Lakers Cross-Country athletes arrive in Sudbury

Despite the July-like conditions, Fall officially kicked off cross-country running season with the 35th annual Laurentian Open Cross-Country Race at the Laurentian University campus in Sudbury.

Nipissing brought its largest contingent yet to the season opener meet, with nine female and six male Lakers athletes starting the 5km event. Of the more than 110 runners who started the race on Sunday (open to all university, college, and community athletes) the Nipissing Lakers raced very well, capturing  three of the top 10 spots.

Rookie athlete and first-year BPHE student-athlete Terry Doiron, from Oshawa, Ontario, placed fifth overall and was the second male in the 17-19 year age category with a 17:54 clocking.

Veteran runner and last year’s team captain Kevin Gallagher was finished in sixth place overall with a time of 17:58, the third fastest 20-29 year-old-male spot. Alex Burley, from Feversham, Ontario, finished ninth overall in 18:22.

On the women’s squad, the Lakers were paced by veteran nursing student Felicia Saunders, whose 21:46 finish was the fifth fastest for 20-29 woman. Amy Claridge (22:38) and Melissa McKiel (22:39) were seventh and eighth in the 20-29 category for women.

Lakers cross-country assistant coach Donna Mae Robins toed the line along with her athletes, proving wit, motherhood, and experience is no deterrent to good fitness, finishing as the first female overall in a time of 19:13.

Full results can be found on the Sudbury Masters running club website.

The Lakers men and women will be racing next on Saturday September 17, in their intra squad event at Thomson Park in North Bay, and then at the Western International meet on September 24 in London, Ontario.