It's been a breakout season for emerging distance track athlete Eddie MacMillan.
Hot off medal performances at the Athletics Alberta Age Class Provincial Track and Field Championships and the Western Canadian Challenge, he's preparing for his first appearance at the Legion U16 National Track Championships, which kick off Friday in Calgary.
The 15-year-old pulled off a rare and impressive “distance trifecta” at the provincials, winning gold in the 800m, 1200m and 2,000m events in the U16 age class.
"I was super pleased with it," said MacMillan. "I was really nervous going in because it was one of my first races back, and I ended up getting a huge personal best (PB)."
He followed that up at the Western Challenge—featuring athletes from British Columbia to Manitoba—with gold in the 1,200m, silver in the 2,000m, and bronze as part of Alberta’s sprint medley relay team.
He set personal bests in both the 1,200m and 2,000m, and enjoyed teaming up with Caltaf athletes in the relay.
“I had a bunch of really good teammates. I'd never run with them before, so it was a really good experience,” he said.
MacMillan says the experiences off the track are also memorable.
“I really loved staying in dorms with the Alberta team. That was super fun, a super unique experience.”
Last fall, he also struck gold at his first cross-country provincials in a record-breaking performance by Cochrane Endurance Project (CEPR) athletes. He went on to compete at nationals in Windsor, Ont. Despite being ill, he finished 20th overall.
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It’s been quite a rebound for MacMillan, who missed high school track championships for Cochrane High this season due to illness.
“I missed the first two months of the season because I was sick with something that just wouldn't go away,” he said. “I was a little bit nervous getting back into it, but once I did, I started getting PBs pretty quickly. The training came back pretty easily, and I guess it’s just been going well ever since.”
MacMillan joined the Cochrane Endurance Project about three years ago.
“I've always enjoyed running,” he said. “I used to do triathlon and wanted to focus on my running a bit more, so I joined.”
CEPR head coach Travis Cummings says MacMillan has shown tremendous resilience and growth—both personally and psychologically—during a season that’s included its share of setbacks.
“When I first started working with him three years ago, he loved to train but didn’t like to race, so he’s come through that,” said Cummings. “He knows he has a lot of ability, and with that comes a lot of pressure.”
“He's developed some effective strategies for managing expectations and making sure he gets the best out of his abilities. He’s really improved his mental toughness and approach to the sport, and we’re seeing the benefits of that right now.”
While the Endurance Project is on a break ahead of the cross-country season, MacMillan continues to train with workouts provided by Cummings and support from his parents, who both have extensive sports backgrounds.
Although not competing as part of Team Alberta at nationals, MacMillan declared as an individual after hitting the Legion standards and will represent his home club.
“It's a really good club, with runners of all ages,” he said. “I've got guys like Eli Torrie and Raimo Sollitt ahead of me, so I get to chase them and work out with them. And then there are lots of people just behind me.”