John Gay wins the B.C. Cross Country Championships

Canadian Olympian John Gay returned to racing on Saturday at the B.C. Cross Country Championships, after running a personal best at the Olympics. Gay covered the 8 km XC course in a blistering time of 23:26. 

Gay finished 11 seconds ahead of Canada West and U Sports XC favourite Thomas Nobbs and Cameron Proceviat of Simon Fraser Athletics Club. Gay and the other top finishers will get the chance to represent B.C. at the Canadian Cross Country Championships in Ottawa on Nov. 27 at Wesley Clover Parks.

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In the women’s championship 8 km race, Sarah Inglis continued her impressive form after winning the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront 10K last weekend. Inglis beat Canadian Olympians Genevieve Lalonde and Alycia Butterworth by 18 seconds to win the race (27:13). Inglis was the favourite coming into the championship, winning her last two races on the roads. Lalonde took some time off after the Olympics and is currently building back up to contend for the win at Canadian XC nationals.    

McMaster Bayfront Invitational

At the last OUA meet of the season, Guelph’s Mitch Ubene’s incredible winning streak came to end at McMaster’s Bayfront Invitational. The McMaster Marauders team was back to full strength, with the return of Andrew Davies and Max Turek. The 8 km race came down to a sprint finish between Guelph’s Nick Bannon, McMaster’s Alex Drover and Davies. Drover fended off his teammate and competition to defend his home turf, winning the race in 25:03.1. Bannon pipped McMaster’s Davies at the line for second, finishing 0.3 seconds behind Drover. McMaster had three runners in the top five, but it wasn’t enough to beat the Guelph men’s team, who edged them out by three points to win with 30 points.

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Guelph’s Kiana Gibson and Sadie Jane Hickson were both, once again, in the top three in the women’s 8 km. The two Guelph athletes worked together, pushing the pace from the front, dropping their competitors. It was U of Toronto Varsity Blues veteran Jazz Shukla who spoiled the Guelph podium sweep, finishing second behind Gibson in 29:22. The second-ranked team in the country according to our media rankings, Guelph finished off OUA regular-season winning their third straight meet. They will go into the OUA championships on Nov. 6 as the favourites to win the team title.

Toronto Women’s Run

The Toronto Women’s Run Series returned to Sunnybrook Park for the 13th edition of the women’s 5K race on Saturday. For many women, this race is an opportunity to run in a supportive and friendly environment. This year’s field was deep, with eight women dipping under the 20-minute mark. 800m Olympian Madeleine Kelly stepped it up in distance to win the race ahead of her old teammate Sasha Gollish and Somerset Jarvis in 17:17. This race welcomed 180 women in its return.

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5 km results:

1. Madeleine Kelly (17:17)
2. Sasha Gollish (17:29)
3. Somerset Jarvis (18:15)