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FEBRUARY 20, 2000 RUNNING REPORT
TANIA JONES DETERMINED TO SUCCEED
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The evening is warm with a strong breeze blowing off the bay in Ottawa at the Terry Fox Athletics Facilities. The sun is still in the sky but Fall is slowly making a dent in the daylight hours. There are only two athletes on the track this evening. One of them is Tania Jones. Her workout today seemed to be geared to short distance speed. Her husband Colin Fidler is there at the start, watch in hand. "GO" he shouts. Tania picks up speed and attempts to maintain her effort for the full 600m distance. At the 400m mark, her husband shouts her time then runs across the field to meet her at the other end. Her arrives just in time to capture her time. This is repeated for the next 30 minutes. As she runs, you can see the determination in her strides as she has to push herself alone through the workout. With the aim to be one of Canada's best runners, Jones will be hitting the track countless time. |
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Tania Jones has been running track and road races for a few years now. Only recently has she decided to focus on the road with the ultimate goal of representing Canada at the Olympics at the marathon distance. Last year Tania had some very impressive results. She was ranked 6th in Canada in the 5 K with a time of 16:46, 8th in the 10 K in a time of 33:58, 6th in the half-marathon in a time of 1:16:11, and 14th in the marathon in a time of 2:48:26. She also won the Compugen 10 K in Toronto in October in a time of 34:11, won a half-marathon in Hampton, VA in 1:17:00, and won a 5 mile race in Richmond, VA in 26:53. Last year, Jones attempted her first marathon. Living in Ottawa at the time, she chose the National Capital Marathon (NCM) run on Mother's Day. The day was overcast with some wind. Some of Canada's best runners were on the starting line with Jones; runners like Veronique Vandermissen, Leslie Carson, the winner of the previous NCM, Sandy Jacobson and Masters runner Joyce Switzer. The race started at a swift pace with Tania leading the pack by half-way. Jones was on pace for a sub-2:40 marathon. With two loops for the marathon course, spectators could see that Jones was running strong. If she maintained her composure, she would certainly win the event. People who were cheering for Tania anxiously waited for her appearance the second time around. When the first woman rounded the corner, people realised it was not Jones but Vandermissen, who would end up winning in a time of 2:39:57. Tension was mounting as people waited for the appearance of the second women. It was indeed Tania Jones. Unfortunately, her slim figure was not as strong as earlier. One could see she was in trouble. Her strides were shorter, her pace had slowed down, the expression on her face was one of emptiness. Tania had hit the wall hard. "Just finish" was on everyone's mind at that time. But seconds later, Leslie Carson rounded the corner. Her steps were much livelier than Tania's. She was coming down fast. Could Tania hold her off? With less than 400m, you could see both runners bearing down on the finish line, one trying to hold on, the other pushing to overtake her rival. With determination, Jones held on and ended up placing 2nd in 2:48:26, just 10 seconds before Carson. Jones crossed the finish line and made the front page of the sports section as she basically collapsed in the arms of officials. Jones's first marathon showed how gutsy she really is. Though disappointed with her performance, once she recovered from dehydration, she remained undeterred and was planning on how to improve to reach her goals. For her training, she continued to put in 60-70 miles per week, which includes a long run of up to 20 miles, 2 interval sessions on the track or road, and one tempo run. Training regimens of this sort pushes people limits, often resulting in a loss of balance with an intense focus on running. Jones is obviously willing to push her limits as she has just completed her second marathon. Tania Jones went south to race in the Houston Marathon in January. Under warm conditions, Tania placed 10th overall in this very competitive race. She placed in the money with a time of 2:49:34. With the aim of reaching an Olympic qualifying time, one can guess that Jones would be disappointed, but with her level of determination, she will surely not give up and we will see her on the roads again attempting to reach her goal. In the meantime, watch for her at the World Cross-Country Championship 8K in Portugal in March. |
RUNNERS CHOICE CANADA RUNNING SERIES
Alan Brookes of Runner's Choice Promotions is once again rolling out the Canada Running Series. This Series is comprised of 13 races from Montreal to Victoria. The Running Series aims to bring Canada's best talent together so they can compete against some of the best in the world, here on Canadian soil. The Canada Running Series will have over $55,000 in cash prizes for winners in various categories such as open, masters and age-groups. One of the positive aspect of the Series for Canadians is the separate ranking of Canadians, who will then have access to their own pool of cash and merchandise prizes worth over $30,000. Alan Brooks and all the sponsors who are assisting the various races across Canada must be congratulated for bringing this exciting Series to us. The first event of the Series is the First Half Half-Marathon in Vancouver, which will be quickly followed by the Peterborough Half-Marathon in Peterborough, ON. Look for full results of the races on the Running Scene in the coming months.
FIRST HALF HALF-MARATHON - GREAT QUICK-OFF TO THE CANADA RUNNING SERIES
This is the first race of the year in the Canada Running Series. The race held in Vancouver on February 13 attracted some strong performers. Some of the most notable performances came in the Masters category with Nancy Tinari placing 3rd overall and Art Boileau placing 6th.
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Female |
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Male |
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1. Lisa Harvey |
1:15:42 |
Norm Tinkham |
1:07:49 |
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2. Lori Durward |
1:16:40 |
Colin Dignum |
1:08:32 |
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3. Nancy Tinari |
1:19:17 |
Brendan Brazier |
1:10:05 |
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4. Noel Phillips |
1:24:13 |
Neil Holm |
1:11:02 |
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5. Rene McKibbin |
1:25:57 |
Mathias Jakob |
1:13:37 |
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Masters |
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1. Nancy Tinari |
1:19:17 |
Art Boileau |
1:13:58 |
RUNNING TIMES RANKING OF MASTERS RUNNERS
Every year, the U.S. magazine Running Times ranks the top Masters Runners of the Year. The final results are included in the March issue of the magazine. The ranking considers only races in the United States. A few Canadian travelled to the States and placed high enough in some races to be ranked by the magazine. In the women's ranking, Diane Legaré placed 2nd in the 45-49 age category. Her strong performances included a 55:48 for the 15 km distance and a 1:21:23 for the half-marathon. Honourable mentions went to Nancy Tinari in the 40-44 age category and Diane Palmeson in the 60-64 age category. In the men's ranking, the venerable Ed Whitlock topped the 65-65 age category for the 4th year in a row. Amongst his performances, he clocked a 30:38 for the 8 km distance and 55:38 for the 15 km distance.
NAPLES FLORIDA HALF MARATHON
Steve Boyd was once again in the thick of things in this early half marathon held in Florida on January 30. Boyd who won the event in 1998, once had an excellent performance by placing 3rd overall in a time of 1:04:46.
LAS VEGAS HALF MARATHON AND MARATHON
Known as a fast course because of the drop in elevation, runners love this course if they can stand the heat. Kimberley Webb was one Canadian who obviously could stand the heat as she finished 3rd in this event, finishing in a time of 1:14:11. This event, held on February 6th this year, is run concurrently with the Las Vegas Marathon. In the Marathon, Tracy Hall had a great performance as she finished 9th in a time of 2:53:56.
RESULTS
January 2 - Resolution
Run 8K, Kingston, ON
Male - Liam Revell - 26:29; Female - Veronique Vandermissen - 27:53
Masters Male - Alan Moore - 28:21; Female - Louise Voghel - 30:28
January 23 - Robbie Burns 8K, Burlington, ON
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Female |
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Male |
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1. Sarah Hunter |
28:32 |
Ivan Gomez |
24:33 |
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2. Leslie Carson |
28:48 |
Shane Lavell |
25:32 |
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3. Lois Medal |
30:54 |
Rory Sneid |
25:58 |
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Masters |
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1. Lois Medal |
30:54 |
Peter Campisi |
27:18 |
January 23 - Florida Marathon, South Pasadena, FL
Masters runner Ed Bickley placed 10th overall and 1st Masters in a time of 2:56:39.
January 30 - Richmond
Road Races, Richmond, ON
5 KM
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Female |
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Male |
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Julia Hicks |
19:05 |
Kevin Shoom |
17:29 |
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Masters |
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Jane Armstrong |
22:44 |
Doug Kennedy |
18:16 |
10 KM
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Female |
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Male |
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Joyce Switzer |
38:11 |
Stephane Gamache |
33:43 |
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Masters |
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Joyce Switzer |
38:11 |
Harry Welten |
34:29 |
February 6 - Ice Breaker 8K, Vancouver
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Female |
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Male |
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1. Tina Connelly |
25:57 |
Ahmed Krama |
23:19 |
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2. Lori Durward |
26:46 |
Peter Cardle |
23:25 |
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3. Nancy Tinari |
26:46 |
Graeme Fell |
23:41 |
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4. Cari Rampersad |
27:16 |
Norm Tinkham |
23:43 |
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Masters |
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1. Nancy Tinari |
26:46 |
Graeme Fell |
23:41 |
February 13 - Twosome Run,
Kingston, ON
This Valentine's race uses the combined times of couples to determine the awards winners. This year, the number of runners increased by more than 20% with 276 finishers.
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Male |
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Female |
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1. Bret Burns |
15:24 |
Susan Croswell |
18:49 |
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2. Dylan Wykes |
15:35 |
Julie Curwin |
19:04 |
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3. Jim Seedfeldt (US) |
15:38 |
Misty Brownlee |
19:10 |
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4. Stephane Gamache |
15:45 |
Paula Wiltse |
19:11 |
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Masters |
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1. Al Cantlay |
17:01 |
Susan Croswell |
18:49 |