Hall of Fame
Colleen Martin-Ward was a tremendous athlete in the province during her competitive years dating back to the early 1970’s, right from her high-school days to University and beyond. She was one of the very first female athletes to compete in athletics in NL, paving the way for others to follow. She dominated the road racing scene all through the 1970’s and early 80’s, winning numerous races and setting new provincial records in many of those events. In 1972 she was named the top female runner of the year.
During this period she also excelled in cross-country running, winning the very first High School Cross-country Championships in Terra Nova Park in the early 1970’s. Later she joined the MUN cross-country team, setting a number of provincial records and competing a number of times against Atlantic University teams.
Colleen competed in a number of National competitions from 1972 – 1974. These included the Eastern Canadian cross-country championships and the Canadian cross-country championships in 1972, the Canadian Junior Track and Field Games in Burnaby, British Columbia in 1973 and the Eastern Canadian Cross-Country Championships in 1974.
From 1973 – 1978 Colleen competed in several Atlantic Competitions, placing 3rd in the highly competitive 1500 m event at the Beazley Track in Nova Scotia in 1973. In 1974 she was the Atlantic University Athletic Association 1500 m champion. Two years later in 1976 she recorded an outstanding performance at the Atlantic University Track and Field Championships, again in Nova Scotia, placing 1st in the 800m and 1500 m, and 3rd in the 400 m. Here she also had the distinction of being the first NL female athlete to run a sub-five minute 1500 metres. In 1977 in a highly competitive 3000 metre race at the University of New Brunswick, she set a new provincial record of 11:03.
Colleen also has the distinction of being a 4-time consecutive Tely 10 champion from 1976 – 1979, setting a new female record in the 1977 event running 1:05:28. Nine years later in 1986, she recorded a personal best placing 2nd in 1:04:10.
In the late 1970’s and early 1980’s she won a series of road races including, among others, the competitive Harbor Front 10 km, the Northern Bay Road Race, the CHCM 10 mile and the Provincial 10 km Road Race Championships, and in so doing, inspired other young female athletes to participate in athletics.
In 1981 she continued her winning ways being named the female winner of the provincial road race championship series.
Copyright © NLAA 2024