Another record for Thorold Elite
Evan Blake, Chase Larsen, Sean Lawson and Deagen Hallett are the latest record breakers from the Thorold Elite Track Club.
Since the club’s inception in 2016, members have broken five provincial records and the club’s under-14 boys 4X800-metre relay squad added their names to that list Dec. 29 in the Ontario Track and Field Finale at the Toronto Track and Field Centre.
The foursome’s time of 9:35.75 smashed the previous record by 12 seconds. The previous mark had been set in 2005 by the Durham Dragons Track Club.
“We had just run 800-metre time trials the week before so I was pretty certain based on the times that they would break the record and each person executed what they needed to,” Thorold Elite coach Steven Fife said. “This is a talented group of runners and we definitely have some big goals for this year, individually and as a group.”
Those goals are lofty.
“We are hoping to get new DSBN (District School Board of Niagara) records for Grade 7 boys in the 800,” he said. “Three of the boys have already run times that would have broken the record so it’s just a matter of doing it at the right meet in June and who will beat who, and maybe the 1500 record as well.
“Evan and Sean will be going to the same high school so we are already looking ahead to cross country in the fall and making sure there will be a team of four Grade 9 boys from that school to hopefully get to OFSAA (Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations Ontario University Athletics) together.”
The foursome didn’t go crazy after creating the new record.
“We didn’t really celebrate. We were just proud of ourselves as a group,” said Blake, who ran the first leg of the relay. “We did go to an Escape Room as a team and went out for pizza the next week. It wasn’t really anything to do with breaking the record. We usually do a team-bonding activity that has nothing to do with track about every three or four months but the timing just worked out well in this case.”
Fife is a big fan of the team component of running.
“Being able to have relay teams and cross country teams only enhances the experience for everybody and gives even more opportunities for success,” he said. “Relays are all about doing something fun but kids often run even harder when they are doing it as part of a team so it has the added benefit.”
Next up for the Thorold Elite athletes are the indoor championships. They are used as a step towards the outdoor season.
“The work that we do in the winter and the meets that we are able to do are all about setting the athletes up for success in the spring and the summer,” Fife said. “And right now based on what we are seeing at this time of the year, I am predicting a lot more success to come.”
Thorold Elite’s distance athletes train three times a week at Canada Games Park through the winter (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday), with a long run on Sundays. Additional training components such as strength, core, mobility and active recovery are part of non-workout days. There is also one complete rest day.
“We are making sure that it is well-balanced and they are staying healthy and injury-free. It’s a formula that tends to work well for us,” Fife said.
The indoor championships are held in March and then the club transitions back to outdoor training after March Break.
