If an MVP award were given out at the national capital high school cross-country running championships, without a doubt it would have to be given to Glebe’s Charlotte Blondin this year.

Just 100 metres into her novice girls’ four-kilometre race, someone stepped on Blondin’s heel, causing her left shoe to fall off. 

Competing in the final race of the day, Blondin ran through the beat-up, muddy, wet course in the cold, leaving the conditions painted over her entire left sock.

“It’s pretty painful, but I’m glad I persevered through it,” emphasized Blondin, who is at least conditioned to the cold as a Nakkertok Nordic skier, but got no relief from the gravel portions of the course.

Blondin finished the race in 15:54 to place 17th and earn a spot at the OFSAA provincial championships as the fourth runner for the highly-competitive Glebe Gryphons. Before losing her shoe, the one thing on Blondin’s mind was to qualify for OFSAA.

“It’s pretty surreal ’cause it’s something I’ve looked forward to for a few years, and now, I get to go. Hopefully, my shoe doesn’t fall off, but I think I’ve had a good season leading up to it,” smiled Blondin, who uses cross-country running as cross-training for nordic skiing during her offseason.

Charlotte Blondin. Photo: Isabella Disley

Novice girls’ city-champion Glebe Gryphons. Photo: Dan Plouffe

Earning one of the five available spots on Glebe’s team for OFSAA was already a large task for all the Gryphons, with or without footwear.

Glebe’s deep 15-runner lineup won the city team title by a whopping 112 placement points over Nepean. A theoretical team of Glebe’s seventh through 10th-best runners would have also been city champs.

“Our team was really strong, and it feels great to be a part of it,” Blondin highlighted. “I heard a lot of good things about our coach, Mr. Dillabaugh, so it was exciting to be able to finally run with him.”

Joining Blondin for the Nov. 1 OFSAA meet in Brampton will be race winner Roan Gerth, Hannah Potter (who finished 13th), Sara Jolliffe (16th) and Lottie Honeywell Doubbin (18th).

Glebe’s Nyla Luit-Hiridjee (22nd), Lola Wise (32nd), Alycia Nordstrom (34th), Madeleine Jacobsen (37th) and Gabriela Bereznai (44th) also finished ahead of any other school’s fourth-best runners.

“My cross-country coach has been coaching me for a while. I knew that we would have some success with cross-country,” Gerth signalled.

The Gryphons collected their 15th consecutive overall city title at the 2025 national capital championships, capped by the newest generation of dominant novice girls.

Avery O’Connell also won a tight internal contest for Nepean’s final OFSAA racing position when she edged a teammate by 1.4 seconds for 83rd place. Nepean’s scoring runners were Priya Bilcock (11th), Anna Hennigar (25th), Penelope Curley (43rd) and Charlotte Chang-Duffet (80th).

Paul-Desmarais earned podium finishes in both the novice boys’ and girls’ team events, spurred by the recruitment efforts of phys ed teacher/Ottawa Lions sprints coach Gord Cavé, who encouraged students in his fitness to try cross-country after going for a run during class one day.

The individual podium was completed by Colonel By’s Zoe Allina in second place and Maplewood’s Keira Ganton, who earned her young school’s first-ever national capital XC medal with her bronze.

Glebe coach Kirk Dillabaugh and novice girls’ champ Roan Gerth. Photo: Dan Plouffe