2013 AUS Race held in Moncton NB

     Well it is safe to say it was another exciting day for the UNB VREDS who traveled to Moncton to compete in the final AUS race of the season. Despite the cold weather every single runner ran the race as hard as they could, leaving it all on the course. Their hard work and dedication throughout the year shone through as they challenged themselves to get up the hills of the tough Moncton course.

     The first race for the UNB VREDS was the Atlantic open held at 10:50 with four members of the team racing. These included the two women's team alternates Caroline MacIsaac and Laura Clarke, as well as the two males team alternates Marc Manuel and Mike Yitayew. All four runners ran exceptionally well with Marc Manuel finishing first for the 18-19 male age group.

     Not long after the Atlantic race the female AUS race was ready to get on its way. Although the seven girls standing at the start were feeling extremely nervous, they knew that they had put the training in and were excited to see the results. As the gun fired the girls flew off the line anticipating the tough 6km course they were about to take on. Captain Sarah Myatt led the girls team with the very talented first year runner Katie Robinson right on her tail. The girls had a solid race, and a strong finish, coming across the line in 6th and 8th place. The next runner to come across the finish was second year runner Katie Wallace, finishing in 21st. Following Katie was Nathalie Cecire (22nd), Kelsey Hogan (29th), Priya Bhutani (30th), and Courtney Barbour (35th). All of the girls ran an awesome race and as a team stole the 3rd place medal, only 35 pts from 2nd!

      After cheering on and supporting the girls, the guys were ready to begin their 5 lap, 10km race. Wearing their white singlets proudly, the boys made their way to the start to prepare themselves for what they had trained for all season. With a team consisting of 5 returners and 2 first year runners, the guys were looking strong and ready to take on the other six teams. As the gun went off the boys bolted out of the gate ready to prove to both themselves and the spectators just what UNB was capable of. Leading the team was Captain James Murphy who ran extremely well finishing in 16th. Following James, was returner Taylor Lamarche who looked strong, running his best race of the season finishing in 23rd. Chris McNamara (24th), Colby Craig (25th), Jonathan Bunn (27th), Brent McCumber (31), and Clayton Holteen (32nd) all ran outstanding races making their coaches proud. The Boys finished fourth as a team only 13pts behind MUN.

        Following the boys race the athletes went and got ready for the AUS Cross Country Banquet which began at 3:30pm. The athletes shared some laughs, ate some delicious food, and joined together to congratulate the athletes who won awards. Two awards were presented to two of our very own female athletes. Sarah Myatt who finished in 6th place was named one of the AUS Allstars, and Katie Robinson was named Female Rookie of the year. The two girls are very excited to be traveling to London, Ontario with coach Tim Randall in two weeks to compete against the other females in the country at the CIS Cross Country Championship.

       Even though the official cross country season is over for most of the athletes the training never stops for this team. The runners will be back on their feet Monday for more practices, high milleage, and gym workouts preparing them for the upcoming indoor track season!!

AUS/RESQ Interlock Meet- held in Montreal.

              This past Saturday the UNB Varsity Reds traveled to Montreal to compete in the AUS/ RESQ Interlock meet. With approximately 150 athletes in each race, UNB was ready to show off their red and white jerseys, and prove to the other teams just what they could do.  This was the last race before AUS and every athlete was ready to push their limits, get to that uncomfortable place, and run their hearts out!

           

            The seven members of the women’s team lined up to get ready to begin their 6km race. The atmosphere was very different as there were almost three times as many runners, but the girls pushed and shoved their way through the crowd. With the absence of captain Sarah Myatt, first year runner Katie Robinson lead the team to the finish, achieving a 6km personal best. Following Katie, was second year runners Katie Wallace and Nathalie Cecire who ran the tough race side by side motivating each other to push through the pain! Kelsey Hogan, Priya Bhutani, Courtney Barbour, and Caroline MacIsaac all ran outstanding races, running hard to the finish!

            The boys were feeling anxious as the women’s race came to a finish and they were doing their last few minutes of warm up. The eight athletes made their way to the start, as they were ready to tackle the four 2km laps of the park they had ahead of them. Leading the team and looking strong was Captain James Murphy, finishing the race with a 8 km personal best! First year runner Jonathan Bunn finished second for the team, with returner Chris McNamara not far behind. Colby Craig who continues to improve each and every race finished not far behind Chris achieving a thirty second personal best. Taylor Lamarche, Clayton Holteen, and Marc Manuel ran incredibly well all finishing in very impressive times.

            The team, now only two weeks out from their final AUS meet are looking and feeling fit. With a couple more hard workouts, millage runs and adequate nutrition the team will be ready to not only run in Moncton on the 26^th but also compete! 

October 5th, Dal / SMU Invitational

October 5th: Dalhousie & St. Marys Invitational. 

            After two weeks of hard training and five strenuous workouts the UNB Varsity Reds were prepared to take on the other AUS teams at the third race of the season. The team was looking strong as they got off the bus at Point Pleasant Park in Halifax on Saturday morning.

           The girls had a strong showing with nine competitors looking strong as they tackled the hills of Point Pleasant. Leading for UNB was captain Sarah Myatt, finishing 9th. Not far behind Sarah was first year rookie sensation Katie Robinson from St. John who finished in 12th. Nathalie Cecire, Kelsey Hogan, Priya Bhutani, Courtney Barbour, Caroline MacIsaac, Laura Clarke, and Hannah Connon all ran extremely well resulting in a third place finish for the UNB women's team.

             Following the girls impressive performance the boys were ready to tackle the hilly 8km course. With eight strong runners starting the race, six were able to finish due to injuries occurring both in rookie Nevan Tait and returner Taylor Lamarche. Captain James Murphy led the boys finishing in a strong 14th position. Following James was Jonathan Bunn, Colby Craig (29:03 Personal Best), Chris McNamara, Clayton Holteen, and Marc Manuel all running extremely well. The boys walked away with a fourth place finish just 2 points shy of bronze.

           The UNB Varsity Reds will be traveling to Montreal for Thanksgiving weekend to compete in the Laval Interlock Meet. The mens team hopes to put together a strong showing at Laval, and edge even closer to Dalhousie. With the absence of Captain Sarah Myatt the women's team will strive to push even harder and finish strong among the other competitors.

September 22nd, Fredericton Fall Classic

    And yet another exciting day for the 2013 UNB Cross Country team as they had four of their current members, along with team alumni run in the Fredericton Fall Classic. The weather was great and the attendance was high as everyone was ready to start to run one of the three available races. (5KM, 10KM, and Half Marathon).

      Leading the 10km race with ease was cross country member and captain James Murphy, finishing in an impressive time of 33:27. Not far behind was third year runner Taylor Lamarche finishing in a proud second with a 10km personal best of 35:34. But the VREDS action didn't stop there, alumni Rob Jackson gave the younger boys a run for their money finishing in third with a time of 38:26. Representing the women's Cross Country team in the 10km race was Priya Bhutani finishing strong in a time of 49:21.

     Ryan Hamilton UNB Cross Country Team alumni, sport psychologist, and positive training partner ran an extremely hard half marathon race. Ryan, who always tells us to fight through the pain, mental distractions, and reach for your goals ran a proud personal best today in a time of 1:27:46 (finishing in 12th place). Way to go Ryan!... Jenn Seguin, our number one fan and wife to coach Chris Gairns ran an extremely hard half marathon finishing in an impressive time of 1:38:40. Hannah Connon current member of the Women's Cross Country team also ran a great half, finishing hard with a time of 1:45:51!

     Great results from those who ran in both races this weekend, and for those who went out to the hard morning workout in Odell yesterday! Keep up the hard training, good nutrition, and positivity!

 

Sept 21st, 2013. StFX Invitational

             After a long hard week of training the men and women’s UNB Cross Country team was off to St Fx to run in their second meet. With only six boys and six girls traveling to Antigonish the two teams dug deep and all ran extremely impressive races. With the female race bumping up to 6km as opposed to the comfortable 5km that they were all used to, the girls ran hard and made it look like it was no problem at all. This meet was a bit bigger than the UNB invitational as Acadia and Memorial University were both present.

            The ladies lined up on the start line at 12:00pm sharp and were ready to run hard despite the wind and extra kilometer they had ahead of them. Captain Sarah Myatt, (who says she hates anything longer then 5km) ran the race extremely hard, and had enough kick in her at the end to pass two of her opponents finishing the race in 6^th place. Katie Robinson, Nathalie Cecire, Kelsey Hogan, and Caroline MacIsaac all made the extra kilometer look easy and finished the race with great times! As a team the girls walked away with another third place overall.

            The boys were off at the sound of the whistle running proud in their red and white singlets. With only six boys UNB ran a hard eight kilometers. Leading the pack was first year runner Jonathan Bunn running his first university race coming off an ankle injury. Following Jon were Colby Craig (who ran a 8km personal best), Brent McCumber, Chris McNamara, and Clayton Holteen. As a team the boys finished sixth despite the absence of some of their top runners.

            The team is back in Fredericton and ready for another tough week of hills, millage, gym workouts, and fun. Stay tuned for the results from the Fredericton Fall Classic where UNB has four of their runners competing in either the 10km or half marathon races on Sunday September 22^nd.

The next race for the UNB VREDs is October 5^th at Dalhousie University.

Results from todays race:

http://www.atlanticuniversitysport.com/sports/wxc/2013-14/files/2013-09-21_StFX_INV.pdf

UNB/STU Invitational Sept 14th, 2013

The UNB Cross Country team tore up some dirt this past Saturday as they ran hard in the first AUS meet of the season. The race was held at Odell Park, as it was a combined invitational for both UNB and St. Thomas. The course was very wet and muddy but that did not stop the UNB runners from stirring up some conversation.  Coach, Tim Randall mentioned that he had a number of the other coaches come up to him during both the Male and Female races commenting on how good of a team UNB had this season. Both teams fought hard and this was shown both on the result sheets and the mud that each runner had splattered from head to toe.

The excitement started with the girl’s 5km race at noon. With twelve girls lined up at the start line, UNB was looking fierce. Captain Sarah Myatt led the UNB pack finishing in a strong sixth place with a time of 19:52. Not far behind the team had a “Katie duo” consisting of first year runner Katie Robinson finishing 8^th with a time of 20:08, and returner Katie Wallace finishing 12^th with a time of 20:34. Returner Nathalie Cecire also looked strong as she crossed the finish line with a time of 21:27 taking 19^th. Kelsey Hogan, Priya Bhutani, Hannah Connon, Courtney Barbour, Laura Clark, Ally Pickard-Tattrie, Kelsey Tucker, and Ashley Gallagher all ran extremely hard and finished in outstanding times! As a team the girls did not only finish third, but also gave the St.FX and Dal teams something to watch out for!

After cheering the girls on, the boys were ready to start their 8km race. As soon as the clock struck 12:45, the gun fired and the UNB boys were ready to get dirty. The boys ran the race with only nine strong runners as they have Jonathan Bunn, Chris Farnham, and Nevan Tait out with injuries. Leading the race for the boys was captain James Murphy running a 27:18 and finishing 8^th overall! Following James was returner Chris McNamara who has been running absolutely amazing since returning after the summer! Chris finished the race in 29:26, with returner Taylor Lamarche running hard and right on his tail! Brent McCumber and Colby Craig also looked strong as the two of them sprinted to the finish! Kyle Lefort, Clayton Holteen, Mark Manuel and Michael Yitayew also all ran outstanding races! The boy’s team went home with a third overall, and a sense of determination to steal that second place spot.

UNB’s team coaches Jason Reindl, Tim Randall, and Chris Gairns are all extremely excited for what this year has in store. With such a strong team this early into the season, the coaches are confident that UNB will finish amongst the top! The UNB team is not just out to run this year, they are out to win and to make a name for themselves in not only the AUS, but also the CIS!

Here are the results for todays race:

http://www.anb.ca/documents/uploads/UNBSTUXC2013.pdf

             Such an excellent race would not have been possible without the countless volunteers who prepared the course (some even arriving at 6am!), the STU Cross Country team (our co-hosts for the event) and all of the spectators who came out to cheer!  And speaking of the spectators, it was wonderful to see UNB President Eddy Campbell cheering us on!  We are lucky to have such strong community support in both Fredericton and Saint John.  Now we just have to keep giving them something to cheer about!

Stay tuned for the next Cross Country Update! Go VREDS!