Local runner aims for improvement at upcoming Tri-Provincial track meet

Hannah Walker will be taking on the best athletes in the Prairies next week, but the biggest competition will be herself.

The Prince Albert distance runner is one of three local athletes heading to Winnipeg from July 14 to 16 for the 2017 Tri-Province Challenge track meet, which brings together runners, jumpers and throwers from Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. She will be joined on Team Saskatchewan by PA’s Landon Leschyshyn and Nicolas Bardal.

“It’s really tough. There’s lots of competition at a meet like this, so I’m not going in there expecting to win or anything like that,” Hannah said.

“It’s more about having fun, improving your times, just doing better than your last race.”

This is Hannah’s third Tri-Province meet. Last year on the Midget girls’ team she finished eighth in the 800-metre run, ninth in the 1,200-metre run and fourth in the 2,000-metre run, 30 seconds out of a medal position.

This year, Hannah, who starts Grade 11 at Carlton Comprehensive High School in the fall, will run for Saskatchewan in the Youth girls’ 800-, 1,500- and 3,000-metre events.

“I’ve had a couple setbacks this past winter, so I’m not really where I was last year quite yet but I am dropping my times,” Hannah said.

“They’re getting faster so I’m hoping to run close to what I was able to run last year at this meet. Maybe just see some improvement.”

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