Twenty-two local long-distance runners took part in the first Cariboo North East cross country meet of the year on Saturday afternoon (Sept. 21) in Prince George.
Perennial favourite Ruby Nicholas of Correlieu Secondary School (CSS) placed first in the Junior Female Category with a time of 14:39 for the 3.7-kilometre race.
Her sister, Claire, who was racing for Quesnel Junior School (QJS), also fared quite well, earning an impressive second-place finish in the Bantam Female race, which she finished in 16:22.
QJS’s Tyson Roberts and Caleb Woollends, as well as CSS’s Joshua Anders, all managed respectable top-five finishes for their respective categories too.
“We don’t have a larger number of athletes than previous years,” says cross country running head coach Scott Trueman, “but we definitely have a great team spirit. At our last race on Saturday, the whole team lined the course and cheered [our runners] to the finish. Even through we technically have two teams [CSS and QJS], they have really come together as a united front to support each other.”
Even though it is still early in the season, Trueman is confident the teams will perform well.
“I think our Junior Girls at QJS will be strong and our Junior Boys at CSS will be strong too. We don’t have as many senior girls or boys as usual though, and that’s too bad.”
The next run will be Sept. 28 in Vanderhoof, and that will be followed by a home event at West Fraser Timber Park on Oct. 5.
READ MORE: Quesnel Cross Country runners are in the zone
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