Occasionally, the Laurentian Voyageurs cross-country program will lure north a top-end OFSAA talent, a high-school runner fully prepared to make their mark at the OUA level immediately upon arrival at the Sudbury post-secondary institution.

More often than not, however, the L.U. recruiting class will be comprised of project athletes, reasonably gifted runners who need a little time to acclimatize to the rigours of both training and competition at the university level.

Technically speaking, Patrick Leroux was not a Laurentian recruit, officially a walk-on athlete from Wingham (ON) who reached out to coaches Dick Moss and Darren Jermyn back in the chaos that was the spring and winter of 2021.

Fast forward four years and Leroux is being looked upon to help lead the 2024-2025 Voyageurs men's crew, claiming top spot on Sunday at the Ramsey Tour 5 km.

His time of 16:32 was not just noteworthy, it blew away his previous personal best clocking at the distance (17:20) by a wide margin. It's just the latest step in the on-going evolution of a student-athlete who was more than willing to give the process the time required.

"I didn't really start hitting my stride until my first year university," said Leroux, who edged Cameron Date by just a second at the finish line, with Ethan Aarts (Nipissing - 16:39), Brandon Radey (Laurentian - 16:46) and Travis Annett (Laurentian - 16:51) rounding out the top five.

"I grew up in the London area, which is a tough area (to place well), so I didn't train as much because I wasn't going to win."

That mindset changed substantially even before he set foot on the Sudbury lakeside campus.

"I was willing to do anything - I didn't care if I was team manager or trainer - I just wanted to be part of the (cross-country) team," said Leroux, who now enters his fourth year of Sport & Physical Education with Concurrent Education studies.

"I tried the first couple of workouts and I guess I did alright - and here we are."

Still, Leroux was not immune to the adjustments that are so often necessitated as teenage lads run face to face into a much more advanced level of play in their particular sporting pursuit.

"The workouts we did (in year one) were similar to what we did back in high-school," Leroux noted. "Our coach there did a lot of research - but we didn't realize it at the time. We thought she was nuts," he laughed.

"These were the same workouts - but at a much higher level, way faster. I was not expecting that speed. My first workout, I remember thinking I could beat a couple of these guys - and then I came last."

"OK, I thought, I am humbled; time to put my head down and get to work."

Ironically, his biggest recent breakthrough was not a matter of physical development.

"This summer, I worked a lot on my mental game," said Leroux. "I have a hard time focusing sometimes. On race day, I would beat myself mentally in the race. Today, I set a goal, reminded myself of the goal at the 3km mark and pushed through the pain."

Following are some of the remaining results both for the Laurentian Voyageurs as well as for the half-marathon that was also hosted by the Sudbury Masters Running Club that played host to the 47th edition of the Ramsey Tour:

Laurentian Voyageurs - Men
1st - Patrick Leroux - 16:32
4th - Brandon Radey - 16:46
5th - Travis Annett - 16:51
8th - Owen Roney - 17:22
11th - T.J. Green - 17:39
14th - Alan Wilkin - 18:01
15th - Renato Zegarra - 18:02
23rd - Patrick Wiss - 18:44
46th - Michael Homiakov - 20:56

Laurentian Voyageurs - Women
1st - Kristen Mrozewski - 18:47
2nd - Angela Mozzon - 19:04
3rd - Sarah Booth - 19:48
4th - Charlotte Grenier - 19:57
10th - Ariel Gibbons - 21:03

Half-Marathon - Men
1st - Aurel Fox-Recollet - 1:25:14
2nd - Graham Buchan - 1:28:56
3rd - Kris Cacciotti - 1:34:27
4th - Clinton Lahnalampi - 1:35:25
5th - Dilyn Gilbert - 1:36:42
6th - Laydon Bursey - 1:39:31
7th - Steven Gander - 1:41:11
8th - Cameron Boland - 1:42:40
9th - Pierre Dumont - 1:47:45
10th - Eric Labelle - 1:51:31

Half-Marathon - Women
1st - Saree Sasson - 1:33:27
2nd - Michelle Bryson - 1:43:34
3rd - Hannah Cutler - 1:44:59
4th - Tricia Goeldner - 1:48:00
5th - Ramona Benoit - 1:49:34