Canadian Running and Under Armour have teamed up for the 2024 Canadian U Sports cross-country season to highlight some of the top homegrown talents across the country. Each week, leading up to the 2024 U Sports Cross-Country Championships in Kelowna, B.C., in November, Canadian Running will select the top athlete as the Under Armour Athlete of the Week.
The award will go to a U Sports cross-country athlete who achieved a standout performance at their meet. These athletes will be featured on Canadian Running and awarded an Under Armour prize pack featuring the new UA Infinite Pro trail shoe. This week we highlight Alberta Golden Bears athlete Ron MacLean for his performance at the Stewart Cup in Calgary on Saturday.
MacLean claimed the title at the Stewart Cup at Calgary’s West Confederation Park, clocking 23:10 to edge out the second-place finisher by less than two seconds. The victory marks the first individual win of his cross-country career; previously, his highest-placing result had been second at the Canada West Championship in 2022. “I’m pretty psyched with the performance,” MacLean told Canadian Running. “I was honestly unsure where my fitness was at, so to get the win against a strong field was a bit unexpected.”
MacLean reveals that at the beginning of the race, he planned to stick with his younger brother, University of Regina rookie Brett MacLean, before working his way to the front of the pack. “By the time I caught the leaders, I figured I’d go for it,” Ron says. “They were just as surprised as I was.”
The Regina native is in his fourth year of eligibility at the University of Alberta. He holds the school’s 3,000m program record of 8:08.26, which he set in Boston in February. Ron competed for the University of Regina Cougars in his first year of school, where he earned 2019 Canada West cross-country Rookie of the Year honours and set the former 1,500m school record.
Cross-country season goals
Ron did not compete at the 2023 CanWest or U Sports cross-country championships. After graduating in the spring and taking some time away from the sport, he returned for one last season with no expectations. “This past weekend has had a significant impact on my goals for the season,” he says. “Now I have my eyes on the CanWest title, which will be a battle on our super hilly home course. I’m also looking for a first-team All-Canadian finish on the not-so-hilly course in Kelowna.”
Full results for the Stewart Cup can be found here.
