The middle/long distance program is a year-round program meant to improve the athletic abilities of a High School aged or older athlete . This program is athlete dependent and ideal for athletes interested in running events from 400m - 10000m and long Hurdles (300-400m) and steeplechase. The group meets four times a week, however athletes are expected to do additional activities on their own including but not limited to running, swimming, water running, lifting weights etc.
The program is centered on a summer competition season from late April until early August. The main competitions range from the local provincial championships, to regional competitions (in Kelowna, Vancouver and/or Saskatoon), to our National Championships. Which of these events an athlete gets to attend is dependent on the abilities of each athlete. From the National Championships some CALTAF athletes have gone on to represent Canada at the World Youth, World Junior, Pan Am Junior and Commonwealth Youth Games for Team Canada.
There is a short break from training after the summer competition season. Athletes then start in late August to do some independent running which will get them started for their fall base or cross country season.
Cross Country is an important part of the program as it creates the base for the rest of the year no matter what events you hope to run. Some athletes love cross country season and we actively participate in the Alberta Cross country circuit which concludes with Cross Country provincials. For the Junior and Senior aged athletes there is then a chance to compete at the National Cross Country Championships towards the end of November. Once again Caltaf has been successful at putting athletes on National teams competing in the World Cross Championships, North American Caribbean Championships and the World University Games.
For those athletes not focused on cross country we finish our base season and start preparing them for the indoor season where we participate in competitions around Alberta and Saskatchewan. This is part of our training preparation for the outdoor season and it allows us to get some racing in place, a good way to benchmark how the training is going.
In summary, athletes in the middle distance program can expect to compete in indoor and outdoor track and field meets around western Canada, eastern Canada or beyond depending on the level and needs of the individual athlete.
