Quebec to hold first outdoor track meet of 2020
Friday evening will see the first outdoor Canadian track meet of the year
On Friday evening track competitions will officially resume in Quebec, as they become the first Canadian province with an official track schedule, approved by a their provincial branch. With impressive results streaming in from small meets taking place across America, it’s exciting to see that Canadians are ready to safely get back to competition as well. Here’s a look at the schedule and safety measures for their condensed summer calendar.
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Friday’s meet
On July 17, Quebec City will most a small twilight meet with 127 entrants who are mostly from the area. Top runners to watch will be Maite Bouchard, who ran the Quebec indoor 800m record this winter of 2:00.93 and the 2019 Canadian junior 800m champion Olivier Desmeules. Both runners will compete in the 400m, the longest of Friday’s events, as middle and long distance track races won’t be allowed until August 1.
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The schedule going forward
As of August 1, runners will be allowed to race track events up to the 3,000m.
July 17, 2020 – Red and Gold evening #1 (sprints up to 400m)
July 18, 2020 – On Court Montreal (5K, 10K, 21.1K)
August 1, 2020 – Isle-aux-Coudres Half-Marathon
August 1, 2020 – Red and Gold #2 (sprints through 3,000m)
August 8, 2020 – L’Ephemeros COCH Sainte Therese (track meet, details pending)
The safety measures
According to Athletics Quebec, runners will race no more than six at a time, run in their own lane for the first 200m and when passing, are asked to keep distance between themselves and other runners. Relay events are still prohibited at this time. There are six meets total scheduled for this summer and will take place between Sherbrooke, Quebec City and Sainte-Therese. While most of the competitors will be local, all Canadians are welcome to race.
As announced earlier this year, any mark achieved during summer 2020 will not count towards Olympic qualification. The new qualification window opens on December 1, to ensure that everyone has reasonable access to training facilities and competitions.
The full return to play plan can be found here.
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