Whisler’s Morgan Titus, who is currently attending the University of British Columbia, has qualified to represent Canada at the cross country running world championships in Dublin, Ireland next March.
He earned his berth competing in the Canadian Junior Cross Country Championships in Moncton, New Brunswick on Dec. 1, finishing fifth overall in the 8 kilometre race.
Although Titus started slowly, and was ranked around 50 th after his first kilometre circuit of the course, he continued to gain speed. After his second lap he was in 20 th , and heading into the fourth and final lap he was in the top 10.
Knowing that only the top six runners would qualify for a spot with the Canadian Team at the World Championships, he turned up the speed for the final lap and passed a number of runners during his final sprint – including the runner who beat him to the gold medal in the B.C. Championships earlier this year.
Although he is still a freshman, Titus has excelled with the UBC team, consistently finishing in the top three of team runners. He was ninth in the Pacific Northwest NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) championships while racing with UBC, and had a strong showing at the NAIA national championships in Illinois in November. His performance helped UBC to a number eight ranking.
Titus will continue to train with the team for the indoor track season, which starts in January.
