Madison Schindel, one of Bermuda’s up-and-coming triathletes, has competed at the prestigious Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations Cross Country Championships in Canada.

The 15-year-old took part in the junior girls 5K, and crossed the finish line in 22min 9sec. Her time placed her 113th of 262 runners who completed the race at the second-largest cross country championships in North America.

“It was a tough course with a lot of hills,” she told The Royal Gazette.

“The conditions were very good on the day, but the day before it was raining so there were some areas on the course that were still muddy.

“I think I could have pushed myself a little bit harder during the run to get my personal best time.”

In order compete at the championships for the second year in a row, the Bermudian finished second at the Conference of Independent Schools of Ontario Athletic Association Championships.

“I was very happy to qualify for my second year as it is a hard race to qualify for,” Schindel said.

“I was extremely happy with my results in the qualifying meet. My time was 21:56 and I was pleased with that as it was a tough course, the end had an extremely steep hill as well as many other hills on the course.

“You had to be in the top four in the individual race to qualify or in the top two teams to make it.”

“I have seen improvement in my running throughout the season under coach Steve Patterson. I have only been racing 5K this season and that has helped with my triathlon.”

The young athlete was given extra motivation as her mother, Allison Petty, was there in to witness her daughter’s final race of the season.

“It felt really good having my mum and her friend cheering for me throughout the race,” Schindel said.

Petty, who hopped on the Air Canada flight as soon as LF Wade International Airport reopened after Hurricane Melissa, was delighted to keep a promise to her daughter.

“I love supporting her in her endeavours,” the mother said.

“Qualifying for OFSAA is so tough that there was no way I could miss it. It’s the second most prestigious secondary school race in North America and only 4 per cent of the cross country runners in Ontario qualify.

“A friend of mine [Kristine Robinson], who competed at OFSAA back in the day, ended up joining me to support her, knowing the importance of the event, so it was fun to have an extra cheerleader.

“While Maddy didn’t have her best race on the day, she gave it everything she had at the time. She prepared so hard, so to not see it come to fruition was tough for her and me as the mum.

“Regardless, it was wonderful to watch her among a sea of talent pushing her boundaries.”

Schindel is the only female triathlete from Bermuda in line to qualify for the 2026 Youth Olympics in Dakar, Senegal. She has to compete at the Caribbean Junior Regional Cup, set for Barbados early next year, for her name to be submitted to the Bermuda Olympic Association for consideration.

“It would be a huge achievement for me if I qualified for the Youth Olympics,” she added.

“I have been training at school for biking and running. My swimming season starts next week so I will be able to work on my swim, which helps a lot with my training.”