Canadian Running and New Balance Canada have joined forces to spotlight the nation’s top high school distance runners from the 2025 indoor season. These standout athletes, celebrated for their exceptional performances at the New Balance Indoor Nationals (NBIN) in March, will be featured on the Canadian Running site and awarded exclusive New Balance gear.
Eleanor Voykin of Blue Devils Athletics Club in Toronto and Robin Lefebvre of Vainqueurs Plus in Montreal have been named Canadian Running’s New Balance indoor athletes of the season.
Eleanor Voykin, 16, Toronto
After missing last outdoor season, Voykin set a clear goal for 2025: to be present on the track and savor every moment—and she accomplished just that during her indoor campaign. Voykin was the top Canadian finisher in the girls’ two-mile event at NBIN, finishing ninth overall, and won her section of the girls’ one-mile with a personal best of 4:54.11.
Beyond her own races, Voykin says her favourite part of the NBIN weekend was watching many well-respected and talented athletes compete. “I felt overdue for a personal best in the mile, but I was surprised to win my heat,” Voykin says.
Her journey to NBIN began in February, when she delivered a standout performance at Boston University’s Valentine meet, setting a personal best of 9:32.34 over 3,000m. “I remember being so excited after I ran that time,” Voykin told Canadian Running.
After setbacks prevented her from running outdoor track last summer, Voykin is determined to make the most of her high school outdoor season this year. “I want to continue to improve and develop while staying healthy,” she says.
Robin Lefebvre, 18, Montreal
Lefebvre stunned the field in the high school boys’ championship one-mile race at the New Balance Indoor Nationals in Boston, using his lethal final-lap kick to break the tape and take the crown. He crossed the finish line in 4:05.22, just shy of his personal best of 4:01.95, ran in February at Boston University.
This wasn’t Lefebvre’s only race of the weekend. He was also the runner-up in the boys’ championship 800m, clocking a personal best and a new Quebec U20 provincial record of 1:48.63. He was narrowly edged out by Cole Boone of Virginia, who took the win in 1:48.29.
“Winning the NBIN mile was an awesome feeling,” says Lefebvre, who set five U20 records over the indoor season. “I was also surprised by my time in the 800m at NBIN, but I expected my finish. For the mile, I am getting closer to the four-minute barrier.”
Heading into the outdoor season, Lefebvre’s goal is to break four minutes in the mile and join the list of fewer than 100 Canadian men who’ve accomplished the feat. Beyond time goals, he says he’d love to win double U20 gold in the men’s 800m and 1,500m at the 2025 Canadian Track and Field Championships in late July, and make Team Canada for the U20 Pan-American Championships later this year.
