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LU Challenge opens doors for newcomers

With some of the usual suspects having moved along due to graduation, or out of town with other commitments, the 2014 Laurentian Cross-Country Challenge opened the door for a few new names at the top of the leaderboard.
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Some 1,400 athletes competed in the 2014 Laurentian Cross-Country Challenge. Photo by Randy Pascal.
With some of the usual suspects having moved along due to graduation, or out of town with other commitments, the 2014 Laurentian Cross-Country Challenge opened the door for a few new names at the top of the leaderboard.

And with 1,400 athletes on hand, there were plenty who were ready to step up. Nolan Moxam captured the Junior Boys Blue race — organizers had to divide the boys and girls groupings in half, given the volume of runners — covering the two-kilometre course in 7:49, seven seconds ahead of Zander Roy of Jean-Paul II.

A Grade 6 student at Walden Public School, Moxam was competing in the event for the third time, noticing a gradual improvement over the years.

"I've just developed a lot more than I was three years ago, so it gets easier and easier every year," said Moxam.

"Last year, I did really well. I came in second a couple of times last year."

Even with the sub-divided groupings, the mass start in the open LU field can be treacherous, with Moxam opting to run from the lead right out of the gate.

"I just find that it gets harder to pass people in the trails, because it gets a little bit more narrow."

Of course, running from the front of the pack can cause some issues, just in terms of maintaining an awareness of the rest of the field.

"At one point in time in the race, me and the person who came in second were really close together," stated Moxam. "I try not to look back, but I do end up looking back, just to check."

Ethan Sheppard of MacLeod Public School concurs. The winner of the Senior Boys three-km race in a time of 11:22, Sheppard acknowledged he is simply more comfortable taking a quick glance, trying to gauge the gap he had created over second-place finisher Taytum George of Bracebridge.

A top-end finisher in the past, Sheppard has leap-frogged, recently, some of his more familiar race opponents.

"I usually go fast until I get on the road, and then I try and follow my friend, Tyler (Dunn)," said Sheppard.

"He's always beaten me before. Today, I was with him for the first kilometre and then I passed him."

A student at Ecole St. Denis, Dunn would finish in third place, 10 seconds back of Sheppard with a time of 11:32.

That surge forward for Sheppard might have a great deal to do with a summer of triathlon training, an event he favours to straight road racing or cross-country running.

Practising three to four days a week, Sheppard and a handful of other Sudbury athletes were on the road with the Youth Cup Triathlon circuit during much of June, July and August.

Senior girls race winner Ariane Saumure of Macdonald-Cartier has a slightly different approach to her training. An avid basketball and soccer player, she feels that the workouts and games that she does in both of her remaining athletic endeavours prepare her well to tackle the trails in the fall.

"My soccer season just finished," noted Saumure, a member of the highly successful GSSC (Greater Sudbury Soccer Club) Impact U13 girls team. "I was right striker, so I would run up and down the field."

"I just play my other sports, and just go out there and try my best."

The additional cross-sport training must be paying dividends, as Saumure noticed a pleasant change from her race on the same course in 2013.

"Last year, I remember when we did the hills, I was tired and had to walk for a couple of seconds," she said. "But I didn't feel the need today to stop. It was good."

Following is a listing of the top ten finishers in all six races:

Junior Girls "Blue" Race
1st - Ophélie Bruneau (Ste-Marie) – 8:35
2nd - Brianna Potvin (Alliance St Joseph) – 8:38
3rd - Abigayle Huard (St Joseph - Espanola) – 8:40
4th - Josée Beauchamp (Ste-Marie) – 8:53
5th - Aleigh Moxam (Walden) – 8:58
6th - Kelly Clark (Ste-Marie) – 9:06
7th - Chandra Poirier (Pavillon) – 9:07
8th - Madison Soullière (Pavillon) – 9:10
9th - Josee Favelle (Northeastern) – 9:13
10th - Kylee Fowler (Alliance St Joseph) – 9:17

Junior Girls "Yellow" Race
1st - Kelsey Dunn (St-Denis) – 8:20
2nd - Allie Weiler (St James) – 8:38
3rd - Tessa Favero (R.L. Beattie) – 8:40
4th - Amanda Symington (Holy Cross) - 8:415th - Alison Symington (Holy Cross) – 8:41
6th - Meghan Papineau (St-Pierre) – 8:43
7th - Rebecca Sorgini (Holy Cross) – 8:54
8th - Alexandra Bertrim (Hélène Gravel) – 8:55
9th - Kaja Beljo (MacLeod) – 8:57
10th - Ava Lamothe (MacLeod) – 8:57

Junior Boys "Blue" Race
1st - Nolan Moxam (Walden) – 7:49
2nd - Zander Roy (Jean-Paul II) – 7:56
3rd - Calum Passi (Cyril Varney) – 8:00
4th - Jahiem Richards (Cyril Varney) – 8:05
5th - Davis Kainola (Alliance St Joseph) – 8:14
6th - Kole Fowler (Alliance St Joseph) – 8:15
7th - Brayden McDougall (Walden) – 8:16
8th - Tyler Thibodeau (Alliance St Joseph) – 8:18
9th - Tyson Belland (Cyril Varney) – 8:23
10th - Ethan Shoup (Northeastern) – 8:25

Junior Boys "Yellow" Race
1st - Billy McIntyre (MacLeod) – 7:36
2nd - Justin Lubian (R.L. Beattie) – 7:38
3rd - Austin Mashinter (MacLeod) – 7:39
4th - Oliver Taillefer (R.L. Beattie) – 7:42
5th - Owen Visentin (Immaculate) – 7:50
6th - Dax Mazzuchin (MacLeod) – 7:50
7th - Cameron Walker (St John) – 7:54
8th - Jimmy Blanchard (Holy Cross) – 7:54
9th - Max McCue (MacLeod) – 7:54
10th - Tomas Asselin (Hélène Gravel) – 8:00

Senior Girls Race
1st - Ariane Saumure (Macdonald-Cartier) – 12:14
2nd - Fiona Symington (Marymount) – 12:48
3rd - Lily Hayden (Lively District) – 12:49
4th - Katie Chomiak (Lively District) – 13:08
5th - Abbey Patterson (Northeastern) – 13:08
6th - Mylène Lefebvre (St-Denis) – 13:18
7th - Breanna Crowe (Lively District) – 13:26
8th - Amber-Ann Jacques (Jean-Paul II) – 13:27
9th - Kaitlyn Walker (Pinecrest) – 13:28
10th - Dylan Mazzuchin (MacLeod) – 13:29

Senior Boys Race
1st - Ethan Sheppard (MacLeod) – 11:22
2nd - Taytum George (Bracebridge) - 11:273rd - Tyler Dunn (St-Denis) - 11:32
4th - Lucas Mrozewski (R.L. Beattie) – 11:33
5th - Jarod Hurley (Lively District) – 11:34
6th - Jamie Wahamaa (Macdonald-Cartier) – 11:35
7th - André Rancourt (Alliance St Joseph) – 11:38
8th - Joel Martin (Macdonald-Cartier) – 11:45
9th - Tony Piro (St Benedict) – 11:45
10th - Draper MacLean (St Benedict) – 11:46

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