The Canadian Cross Country Championships take place this Saturday, November 29 in Vancouver, B.C. The Championships are hosted jointly by the Ocean Athletics Track and Field Club and the Hershey Harriers Athletic Club at Jericho Beach Park for the fourth and final year. Next year the event heads east to Kingston, Ont.

There are a host of high caliber athletes from around the country looking to test the competition and race for a national title. Also on the line are qualification spots for the junior and senior teams that will represent Canada at the 2015 NACAC Cross Country Championships and the 2015 IAAF World Cross Country Championships.

Course map
Schedule of events
Competitor list

Women’s Senior 8k race
The senior women’s race features a mix of athletes with interesting storylines and backgrounds.

Natasha Wodak (Vancouver, B.C.), the 2013 champion, has been dealing with a foot injury since March so her build up hasn’t been ideal. “With this being the last year in Vancouver, I really wanted to compete, even if I’m not in top form.  Also I want to go to the World Cross Country Championships in March in China, so I have to try to get and a top 6 to make the team.”

Wodak looks forward to the conditions at Jericho Beach Park. “The muddier the better!  Last year it was pretty darn muddy and I did pretty well,”said Wodak. “It was my first national cross country title and I got to do it at home with my friends and family there supporting me.”

She knows winning another title won’t be easy. “The women’s field this year is unreal.  There are so many talented ladies running…Rachel Cliff, Rachel Hannah, Jessica O’Connell, Jillian Forsey, Natasha Lebeaud, are a few that I think will be hard to beat.”

Another athlete to add to that list is Olympic triathlete Paula Findlay (Edmonton, Alta.). Though she hasn’t raced cross country since 2011, Findlay represented Canada as a junior at the 2008 IAAF World Cross Country Championships. Findlay’s training is currently based out of Australia and has recently wrapped up her triathlon racing season. The timing worked perfectly for her to race the championships. “I saw that the cross country champs were in Vancouver this year, I thought it was a great opportunity for me to race. It has also provided me with some motivation to keep training well and diligently through November, having a race coming up always makes me more motivated,”explained Findlay.

How does she like her chances? “I go into every race wanting to be in the top 3, I’m not sure if this is realistic at the cross country championships since I don’t really know how my running compares to these running specialists at the moment. It’s been a really long time since I have raced any of these girls and I know they are super fast,”said Findlay.

“I’m super excited to race again after many years away from it.”

Other contenders to look out for include Jessica O’Connell (Calgary, Alb.). O’Connell’s had success both on the track, where she represented Canada at the Commonwealth Games and IAAF Continental Cup, and on the pavement taking home the title at the Canadian 5k Road Championships. After finishing 3rd at the cross country championships last year, she looks poised to challenge for the win. A couple of O’Connell’s Chiba Ekiden teammates Rachel Cliff (Vancouver, B.C.) & Natasha Labeaud (Kelowna, B.C.) also had strong showings in Japan. Cliff proved to be fit running sub-16 for 5000m on the track and Labeaud ran a strong road 5k at Chiba and marathon earlier this fall in Toronto. A trio of women from Ontario, Lindsay Carson (Cambridge, Ont), Rachel Hannah (Toronto, Ont.), and Sasha Gollish (Toronto, Ont.)should also vie for top five spots. Jillian Forsey (Kippens, Nlfd.), who was 14th at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, will be stepping up to race in her first senior championship.

Men’s Senior 10k race
Defending champion Lucas Bruchet (White Rock, B.C.) headlines the senior men’s race. Bruchet hasn’t raced much this fall due to an injury setback after his track season, but his recent 13:35 5k at the International Chiba Ekiden shows that he’s in good form.

“I’ve had a really solid build the last few months. Fitness is really starting to come around, and I’m feeling pretty confident going into the cross country championships,”said Bruchet. The British Columbia native is excited for the race ahead at Jericho Beach Park. “Jericho holds a special place in my heart. As a grade eight I experienced my first big race at Jericho (BC High School Cross Country Championships). It almost feels like its come full circle. Running as a grade eight, finishing 200 something, without a clue in the world on what I was doing to now leading the pack of runners.”

Bruchet is very familiar with his competitors and he knows who will give him a challenge. “My roommate! (Kelly Wiebe). Of course, I’ll keep an eye out for the Speed River contingent as they have several athletes that are sure to compete for medals.”

Bruchet’s Point Grey Track & Field Club teammate Kelly Wiebe (Swift Current, Sask.) also represented Canada at the recent International Chiba Ekiden & was the third place finisher at the cross country championships two years ago.

Speed River Track Club is also sending a solid squad of athletes to contend for the title. Chris Winter (Vancouver, B.C.), who has represent Canada at the World Championships in both cross country and track, finished runner-up to Bruchet last year by a mere six seconds. His club teammates, current 10,000m Canadian champion Barry Britt (Hampton, N.B.), World Championships steeplechaser Alex Genest (Lac-Aux-Sables, Que.) and Olympian Taylor Milne (Guelph, Ont.) could also make things interesting. After a breakout summer on the track and placing third at CIS cross country, Charles Philibert-Thiboutot (Quebec, Que.)is another contender to keep an eye on.

Junior Women 6k race
The top returnee in the junior women’s race is Claire Smith (Ottawa, Ont.). Smith, who recently committed to running at Stanford University, was fourth last year and set the Canadian Youth record at 3000m this past summer. Looking to challenge Smith for the title are: Villanova freshman & seventh place finisher last year Katie Fisher (Uxbridge, Ont.), 2014 OFSAA champion Branna Macdougall (Kingston, Ont.) & 2014 CCAA champion Mirelle Martens (Grande Prairie, Alta.). Other names to look for include: Jessy Lacourse (Victoriaville, Que.) sixth last year; 2014 IAAF World Juniors, Regan Yee (South Hazelton, B.C.) ninth last year; 17th CIS and Hannah Woodhouse (Clarksburg, Ont.) second at OFSAA.

Junior Men 8k race
Defending junior champion Justyn Knight (Vaughn, Ont.) has his work cut out for him in the junior men’s 8k race.A deep and talented field will toe the line in this event. After a brilliant 5000m race at the 2014 IAAF World Junior Championships, Knight has spent his fall training and racing at Syracuse University. Knight enjoys the conditions in Vancouver and keeps things simple when navigating the muddy terrain. “I don’t think there’s anything I can do other than be cautious and slow down on sharp turns,”explained Knight.

Last year’s third place finisher Mike Tate (Heatherton, N.S.) finished four spots ahead of Knight at last weekend’s NCAA Championships and looks like a strong challenger. Tulsa University teammates Ben Preisner (Milton, Ont.) and Issac Dobos (Oshawa, Ont.) should be in the lead pack as well. Preisner represented Canada this past summer at the World Juniors and Dobos placed sixth last year in Vancouver. A talented trio of Ontario high school students, Ben Workman (Kingston, ON) OFSAA runner-up, Ehab El-Sandali (Toronto, Ont.) 2014 AO Youth Champ & Miles Matthews (Tecumseh, Ont.) Canadian Youth 3000m Champ should compete for spots in the top five. Keep an eye out for Liam Kennell, the British Columbia native is currently redshirting this fall for Southern Utah. CIS top rookie Russell Pennock from Calgary, Windsor rookie Andrew Nebel, the 8k junior men’s race at the Ontario championships and last year’s nonth place finisher Jérémy Briand (Sainte-Julie, Que.) round out a fantastic field for what could be the best race of the day.

For more on the 2014 Canadian Cross Country Championships visit www.xcountry.athletics.ca.

-AC-

Jim McDannald
Coordinator, Communications
[email protected]