria twelve hours earlier and decided to take in the event, which takes place nearly three hours north of Victoria, BC.

Speed River In Action Across The Globe Chris Kelsall Mar 24, 2013

Chris Moulton Speed River athletes were in action across the globe and on every type of surface this weekend. From the World Cross Country Championships in Poland, to North America’s oldest road race in Hamilton and a kickoff to the outdoor track season in North Carolina it was a whirlwind weekend featuring many great results.

Comox Valley Half Marathon Report Chris Kelsall Mar 24, 2013

The Comox Valley Marathon took place today, Sunday March 24^th, under cool, breezy conditions with light drizzle. Five hundred and twelve runners started the race at 11:00 AM in downtown Courtney, BC. The winners were Geoff Martinson and Catrin Jones, of Victoria, BC.

All four Canadian teams place in top 10 at today's World Cross Country Championships Chris Kelsall Mar 24, 2013

Emily Hooper - Athletics Canada

Veuillez cliquer ici pour voir la version franÃ§aise

Bydgoszcz, Poland - All four Canadian teams finished in the top ten at today's International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Cross Country Championships. The senior women's team placed eighth, the junior men and senior women placed ninth while the junior men's team placed tenth.

Jim Finlayson Attempts Canadian Record - Comox Valley Half Marathon Chris Kelsall Mar 23, 2013

Jim Finlayson of Victoria, BC will attempt to take down the Canadian master’s (40-plus) age-group record for the half-marathon, Sunday March 23^rd at the Comox Valley Half Marathon in Courtney, BC. The current record is held by Kingston, Ontario’s Steve Boyd, which stands at hour and six minutes and thirty-three seconds. The race starts at 11:00 AM PST.

Team Canada - Ready For IAAF World Cross Country Championships Chris Kelsall Mar 21, 2013

Athletics Canada has sent a talented and fit contingent of athletes to the 2013 IAAF World Cross Country Championships that take place in Bydgoszcz, Poland on Sunday, March 24^th. This is the 40^th annual edition of the event that started in 1973 in Waregem, Belgium.

Martinson Prevails at the St. Patrick's Day 5k - On a New Fast Course Chris Kelsall Mar 20, 2013

Six days after Victoria's Geoff Martinson stepped off the plane in Sidney, BC, (feeling completely under the weather) to win a come-from-behind five kilometre race in 14 minutes and 32 seconds against second and third place finishers Ryan Brockerville of Vancouver and Clifford Childs of Victoria, he flew to Vancouver to pull off the trick again, at the popular St. Patrick’s Day 5k. He raced almost the same group however, this time he wasn’t feeling sick as a dog. Martinson won in 14:37.88 to Child’s 14:42.58. Third went to Nanaimo’s Forrest Simpson who finished in 14:47.65. “I was definitely feeling better this time around,” said Martinson.

Clifford Childs Interview - 2013 Synergy Health Bazan Bay 5k Chris Kelsall Mar 18, 2013

Interview with former University of Victoria Vike, Clifford Childs, who now represents the Running Room Athletic Club. Childs finished third overall at the 2013 Synergy Health Bazan Bay 5.

Synergy Health Management Bazan Bay 5k - Race video Chris Kelsall Mar 17, 2013

Video of the Synergy Health Bazan Bazan Bay 5k. This is the fifth race of the eight event Vancouver Island Race Series.

Kevin O'Connor - Interview - Synergy Health Bazan Bay 5k Chris Kelsall Mar 13, 2013

Post race interview with Kevin O'Connor, who smashed the BC 45-49 age-group record at the Bazan Bay 5k.

Sabrina Wilkie - Interview - Synergy Health Bazan Bay 5k Chris Kelsall Mar 13, 2013

Post race interview with Sabrina Wilkie who finished second at the Bazan Bay 5k. She is with the Point Grey Track Club of Vancouver, BC.

Ryan Brockerville - Interview - Synergy Health Bazan Bay 5k Chris Kelsall Mar 12, 2013

Post Synergy Health Bazan Bay 5k video interview with Ryan Brockerville of Point Grey Track and Field Club. Brockerville finished ina virtual dead-heat with winner Geoff Martinson in the time of 14:32.

Geoff Martinson Interview - Synergy Health Bazan Bay 5k Chris Kelsall Mar 11, 2013

Post-race interview with winner Geoff Martinson at the Synergy Health Bazan Bay 5k. Race number five of the eight meet, Vancouver Island Race Series.

See race re-cap article here.

Martinson Wins Synergy Health Bazan Bay 5k - Nine under 15:00 Chris Kelsall Mar 11, 2013

Nine men ran under 15 minutes in the Synergy Health Management Bazan Bay 5k in Sidney, BC on Sunday, March 10^th. The overall winner was former University of Victoria Vikes star athlete, Geoff Martinson of Victoria, BC who finished in a near dead-heat with Vancouver’s Ryan Brockerville – a Simon Fraser University grad and current member of Point Grey Track and Field Club - in the time of 14:32. Third went to former University of Victoria Vike Clifford Childs in 14:40.

Calgary women, Guelph men win indoor national title Andrew Maloney Mar 10, 2013

Calgary women hold on while Guelph men overtake lead to win indoor national titles

Derek Drouin breaks Canadian record as he wins the NCAA title Doug Clement Mar 09, 2013

Derek Drouin breaks Canadian record as he wins the NCAA title

March 9, 2013 By harryjerome

Derek Drouin photo by Sean Kilpatrick

Derek Drouin again established himself as a great competitor when the challenges are the toughest when everyone is striving for the gold medal.

Calgary women, Windsor men still lead into final day Andrew Maloney Mar 09, 2013

Calgary's women's team and Windsor's men's team remain on top heading into the final day of competition

Calgary women, Windsor men take Day 1 lead at CIS Andrew Maloney Mar 08, 2013

Strong performances in the short sprints and multi-events have the University of Calgary women and University of Windsor men off to a lead after Day 1 of the Canadian Inter-University Sport (CIS) Indoor National Championships

Synergy Health Management Bazan Bay 5k - a Competitive Race Chris Kelsall Mar 07, 2013

The fastest event of the 2013 Vancouver Island Race Series, the Synergy Health Management Bazan Bay 5k road race is happening this Sunday, March 10th in Sidney, BC (approximately 20 kilometres north of Victoria). The course is flat, fast and provides the potential for very good results. Because of the nature of the flat and straight course the field, as usual, will be competitive.

The favourite in the men’s division is Goeff Martinson of Victoria, BC. He is looking to defend his win from 2012, where he set the new course and all-time event record in the time of 14:20, where he was not challenged. This year may be different.

Rob Denault - Interview Chris Kelsall Mar 05, 2013

Rob Denault, who competes for the Villanova University Wildcats just wrapped up his 2013 indoor track season by acheiving one of his primary goals; running a sub-four minute mile at an indoor meet. He did so by running just under the benchmark of 3:59.39 as a freshman at the Alex Wilson Invitational at Loftus Sports Center on Saturday, March 2nd.

Denault hails from Aurora, Ontario.

Denault earned All-Mid Atlantic Region honours and helped Villanova receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships by finishing 19th overall at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional. He crossed the finish line in that race in 30:54 and was the Wildcats fifth counting runner. He also finished in the team's top five at all five scored meets during the cross-country season and placed second on the team and 53rd overall at the Pre-NCAA meet with a collegiate-best 8K time of 24:04.7.

CIS and NCAA Championship Previews Andrew Maloney Mar 04, 2013

The men's CIS Indoor Championships could be a repeat of the runaway at the Ontario Championships while the women's meet could be decided on the final straightaway of the 4x400m relay -- South of the border several Canadians will be in action at the NCAA Indoor Championships in Arkansas where the hometown Razorbacks are expected to win the men's title for the first time since 2006.

Hajo Seppelt Interview - On Apparent Kenyan Doping Chris Kelsall Feb 27, 2013

Hans-Joachim “Hajo” Seppelt is a journalist for ARD, a nationwide German TV and radio broadcasting network located in Berlin. He is, as his bio indicates, a film author who is involved in creating features and reporting for all of the German state broadcasting institutions. At this time, he is primarily reporting for the regional WDR network with the doping editorial team (WDR in Cologne).

Seppelt is also a reporter and expert for the ARD network on doping, politics in sport and coverage of the Summer and Winter Olympic Games, as well as other major sports events.
Seppelt recently spent time undercover in Kenya posing as a sports agent. His report, broadcast on German television as well as radio, created a firestorm of controversy within Athletics Kenya. World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) President John Fahey visited Kenya and asked the sports officials to investigate the matter.

One of the athletes implicated Mathew Kisorio, has received a two-year suspension. As a result of the broadcast Athletics Kenya’s Chairman Isaiah Kiplagat announced an ultimatum on October 17th that all foreign coaches working in Kenya without permits must leave the country in one week’s time. The announcement came one week after the report aired.

Courtney Babcock - Interview Chris Kelsall Feb 25, 2013

Chatham, Ontario’s Courtney Babcock is a distance runner who competed in the NCAA for the Division 1 University of Michigan Wolverines. At the time she earned a full-ride scholarship, but only at the last minute. Until her final year of high school, she was more interested in basketball and swimming and parlayed excellent general fitness into running competitively at a last chance meet.

She later went onto to compete for Canada in the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, the 2001 and 2003 IAAF World Track and Field Championships that took place in Edmonton and Paris, respectively. Babcock also competed in the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games. Thrice, she competed in the IAAF World Cross Country Championships.
She holds the Canadian 5000m and 10000m records of 14:54.98 and 31:44.74.

She is currently a mother of two boys and is coaching the University of Montana Grizzlies.

Speed River Inferno Chris Kelsall Feb 22, 2013

As part of the grand opening of their brand new state-of-the-art Alumni Stadium, Guelph, Ontario's Speed River Track and Field Club will host a unique, high-performance track meet on May 28th, called the Speed River Inferno. The event will be unusually fast, not just in regards to the pace that the athletes will be burning up the track with, but also in the length-of-time that the entire meet will take to showcase the elite talent that they are expecting to host. The Inferno meet will be just 60-to-90 minutes in length.

Stephen Kiprotich Interview Chris Kelsall Feb 19, 2013

Twenty-three-year old 2012 London Olympic Marathon Gold Medalist Stephen Kiprotich, of Uganda, is currently preparing to compete in the 2013 Virgin London Marathon on Sunday, April 21st. He owns a personal best time of 2:07:20, which he accomplished at the 2011 Enschede Marathon in the Netherlands, the the Ugandan record. His Olympic medal is the first gold for his country since his personal hero John Akii-Bua won won the 400m event at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games.

The Stunning Removal of Wrestling from the Olympic Games Chris Kelsall Feb 18, 2013

On Tuesday, February 12th, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) made a stunning and highly criticized move to strip wrestling, one of the world’s oldest sports, from the Olympics. The 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games will have wrestling, the exclusion starts with the 2020 Games, for which a host city is not yet named.

Dick Pound, former president of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and former vice president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) told Athletics Illustrated, “At a time when the fundamental Olympic values are under great pressure (just see what is going on in cycling and football, among others), the decision of the IOC Executive Board to exclude one of the most traditional of the Olympic sports seems counter-intuitive. This is all the more so when the obvious split among the members of the Executive Board suggests not a principled consideration and decision, but subjective personal opinion, perhaps in some cases influenced by conflict, or perceived conflict, of interest.”

Declan White - Interview Chris Kelsall Feb 06, 2013

Twenty-year-old middle-distance specialist, Declan White of South Surrey, British Columbia has committed to competing for Trinity Western University for the start of the 2013 and 2014 school year. He is competitive in the range of distances from 400m to the 3000m as well as cross-country.

On February 2nd he competed in the Jerome Indoor Classic 1500m event, finishing a respectable third behind the seasoned Geoff Martinson and Chris Winter in the time of 3:55.73. White will be competing at the Millrose Games later this month in the 4 x 800m, then plans to begin training in earnest for his first year of University.