ANCASTER, Ont. - For OCAA cross country runners, the provincial championship is a grueling test of endurance and skill. On a good day, runners are pushed to their absolute limit. Crossing the finish line with nothing left but the determination to finish the race, it is one of the most primitive forms of sport.
Redeemer hosted 200 of these determined racers on Saturday at the 2013 OCAA provincial cross country championships. The women's and men's races showcase the top college runners in the province and a number of the top runners in the country.
Cross country running is an exhausting sport in itself, but competing on one of the most difficult courses of the season at the Dundas Valley Conservation Area in Ancaster, Ont., adds a new dimension to the championship race. On Saturday, as runners arrived at the race site, they were greeted with torrential downpours and wind gusts of up to 70 km/hour, making the tough Ancaster course even more difficult. The rain and wind lasted the entire championship event, making for a very memorable OCAA provincial championship.
The Redeemer Royals looked to capitalize with their home course advantage and both men's and women's teams ran well despite the difficult conditions. The Lady Royals took sixth place overall as a team while the men's team clocked in in 10th place.
Julie Koopmans covered the course in a time of 24:39 which was good enough for 27th place as she was the first one across the line for Redeemer. The next three runners for the Royals were all not far behind. Adrianna So came in at 25:08 and in 34th spot, Shelby Cramer clocked in at 26:03 in 40th spot, while Gina VanHaren rounded out the team scoring for the Royals in 43rd with a time of 26:09.
Melissa Payne was fifth for Redeemer in 47th (26:29), Melissa Borgdorff finished 58th (27:56), and Danica Thomsen crossed in 59th (27:58).
For the second year in a row, the Lady Royals have qualified for the CCAA cross country national championships. This year's championships are being held in Ontario and hosted by Humber College.
There were a total of 88 women's runners from 20 different colleges.
St. Clair College won the overall women's team title while Courtney Brohart took home the individual gold.
The Redeemer Royals men's team had one of their best races of the season. In a huge field of 109 runners, the Royals finished in 10th place as a team.
First-year runner Aaron Hesman completed the race in a time of 32:56 and was Redeemer's first runner across the line. Hesman finished in 35th place.
Caleb Heerema and Nathan Verbaan were close beind Hesman, finishing in 38th and 42nd. Heerema had a time of 33:15 while Verbaan finished in 33:49. Colten Gown was Redeemer's final scorer finishing in 57th with a time of 35:16.
Jonathan Thiessen and Zach Duguay completed the race in times of 36:19 and 36:32 for 64th and 66th place. Rounding out the men's team was Keith Williams who finished in 82nd (38:11).
For the men's team, the season comes to an end with the conclusion of the provincial championships.
Fanshawe College won the men's team title while Clint Smith from Fanshawe won the individual gold.
At the OCAA championship awards banquet, athletes were treated to an appearance by Canadian marathon runner Krista DuChene.
DuChene is a Brantford, Ont., native who, just one week ago, was named the second fastest marathon runner in Canadian history. DuChene and fellow Canadian marathon runner Lanni Marchant, both broke the Canadian record on Oct. 20 at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon. Marchant came in 32 seconds faster than DuChene.
Duchene captivated the OCAA running audience with an inspiring speech, that proved to be very fitting for the group of athletes after such a difficult day of running.
Source: Redeemer University College