Canada’s doing something in London that it hasn’t done in 16 years: sending a full slate of three marathoners.
Reid Coolsaet, Eric Gillis and Dylan Wykes all met the Olympic “A” standard of two hours 11 minutes and 29 seconds. Gillis met the standard with a second to spare.
Coolsaet, 32, and Gillis, 32, are training partners at the Speed River Track Club in Guelph, Ont. Wykes is from Kingston, Ont., but trains in Vancouver.
Speed River got its start in 1997 by Dave Scott-Thomas as a club for University of Guelph student athletes and local runners. It hosts small local races with low entrance fees, where recreational runners could find themselves toeing the line with some of Canada’s best runner.
Scott-Thomas says around 40 club members represent Canada at international competitions, from the Pan Am Games to the world track and field championships.
Besides Gillis and Coolsaet, Speed River is sending two more athletes to London: Hilary Stellingwerf, a 1,500-metre specialist, and Alex Genest, who runs the steeplechase.
The club’s come a long way since Scott-Thomas started it in 1997. And it’s developed a reputation for producing world-class athletes. A lot of talented people want in. But it takes more than just talent. Scott-Thomas says it’s “way harder to get the emotional and psychological pieces in line.”
“If you just come here and think there’s something magic in the water – you’re in an environment with all these elite athletes and it’s going to filter through to you – you’re wrong. At some point you’re going to be running up and down some freakin’ hill during a snowstorm – and you have to be committed to that!”
Coolsaet is one of Scott-Thomas’ long-term projects. He excelled at the 10,000 metres several years ago. In 2009, Coolsaet and Scott-Thomas decided it was time to move up to the marathon.
“There’s no short cuts and it doesn’t happen overnight. A lot of people say to me ‘oh, you just started marathoning in 2009,’ but it’s not like you just pick up a sport.”
Coolsaet says being with Speed River has meant everything for his career.
“I don’t see my career as being anywhere near the same without it. Dave’s on a long-term approach with me. Been building up year after year and had training partners around to help me push the envelope.”
Coolsaet regularly puts in training weeks of 200 kilometres. The London race is the final event of the Olympics, set for Aug. 12 at 11:00 a.m. local time. His goal? A top 10 finish.
Scott-Thomas has high hopes for his athletes as well.
“We want to go there and show that Canadian muscle and motivation works as well as anybody’s muscle and motivation. And if that happens on the right day, I think we can have somebody take a run at the top 10.”
As for Genest and Stellingwerf?
“Hillary and Alex want to be in the final. We would be disappointed if she’s not in the semis. Same with Alex in the steeplechase.”
Both of them made the semis in their events. But that’s as far as they got. Genest didn’t make the final despite posting his best-ever time. Stellingwerf wasn’t far off her personal best.
There’s always Rio
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