Jason Teakle
BRANT NEWS

A pair of Brantford and County of Brant track and field greats were honoured in the city on Wednesday night.

Running stars and married couple Kevin Sullivan and Karen Harvey made the trek from their home in Tallahassee, Florida, to be inducted into the Brantford and Area Sports Hall of Recognition during a ceremony attended by about 100 people at the Best Western Brant Park Inn.

“It is an honour for both of us to be inducted and even more of an honour to be inducted at the same time,” Sullivan said. “There are so many amazing athletes that are already part of the Brantford and Area Sports Hall of Recognition and they have set the bar very high.

“It’s about your athletic accomplishment in conjunction with how you represent the city.”

Sullivan and Harvey both began winning races and setting records while attending high school at North Park Collegiate and Paris District High School, respectively.

Since then, Sullivan has competed in three Olympic Games, in Sydney, Athens and Beijing, and in the World Cross Country Championships. At the Sydney Games in 2000, he had a fifth-place finish in the 1,500-metre event.

Harvey has been named to nine Canadian national teams and three world cross country teams.

“This is something Kevin and I will remember forever,” Harvey said. “We are both very honoured by this. I feel like I have been extremely blessed.”

Sullivan now co-owns Capital City Runners in Tallahassee and Harvey continues to compete and coach women’s cross country and track and field at Florida State University.

Brantford Mayor Chris Friel welcomed the couple back to the city.

“No matter where you live, you are always part of Brantford,” Friel said. “I hope you always have Brantford in your hearts.”

The 1962-1963 Atlas All-Star senior basketball team was also put on the hall’s honour roll during Wednesday’s ceremony.