By Varun Venkataramanan
On 29 September 2018, the University of Waterloo hosted its 22nd annual Don Mills Open, a cross country meet open to individuals and teams of all ages. Also known as the Waterloo Open, the event features a 6 km open women’s race and an 8 km open men’s race. Waterloo’s own Chris Moore won the men’s race while Wilfrid Laurier University’s Lizzy Laurie captured the women’s title.
The races took place in Waterloo’s North Campus next to Columbia Lake. The brisk and sunny weather was perfect for running. The meet saw runners from colleges and universities all across Ontario, as well as a few individuals and track club teams.
The women’s race kicked off first at 10:00 am with 45 runners. Waterloo’s best finisher was Stephanie Ryall, who came 6th overall with a time of 23:05.71. When asked about her race, Ryall said that she was “happy with her last lap” but felt she “started the race a little too fast.”
With 70 runners, men’s race began at 11:00 am just as the weather began to warm up. It was a competitive race, but Moore led throughout as he finished with a time of 25:59.58. Tother notable Waterloo runners include Akiva Goldberg and Alex Hoerner who finished 5th and 6th overall, respectively. Moore was ecstatic following his victory, saying he “finished a job he began four years ago.”
When asked about the women’s race, Waterloo Cross Country Coach Bryan Stride that he was happy with the race the team ran. Stride was impressed with the men’s team, saying, “Two of our team’s best runners weren’t there today but we still finished with three runners in the top 10.”
The next race for the Waterloo Cross Country Team is on Friday, 12 October 2018 at the McMaster Open in Hamilton.
