The StFX cross country season begins in September but don’t tell that to the returning student-athletes on both the AUS defending champion X-Women and X-Men teams. They have been tearing up the road in various races across Nova Scotia this summer.

At the Antigonish Highland Games road race held on July 18th, X-Man and Antigonish native Lee McCarron captured his second consecutive win in the annual 5-mile road race, finishing with a time of 26:40, ahead of the other 359 competitors. In doing so he claimed the Angus and Marie MacDonald trophy as the overall race winner, along with the Frank McGibbon trophy awarded to the top local Antigonish runner.    

Chris Algar from Halifax came in second place (27:09) while McCarron’s StFX teammates Ivan Lewis (New Glasgow, NS), Brent Addison (Halifax, NS) and Robert Winslow (Dartmouth, NS) rounded out the top five. Lewis crossed the line in third place with a time of 27:22, followed by Addison (27:37) and Winslow (27:49) in fourth and fifth, respectively.

Also participating in the Antigonish race from the X-Men squad were Robert Lavers who placed 16th overall (29:37) and Daniel McNeil (30:19) in 21st spot. X-Men alumnus Evan Bezanson from Halifax was 11th overall (29:04) while John Tramble, alumnus and current assistant coach of the StFX cross country team ran in 27th place with a time of 31:48.

On the women’s side at the Antigonish Highland Games road race, the top finishers consisted of two former and one current runner from the X-Women cross country program. Decorated X alumnus Erin MacLean from Timberlea, NS claimed the women’s title, finishing in a time of 29:14. She also placed 12th amongst all runners, male and female.

MacLean was followed by X-Women alumnus Robyn Erickson (Bedford, NS) in second place at 29:46 and Antigonish native and current X-Woman Gina Stewart in third at 30:19. Erickson was 17th overall while Stewart was 20th. Stewart also took home the trophy for the top local female runner. Bree Bates of the X-Women squad also participated in the race, running in at 33:24, the fifth female to cross the finish line and 27th overall.

At the August 2nd MacPass Mile held on the Angus L. MacDonald Bridge in Halifax, NS, X-Women runner Gina Stewart placed second overall in the women’s category in the elite mile race. She ran the mile in a time of 4:58. Jessica O’Connell from Calgary won the race at 4:48 while Denise Robson (Halifax, NS) was third at 5:03.

Across the river in the August 3rd Natal Day road race in Dartmouth, NS, two different X-Men faired quite well in both the 2 mile and 6 mile races.

In the men’s 2 mile race, Halifax native Brent Addison took top spot, crossing the finish line in first place in a time of 10:19, well ahead of second place finisher Conor Gillespie of Dartmouth (11:07). Addison’s X teammate Robert Winslow claimed second place in the 6 mile road race. Winslow, a native of Dartmouth, NS ran the race in a time of 33:22. The winner at 32:11 was Rami Bardeesy of Halifax.