On Sunday August 8th in Ottawa, Pat Hartman earned the 2nd Canadian Championship bronze medal of the year for the London Runner training group - this time in the Youth Boys 2,000m Steeplechase event. Despite struggles earlier in the season, Hartman ran a big 5-second personal best time to his first National-level medal. Other competitors from the London Runner Distance Club at the Canadian Youth Championships included Sami McGuinness, who ran a personal best time in the 15 & Under Girls 2,000m, and Aaron Hendrikx, who ran a very impressive double and placed 4th in the 17 & Under Boys 3,000m and 6th in the 1,500m.

Looking back on their races, McGuinness stated:
"At first, I didn't realize how big of a deal it was, but once I got on the track it seemed surreal. There were over 20 girls in my race and I was seeded almost last, so I wanted to prove to myself that I belonged there. My Goal was to place better than expected and to PB. In the end, I reached my goal and was happy with my results. I hope I can build up to be an even better runner for next year so I can qualify again."
Hendrikx had high expectations after running a stellar 3:52.90 1,500m earlier in the season, but was feeling the effects of a long racing season and had to settle for 4th in Canada:
"Even though I didn't achieve my goal of medaling, Ottawa was still a great experience at the National level."

In 2010, the London Runner training group had a total of 10 top-10 performances at Canadian Track & Field Championships:

Canadian Youth Championships (17 & Under)
3rd Pat Hartman 2,000m Steeplechase
4th Aaron Hendrikx 3,000m
6th Aaron Hendrikx, 1,500m

Canadian Junior Championships (19 & Under)
7th Erika Houde-Pearce 2,000m Steeplechase
7th Aaron Hendrikx 1,500m
8th Aaron Hendrikx 5,000m

Canadian Senior Championships
3rd Leslie Sexton (UNA) 5,000m
4th Robert Kitz (UTTC) 10,000m
6th Kyle O'Neill 3,000m Steeplechase
8th Rebecca Pieterson 3,000m Steeplechase

2010 Kids Running Clinics

Is your son or daughter interested in running? Kids Running Clinics are a simple and fun way for them to start running more. The London and Area Running Association is hosting three 8-week sessions of Kids Running Clinics focusing on Road Running, Track, and Cross Country.

All Kids Running Clinics are led by experienced collegiate and post-collegiate members of the London Runner Distance Club.

Sessions for 2010

Little Road Runners
Tuesday, April 27 – June 15, 6:00pm, Springbank Park (Stone Cottage)

Track Stars
Tuesday, June 22 – August 10, 6:00pm, STA High School

Cross Country Kids
Tuesday, September 14 – November 2, 6:00pm, Weldon Park (Arva)

Program Fee

$50.00 Total per session
(please make cheques payable to ‘London and Area Running Association’

Registration

You can register at Runners' Choice (207 Dundas Street, Downtown London) or contact Matt Suda: msuda93@hotmail.com

The London Runner Distance Club took another step forward at the Canadian Senior level of competition this past week at the 2010 Canadian Track & Field Championships. Looking to improve upon their 2009 performances, which included 2 athletes placing in the top-8, the group was successful in doing so as all 4 LRDC-coached athletes placed in the top-8.

Competition started off Wednesday July 28, where Rob Kitz (UTTC athlete) got things rolling for the London Runner training group with his 4th place finish in the Mens 10,000m. While the hot conditions took their toll on the field, Kitz ran very smart and achieved his goal coming into the competition of placing 5th (4th Canadian). The remaining London Runner athletes competed on Friday night, led off by Rebecca Pieterson in the Womens 3,000m Steeplechase. While Pieterson was recovering from an illness that started just a few days earlier, she was able to race well enough to maintain her 8th place ranking and followed that up Sunday evening with a personal best time in the 1,500m at the final Runners' Choice London Distance Series meet of 2010. Kyle O'Neill faced a daunting task of matching his 2009 placing in the Mens 3,000m Steeplechase within the stronger 2010 field. Struggling with a very fast opening pace, O'Neill faded to 6th place, but will have the opportunity to redeem himself in 2 weeks at the Ontario Championships in Sudbury.

Leslie Sexton provided the highlight of this Canadian Championships with her surprise bronze medal performance in the Womens 5,000m. After a very slow opening 2,000m, the women began to ramp up the pace considerably and Sexton surprised herself by hanging on and setting a personal best and LRDC record of 16:47.33. Commenting on her race, Sexton states: "My goal going into this race was to finish on the podium, but I knew that this would take a smart race. The slow early pace that gradually got faster throughout the race set me up well for a strong finish. I am very pleased with my result, and I was quite surprised that I ran a personal best."

Reflecting on the meet, LRDC head coach Steve Weiler commented: "We're 5 years into the program now and it's exciting to see the Senior training group continue to improve at the National level. While it's nice to pick up another Canadian Championship medal, the key thing to take from the 2010 Track season for our group is that we're getting more and more Junior (19 & Under) and Senior (20+) athletes to 'dream bigger' and think long-term. We will continue to support our athletes towards achieving their goals and expect to have even more to offer National level athletes in 2011."