Category: Athlete

Inducted: Thursday, July 17, 2014

Mark Stender established a very impressive running career that spanned 15 years after its start when he was 12-years-old. In fact, from age 13 to 17 he earned a spot on the Newfoundland and Labrador team that annually competed in the national Legion championships.

He also represented the province at the 1985 Canada Summer Games in Saint John, New Brunswick and the 1989 Canada Summer Games in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. This successful running continued during his university years at Memorial University and University of Waterloo as he was a strong team member at both institutions.

His ability allowed him to set a series of impressive records. He held the record for the 400 meter hurdles with a time of 55.56 seconds and the 1991 time he set for the 400 meter run of 48.36 seconds stood for 22 years. In fact, for many years he held numerous records as a juvenile and junior for 200 and 400 meters.

His personal best in the long jump is an impressive 6.86 meters.

His ability was such that besides the Canada Games and Legion championships he competed in various AUAA and CIAU championships with very satisfying results. He was well known across Canada for his running ability and was a welcome member of university track teams.

In addition to his ability to run, he displayed exceptional sportsmanship and was a model for the younger members of all the teams on which he competed.