This is backtracking in a big way, but I wanted to relate some particulars of a recent interview with Jared Ruest from Georgian Bay Secondary School in Meaford.
Ruest competed at the recent OFSAA Cross Country meet in the Ottawa area and posted the best finish of any Bluewater runner, coming in 5th in the Midget Boys division.
The difference between first & 5th by Ruest’s estimation was just over ten seconds and he firmly believes he could have bridged that gap with a better strategy.
Ruest, who runs for the Meaford Coyotes and trains on a twice weekly basis, believes he expended too much energy getting off the mark and was just a little shy when it came to his finishing kick.
Fair enough, but if you were in a field of several hundred runners, essentially on your own in that crowd, I think you can understand wanting to get away from the pack as soon as possible.
Ruest has just landed in Grade 9 at Georgian Bay, but his early success has him looking towards a post secondary combination of academics and athletics, he hopes at UCLA.
There’s a lot of running to be done between now and the end of his secondary school days, but Jared Ruest, OFSAA aside, appears to be off to a great start.
I’m Fred Wallace