Despite lost season, student athletes off and running
By Corey LeBlanc

Despite the cancellation of the Atlantic University Sport (AUS) season for fall sports, the dedication of the StFX cross country and track student-athletes hasn't wavered.

Just ask X-Men and X-Women head coach Eric Gillis.

"We have stayed busy – a really good busy," the former X-Men runner and national champion says.

A perfect reflection of that commitment – Gillis agrees – took place last on an unseasonably warm late October evening (temperatures hovered around 20 degrees Celsius) on their home track at StFX Stadium on the Antigonish campus.

The Antigonish native and three-time Canadian Olympic athlete describes the "best ever" track workout the program has carried out since he took the helm at his alma mater.

"Everyone ran fast," Gillis says, noting not only a high number of X-Women and X-Men varsity athletes participated, but also developmental members associated with the program.

Even a couple coaches laced up their running shoes.

"They have bought in to what we are doing," Gillis says.

He adds that sort of devotion – and effort – doesn't take place "unless people are committed."

With no conference cross country campaign, he notes student-athletes with the X program have taken advantage of an opportunity to focus on "smaller details that we don't always get to work on."

"Everyone is doing really well," Gillis says.

During those Oct. 30 time trials, participants covered 400, 3000 and 5000-metre distances.

With former X-Men conference champion Angus Rawling setting the pace, Jacob Benoit was the first male to cross the finish line in the 5000m, with a personal-best (PB) of 15:08, while Zoe Johnston topped the X-Women in 18:12, also a PB, with assistant coach Gina MacInnis serving as the pacesetter.

In the 3000m – where only X-Men raced - freshman Jack Wierzbicki garnered firs place with a PB of 9:24.

"It was really close to his personal best," Gillis notes of the winning time (51.56 seconds) that Bradley Barclay fashioned in the 400m time trial.

Mira Alexander was the top X-Women finisher in that distance with a 63.2.

A little more than one week later – on Nov. 7 – X-Women and X-Men student-athletes took a road trip in their backyard to run in the Keppoch XC Open.

Johnston was the top X-Women runner, finishing fifth in 25:44.

The other White and Blue female finishers included: 7. Breanna Sandluck, 26:28; 8. Paige Chisholm, 26:44; 10. Allie Sandluck, 26:57; 12. Eileen Benoit, 28:03; 15. Tanna Burke, 29:10; 16. Bridget Keedwell, 29:16; 17. Chloe Walker, 29:18; 19. Kali Beaton, 29:23; 23. Lauren Liem, 30:36 and 31. Samantha Taylor, 37:14.

On the men's side, Graydon Staples – with a 21:56 – garnered first place, followed by X teammates 3. Luc Gallant, 22:24; 4. Jacob Benoit, 22:49; 6. Nolan Beaton, 23:22; 7. Tyler Baker, 23:24; 8. Evan Knight, 23:32; 14. Jack Wierzbicki, 25:15; 15. Yared Tareke, 25:31 and 16. Eric Knight, 26:14.

Both men and women raced a 6.3k distance.

That meet was the second opportunity for the X-Women and X-Men to tackle trails at The Keppoch – a multi-season outdoor recreation facility in Antigonish County.

On Oct. 3, a group of varsity student-athletes raced in an event hosted by head coach Tommy Chisholm and the Dr. John Hugh Gillis Regional High School cross country program.

"We decided to jump in," Gillis remembers of the 5k course.

"It went well – it was a great team event for us."

The timing – one week prior to the annual CIBC Run for the Cure fundraiser in support of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation – meshed well with an initiative led by X-Women Paige Chisholm and Zoe Johnston, which garnered more than $1,000.

In that event, Staples finished first – in 16:19 – followed by: 2. Benoit, 16:22; 3. Gallant, 17:02; 4. Evan Knight, 17:19; 5. Beaton, 17:48; 7. Findlay Day, 18:07; 8. Baker, 18:10; Targan Saul, 18:23; 10. Eric Knight, 18:31 and 11. Tareke, 18:38.

On the women's side, Jane Hergett was the top X-Women – finishing second in 19:10 – followed by: 5. Johnston, 20:25; 6. Paige Chisholm, 20:25; 7. Breanna Sandluck, 20:26; 8. Julia Cameron, 20:28; 9. Benoit, 20:51; 10. Allie Sandluck, 21:02; 13. Burke, 21:30; 15. Walker, 22:03; 16. Meaghan Boatsmith, 22:05; 18. Liem, 22:23; 19. Keedwell, 22:24; 24. Megan Ethier, 24:16; 26. Claire Rawding, 25:21 and 27. Alexander, 25:22.

With more time to focus on other areas – considering they were not dealing with the demands of a highly-contested AUS campaign – Gillis notes he has been able to work on his training technique for long and middle-distance runners, along with sprinters.

"I have been sharpening my skills," he says.

Gillis adds he has also conducted individual video sessions with 35 or so of his X student-athletes.

"We go over it – one-on-one," he explains of that training process.

He adds those sessions have been "going really well."

In the next week or so, Gillis notes the X program plans to conduct another time trial on their home track in the 400, 800, 3000 and 5000m disciplines.

Gillis says university track club members – and maybe the X-Women and X-Men varsity student-athletes, as a team – plan to take part in the Athletics Nova Scotia Last Chance Meet, which is scheduled for Nov. 27 and 28 at the Canada Games Centre in Halifax.

He notes that two-day competition will be conducted differently this year due to required healthcare measures related to Covid-19 prevention.

As for the possibility of the X varsity program competing in future indoor events hosted by that provincial organization, Gillis says it is a "nice to have that option."

The Antigonish native points out his student-athletes have been "fortunate" to have the opportunity – one provided by StFX on campus – to train together.

He notes they have been "fortunate" to have the chance they are getting this fall.

'And, with our sport, you could still run – even when things were really locked down," Gillis says.

-30-