Two Okotoks athletes are becoming fast friends after running into one another on the Alberta track and field circuit.
However, Alex Ivan wasn’t about to let his friendship with Michael Quick stop him from outlasting his pal at the CALTAF Classic track and field meet on June 12 in Calgary.
Ivan won the Youth Boys 800m in a time of 1:59.06, Quick finished right behind him at 1:59.37.
Ivan jumped out with the leaders at the starting gun and when the bell rang for the final 400m, he took the lead, but with about 100 metres to go somebody began quickly gaining on him.
“It was Michael,” Ivan said. “He shocked me. It was like I could feel him breathing down my neck.”
Ivan, a Grade 11 student at Foothills Composite was able to stave Quick off finishing just a third-of-a-second ahead of his friend for the gold medal.
“We joked after the race that out of all these runners (17) it was two guys from Okotoks who got first and second,” Ivan said.
Ivan tipped his hat to Quick, a Grade 10 student at Holy Trinity Academy.
Quick added while he is at the bottom of the 15-17 age group in the Youth Division, he still wanted to run down his friend in the final metres.
“I thought I had him,” Quick said. “Next time, I will start (my kick) sooner.”
It was the first time the two Okotoks runners have raced against each other.
Ivan’s strongest race at the CALTAF meet may have been the Youth Boys 400m in which he won a silver medal in a time of 50.59 seconds. He was beaten by Tyler Smith of Leduc who set a meet record of 49.74 seconds.
Ivan has been invited to run in the 400m at the Canadian Junior (19 and under) Track and Field championships in Winnipeg July 8-11. He is aiming to break 50 seconds at nationals.
He has also been invited to the National Youth Championships in Ottawa in August for the 800m, 400m and likely Alberta’s 4x400 boy’s relay team.
Quick also won a silver medal at the CALTAF meet in the 1,500m in a time of 4:12.28. He was beaten by Smith who finished almost three seconds ahead of the Okotoks runner.
Quick said if he doesn’t receive a formal invitation to compete at the Youth championships, he will be sent by his track club, the Calgary Spartans.
