Kevin Smith and his five siblings, the children of Alex and Catherine Smith, were born in Antigonish and raised on Hawthorne Street.
Kevin’s interest in track began at a young age. At the time, his brother Buddy had been an avid track athlete himself. Kevin wanted to replicate what his big brother was doing, one day setting off running a ¼ mile as fast as he could. By the end of it, 10 year old Kevin was left exhausted, and could barely walk for the next few days. He couldn’t understand how Buddy could run the way he did. His brother would explain that you can’t just go and run flat out; you needed training.
Like many aspiring athletes at the time, Kevin headed down to the track at Columbus Field, to seek training from the legendary Frank McGibbon. Kevin wanted to race and to compete. Frank had just the thing. He took Kevin to his place, where inside there was a wall filled with books, pamphlets and magazines on the latest elite training regiments. After searching for a while, Frank pulled off an article written by Franz Stampfl. At that time, Stampfl had been working with Roger Bannister, as they sought to be the first to run a sub 4 minute mile. His program had been revolutionary, emphasizing highly regimented interval training.
Frank and Kevin got to work. From the time he was 11 or 12, Kevin would get out of school, and go straight to the Columbus Field track. A typical interval session would be 220 yard repeats. Frank would stand at one end of the track with his stopwatch as Kevin did reps at a pace slightly slower than target race pace, around 30 seconds. Gradually, Kevin became stronger and stronger, until he could do 10 or 12 sets, all in a controlled manner. To Kevin, doing the interval training built his confidence, as he knew he could hit his target pace every time and could make executing on race day so much easier. He stuck to this program style his entire career, and never had the slightest doubt that he was as fit as anybody he came up against. Kevin gives a great deal of thanks to Frank, for his thorough research in cutting edge training programs, and his dedication to the local runners.
Even from a young age, Kevin was considerably shorter than many of his competitors, but his talent and determination still led him to remarkable success. Kevin would represent Antigonish throughout his running career, taking part in Highland Games, Acadia Relays and Halifax races. He played a key role in Antigonish’s incredible running performances during the 1950s and 60s. In 1960, his team set the Maritime record in the mile relay at their very own Columbus Field. Led by Frank McGibbon, that generation of Antigonish runners later competed in Halifax as part of a team representing the Maritimes against Ontario and Quebec. Although the team competed under the Maritime banner, all four members of the relay squad were from Antigonish. The small-town team went on to defeat the entire province of Quebec, finishing second only to Ontario.
Kevin attended St. Francis Xavier University that did not have an official running program at the time. He would still represent the school during his first year, winning the Atlantic Canadian ¼ mile. He was also invited to attend Olympic training camps from 1957-1959.
Kevin believes Antigonish’s athletic success, both during his generation and today, can largely be credited to the town’s strong sense of community, and the dedication of its people, such as Frank McGibbon. He believes Antigonish is an excellent place for young people to grow up, offering opportunities to develop both athletic and life skills while building lasting friendships and meaningful connections.
Outside the track, Kevin left footprints all over the world. After completing his studies, he taught school in Nigeria for two years before serving as a Caribbean coordinator, working out of countries like Guyana, Grenada, and Barbados. He later joined the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), based in Ottawa.
Today (2026) Kevin is 83 years old, and still lives in Ottawa. He likens success in running to success in life. His confidence was built through his preparation, with his interval training requiring him to repeat the same workouts over and over, until he knew exactly what to do, and had proven to himself that he could do it. He encourages young people to approach any endeavor the same way: to practice, repeat, and let your preparation build your confidence.
Submitted with help from Shaun Smith, July 14th 2026