Young Roxboro runner opening eyes

BY MICHAEL PIASETZKI

At the tender age of 11, Roxboro resident Xavier Bertrand has really only taken baby steps on the ladder he hopes to climb in the world of competitive middle-distance running.

Yet, they are baby steps that have not only opened up the eyes of area track and field observers, but steps that have definitely earned him the label, ‘tremendous prospect.’

Over the past year and a half, Bertrand has dominated his chosen sport in the province of Quebec, both indoors and outdoors. Competing in 1,000-metre events in the minime age category, he captured gold at three indoor provincial meets this past year and finished first at last spring’s prestigious provincial indoor championships at the Claude Robillard Centre in Montreal. Meanwhile, he finished first in first four under-11, one-kilometre races of the Circuit de Grand Montréal, an 11-race outdoor tour that started in February in Ile Bizard and wraps up in October in Vaudreuil. His goal he admitted is to end up with 11 consecutive wins, a feat that has never been accomplished, even at the senior level.

All of which has every head coach of local running clubs salivating at the idea of him joining them. That,l however, said his father Phil Bertrand, a former competitive runner at the provincial level who now serves as his personal - and only - coach, will have to wait another year or two.

“In time, he will join a club,” said Phil Bertrand. “In the meantime, he’s very determined, so able to understand and pick up on instruction. I don’t think his enthusiasm for the sport is going to go away in a year or so.”

It’s an enthusiasm that sees him train with his father three days a week, focusing mostly on technique.

“I really started running because my dad made it look like fun,” said Xavier. “But I enjoy competing as well. In fact, I hope to set some provincial indoor records next fall before moving up to the benjamin category.”