William Weist took home the top prize in the 3000-metre race and finished on the podium alongside his fellow teammates
On Friday, Jan. 10, third-year commerce student and Marauder cross country competitor William Weist took home gold in the 3000-metre race at the Can-Am Track Classic event in Windsor, Ontario.
The Can-Am Track Classic is one of several indoor track-and-field competitions to which Ontario universities are invited. According to Weist, it is one of the first competitions of the season, with the event being an opportunity to see how competitors stack up against each other.
Weist, who has been competing for the Marauders cross country team as a distance runner since he was a freshman, finished first with a time of 8 minutes and 29 seconds in the 3000-metre event. This earned him a spot atop the podium, and his finish also won him Athlete of the Week honours.
“It was the first race of the season, so I wasn’t completely sure where my fitness was at and how I stacked up against the other competitors. Throughout the race, I was feeling good, and I felt like my training paid off,” said Weist.
It was the first race of the season, so I wasn’t completely sure where my fitness was at and how I stacked up against the other competitors. Throughout the race, I was feeling good, and I felt like my training paid off.
William Weist, Runner
Marauders Cross Country
Weist ran most of the course in third-place. Once it came to the last three laps, he pushed forward to go for the top spot.
“I decided that I was just going to go for it and try to hammer it home. The last three laps I went around the other two guys and never looked back from there,” said Weist.
Weist began taking running more seriously in his senior year of high school, focusing more on track rather than his other sport at the time, hockey. His gold medal win has been hard-earned by his training regiment.
He told the Silhouette he runs six to seven times a week, with his training schedule ranging from intense endurance-building sessions to light jog days with the rest of the team.
“There’s something about the competitive nature of the sport that pushes me to be better every single day. It’s definitely something about the sport I’ve loved for a while,” said Weist.
While Weist did say he misses the team aspect of other sports he played in high school, which is not found too often in cross-country, he was happy to see familiar competitors finish alongside him in his event. The other two podium-finishers in the 3000-metre race were also McMaster athletes.
Iain Thomson, a first-year student, and Austin McGoey, who is in his second year, earned the silver and bronze medals respectively.
“As soon as I crossed the finish line, I looked back and I saw both of my teammates crossing the finish line as well. It was great to see my teammates, but also the younger guys win. The future is bright for this team,” said Weist.
As soon as I crossed the finish line, I looked back and I saw both of my teammates crossing the finish line as well. It was great to see my teammates, but also the younger guys win. The future is bright for this team
William Weist, Runner
Marauders Cross Country
The Marauders track team will head to Boston, Massachusetts, for the Terrier Classic event at Boston University from Jan. 31 to Feb. 1. They will compete against other Canadian and American universities.
After an impressive rookie season, Kamran Brar will go on to compete in the World Cross Country Championships in Serbia
After a standout first year, McMaster University Marauder cross country runner Kamran Brar will soon be competing in this year’s World Cross Country Championship in Belgrade, Serbia.
Throughout the Oshawa native's first season at McMaster, Brar has been an excellent runner for the cross country team. From the Marauders' first meet of the season in London, Ont., and the first race of his university career, Brar proved himself with the fastest Marauder finish.
He went on to finish in the twentifourth place spot of 107 runners at the Ontario University Athletics championship and he was the second Marauder to finish the race.
In order to qualify for Worlds, Brar needed to place in the top seven of male-identifying runners at his season’s last tournament. This tournament took place in Ottawa, Ont. on Nov. 25, after the OUA season. It was hosted by Athletics Ontario.
“World Cross Country [Championship] is completely based on one race, which is [the Athletics Ontario] nationals. So if you place in the top seven in the under twenties group and you’ve declared, then you go to Worlds,” explained Brar.
Brar's performance at the meet determined whether he would qualify for the Worlds and the weight of this opportunity in his first season put immense pressure on him.
“I think about the fact I’ve been training for so long and so many people have helped me get to where I am. I owe it to myself and everyone else to give it everything I have. It's not really motivation, but sort of a good sense of pressure,” said Brar.
I think about the fact I’ve been training for so long and so many people have helped me get to where I am. I owe it to myself and everyone else to give it everything I have. It's not really motivation, but sort of a good sense of pressure.
Kamran Brar, first-year runner, McMaster men's cross country team
This mindset has helped Brar to achieve exactly what he intended; he ultimately finished within the top seven male-identifying runners under 20 years old in Ottawa and will now be competing in Worlds.
For Brar, the championship presents an opportunity to not only run, but also to represent his community.
“I often find I’m the only brown person or South Asian person on a starting line. So going to Worlds and having that platform and having the opportunity for me to represent my community is great,” said Brar.
I often find I’m the only brown person or South Asian person on a starting line. So going to Worlds and having that platform and having the opportunity for me to represent my community is great.
Kamran Brar, first-year runner, McMaster men's cross country team
Brar has the opportunity to conclude his first year as a Marauder with a title many athletes yearn for during their careers. He will likely hope that his dedication, unique mindset and skill have put him on the right track in achieving this success.
The McMaster cross country team had an exceptional run during the fall and they’ve shown no signs of slowing down during their track season. At the Eastern Michigan Can-Am meet on Jan. 25, the top six athletes were McMaster Marauders.
Yes. You read that right. At the top of the podium was none other than Alex Drover. Drover finished the three-kilometre race within eight minutes, 14 seconds and 60 milliseconds, four whole seconds ahead of second-place finisher Sergio Raez-Villanueva. Drover achieved the second-fastest time this season of any runner for a three-kilometre race, and his performance earned him the title of the male Pink’s athlete of the week.
In preparing for a race, not only does Drover have to focus on the physical aspects of competing such as training and eating well, but he also has to prepare mentally.
“Preparing for a race long term is about consistent training. Doing everything you can, sleeping, hydrating, eating properly. [. . .] Just getting your mind in the right place, going into a race with a lot of confidence is important and knowing you can race with a lot of the top guys who are there has been one of the biggest changes to my mental preparation,” Drover said.
Alex Drover - Cross Country/Distance Track
Alex Drover
Diet and what you eat can be huge makes a big difference in sports, as it influences not only for health, and performance and endurance but it can also help increase your longevity. Drover has some particularly interesting insight on his diet and why it helps him. While Drover pays attention to his eating habits, he does not restrict himself too heavily.
“More than specific eating habits it’s more than just eating a generally healthy diet throughout and not deviating too much from it. Not to say I won’t have a dessert, I think it’s worse for you than anything to restrict your diet too much to the point where you’re obsessing over it. A specific thing I eat before races, beets are a good one, the nitrates help open up the blood vessels supposedly. So yea, there’s your fun fact,” Drover laughs.
Whatever Drover’s doing has clearly been working for him, as he has consistently been one of the team’s top performers. Drover finished fifth at the U Sports cross country national championship earlier in the year, which put a huge test on his mental game.
“At the U sports championships in cross country this past year, I fell twice during the race. Once on the first two and a half kilometre lap and once on the last lap. The first lap I fell we were probably 800 meters in the race and at that point, there’s still a bunch of people around so falling can put you twenty or thirty spots back,” said Drover.
The ability to stand back up and continue to push through adversity has long been a defining characteristic of top athletes. Drover’s ability to pick himself back up during that race, and then finish within the top five, is part of why he’s one of Mac’s absolute best runners.
Although he placed first at the Can-Am meet, Drover is setting his sights even further. The David Hemery Valentine Invite, taking place in Boston on Feb. 8 and 9, is renowned for its extremely high level of competition. Drover noted that all of the Marauders on the track team have been preparing for a long time and are looking to set some personal bests at the meet.
The cross country/track team has been outstanding this year, and there is no indication that they’re slowing down. Nabbing the top six spots at their most recent meet is the type of dominance that is almost out of a fairytale. They’ll be facing their top competition yet at the David Hemery Valentine Invite in early February, but it wouldn’t be a long shot to expect to see at least one of our Marauders repping on the podium.
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