Team spirit and national pride prevails at the Men’s Marathon

July 26, 2015

By Michelle Clarke

Up early on Saturday for the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games Men’s Marathon, I headed to the hills at High Park, looking forward to seeing one of my favourite distance runners, Rob Watson. Having run Centre Road many times, I had compassion for what runners were up against combined with the weather which was not in their favour. Canadian Kip Kangogo, was quick to mention how tough this course actually was. “Those hills get the best of you, going up those hills 4 times is not fun.”

Kangogo has only been a citizen of Canada since early April of this year. He was born and raised in Kenya, and has lived in Lethbridge, Albert since 2001. Watching the first two laps of the race and seeing Kip looking so strong in 4^th place, everyone in High Park (myself included) wanted him to win. He wanted, “something spectacular.”

While, fan favourite, Watson, one of the bigger guys in the field, didn’t look comfortable going into lap two the spectators erupted when he showed up. “No matter how much my legs were hurting, it was uplifting and really cool [hearing everyone cheer]. I appreciated that, they knew I wasn’t having a good day and they didn’t care. They were just there to support me,” said Watson.

The women last weekend talked about the challenging marathon course, and the men had to face those same challenges on Saturday. The fastest man in the field and the favourite to win, Raul Pacheco from Peru, led for much of the race. To everyone’s surprise, Cuban, Richer Perez kicked in the last 400M stretch and took the win in a time of 2:17:04. Perez is virtually an unknown on the international marathon circuit, but Saturday he definitely put himself on the map with his personal best performance.

Kangogo held onto the leader for most of the race, “I was with them in the front and feeling good then after 30km I started losing ground, the heat got the best of me,” he explains of his ninth place finish.

His spirits were bruised but definitely not broken. “I made a promise I wanted to run for Canada one day, and that day was today so my dream was fulfilled. I wear the Canadian flag with pride and I ran with pride, I just fell short.” Kangogo replied.

I was most impressed with both Kangogo’s and Watson’s team spirit. With his quirky humour, Watson’s humble nature is inspiring. “I knew it wasn’t my day, but there were so many people out here, they woke up early to come support me run, that I wouldn’t have dropped out.” Dud did he think about quitting on the course? “[The marathon is] an individual event but we are part of a team, part of the marathon team, part of the Athletics Canada team and just part of Team Canada,” he explained.

Up next for this team? Watson is aiming for his Olympic qualifying time in Chicago, while Kangogo takes some recovery and plans out where he needs to focus his race efforts. As always, Watson summed up the experiences well, “It was a tough day at the office but its one I will remember for a long time.”

Michelle Clark is a Toronto-based runner, coach and blogger sharing her perspective on the 2015 Toronto Pan Am Games. Follow her on Twitter @runningchic and on Instagram @michelletherunner.

Canadian mid-distance runners strong and proud

AttheRaces

July 26, 2015

By Michelle Clarke

As one of the women’s last middle distance races of the Toronto 2015 PanAm Games, the crowds at the Women’s 1,500M eventTow were erupting. With two very strong Canadian medal contenders, both with the fastest personal best and season best times, it may have appeared an easy win.

The competition proved a little better than expected. From the start,t the runners did not seem to want to work together, instead taking a single formation strategy for much of the race. Columbia’s Muriel Coneo and American Corey McGee took the lead for the first half of the race, leaving Canada’s Nicole Sifuentes and Sasha Gollish in third and fourth. According to Sifuentes, the race strategy Coneo started to execute was exactly the strategy she was aiming to do.

Both going out with the same tactic, made for a very exciting, almost photo finish. “There was nothing more I could’ve done,” said Sifuentes. “I did my very best, she was just did better today.”

Coneo had taken gold with a personal best of 4:09:05. “When the other girl approached me at the 200s I said ‘this is do or die’, said Coneo, “In my mind I was thinking ‘I need to pass her no matter what’. Then I closed my eyes and said to myself ‘Oh God please this is mine’ and that’s when I gave my extra.”

Gollish crossed the finish line with bronze, taking over McGee in the bell lap. Gollish has run better times, but having a shoe malfunction, she ran th majority of the race with one shoe half off of her foot. She demonstrated a never quit attitude at her first ever PanAm games.

As Sifuentes talked to us after the race, she was in near tears of joy, happy to be able to actually get to stand on the podium for the first time. Even though she had gotten bronze at World indoor championships in Poland, running a Canadian record of 4:07.61.It was a medal promotion, since it was later discovered third place was disqualified. The disqualified athlete got to experience Sifuentes medal and podium moment.

Today Sifuentes earned every second of her silver medal. “I’ve never held the Canadian flag before, so this is going to be really special,” she said through tears.

Michelle Clark is a Toronto-based runner, coach and blogger sharing her perspective on the 2015 Toronto Pan Am Games. Follow her on Twitter @runningchic and on Instagram @michelletherunner.

Taking it all in silver Brannen’s confident in his quest for gold

AttheRaces

July 25, 2015

By Michelle Clarke (Photo Credits: Ida Valentina)

The Toronto 2015 PanAm Games are winding down, however the crowds keep getting bigger and louder and the atmosphere for the Men’s 1,5000M was no different.

Canada’s Nathan Brannen , an accomplished track runner went out hoping for gold. During the initial laps, the men were not taking any risks, staying tightly packed together and as some had referenced, maintaining a pedestrian pace.

In fact, it started to get a little too tight for Brannen, who ended up where no track athlete wants to be: boxed in on the inside lane. Watching him, it was clear he was working hard to get out of his position and into a better spot where he could stay in medal contention. And he altered confirmed that, “it’s bittersweet, I think I could’ve won it if I was in a better position.”

With two laps left Brannen took a bit of a surge and as the pack rounded down into the bell lap the chase was on. The United State’s Andrew Wheating and Brannen kicked the last 100M fighting for gold. With just metres to go Brannen, up against the American, showed his true grit. With Andrew Wheating’s ridiculously long legs, it would take so much effort to catch up with his stride and Wheating crossed the line, for gold 3:41.41, with Brannen claiming silver

With his all or nothing attitude, from my vantage point I could see Brannen was determined despite recovering from an injury. “I missed five months with an Achilles tear in the fall,” he explains, “Although 3:35 is an indicator that I’m getting there, by no means am I at 100%.”

As was evident in the 1,500M race, he’s still missing a bit of the top end speed, but he’s confident he’ll get it together in the next couple of weeks.

So how does he deal with race day nerves? And what goes through his head waiting for the gun to go off? “The same thing that someone taking on a couch to 5km on their first ever 5km is feeling, I’m feeling the same thing,” say Brannen.“When they’re lining up, wondering, ‘Am I ready?’ the best of the best are thinking the same thing.” It’s been more than 15 years since his first national race as a junior, which goes to show, whoever you are, wherever you place, just by being out there and doing it, you’re closer to the elites than you think.

Michelle Clark is a Toronto-based runner, coach and blogger sharing her perspective on the 2015 Toronto Pan Am Games. Follow her on Twitter @runningchic and on Instagram @michelletherunner.

Marchant gaining confidence on the track

AttheRaces

July 24, 2015

Even with the Men’s 800M final, Women’s 10,000M final and the 1,500M finale to the decathlon, most of Thursday’s athletic schedule was preliminary races.

By Michelle Clarke (Photo Credits: Fred Tass)

Pan PanAm organizers have done an amazing job for the media, making it very easy for us to get around. I transitioned into my reporter role on a bus on my way to York University. I was determined to see some of the women’s 10,000M race, with Lanni Marchant and Natasha Wodak.

With one mile left in the race, I was watching the stream, listening to the audio and sprinting to the stadium so I could see the finish live in person. As I ran to the reporter’s section, I got to see the last few minutes of what turned out to be a great race. Unlike the men’s race the day before, this one didn’t start too quickly, the women stuck together for much of the race and runners weren’t messing around with surges.

It wasn’t until the last eight laps that things started to heat up. The two Americans, Desiree Davila and Liz Costello decided to make a move and picked up the pace and open the gap. There was some question if Marchant was going to go with them or not, but she soon made her move and closed in on the leaders followed by Mexican Brenda Flores. Wodak by this time was showing signs of struggle and was not holding onto the pace.

With just two laps to go, Marchant made gutsy move and took the lead, but didn’t look like she was going to hold it. The bell rang, the stadium was on their feet and Flores and Davila took off pulling away from Marchant. Battling it out with two very strong kicks, Flores took the gold medal for Mexico in personal best time of 32:41, Davila took silver and Marchant held on to her bronze medal position with 32:46.

As the Canadian marathon record holder, Marchant says she feels like she is getting a crash course in track and field, where she is learning about speed, finding her gears and pacing. It just goes to show you that even when you’re at the top of your game, there is always more to learn. “I kind of avoided [track] since university. I’m getting more confident with the [10,000m] event and that’s the goal for Worlds,” says Marchant.

Canadian 10,000M record holder, Wodak, placed 7th, with a time of 33:20. Earlier this year she broke Canadian record with a time of 31:44, crying as shed cam through the media area, it was clear that it just wasn’t her day.

En route to celebrating her bronze medal finish, I asked Marchant what advice she had for young girls. “I wasn’t someone earmarked to be really good with track and field and marathoning; I stuck with it,” explains Marchant. “There needs to be more of a push for young girls whatever sport it is. Sport opened so many doors for me. You don’t have to be the best, pick your sport and go for it.” I couldn’t agree more. Stick with it girls, the rewards are far greater than your personal best on race day.

Michelle Clark is a Toronto-based runner, coach and blogger sharing her perspective on the 2015 Toronto Pan Am Games. Follow her on Twitter @runningchic and on Instagram @michelletherunner.

Canadian Andre de Grasse pushes through for gold

AttheRaces

July 23, 2015

By Michelle Clarke

On your mark, and the stadium went silent for the men’s100M semi-final tension where Canadian Andre de Grasse was a fan favourite. The gun went and 9.97 seconds later De Grasse had taken first place securing his place in the 100M final. With only a few hours to rest up for the next race de Grasse said, “I’m feeling pretty good. I just have to get ready for the finals, get some treatment, and try and win the gold for Canada.”

With a couple of hours until his next race, I was thinking about the pressure de Grasse must be under. Even after three years of racing, this year in Eugene, Oregon where he set an unofficial (wind assisted) Canadian record, the field had no idea who this guy was. From Markham, Ontario, de Grasse was discovered at a track meet where he showed up in a pair of basketball shorts. That was the turning point in his life. Since then he has officially set the Canadian record in the 200M at the NCAA Pac-12 Conference Championships de Grasse crushed the 200M with a time of 20.03, beating the previous record held by Aaron Brown at 20.16.

With the final event ready to start, the eight men took to their lanes for the last and final introductions. Something fun about the sprint races is how all the athletes have their own camera show, much like a UFC fighter, except not nearly as aggressive. When de Grasse was announced the crowd went wild and as the runners took their positions in the blocks, the stadium was on their feet.

With the sprints, it’s a bit of a blur of action. The race started, in 10 seconds it was over and you couldn’t even hear the announcer over the screams. de Grasse pushed and lunged forward just as he’d practiced over and over again taking first in a time of 10.05.

Looking both tired and elated de Grasse came over to chat with the media after the medal ceremony. Not only did de Grasse grab another gold medal for Canada, but it was also surprising to hear this event wasn’t even the main goal! “My coach has loaded me up for the 2015 Pan Am Games since the main focus is the world. This is kind of a train through meet the, 100m and 200m to try to start back from the beginning of the season to get back another peak for the World Championships,” he said.

de Grasse still has a 200M race to focus on in the coming days. Even though his handlers didn’t want him to stop, he couldn’t help himself; he started high fiving and fist pumping everyone around me. Needless to say, I couldn’t let the moment pass and he graciously let me take a selfie with him. Briefly mentioning a documentary that was filmed about his athletic journey, there’s no question that he’s bound for greatness, stay tuned; it will surely be an amazing story.

Michelle Clark is a Toronto-based runner, coach and blogger sharing her perspective on the 2015 Toronto Pan Am Games. Follow her on Twitter @runningchic and on Instagram @michelletherunner.

Wells proves you must believe to succeed

AttheRaces

July 23, 2015

By Michelle Clarke

Canada’s Sarah Wells and the women’s field took to their lanes for the 400M hurdles and I had a special interest in this race. As the women got settled into the starting blocks, this was a strong field of highly accomplished athletes.

These short distances are so fast and frantic that nothing can be predicted, and no one can be counted out until the very end. American Shamier Little gracefully glided over the hurdles, racing smart and strong. She had the gold. But with 100M left to go there was a surge from the entire field and Wells who was in fourth for much of the race, blasted forward pushing herself so hard and taking the silver in 56.17 seconds.

Wells is a very down to earth athlete. At the beginning of the race, she showed her hands to the camera where she had I BELIEVE in marker on her palms. Since this is something a friend and I have done for our harder races, I couldn’t wait to talk to her about this pre-race ritual. Athletes need reminders for those moments where we might doubt ourselves. Wells says her hand written note is actually her motto. “It has been part of who I’ve been an athlete,” she explains. “I knew on the line today I had potential to come home with a medal and I had to write that on my hand to remind myself and show the world so they held me accountable that I was going to do this today.”

Even more impressive, Sarah has had two tough years. A stress fracture putting her down for a season and then the very same injury almost taking her out of the PanAm competition. As a running blogger, coach and athlete I have always preached that runners should never run through injury, especially a stress fracture. At the highest level of competition, when you have your heart set on a medal and the Olympics, how much are you willing to risk?

Wells had so much to gain and yet so much to lose so I had to know, why did she do it? People, do not try this at home, Wells has a team of doctors guiding her through training and competition. Here’s a glimpse into what an athlete is willing to override to achieve their ultimate goal.

“I had to sit out last season because of this injury. So when I found out that I had the early signs of it again, I just couldn’t imagine shutting my season down. I asked and pleaded with the doctor to let me run at least until the Pan Am Games because running at home is something that happens so rarely. I wanted this experience and I wasn’t going to let that injury take it from me. I’ve been fortunate but I’m going to have to take a lot of time off now heading into the Olympic year. I’m not making it easy on myself, but it’s been worth it for this day.” –Sarah Wells

Wells is the kind of athlete that any young woman should follow. She has lived the ups and downs of training the red line. She’s determined and most importantly, she truly believes in herself and her coaching. Watching Wells walk away, I got the sense, it’s not a question of will she medal in the Olympics but a question of when.

Michelle Clark is a Toronto-based runner sharing her perspective on the 2015 Toronto Pan Am Games. Follow her on Twitter @runningchic and on Instagram @michelletherunner.

Canadians on track at Pan Am Games

AttheRaces

July 22, 2015

By Michelle Clarke

As a fan of track and field, the 10,000M can be an almost uneventful race until after the halfway mark. Tonight at the York University stadium, the Brazilian Ubiratan Dos Santos kept me, and the pack of men behind him, on our toes.

Surging (aka fartleking) is often used on the track as a way to push other runners, ultimately tiring their legs. Dos Santos used this technique on nearly every lap. He continued to surge out of the pack creating a gap and rather than let the pack catch him, he would fade back into it.

It didn’t take too many laps for the lead pack to break away from the rest of the field and turn this event into a six-man race. With Dos Santos out in front for more than half the race, the other five men stayed on pace, making it hard to determine who was going to have the final kick in the end.

As I sat in the stands, thinking Dos Santos was not getting the gold medal, instead he ended up DNFing in the final lap. The erratic racing wasn’t going to bode well for a first place finish with such a strong field behind him. Who was going take the gold? From my vantage point it was either the Barrios from Mexico or Canada’s Mohammed Ahmed. They both ran an incredibly smart race.

With two laps to go, the six men formed a tightly knit packed. All together they started to pick up the pace and the crowds went from cheers to roars, pushing all the racers to the bell lap.

As the bell rang on the final lap, the pack separated and the sprint was on: Canada, Mexico, Brazil, U.S.A., Canada. Runners rallied only a short time then, with 200M to go, Ahmed kicked. Completing ripping away from the others he crossed the finish line at 28:49 claiming gold.

I caught up with Ahmed after the race, with a sense of accomplishment in his eyes, I asked him about his strategy and when he knew to take the break away. “I was listening for breathing and looking around for who took what laps,” explains Ahmed. “There was a really strong wind off the back end and I knew all I needed to do was take the last 250m and hammer it home.”

The athletic events were dominated by the Canadians both infield and on the track. Matt Hughes and teammate Alexandre Genest took gold and silver for the men’s 3000M steeplechase. Hughes finished the race with a time of 8:32:18, with Genest following, one second behind. “We had a couple of game plans depending on how the race played out,” shared Hughes. “It just started bunching up with three laps to go. I just didn’t want to get caught up with that. I made a similar move in the national championships a few weeks ago, so I was confident in that move. I was hoping that (Alexandre) knew when I was going to go.”

Rounding out the evening, the women’s 100M hurdle finals was an intense 12.52 seconds. The entire stadium was silent, as the gun went off and in one, two, three blinks, Queen Harrison, and Tenaya Jones crossed the finish line claiming gold and silver for the USA with Canadian hurdler, Nikkita Holder taking bronze, who like me, admits that she doesn’t remember much of the race. But what I do remember is the smile was on her face as she took her victory lap with the Canadian Flag.

Since this was just the beginning of the track and field athletic events, there is sure to be more of heart pounding excitement, lost of hardware and definitely more personal bests as the 2015 Toronto Pan Am Games continues!

Michelle Clark is a Toronto-based runner sharing her perspective on the 2015 Toronto Pan Am Games. Follow her on Twitter @runningchic and on Instagram @michelletherunner.

Canadian triathlete’s valiant effort not enough for the podium

AttheRaces

July 14, 2015

By Michelle Clarke

The 2015 Toronto Pan Am Games kicked off early with the women triathletes who took to the water at 8:35am. In keeping with the Olympic distance triathlon the athletes must swim 1,500M, cycle 40km and run 10km. All eyes were on Canadian Paula Findley who was still having some residual issues, battling back from a past injury.

I stayed on the course to the watch this race and seeing the girls rally for position on the bike was impressive. The bike stage started with a few riders out in front each riding solo, with a larger pack sticking together for much of the race. Findley and her Canadian teammates Joanna Brown and Ellen Pennock stuck close together in the pack. Looking strong Findley was very determined, despite not being sure she was going to even race this morning due to illness. By the last lap, the pack had picked up the front riders and at this point, the race was going to be determined at this point during the 10km run.

From my viewpoint, I felt the women rode a safe race, staying very close together, using the draft to stay on pace. Most of the leaders looked relaxed and in control making the bike seem effortless. As I watched the last riders pass, the lead runners started to make their way to first turnaround with Chile’s Barbara Riveros holding strong in the lead. Right behind her, Bermuda’s Flora Duffy stayed close on her heels. With everyone watching for Findley wondering where she would land in the pack, she had a strong start on the run, leading a pack that landed her in 4^th place.

The next laps had Riveros in the lead the race claiming gold for Chile. She finished with a time of 1:57:18 leading the race right from the water. While Duffy fell back, Paola Diaz from Mexico rallied into 2^nd place taking the silver medal in a time of 1:57:58 just 29 seconds behind Riveros.

With one lap to go, Findley was falling further back and didn’t look comfortable. She started the race under the weather but still held her own finishing in 9^th place. With Rio on the horizon, she showed the other athletes she is a contender. “It’s incredible to have support from my country and from my supporters, but I don’t feel like I need it to redeem myself. I did this ultimately for myself, and for Canada,” says Findley. “Rio next year is a big race for me. It would have been great to win in front of my hometown, but it’s all about perspective.”

Her teammates Ellen Pennock took 6^th place and further back, smiling from ear to ear the whole time Brown finished 13^thoverall, making for an exciting start to the 2015 Toronto Pan Am Games!

Michelle Clark is a Toronto-based runner sharing her perspective on the 2015 Toronto Pan Am Games. Follow her on Twitter and on Instagram @michelletherunner.

Take Your Training Outside

Carrie Burrows

June 30, 2015

It’s time to take it outside; enjoy the summer, sunshine and blue skies! Why workout outside…why not?

Taking your workout outside mixes it up. It breaks up your routine. It challenges your body and mind while at the same time giving you a refreshing change from the interior of you gym or fitness studio.

Even better, you can accomplish multiple tasks and make the best use of your time by taking your workout to the great outdoors. How you ask? Well, let me tell you.

At the park with your children, don’t just sit there, get your workout on! Kids are playing in the yard, get on our there and workout! Take advantage of the gorgeous weather because we all know that it’s short lived. Maybe your spouse is outside gardening, carry bags of dirt, lift potted plants and you can instantly join your spouse outdoors, even if gardening isn’t your thing.

Your strength training routine does not need to be difficult.

From push ups, squats, lunges, jumping jacks, tricep dips. At a park you can use what is around. Consider the bench or picnic tables as your multi-station because these items really are the best pieces of equipment. Step-ups, one leg lunges, push ups, tricep dips, jump ups (carefully), plank, knee tucks, leg lifts, squats, sit-ups, can all be done with a bench or a picnic table.

Once you establish your work out spot, you can turn your exercise program into an interval workout. Pick a distance to run to from your picnic table or bench and between each sprint, perform 12 to 25 reps of one of the above exercises.

I know some of you will say you don’t like the heat, the bugs or you don’t want people looking at you. Fair enough. But trust me, taking your workout outside challenges your muscles differently. It’s a great time to get creative or break out of a rut.

Outdoor Training Essentials:

Plenty of water

Bug spray

A mat or towel for the ground and your sweat

Sunglasses for two reasons: To keep the sun out of your eyes and so you don’t make eye contact with anyone.

I love taking my workout outside. I like to think it might inspire someone to go and do something active.

About Carrie Burrows

Carrie turned her life from around from being obese to being fit. She studied Kinesiology at York University after she began a journey from being 225 pounds as a teenager and decided that she would dedicate her life to helping others realize the benefits of being fit and healthy. She is the CFO (Chief Fitness Officer) of Health and Fitness Systems Inc. where she has helped turn the lives of hundreds of women and men around through fitness, nutrition and training programs she designs. Carrie runs and designs several boot camp-style fitness programs along with corporate fitness/wellness programs, and still finds time to take on personal training clients while raising her three children to be fit and healthy. She is an avid mid-distance runner who loves to book “racecations” while still chasing a faster minute mile. Carrie knows firsthand the two worlds of being unhealthy and fit and believes that, “Anyone with a goal, dedication and support can become who they want to be.”

Visit her website and follow Carrie on Twitter and Instagram!

Browse more Run Strong

Take control of your running game

Jennifer Perrault

June 30, 2015

With the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games kicking off this month, I’ve been thinking about what we can learn from elite athletes. Most elite athletes have impeccable self control and never think twice about the sacrifices they make to reach their goals. Elite athletes make a point of eating healthy, getting enough sleep and ensuring that they’re recovered from their training. A big piece of the self control puzzle is adequate planning. Ask any successful track athlete what they have planned for the day and they will probably tell you down to the minute.

Researchers, specifically Dr. Kathleen Martin Ginis, have looked at self control closely and determined that individuals have a finite amount of self control. Think of it as the gas gauge on a car, once you’re on empty, you’re not going to be moving forward. The trick with self control is to incorporate healthy choices into your everyday routine, once something is a habit; it will take less mental strength to do it.

For example, if you have difficulty stretching as much as you should, ensure that you plan a time to do your stretching. If you don’t plan your stretching and you get home from work with your self control gauge on empty, you will not be stretching that evening.

There are many things that can deplete your self control in a day, like getting yourself out of bed, exerting patience with your boss, saying no to a treat that is offered to you, or writing an email you’ve been meaning to write instead of watching TV. Once a task becomes habitual, it no longer depletes your self control, which means that planning even the small things such as healthy eating, rest and stretching are important to all runners.

Choose something this week that you never seem to have enough self control to do and plan it into your day. Stick to this plan for a couple of weeks and get ready to reap the running benefits!

1...185186187...336 Page 186 of 336