StFX cross country runners Tory Anderson and Dennis Kayumba took home race titles this past weekend at two separate Antigonish Highland Games events. Anderson was the winner of the inaugural elite mile on Saturday morning, while Kayumba was the top finisher in the annual Friday night five-mile road race.
The Antigonish Highland Games have been running for the past 148 years, and the road race has become a popular draw in recent years, attracting top runners from across the province. Kayumba, an Antigonish native, finished the race in a time of 26:02, edging out X-Men cross country alumnus Lee McCarron (26:04). Dennis will be entering into his second season with the X-Men this coming fall. With his victory he captured both the Angus and Marie MacDonald memorial trophy as the top male runner in the race and the Frank McGibbon trophy as the top local male runner. Kayumba placed third overall in the Johnny Miles 10k race in New Glasgow earlier this summer.
Several other current and former StFX runners also ran in the five-mile road race, including active X-Men Zachary MacDonald (Ardness, NS) who placed fourth overall with a time of 26:29, Donald Rasmussen (Antigonish, NS) in 11th at 29:11 and Stephen Deering (30:16) in 13th. X-Men alumni included Brent Addison (Hammonds Plains, NS) in third place at 26:38 and John Tramble (Dartmouth, NS) in 10th at 29:10.
X-Women cross country alumnus Kaitlyn Watters (Halifax, NS) was the first female to cross the finish line with a time of 30:27, taking home the Alex J. MacAdam trophy. Fifth year veteran X runner Kelly MacDonald (Montague, PE) was second, clocking a time of 30:58, while Dalhousie runner Caroline Schlosser (31:02) was the third female finisher. X-Women Paula MacDonald (31:52) of Montague, PE and Erin MacNeil (31:58) of Dartmouth, NS also competed and were seventh and eighth, respectively amongst the female racers.
The inaugural Highland Games elite mile took place early Saturday morning along the Games parade route, right through the downtown core of Antigonish. Veteran X-Women basketball player and Antigonish native Tory Anderson, who is shifting her focus to the X-Women cross country squad this upcoming season, won the women’s race with a time of 5:05, edging out StFX cross country alumnus Gina Stewart (5:06), also of Antigonish, and Schlosser (5:07).
The men’s elite mile proved to be an exciting sprint to the finish, with three runners crossing the line at 4:22 and Lee McCarron nudging out Antigonish native Mike Tate and top X-Men runner Connor McGuire (Charlottetown, PE) for the win. McGuire is entering into the third season with the X-Men program this fall and was a 2010 AUS all-star. Zachary MacDonald finished fourth at 4:27, while Kayumba (4:33) was sixth and Addison (4:37) was seventh.
For complete race results, visit www.atlanticchip.ca.