Triathlon National Champs and More Joggling Records

2015 Magog CAMTRI Triathlon American Cup

This past weekend, many of our triathletes went to Magog, Quebec to compete in the 2015 Magog CAMTRI Triathlon American Cup, which also acted as the Canadian National Triathlon Championships.

Taylor Forbes managed to capture the National Title this year, with twin Austen Forbes right behind. This put them 3rd and 4th overall, within 18 seconds of the winner!

Alltogether, Marauders and alumni made up almost one third of the Canadian field (7 of 23 Elite Men). Congrats to all!

2015 Magog CAMTRI Triathlon American Cup

Magog, Quebec, July 25, 2015

3. Taylor Forbes            1:51:30

4. Austen Forbes           1:51:33

9. John Rasmussen       1:53:07

14. Andrew Bysice       1:54:21

21. Reid Burrows          1:55:56

33. Andrew Beardsall   2:03:24

36. David Hopton          2:08:50

Full Results

Read Taylor Reid's Description of the Race for Triathlon Magazine Canada HERE

Read Marauders.ca Article HERE

Photo Credits to M. McMillan

IJA Joggling Festival 2015

It seems like Quebec was the place to be this past weekend, for exciting races and great results. Not too far from Magog, in Quebec City Gabrielle Foran attended the week-long 2015 IJA Festival, which culminated in the National Joggling Championships.

Gabrielle not only beat her own records in the 800m and one-mile event, but also managed to set a new Joggling World Record in the 400m! She captured gold in the all 4 of her events, thus becoming the National Champion in the Women's 3-ball 100m, 400m, 800m and one-mile events. (Imagine trying to run 4 events in one day, nevermind setting WRs!) Needless to say, Gabrielle has become the most dominant female Joggling competitor on the World stage, perhaps even in the history of the sport!

Gabrielle in the Women's
100m Dash

Women's 3-ball 100m
1. Gabrielle Foran       17.xx

Women's 3-ball 400m
1. Gabrielle Foram     1:15.74  WR!

Women's 3-ball 800m
1. Gabrielle Foran     2:39.66  WR!

Women's 3-ball 1600m
1. Gabrielle Foran      5:25   WR!


 Check out this video of Gabrielle also competing in the 100m Dash.
(Photo Credits to Michael Bergeron)

Marauders in the News and Friends Abroad #2

IJA Joggling Festival 2015

Gabrielle Foran will be representing McMaster at the 2015 International Juggler's Association Festival, July 20-26 in Quebec City. The week includes juggling workshops and clinics, and culminates with a Joggling track meet! Competitors race while juggling 3, 5 or 7 in events ranging from the 100m to the mile.

Gabrielle wil compete in the 100m, 400m, 800m and mile. She will be looking to defend her titles and hopefully set faster World Records in the 800m and mile, while also attempting to capture the 400m record as well. If she is successful, this will bump her World Record count to four!

The Hamilton Spectator is the most recent media outlet to feature Gabrielle and her talents, read their article here: http://www.thespec.com/news-story/5741551-mac-student-defends-joggling-title-no-that-s-not-a-typo-/

Instagram

We are excited to share that we just recently made an Instagram account. It will feature photos from practice, races and McMaster Marauder life. Follow us on Instagram at MaraudersTrack 

Friends Abroad #2

Two of our (tri)athletes, Taylor and Austen Forbes just returned from 6 weeks in Europe, training and competing on the european triathlon circuit. They achieved some great results and enjoyed the experience of competing at this competitive international level. Here is a recap they wrote for us:

The Twins’ Perspective

"The opportunity to travel to Europe is something most people wouldn’t pass up. For the most part it’s to travel and explore a foreign country and its culture. For us, however, it was strictly business, or what we consider business in Elite sport. The idea stemmed from the cold hard fact that racing in Europe is one of the most competitive triathlon circuits internationally, and much more so than in Canada. Ultimately, the plan was to immerse ourselves into a competitive atmosphere similar to what the best in the world experience everyday of their lives. This includes consistent long days of hard training with nothing else to worry about, and racing in between. With almost 24 hours of travelling ahead of us it is ideal to adjust to the time change as soon as possible. Most of us had a sleep plan heading into the trip with the idea to sleep on the flight there and then to start slowly adjusting 90 minutes each day. Obviously being on the same time clock as the country you’re training in makes for a smooth transition. Once we finally landed in Bilbao and made it to our homes in Vitoria we hit the ground running as our first race was not 3 days later."

                  "The night we arrived at our hotel we were almost immediately told that we would be racing in what was described as “the hardest race course you will ever do” in 3 days time. To be brief, it was a mass start of 500 men with a wavy 1500m ocean swim followed by an intense 40km of cycling with 3 mountain climbs equalling up to a 1000m of elevation, and 10km of running to top it all off. Not your traditional Elite race making for a new competitive and challenging experience. Unfortunately Austen ended up with a flat 500m into the bike course while Taylor continued on to tackle what he referred to as “walls not mountains”. In the end Taylor finished 6^th and went home with a bit of cash. Nevertheless, our next race was our main focus as it was our first European premium cup and first exposure to what the rest of the world was doing."

Mass Swim Start in the Onditz Oroituz Triatloia

                  "Holten, Netherlands was to be the most competitive race we had ever competed in. We both felt confident with consistent success in workouts and the races leading into the event. It is easier to mentally focus on the task at hand with very little distraction outside of training and racing. Of course nerves are natural, but this time around it would make sense that nervousness was at an all-time high. It was the first of many: The 1^st experience of professional European racing, the 1^st time some of the most competitive Canadian racers went head to head since last summer, and the 1^st time Taylor and Austen would attempt a 3^rd race in 14 days. With the race changed to a sprint distance (750m swim, 20km bike, 5km run) everyone knew that it was going to be a crazy fast, crazy rough, and crazy tactical race; you'd expect nothing less from a European race. The swim was feral, but the packs came together within the first 4km of the bike. It was the first time we have experienced a race where all 70+ people came together in what really felt like a bike race instead of a triathlon. The course was very technical and it was dangerous to be caught at the back. The accelerations alone had dropped some, and fatigued others with a couple of crashes throughout the race. Fortunately most of the field made it to transition #2 safe where the run would start. With upwards of 70 people running out the gates together it was obvious that the race was going to be tight. Austen made an early move in the first half of the race and established himself in a top 10 position while Taylor slowly grinded his way into top 15. All in all it was a great race and an even better experience. The locals were lovely, the crowds were huge, and the athletes were fast. It’s the type of race an elite triathlete would be satisfied with."

Post-Race in Holten

                  "After Holten we traveled back to base camp in Vitoria, Spain where we have been training hard preparing for our National Championships in Magog, Quebec on the 25^th of July. The goal is to podium. That’s our update on our time in Spain! We are back in Canada July 20^th and are very excited to see our friends and family again."

2015 Onditz Oroituz Triatloia Results

2015 Holten ETU Triathlon Premium European Cup Results

The Forbes were also featured in an article on triathlonmagazine.ca, written by Taylor Reid. Read it here:

http://triathlonmagazine.ca/news/dynamic-duo-u23-standouts-austen-and-taylor-forbes/

Pre-race Pat-a-cakes in Spain

Hamilton Twilight Meet #2 Recap, Results and Friends Abroad #1

Hamilton Twilight Meet #2

Mother Nature was on our side on Tuesday for the second and final meet of the 2015 Hamilton Twilight Series here at Mona Campbell Track at McMaster University. The downpour slowed and the sky cleared just in time for the first event of the evening, the 80m Dash to name Hamilton's Fastest Kid.

Congratulations to Hailey Reid and Jake Davies, Hamilton's Fastest Kids of 2015!

The rest of the night saw great performances and PBs for our own Harbour crew and many others. The 800m seemed to be the highlights of the night, with times fast enough for 2nd place in the All-Time Hamilton Twilight Series records for both men and women. On the men's side, Sacha Smart led a tight group of four men all under 1:50, winning in 1:49.20. On the women's side, Rachel Jewett gapped the field by over a second, winning in 2:06.32. 

Congrats to all who competed on Tuesday night, supporters and volunteers as well!

Here are our team results:

Men's 100m

Brandon Huzevka capped of his track career as a Marauder
Photo Credit: A. Green

9. Tony Giannikouris       11.43 (Finals)
13. Jacob Gareau            11.61 (Heats)

Men's 400m

6. Brandon Huzevka       51.41

10. Luke Yaeger             52.19

Men's 800m

4. Jeff Tweedle           1:49.58   PB!!

Women's 800m

13. Kylie Hopkins       2:17.50    PB!!

16. Maxine Gravina     2:21.76   PB!!

Men's 1500m

4. Nathan Deghan        3:59.62

14. Patrick Deane        4:08.87

20. Sam Foran            4:15.94

Women's 1500m

4. Maddie Benjamin       4:39.48  PB!!

6. Gabrielle Foran          4:46.84  PB!!

Full Results Here

Runner's Den Sunset Series #1

The same evening just a few blocks away, many current and past Marauder athletes were racing at the first of the Runner's Den Sunset Series Road 5km race. Marauders and Past-Marauders totalled 8 of the top 11 Finishers. Steph MacNeill crushed the previous Women's 5k course record by over a minute!

Here are the current-Marauder/Harbour results, but check here for Full Results

2. Ivan Meiszinger          15:52.52

4. Alex Green                16:17.01

8. Peter Wilson              17:26.82

11. Steph MacNeill         18:08.35

16. Brittany Hambleton  19:14.99

Stay tuned for more results from the Sunset Series as they will run every 2 weeks till the end of August.

Friends Racing Abroad #1

Two year ago we were excited to welcome Charlotte Ward, an exchange student from England, to our Marauder Family. While she competed during the 2013 Cross Country season and represented McMaster well, she has since returned to her home and her specialty - Orienteering!

For those who aren't familiar, this means Charlotte is racing at top speed while reading a map to guide her way to various checkpoints throughout the course.  Runners start a few minutes apart, so it's a challenge between the athlete, the course and the clock. Charlotte's strength is in urban orienteering, which combines varying urban terrain from roads, alleys and neighbourhoods to parklands. To read more about Orienteering and the 2015 World Orienteering Championships, visit this website: http://www.woc2015.org/what-is-the-world-orienteering-championships

This summer Charlotte was named to the Great Britain National Team and made her international debut at the Orienteering World Cup Sprint in Sweden in competition in June. There she finished 27th overall, as the 2nd British athlete.

Charlotte in her Team GB Gear
Photo Credit: B. Ward

Charlotte will also be competing at the 2015 World Orienteering Championships in Inverness, Scotland. She will race in the Sprint event, with the Qualifier on Friday July 31st and needs to finish within the top 15 to compete in the Finals on Sunday August 2nd. All her McMaster and Canadian friends from across the globe wish her good luck!!

Sporting Mac Gear after winning a local 10k race
Photo Credit: A. Ward

Hamilton Twilight Meet #2 Schedule and Heat Sheets

Tonight is the 2nd and final of the Hamilton Twilight Series, held at the Mona Campbell Track at McMaster University.

Here is the evening's schedule:

6:00pm	Girls 80m	2 sections
	Boys 80m	1 section
7:00pm	Womens 100m Heats	2 sections
	Mens 100m Heats	4 sections
7:25pm	Womens 400m	2 sections
	Mens 400m	2 sections
7:45pm	Womens 100m Finals	2 sections
	Mens 100m Finals	4 sections
8:15pm	Womens 1500m	2 sections
	Mens 1500m	3 sections
9:00pm	Womens 800m	3 sections	(Fastest section at 9:10pm)
9:15pm	Mens 800m	6 sections	(Fastest section at 9:40pm)

ALL SECTIONS WILL BE RUN SLOW TO FAST

We will do our best to keep on schedule, especially with the rainy forecast. The schedule will proceed in cases of rain, but thunder or lightning require us to clear the track for 30 minutes after the last thunder or lightning. Keep your fingers crossed for no storms tonight!

Here is also the link to HEAT SHEETS for those who are competing tonight.

http://www.londondistanceseries.ca/admin/js/elfinder/files/mac-twilight-2-heat-sheets.pdf

Heat Sheets will not change before tonight. Please take a look or print your own copy as we will only have a limited number of heat sheets available at the track.

Don't forget your rain jacket and extra dry socks!

See you tonight!

ACTF 2015 and a new Joggling World Record!

2015 Canadian Track and Field Championships

A few athletes represented Harbour Track (or McMaster) this past weekend in Edmonton in the first year of the newly combined Junior and Senior Canadian Track and Field Championships.
Difficult conditions including gale-force winds and tactical strategies were not conducive to fast times, but such is the nature of championship races.

Men's 5000m Senior

12 Blair Morgan     14:45.21

Men's 1500m Senior

10 Connor Darlington     4:08.29 (3:57.10 in heats)

Connor Darlington in the Men's 1500m Senior Race

Women's 800m Junior

1 Evelyne Guay      2:10.15

Full Results Here

We're excited to have Evelyne Guay running for Harbour Track again this summer. She is coming off a break-through year as a Freshman at Iowa State University, and has already ran some blazing PBs so far this summer. These include 2:05.98 in the 800m at the Victoria International Track Classic and 4:25.74 in the 1500m at the Harry Jerome Track Classic, which rank her 1st and 5th respectively in the Athletic Canada Junior Rankings this summer. Her win at the National Championships has earned her the honour of representing Canada at the Pan American Junior Championships in Edmonton at the end of July!

New World Record for Joggler Gabrielle Foran

Gabrielle Foran in her successful
5km Joggling WR attempt

Yesterday at the Guelph 5km Joggling Championships, Gabrielle Foran added a third World Record to her list of titles. She obliterated the previous record for the Women's 3 Ball 5km Joggling event by 1:36, as well as her own road PB (sans-joggling) in a time of 18:12! She didn't drop a ball once during the entire race.

In the words of the wise Maxine Gravina, said to Gabrielle post-race: "Either you run faster when you joggle, or you're going to have a wicked 5km PB!"

Maxine was there to film the race, for World Record purposes. If you want to catch a glimpse of what a 3-time World Record Joggling Champion looks like in action, check out the video here.

Gabrielle was also featured in an article by McMaster Daily News where she talks about her introduction to joggling, her PhD work in Chemistry and more. Also check out the great video by our own Maxine Gravina here.

Article: When it comes to Running, this PhD Student is All Hands

Canadian Track Championships Preview, Trail Run for ALS and Weekly Results June 28

Canadian Track Championships

The 2015 Canadian Junior/Senior Track and Field Championships start today in Edmonton! Two athletes are there representing McMaster; Captain Blair Morgan in the 5000m and Connor Darlington in 1500m.

Blair will race in the Senior Men's 5000m Finals on Thursday (tonight) at 7:55pm local time, which will be 9:55pm Hamilton time.Connor will race in the Senior Men's 1500m Semi-Finals on Friday at 7:05pm local (9:05pm Hamilton time) for a chance to race in the Finals on Saturday evening.

To watch the races live, tune in to http://live.athleticscanada.tv/liveactf.html
Full Schedule can be found Here. 

Trail Run for ALS

Another exciting event this weekend will feature Marauder Gabe Ghiglione. He will be running the hilly and technical 83km loop of La Cloche Silhouette through Killarney National Park. The trail usually takes 5-7 days, but Gabe will be attempting it in 2 days, which equals about one marathon a day. Gabe is raising money to support both the ALS Association and the Phi Delta Theta International Fraternity of which he is a member. Currently Gabe is at 85% of his goal to reach $1000 for these worthwhile causes.

Visit Gabe's Fundraising Page Here to support him, and follow him on the  Trail for ALS Facebook Page.

Results

For our update on results:

RCLDS 4: London Series Finale

Jeff Tweedle in a Photo Finish with Rob Denault, Men's 800m

London, June 28, 2015

Men's 800m

6   Jeff Tweedle         1:52.04    PB!

12 Brandon Huzevka   1:54.97   

19  Patrick Deane        1:56.62

Women's 800m

14  Kylie Hopkins        2:18.45     PB!

Kylie and Maddie hidden in the pack, Women's 800m

16  Maddie Benjamin   2:19.92

29  Maxine Gravina      2:26.63

Men's 5000m

11 Reid Burrows         16:01.56

Open 5000m

10  Sam Foram          17:02.19

Finally, PHOTOS from the Hamilton Twilight Series Meet #1 are now available on the Hamilton Twilight Series Facebook Page. Visit it Here