Our Valley Royals Distance Group competed in the Emilie Mondor Invitational, at Simon Fraser University, this past Saturday. Running in open competition from U16 through to University/Open, they represented us proudly. Halle May, Zoe Unger, Adrianna Buitelaar, Alexia Smith, Jasmine Halwas, and Maggie Epp represented us on the women’s side, and Mark Molina, Arata Nakanishi, Will Van Schagen, Riley Simmonds, William Burke, Jonah Dyck, and Miles Graham represented us in the men.
On a sunny but very windy day our crew ran strong races and personal bests despite the less than ideal conditions. Mark Molina was outstanding in his first official 800m with a 2:02.09 clocking, which puts him on track to be in the medals at the provincial level. Will Van Schagen, Riley Simmonds, Arata Nakanishi, and William Burke all ran huge personal bests over the 800m and 1500m events. On the women’s side, Adrianna Buitelaar, Lexi Smith, and Zoe Unger ran outstanding personal best times over the 800m and 1500m events as well. Maggie Epp was back with a vengeance, posting strong opening marks of 5:11.97 in the 1500m and 2:30.88 in the 800m event. Outstanding for a grade 8 competitor.
All our athletes who competed, and the parents and family that support them, should be proud of your efforts. -Coach Scott