The Cochrane Endurance Project brought home a strong collection of medals and personal bests from the Athletics Alberta Age Class Provincial Track & Field Championships held this past weekend at Strathcona Athletics Park.
A 13-member squad, including athletes Raimo Sollitt, Eli Torrie, Kayley Torrie, Eddie MacMillan, Abby Torrie, Ryden Bruce, Jessica Kaiser, Clay Grattidge, Csenia Irvin, Roman Lang, Coach BobbiJo Waite-Lang, and Jillian Roberts, represented the club in a variety of events.
Leading the charge was U16 athlete Eddie MacMillan, who was named the club’s MVP after pulling off a rare and impressive “distance trifecta,” winning gold in the 800m, 1200m, and 2000m events. His final race, the 800m, came just 90 minutes after the 2,000m on Sunday morning — a test of endurance he passed with a commanding front-running performance.
MacMillan also set new club records in the 1200m (3:18) and 2000m (5:57) and will now represent Team Alberta in the 1200m and 2000m at the Western Canadian Challenge, July 18–20 in Edmonton. He’s also slated to compete at the Legion U16 National Championships, August 8–10 in Calgary.
Close behind in the MVP race was Raimo Sollitt, who earned three medals of his own. Sollitt ran a personal-best 4:19 to claim silver in the U20 Men’s 1500m, then teamed up with Clay Grattidge, Jessica Kaiser and Kayley Torrie in the senior mixed 4x400m relay, where the team also took silver in a club-record 3:51. He capped his weekend with a gold medal in his 5,000m track debut, clocking a personal-best 16:17.
In total, Sollitt and MacMillan combined for six medals.
Additional standout performances came from:
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Abby Torrie, who claimed bronze in the U16 2000m
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Kayley Torrie, who moved up to the senior division and finished third in the 1500m. She recently ran a 4:48 mile at Nike Outdoor Nationals in Eugene, Oregon
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Clay Grattidge, who captured gold in the Senior Men’s 400m with a time of 49.23, the second-best of his career
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Coach BobbiJo Waite-Lang, who added two golds in the Masters 50–64 category, winning both the 800m and 1500m
Meanwhile, Jillian Roberts stepped up from the U14 division to compete in four U16 events, including her first-ever steeplechase.
Several club members — including MacMillan, Kayley Torrie, Eli Torrie, and Csenia Irvin — are scheduled to compete at the prestigious Harry Jerome Track Classic on July 15 in Burnaby, B.C., before the club breaks for rest.
The Cochrane Endurance Project will also be represented at JumpStart on July 14 and is preparing to host its annual cross-country meet Sept. 27 at Mt. St. Francis.
For more details, visit cochraneenduranceproject.ca.