The second installment of the Speed River Inferno will look to build on the excitement and energy of the first. This year’s competition will follow a structure similar to many European meets with a pre-program section of races and then a main program of 45 minutes of action packed high caliber races. The highlight of the night promises to be the men’s 2000 metres where Taylor Milne fresh off his outstanding performance at the Oxy High Performance meet will look to break Steve Agar’s Canadian Record of 5 minutes 03.57 seconds. Milne electrified the hometown crowd last year by becoming the first athlete to ever break the four minute mile in Wellington County. Joining Milne in the 2000 will be Reid Coolsaet, who currently sits fifth on the all-time list with a best performance of 5 minutes 5.66 seconds. Also looking to write his name in the record books in Ross Proudfoot who will be chasing the Canadian Junior Record of 5 minutes 19.9 seconds held by Rob Lonergan.
The 2000 will be the crescendo of an outstanding night of racing, the evening will kick off with Kyle Boorsma’s return to action in a loaded men’s 1500 metre field which will also feature Matt Hulse, Rob Jackson, Tommy Lecours and Jean-Samuel Lapointe, all former Canadian University medalists. The women’s 1500 will be equally strong with a decidedly hometown feel as the field is led by a quintet of local products. Dana Buchanan is the race’s top seed with a personal best of 4 minutes 17 seconds, she can expect a strong challenge from Speed River teammates Rachel Cliff and Genevieve Lalonde. The men’s 800 metres will include a trio of strong American athletes led by Nick Stenuf who is making the trip from Syracuse. Local product Dustin Gamble and Quebec’s Vincent Parent Pichette will be carrying the Canadian hopes. The women’s 800 will be led by Sudbury’s Emma Tallman and Toronto’s Sasha Gollish.
The main program will start Saturday night at 7 pm with the final race the men’s 2000 set for 7:35 pm. The meet will be hosted at St James Catholic High School.
Heat sheets and a meet schedule are available at 401series.ca.
