Nearly 700 elementary runners take part in Canatara Park cross-country meet

Students in Grades 4 through 8 joined the district-wide competition in Sarnia, with staff, families and volunteers supporting runners along the course.

Nearly 700 elementary students competed at Canatara Park in Sarnia in the Lambton Kent District School Board’s 2026 district-wide cross-country meet, according to the board.

The event brought together runners in Grades 4 through 8 from across the board. In an Oct. 27 release, LKDSB described close finishes, individual efforts to reach personal goals and support for students throughout the field.

Current and retired staff and other volunteers helped start races, record times and results, direct runners and supervise sections of the course. Families and other supporters lined the route and the approach to the finish.

The board highlighted retired principal Anita Sabatini, who returned as a safety crossing guard along the course and encouraged runners as they passed.

The district-wide event gave students an opportunity to compete beyond their own schools, with some taking part at that level for the first time and others running their final elementary-school cross-country race.