CALGARY’S RUNNING HISTORY

The City of Calgary, past and present, is home to numerous world class and Olympic level track & field athletes, here a few famous Canadian track stars that currently or have called Calgary home:

• Doug Kyle, 1956 and 1960 Olympian in the 5000m and 10,000m. Winner of the first-ever Calgary Marathon in 1963 and was successful in hosting the 1964 Canadian Olympic Marathon Trials in Calgary. Still an active volunteer official!

• Graham Hood - Olympic Final 1500m, Barcelona 1992, former Canadian record holder in the 1500m. Attended University of Arkansas where he was a multiple All-American runner. Completed his MBA at the University of Calgary.

• Malindi Elmore - Olympics 1500m, Athens 2004, as well as being the Bronze medalist in the Pan Am Games and World Student (FISU) Games, and World Cross Country Championships. Malindi has been National Champion multiple times at this race distance and went to Stanford University where she was also a multiple time All American. She completed her Master’s Degree at the University of Calgary.

• Jeremy Deere - World Championships 5000m, Edmonton 2001. Jeremy has been on the World Cross Country many times and competed in 2005 at the World Half Marathon Championships. He is the current owner of successful local running retailer Strides Running Store

• Jessica Zelinka - Olympics Heptathlon, Beijing 2008 (5^th), London 2012 (7^th). Zelinka is a legend in Calgary track & field circles. She also won silver at the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games and in the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. She won gold in heptathlon at the 2007 Rio Pan American Games

• Sam Effah - personal best in the 100m of 10.06s, 4^th fastest Canadian ever. National Team Member who competed at Commonwealth Games and World Championships.

• Jessica O’Connell - Rio Olympics 2016, 5000m. Personal best times of 15:06.44 in the 5000m. Won CIS 3000m Bronze Medal as a rookie at the University of Calgary and then attended West Virginia on athletic scholarship. She recently completed a Master’s Degree at U of C. O’Connell has represented Canada at the World Indoor Championships, Commonwealth Games, World Junior Championships, and the Continental Cup.

• Paul McCloy - A Canadian running legend originally hailing from Newfoundland, he is still the Canadian record holder for a road 10km race. He is also the highest Canadian finisher ever at the World Cross Country Championships in the Senior Men’s race where he placed 8^th twice.

• Lisa Harvey - Olympics 10,000m, Barcelona 1992, Lisa boast a PB of 32:22 for the 10000m. She is one of the most decorated female distance runners in Canadian history, she has competed at the World Track & Field Championships, the World Half Marathon Championships, the World Junior Cross Country Championships where she finished 6th, and both the short and long races at the World Senior Cross Country Championships.

• Maria Bernard - Olympian in the 3000m Steeplechase. Maria graduated from Bishop O’Byrne High School in Calgary and attended UBC where she won numerous NAIA Championships in track and cross country. She has competed for Canada at the Junior level as well as at NACAC and FISU Championships.

CALGARY’S RUNNING INSTITUTIONS:

The University of Calgary and SAIT (Southern Alberta Institute of Technology) both boast strong running programs and have numerous historical accolades listed below:

U of C Dino’s (CIS - Canadian Interuniversity Sport):
2015
Dino Women: CIS Bronze Medalists (at CIS Nationals: Emma Cook-Clarke 4^th overall, 1^st team All-Canadian)
Dino Men: Stefan Daniel Canada West Rookie of the Year

2014
Dino Women: Emma Cook-Clarke 8^th, 2^nd Team All Canadian

2010
Dino Women: CIS Bronze Medalists (Canada West Champions as well, Madeline MacDonald 6^th overall, 1^st Team All-Canadian, Faye Stenning 12^th overall, 2^nd Team All-Canadian)

2008
Dino Women: CIS Bronze Medalists (Canada West Champions as well, Heather Sim 8^th, 2^nd Team All Canadian)
Dino Men: Canada West Champions (Nyial Majock 5^th, 1^st Team All Canadian, CIS Rookie of the Year, Gavin Hamilton 8^th, 2^nd Team All Canadian)

2007
Dino Women: CIS Silver Medalists (Canada West Champions, Heather Sim 6^th, 1^st Team All Canadian)
Dino Men: Canada West Champions (Geoff Kerr 6^th, 1^st Team All Canadian)

2006
Dino Women: Canada West Champions (Heather Sim 5^th, 1^st Team All Canadian)
Dino Men: (Geoff Kerr, CIS and Canada West Champion)

2005
Dino Women: (Shannon Popowich 4^th, 1^st Team All Canadian, Lindsay Winter 9^th, 2^nd Team All Canadian)
Dino Men: (Geoff Kerr 5^th, 1^st Team All Canadian)

2004
Dino Women: CIS Bronze Medalists (Shannon Popowich Bronze Medalist, 1^st Team All Canadian, Renee Kaylor 6^th, 1^st Team All Canadian)
Dino Men: (Geoff Kerr 11^th, 2^nd Team All Canadian)

2003
Dino Women: CIS Champions (Shannon Popowich Bronze Medalist, 1^st Team All Canadian, Heather Sim, 2^nd Team All Canadian)
Dino Men: (Nathan Kendrick Silver Medalist, 1^st Team All Canadian)

2002
Dino Women: (Shannon Popowich, 2^nd Team All Canadian)
Dino Men: (Geoff Kerr, CIS Rookie of the Year)

SAIT Trojans (ACAC - Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference):

2015
Trojan Men: Bronze at ACAC’s

2014
Trojan Men: Bronze at ACAC’s, 1 male All Conference Athlete
Trojan Women: Silver at ACAC’s, 2 female All Conference Athletes, Silver at CCAA’s (Canadian Colleges Athletic Association)

2013
Trojan Men: Silver at ACAC’s, 1 male All Conference Athlete
Trojan Women: Gold at ACAC’s, 2 female All Conference Athletes, silver at CCAA’s



ABOUT THE HOSTING SCHOOLS:

Western Canada High School (Mike Dinel Co-Chair):
Western Canada High School is one of the oldest and largest schools in the Calgary Board of Education, it was a private school (Western Canada College) from 1903-1928 and has been part of the CBE since 1928. Western Canada is one of the winningest schools in the sport of cross country since cross country’s inaugural season in the CSHSAA (Calgary Senior High School Athletic Association) in 1980-1981. Western Canada has won 14 aggregate City Cross Country Championships (prior to City Championships being broken up into age groups); Western was crowned XC champion in the following school years 1987-88, 1988-89, 1991-92, 1994-95, 1999-00, 2000-01, 2001-02, 2002-03, 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09. Western winning’s continued after age groups City Championships were instituted after the 2009-2010 season. In 2009-10, Western won the Junior Girls, Senior Girls, Junior Boys, and Intermediate Boys XC championships. In 2010-11, Western was crowned champion in the Junior Girls and Senior Boys divisions. 2012-13 Western was crowned Intermediate Boys champion, Junior Girls champion in 2013-14, and finally in the 2014-15 season they won the Intermediate Girls championship. Western Canada XC has won 23 City Championships overall to date.



St. Timothy’s High School (Travis Cummings Co-Chair):
A relative new comer to the CSHSAA, St. Timothy’s inaugural school year was in 2004-2005. St. Timothy’s is a unique school as it is located in Cochrane, Alberta and is grade 7-12. So the school has full-fledged Junior and Senior High Track/XC programs. St. Timothy’s has 3 City Championships to date, the school was the 2013-14 Junior Boys, 2014-15 Intermediate Boys, and the 2015-16 Senior Boys XC City Champions. St. Timothy’s has won two ASAA 2A school level silver medals at the provincial cross country championships. The school has a total student body of 405 students and 206 high school students. The school is small but mighty on the XC course.