Runners who have been at Saint Maur for a number of years will be familiar with the name Novick. Brother and sister secured the top position on the Saint Maur Fastest Runners table in 2000 (Ian) and 2007 (Anna). While our coach Anna Novick is still at the top of the female list, Ian’s time was beaten by two seconds in 2017 by Ken Johnson who is now sitting comfortably at the top of the male list. Maybe not so comfortably, since this season saw the arrival of two other Johnsons. Ken’s younger sister Akari (Grade 6) and brother Jun (Grade 8).

Jun ran in 2017 as well, but truly became a runner to be reckoned with this season. On several occasions Jun ran in the MS race as well as the HS race; for further practice and with a view to compare his time to Ken’s. Bad news for Ken, Jun beat his MS record on the 3.3km course by over 10 seconds! This is good news for us, though, as it promises some awesome, fast-paced races for the seasons to come. No doubt that supportive big brother Ken, who has been “attending” the races from Canada via Skype, will want to keep an eye on Jun’s times and performances!

As for Akari? With her 15’36” time on the 3.3km course and the motivation she has shown this year, let’s just say that Miss Novick (who is sitting next to me as I type this, on the Shinkansen to Far East) is worried that by the end of Akari’s Senior Year, maybe both names at the top of the Saint Maur Fastest Runners list will have switched from Novick to Johnson!

We are confident that Mr and Mrs Johnson, who are incredibly supportive of their young runners must be looking forward to the future with pride; and let’s not forget Ryo Johnson, who is only in Grade 2!