NOC runners help break world record
Niagara Olympic Club members Anna Moran, Julia Tremeer and Megan Denbak (alternate) were part of a team that broke a Guinness word record.
Two members of the Niagara Olympic Club are world record holders.
Anna Moran and Julia Tremeer were part of a 100-woman team that broke a Guinness World Record for the fastest time for women in a 100 by one-mile relay.
In 1999, a group in Toronto set the Guinness World Record before a group of San Francisco women broke the record last year by five minutes with a time nine hours, 18 minutes and 32 seconds.
Hamilton running coaches Paula Schnurr, the head coach at McMaster, and Patti Moore were part of 1999 team and they put out a call out for athletes who could run a mile in 5:32. A total of 145 applied, ranging in age to 50 from 12, and 100 were chosen to race at McMaster.
It took a year of preparation before the team shattered the previous record by 23 minutes on July 7 with a time of 8:57:26.9. The runners started at 9:02 a.m. and ended around 6 p.m.
Moran, a 15-year-old St. Catharines resident, heard about the event from her father, Steve Moran, who also coaches at McMaster.
“I worked all season to try and get a fast enough PB to qualify for the relay. I was able to qualify and I was lucky enough to be a part of that cool day.”
She started training with a personal best time of plus-5:20 in the 1,500 metres and was able to bring it down to 5:17
She was the 33rd runner in the event.
“I was able to get the baton from Julia which was really exciting,” the Grade 11 student at Eden said. “I was able to run it and then stay the rest of the day because my dad was timing it.”
She described the experience as crazy.
“I was so nervous because everyone was so excited and it was such a big thing in my life.”
This past high school season, she made it South Regionals in the 1,500 metres and qualified for Southern Ontario Secondary Schools Association in the 800 metres.
“I definitely want to go to OFSAA (Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations) cross country with my team. I made it to OFSAA last year and I am excited to make it as a team again because I have some teammates at NOC who are also on my Eden team.”
Tremeer, a Grade 12 student at Notre Dame, described the event as amazing.
“It was really cool. They had a 100 women sign up and everyone had to run a mile. I was mile 32. Someone I didn’t know handed me the baton and then I got to hand the baton to Anna. Sadly I couldn’t stay to the end but breaking the world record was amazing,” the Fenwick resident said. “It was really exciting. The energy there was really good. There wasn’t a ton of pressure and it was really fun.”
Megan Denbak, a 17-year-old St. Catharines resident and NOC member, was selected as one of 10 alternates after she submitted a time that was a little slower than what the organizers were looking for.
“I was there all day from 9 (a.m.) to 6 (p.m.) and it was really cool because I got to see everyone do their four laps,” the Grade 12 student at Eden said. “It was really neat to see and it took the stress off not knowing if I was going to run or not.”
It was inspiring to view the event.
“It was really fun watching the fast people. They can do it so well and it motivates me to step it up and do my best.”
This past spring, Denbak qualified for the 1,500 metres at the Southern Ontario Secondary Schools Association championships and made it to South Regionals for the 4X400-metre relay.
Denbak is hoping to help Eden’s senior girls cross country team qualify for the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations championships after the squad missed out last year by one spot.
“If we work hard enough, we can probably make it but we will see.”
