How do the elites, those runners and race walkers on television—those we dream of being—deal with the same stress and demons as the rest of us do? Have they some superpower to slay the start line-pressure cooker monsters that often strike down the rest of us? I am faster than some, slower than others, but not an elite. On my journey to learn more about myself and discover what others deal with on race day and to learn about sport psychology, I needed to talk to those at the top. I reached out to some elite athletes and stuck my nose in some books on the subject to find out more.

I have taken the time to talk to my inner-self and found a lack of confidence, a need to try and prove myself and a fear of failure that makes me carry a load of pressure on my back and shoulders on race-day, that slows me down or drags me to a stop. I train physically, prepare and plan, but take little time to prepare mentally for a race.

“What you think affects how you feel and perform. Training your brain is as important as training your body.”

I have talked to regular runners (those of us not vying for Olympic medals) and learned that most runners get jitters or face some sort of self-imposed stress, pressure, or anxiety on race day. There are some that seem to have no problems racing, but they seem to be the minority. Everyone has a few doubts, stress, or demons they need to chase off as the start clock counts down, and reasons vary widely. I found that by naming the negative voice in my head, having a conversation about the validity of what my brain tells me, by realizing a bit of nervousness is normal and focusing on what I like about racing (what I originally thought was nothing), I might be able to perhaps better approach the idea of a race.

The runners and racewalkers at the pinnacle of their sport have often committed a portion of their lives and sacrificed to go after lofty dreams of such things as titles, records and Olympics. How do they handle stress and pressure on race day? How do they succeed?

I decided to talk to a former elite runners and racewalkers, the two endurance sports that keep me lacing up. My first stop was with Rachel Seaman, an Olympian and recently retired Canadian racewalker. I knew she had struggled with racing throughout her career and asked her some questions.

Her honesty made me realize I needed to evaluate why I train and race. I evaluated myself on the run and sitting still. I realized I like training hard, being fit and going fast, and that I liked achieving goals. But other issues were making me turn racing and race day into something negative. I did not want to get to the point like Rachel where I was pushed too far it made something fun and I liked doing into something I never wanted to do again.

Another elite racewalker, Katelyn Ramage, a 3-time Senior national champion, competing at international racewalk cup events and the 2015 Pan American Games, also shared her struggles. “My anxiety sits on my shoulder, making my brain go 24/7,” she says. “I often have difficulty articulating what I feel because I do not always understand it. I struggle with the unknown—even when I’m confident of my abilities, I doubt myself in the moment. It has been six years I have been struggling athletically, is this the end? Do I have more? As a high-performance athlete, I would love to say that I have everything together, but I don’t.”

Ramage says that even though racing is a challenge, it’s a rewarding endeavour and has been a big part of her life. “It is sometimes in my most difficult, darkest moments that I learn and gain the most,” she says. “It’s where I remind myself that it is okay to not be okay. That I am worthy. That I can compete and train at the level I know I am capable of. It is those reassurances although sometimes are through cloudy lenses that remind me of how far I have gone on the journey I am on, and what lays ahead. The next time I toe the line or head out for a difficult training session, I am not bouncing back from these experiences I have had, but rather I will continue to grow and use them to grow and move forward.”

Hearing that those at the top also hear the tiny negative voices on race day makes me realize that doubts, stress and pressure are things that all athletes deal with. We can all learn from our challenges.

Three-time Olympian—and now a counsellor—Leah Pells also gave me some great advice. I had read her book about her struggles and her success and wanted to know how she handled race day from the perspective of a former elite runner. She advised me to stay in the day/moment, focus on things I can control, think about things that make me happy and that its not about the outcome, but the process and fun. She also made me realize that life and sport are the same and that I need to look at why I would be doubting myself on race day. She suggested I take time to visualize and trust my body.

“We often outthink our bodies. Trust your body. Let your body do what it needs to do,” she said.

I have taken the time to look inward, talk to other runners and now to the elites. I need to work on my self-confidence, find ways to focus on what I like, visualize what a successful race would be and practice positive thought. For those that follow me on social media, I have also realized my need to impress and prove myself has changed my social media posts from helping me share, connecting and letting out my thoughts to being a need and negative use of energy and thought. Life is about life and change. I will have a smaller social media footprint, but have more time to connect with myself and others around me and, perhaps, be able to race.

Learn from the past, prepare for the future, and perform in the present.

Follow Noel’s journey through his articles as he continues conversations with others and looks for answers and a way to survive a fall race. Find an earlier Noel Paine story right here.

I hope everyone enjoyed the final weekend of Tokyo 2020. The marathons are my favourite events to watch. They are always filled with intrigue, personal achievement, and amazing racing.

Before I discuss my five takeaways, here is a quick recap of the race:

The women started out controlled and calculated, taking into account the heat beating down from the hot sun, but as the pace picked up at about the halfway mark, the large lead pack began to slowly whittle down. Included in that group, however, were Canadians Malindi Elmore and Natasha Wodak who went on to run amazing performances. Elmore came through strongly in the latter stages to finish ninth and Wodak finished thirteenth. Both of them ran in their third official marathons and the ninth place for Elmore is the second best finish ever by a Canadian woman. Canadian Dayna Pidhoresky did not feature at the front of the race as she was running injured and after two weeks in isolation. Pidhoresky did well just to finish in a performance which encompassed the Olympic spirit.

As the pace accelerated, the top four athletes opened the gap fairly quickly. They included Brigid Kosgei (Kenya), Peres Jepchirchir (Kenya), Molly Seidel (USA) and Lonah Salpeter (Israel). As it looked like Seidel was going to be dropped at the 39K mark, Salpeter was forced, due to heat exhaustion, to slow to a walk ending her chance of a medal. As this occurred, Jepchirchir, a former winner of the Ottawa 10K surged away from Kosgei, the marathon world record holder, and held her off to win the Olympic title. Kosgei finished second; Seidel third.

Although the runs by the Kenyans were impressive, they were expected. The run by Molly Seidel was not. Top American commentators suggested that an apocalypse would have to occur for any American to medal, but Seidel defied these expectations. It’s not like she did not have the pedigree. She is a multiple time NCAA Champion and in her debut marathon, made the U.S. Olympic Team, but defeating the likes of Salpeter who has a personal best seven minutes faster was not considered to be in the cards. The Molly Seidel story is one all young athletes should be inspired by.

Despite her NCAA stardom, she struggled with eating disorders, mental health issues, and injuries including stress fractures. After seeking help, she began running competitively again while holding two jobs: one as a babysitter and one as a barista. After finishing second at the Trials, Seidel left those jobs and began to focus on running full time, it clearly paid off. Her story is a cautionary tale, yes. But her story is also one of determination, the importance of seeking help, and how with the right attitude, anyone can fulfil their dreams. 

Here are the results from the women’s race. Full results here:

1. Peres JEPCHIRCHIR (Kenya) – 2:27:20
2. Brigid KOSGEI (Kenya) – 2:27:36
3. Molly SEIDEL (USA) – 2:27:46
4. Roza DEREJE (Ethiopia) – 2:28:38
5. Volha MAZURONAK (Belarus) – 2:29:06
6. Melat Yisak KEJETA (Germany) – 2:29:16
7. Eunice CHUMBA (Bahrain) – 2:29:36
8. Mao ICHIYAMA (Japan) – 2:30:13
9. Malindi ELMORE (Canada) – 2:30:59

     13.  Natasha WODAK (Canada) – 2:31:41 

     73.  Dayna PIDHORESKY (Canada) – 3:03:10

The men’s race also started out controlled, again the men feeling the heat. At about 20K there was a pack of thirty-five or so athletes including Canadian Cam Levins, world champion Lelisa Desisa from Ethiopia, American favourite Galen Rupp, and the greatest of all-time Eliud Kipchoge, who was giving fist bumps, instructing younger athletes on how to run the tangents and looked like he was out for his Sunday jog.

The racing really began at the 25K mark as Kipchoge began to turn the screw and the pack began to dissolve. Desisa was the first to go as other athletes began to fall off one by one. At 30K, Kipchoge truly applied the gas. He strode away for the win. The battle royale ensued behind as about six athletes vied to complete the podium. Rupp was dropped followed by Japanese hopeful Suguro Osaka. The race for the silver and bronze came down to four athletes and in the final dust up the Dutch athlete, Abdi Nageeye and Belgian athlete, Barshir Abdi, out sprinted Boston Marathon Champion, Lawrence Cherono (who ironically won Boston in a sprint). The top Canadian in the race was Ben Preisner, who was running only his second marathon. 

Here are the results for the men’s event. The full results can be found here.

1. Eliud KIPCHOGE (Kenya) – 2:08:38
2. Abdi NAGEEYE (Netherlands) – 2:09:58
3. Bashir ABDI (Belgium) – 2:10:00
4. Lawrence CHERONO (Kenya) – 2:10:02
5. Ayad LAMDASSEM (Spain) – 2:10:16
6. Suguru OSAKO (Japan) – 2:10:41
7. Alphonce Felix SIMBU (Tanzania) – 2:11:35
8. Galen RUPP (USA) – 2:11:41

      46. Ben PREISNER (Canada) – 2:19:27

      48. Trevor HOFBAUER (Canada) – 2:19:57

      72. Cameron LEVINS (Canada) – 2:28:43

Here are my 5 Takeaways from the Event:

1. Heat causes a lot of DNFs, but fewer than cold and rain

The heat was an obvious factor in Sapporo, despite International Olympic Committee attempts to move the marathon’s away from Tokyo to a cooler location. Perhaps they did save a couple degrees centigrade, but I do not know if it made a major difference to the outcome of the event.

Due to the heat there were a lot of DNFs. In a field of 105 on the men’s side, only 75 runners finished, resulting in about a 29% dropout rate. As Krista DuChene mentioned on the broadcast: women are traditionally better and more conservative pacers than men, and as such, 15 women dropped out of a field that was 88 strong, an attrition rate of 17%.

It is interesting to compare these stats against the 2018 Boston Marathon. You will recall that Boston 2018 featured a freezing cold day that included rain and some sleet. Temperatures on that day were 1-3 degrees celsius, but with the precipitation, it felt much colder. On that day, 41 elites started the race and 23 dropped out. That is a rate of 49%.

There are a number of reasons elites drop out of the marathon, the number one being that if it’s not their day, dropping out saves the legs so they can make their living in another race and/or run a standard in another race. 

I think our conclusion here is that it is easier to prepare for a hot marathon than a cold one. Heat adaptation is easier. 

2. There is tremendous depth in the marathon in Canada

The Canadian women have been crushing it lately in running. Between Gen Lalonde, Andrea Seccafien, Gabriela Debues-Stafford, there has never been so much depth. The same holds true, or perhaps even more so, for the marathon. Malindi Elmore and Natasha Wodak both ran stellar races to get themselves inside the top-15. Dayna Pidhoresky struggled due to injury, but before the games she had also lowered her personal best in the marathon.

There has never been this much depth. Beyond those who went to the Games, we have to acknowledge that Rachel Cliff and Lyndsay Tessier had also both achieved the standard. This is a large departure from a long period where Canada had no women participating in the Olympic Marathon. I think we have the likes of Lanni Marchant and Krista Duchene to thank for that.

I fully expect the depth in the women’s ranks to grow as we look forward to qualifying for Paris 2024.

3. Kipchoge cements GOAT status

If it wasn’t clear before, it is clear now. Eliud Kipchoge is the greatest of all-time. Now the question becomes is he the greatest marathoner of all-time or the greatest distance runner of all-time.

Before we get into the discussion, it is important to note that of all the defending champions in the men’s athletics events, not one, save Kipchoge, defended his title. The remainder either did not qualify, retired, or crashed and burned in their title defence. 

Kipchoge’s resume now reads like this: 2x Olympic Gold Medals (Marathon), 1x Olympic Silver Marathon (5,000), 1x Olympic Bronze (5,000), first human under 2 hours in the marathon, World Record Holder, 1x Chicago Marathon Champion, 4x London Marathon Champion, 3x Berlin Marathon Champion. 

I think it’s safe to say Kipchoge is the greatest distance runner of all time. 

4. Refugee Athletes win medals for European Nations

The Olympics began with the fantastic news that Canada is accepting a number of the athletes from the Refugee Olympic Team to reside in Canada and eventually gain citizenship. 

This great news was followed up by former refugees in the marathon. Although they did not represent Canada, Bashir Abdi and Abdi Nageeye are both Somolian Refugees who worked together throughout the marathon and came to stand on the podium. This is a crystal clear example of when countries open their arms to those in need, refugees will represent their new country with pride and succeed. 

Moh Ahmed (who won a silver medal for Canada) also escaped a war torn country and is representing Canada with pride and honour. 

5. Kenya runs well, Ethiopia struggles.

In both cases it was clear, Ethiopia struggled while their rivals from across the Rift Valley, thrived. Across both the men’s and women’s marathon’s, Kenya won three medals (two gold, one silver) to Ethiopia’s zero. In the men’s race, not one Ethiopian finished the race. In the women’s event, only Dereje finished—although she did put in a good showing in fourth. 

Meanwhile, Kenya absolutely dominated the women’s event with Jepchirchir and Kosgei both reaching the podium. On the men’s side they looked set to do the same, but Kipruto dropped out with 15K or so remaining and Cherono was out-kicked for a medal, despite pulling the group along in the last 10K. Kipchoge, however, easily made up for this disappointment with his spectacular victory.

So why such contrast in results? For one, we know that Kenya does have slightly more depth than Ethiopia in the marathon, but I still believed that Ethiopia would come away with at least two medals. 

I think the main reason for the discrepancy comes via the time of selection. Kenya selected their team in late 2019, providing its runners at least six months to prepare. When the Games were delayed it gave them even more time to prepare and sharpen specifically for this event. On the other hand, Ethiopia hosted a controversial trials over the distance of 35K on May 1, 2021. This gave their athletes significantly less time to prepare and may not have sent their best team as Mare Dibaba missed the team and legends Tirunish Dibaba and Kenenisa Bekele did not even run in the event. 

It is safe to say however, that these two nations will again do battle in the marathon at Worlds in 2022, 2023 and once again in Paris in 2024.

Stephen Andersen is a law student and cross country athlete at the University of New Brunswick. He is from Burlington, ON. You can find him on Instagram @andersen_runs or Twitter @AndersenRuns. 

When one hears of the town Sapporo, immediately their thoughts turn to the city’s most famous export, its namesake beer. On Saturday and Sunday morning in Japan (Friday and Saturday evening in Canada), Sapporo will be on display across millions of television sets, smartphones and computer streaming services stretching from Kelowna, BC to Africa’s great Rift Valley to Flagstaff, AZ and across Japan. Instead of its famous beer however, the eyes of the world will be watching the world’s greatest distance runners in their 42.2 kilometre quest to be immortalized in Olympic history.

The marathon is the Olympics’ marquee event. The winners of the men’s and women’s event will no doubt push the human limits of mental toughness, physical strength, and courage. 

Recently, the limits of what a marathoner can do have been greatly expanded, no more so than in the exploits of Eliud Kipchoge (Kenya). Yes, the world record holder and first person to run a marathon under two hours is back to defend his title. Unsurprisingly he is also the favourite for the event, having only ever lost two marathons. Kipchoge’s palmares does not stop there. He has won multiple marathon majors, including the likes of London, Berlin and Chicago, and adorns three Olympic medals from Athens, Beijing and Rio. 

The men’s event, which is set to start at 7:00 AM local time (6:00 PM ET in Canada), features other high profile talent as well. First on the list has to be the only man in the field to have beaten Kipchoge, Shura Kitata (Ethiopia). Kitata enters the event with a personal best of 2:04 and having won the most recent edition of the London Marathon in 2020. 

His compatriot Lelisa Desisa (Ethiopia) should also be a challenger for the Olympic title. Sporting a personal best of 2:04, Desisa is a multiple time Boston Marathon Champion and won the marathon at the 2019 World Championships in Doha. 

Outside of the might of East Africa, Japan is one of the world’s running powers. Their team is led by Suguru Osako who, if he won, would be treated like a rockstar in the running crazed nation. Osaka is the former Japanese record holder in the marathon and is most famous for earning 100 Million Yen after breaking the record in Chicago. 

The American challenge will be led by Rio bronze medalist Galen Rupp. Since a return from surgery in 2018, Rupp has been quietly returning to his best form. Although some controversy revolves around him and his former coach, Alberto Salazar, Rupp easily won the U.S. Olympic Trials for the marathon and will be looking to return to the podium on Sunday in Sapporo. 

Canada is sending its fastest men’s team ever (by personal best). It is led by Canadian record holder in the distance, Cameron Levins. From British Columbia, Levins almost did not make the Canadian team, but ran a spectacular race in Austria on the final weekend of qualifying. He will be flanked by 2019 Canadian Champion and 2nd fastest Canadian ever, Trevor Hofbauer. Hofbauer, an Albertan, towering above the field at a height of 6’3”, surprised the Canadian running community when he ran a five minute personal best to book his ticket to Tokyo. Last but not least, Ben Preisner is the youngest member of the Canadian contingent. Preisner, from Ontario, owns the fastest marathon debut by a Canadian and the Olympics will be his second marathon.

The men’s field does not stop there; other notables toeing the line include 2012 Olympic Champion Stephen Kiprotich (Uganda), 5x Olympian Abdi Abdirahman (USA), Kaan Kigen Ozbilen (Turkey), Tadesse Abraham (Switzerland), Stephen Mokoka (South Africa), Sondre Nordstad Moen (Norway), Zane Robertson (New Zealand), Amos Kipruto (Kenya), Laurence Cherono (Kenya), Sisay Lemma (Ethiopia), Oqbe Kibrom Ruesom (Eritrea), and Bashir Abdi (Belgium). 

While Kipchoge is the big favourite in the men’s race, it is also difficult to look past Brigid Kosgei (Kenya) who is the women’s world record holder. In 2019, Kosgei blew the former world record out of the water, running 2:14. Perhaps more impressive, she has risen to the top after debuting in 2:47 and giving birth to twins in 2014. This is her first Olympics. 

Unlike Kipchoge, Kosgei’s biggest challenges do not come from their great Ethopian rivals, but within the Kenyan squad itself. Ruth Chepngetich (Kenya) is the world champion, a title she earned during a supremely hot and humid race in Doha. To add to her accolades, in 2021 Chepngetich set the world record in the half marathon, shattering the previous record by half a minute.

The previous half marathon record holder, Peres Jepchirchir rounds out the Kenyan team. Not only is she the defending World Half Marathon champion, but also has a Canadian connection, running the Ottawa 10K three times including winning the 2016 edition.

Another athlete in the field with a Canadian connection is Tigist Girma (Ethiopia). Girma broke onto the marathon scene with a victory at the 2019 Ottawa Marathon. After taking the Ottawa title, Girma went on to run 2:19 over the marathon distance and win the Ethiopian trials to book her ticket to Tokyo.

Lonah Salpeter could be the first Isreali women to ever win the Olympic marathon. Of runners based outside East Africa, Salpeter has the best resume. She also has positive experience running in Japan, as she won the 2020 Tokyo Marathon.

The Commonwealth challenge is led by the ever improving Aussie, Sinead Diver. Although she only took up running in 2010 and is the oldest Australian to ever participate in the Olympics, Diver cannot be overlooked. Having led the 2019 London Marathon for the first 30 kilometres, she is not afraid to go for the win.

Canada is led by Malindi Elmore. Not only is she the Canadian record holder in the marathon, but she also has the best chance of the Canadian contingent to medal. Elmore ran in the 1500m at the 2004 Athens Games before retiring, switching to triathlon, then returning to athletics in the marathon. The Olympics will be her third marathon. 

Natasha Wodak is the second fastest Canadian of all-time and Tokyo will also be her third marathon. She is also entering her second Olympics after competing in Rio. She qualified for the Games at the 2020 Marathon Project after running her first marathon seven years previously. 

The 2019 Canadian Champion Dayna Pidhoresky rounds out the Canadian squad. Pidhoresky has had a tough run up to the Olympic marathon. On her flight over to the Games, a passenger tested positive and Pidhoresky was forced to isolate for much of her final build-up and taper period. But Pidhoresky is a gutsy racer, and cannot be counted out.

The women’s marathon is set to start Saturday morning at 7:00 AM (or Friday evening 5:00 PM ET in Canada). It also features notable athletes including Lisa Weightman (Australia), Volha Mazuronak (Belarus), Roza Dereje (Ethiopia), Birhane Dibaba (Ethiopia), Melat Yisak Kejeta (Ethiopia), Moa Ichiyama (Japan), Helalia Johannes (Namibia), Sally Kipyego (USA), Molly Siedel (USA), and Aliphine Tuliamuk (USA).

While the script of the Olympic marathon is yet to be written, the biggest impact on the race will likely be the weather. The International Olympic Committee moved the marathon and the race walk out of Tokyo and to the northern city of Sapporo in hopes of finding cooler weather. Although the weather is not what Canadians would classify as cool, the temperature will be about 25 degrees celsius at start time, a far cry from the 31 that athletes in Tokyo have been forced to endure. 

Regardless of the temperature, anything over 15 degrees for a marathon is considered warm, so the heat will definitely have an impact on the race. As such, expect to see a negative split where the athletes start to surge at the halfway mark in an effort to preserve precious energy early in the race. We could also see a small breakaway of athletes who do not believe they can compete with the top ranked competitors and want to bank time before the surges start.

Regardless of how the event turns out, I am sure all competitors will want a bottle of Sapporo’s finest at the conclusion of their event.

Canadians can watch the Olympic marathons by tuning into Olympic Games Primetime with Scott Russell on CBC. Canadian Olympian Krista Duchene will be leading the coverage. You can also watch on CBC GEM starting at 5:00 PM EDT/2:00 PM PDT on Friday and Saturday evening.

Stephen Andersen is a law student and cross country athlete at the University of New Brunswick. He is from Burlington, ON. You can find him on Instagram @andersen_runs or Twitter @AndersenRuns.

“Did you see me?” Andre De Grasse asked of his family, just after he won the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics. Canada’s greatest sprinter, the first Canadian man since 1928 to get the 200-metre gold medal, ran a superb race against a stacked field, including his countryman Aaron Brown, who, after his race, finishing sixth, held up a photo of his family and said: “This is what I run for.”

De Grasse has many sponsors, including Puma and Endy, the Canadian mattress company who conducted this interview with De Grasse before he left for Tokyo. De Grasse has used Endy mattresses since 2019 and says sleep is an essential part of his training. Lots of lessons to be learned right here. This is an excerpt from their interview.

What are the top 3 things you need to ensure he has a restful sleep?

Andre De Grasse: A good meal, a dark room, and a comfortable, quality mattress that I can sink in to at the end of the day – I wouldn’t be able to train as hard as I do without getting a full night of sleep on my Endy mattress.

What are your favourite bedside table products?

I always need a glass of water on my nightstand, plus an essential oil diffuser to help me focus in the morning and zen out at night.

What’s your go-to breakfast?

Cheerios, and again, a big glass of water!

Coffee or tea?

Neither. Hot chocolate.

Early-riser or hit the snooze?

Hit the snooze.

Meditation or get moving?

Meditation.

Check emails/phone or quiet time?

Check emails.

There’s lots left in this Olympics, including the marathon, where we’re all rooting for the Canadian athletes, and the decathlon, where Damian Warner currently sits in first place. We’re rooting for Gabriela Debues-Stafford, who runs the 1500-metre on Friday morning, and we’re rooting for all of the athletes from all of the countries, and we’re also rooting for you, with whatever you’re training for and whenever you race next.

But this moment, right now, belongs to Andre. Well done, sir. You make all of us, every runner in this country, proud.