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DECEMBER 20, 2000 RUNNING REPORT
ISABELLE LEDROIT – 2000 CANADIAN
FEMALE ROAD RUNNER OF THE YEAR
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Isabelle
Ledroit has been chosen as the Canadian Road Runner of the Year for 2000 by
The Running Scene. The choice was
difficult this year as so many women raced well. Ledroit was chosen for her versatility and her consistency
throughout the year. Ledroit started
the year strongly with a 2nd place finish at the New Bedford
Half-Marathon in the States where she clocked a 1:15:43. She followed this in April with a 13th
placed finish at the Rotterdam Marathon in a time of 2:41:21. She then raced at the Nordion 10K in
Ottawa where she placed 4th in 34:51. Ledroit was then quiet for a couple of months as she got ready
for the 2nd half of the year.
In August, she won the Rock and Roll 5K in Toronto in 16:26. She then placed as the 1st
Canadian and 4th female in the Toronto Half-marathon in a time of
1:14:50. A few weeks later, she won
the Canadian 10K Road Race Championship in 34:04. She then completed her year with a 4th place finish
at the Columbus Marathon in a Personal Best time of 2:40:27. |
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In
Ledroit’s own words, she considers that on the whole, she had a good year
with times showing a steady progression.
The start was marked by windy and cold runs that allowed her to become
stronger psychologically. These runs
included the Beijing Ekiden, the New Bedford Half, the Beauce-Erable 5K and
the Rotterdam Marathon. As the year
progressed, she had the opportunity to work on her endurance and her
speed. She competed in many 5K events
and track races to hone her speed.
There are of course some ups and downs, but the year 2000 was
interesting, especially from the summer on as she was able to improve her
times for 5K, 10K and the half-marathon, and to crown it all, she had a
fantastic personal success as she won the Canadian 10K Championship. This title was unexpected for Ledroit and
motivated her tremendously. That race
went exactly as she wanted. On the
other hand, the year was also frustrating with respect to the marathon where
the progress was not at the desired level.
This was her only “black spot” for the year. All and all, she would qualify the year as tremendous, full of
emotions and very stimulating. Isabelle
considers that that Toronto Half-Marathon was the race where she achieved a
performance that was way beyond what she was aiming for. The flat course and the competition
allowed her to go beyond what she thought her limits were. After a relatively normal run, she found the
necessary energy at the end to surpass herself, partly due to seeing Tania
Jones getting closer and closer and the possibility of possibly catching one
of the Kenyans ahead of her. In terms
of emotions, she would consider the Canadian 10K Championship as her
definitive race. Everything went so
perfectly that she felt she was on a cloud.
The time was not far from her personal record, but the fact that it
was achieved alone on ¾ of the course brings her encouragement for future
races and satisfies her fully. The
sensation at crossing the finish line was incredible … a feeling of total
happiness!!! Furthermore, the fact
that the race was held in Montreal was very stimulating for her as many
people knew her and encouraged her, including her parents from France. It was a sensation hard to imagine, even
now. For next
year, Ledroit plans to attempt to qualify for the marathon at the World
Championships in Edmonton. If this
does not pan out, she would concentrate on the 5K and 10 K on the roads and
on the track so that she can be her best for the Francophone Games. Even if she qualifies for Edmonton, she
would still work on her speed in the Spring so that if she qualifies she can
run the 5000m at the Francophone Games.
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SELECTING THE RUNNER OF THE YEAR
Selecting the Running Scene Female Road Runner for 2000 was quite a difficult task this year as the depth of talent and performances was remarkable. The first step in the process of selection involved examining the Top 20 Ranking lists at the various distances from the 5K to the Marathon. From these rankings, each athlete received a sort of average ranking. This created an initial list from which the top 6 athletes who were close in rankings were identified. This list was comprised of Danuta Bartoszek, Sandy Jacobson, Tania Jones, Michelle King, Isabelle Ledroit, Véronique Vandermissen and Kim Webb. The next step was to examine head to head competition to see how they raced against each other. A list of three runners came out on top with Isabelle Ledroit leading by the slightest of margin. In the runner-up positions, two runners were essentially tied as Tania Jones and Véronique Vandermissen were too close to call. The Running Scene then decided to award the runner-up award to both runners. The winner of the Road Runner of the Year will receive $200, while the runners-up will receive $100. Congratulations to all the winners.
WOMEN’S YEAR IN REVIEW
The year 2000 was a year full of great performances for our Canadian road racers as they participated in some of the most famous road races. In January, Courtney Babcock raced in Bermuda and won the 10K event. In the States, Tania Jones raced in her first marathon of the year and placed 10th in a time of 2:49:34. In February, Lois Medal placed 2nd at the Colonial Half-Marathon in the States in 1:23:40, while Kimberley Webb placed 3rd at the Las Vegas Half-Marathon in 1:14:11. Also in February, Tania Jones again attempted the marathon distance as she raced at the Austin Marathon and finished 10th again in 2:51:13. Jones was not the first Canadian at that race though as Kimberley Webb placed 3rd in 2:38:00, while Sandy Jacobson was 7th in 2:41:39.
March saw Tania Jones capitalize on her marathon training to win the Newark Distance Classic 20K. Véronique Vandermissen won the Hamilton Around the Bay 30K in 1:52:37. Also in the States, Isabelle Ledroit placed 2nd at the Bedford Half-Marathon in 1:15:43. In April, Isabelle Ledroit travelled to Europe to race in the Rotterdam Marathon. In windy conditions, she placed13th in 2:41:21.
Springtime and May saw Véronique Vandermissen continue her winning ways as she won the Canadian Marathon Championship in Ottawa in a leading 2:36:45. She also placed 3rd in 34:13 at the Sporting Life 10K behind two Kenyans. In June she won the Vancouver Half-Marathon in 1:15:23. At the Marathon Championship, Tania Jones was 2nd in her third marathon on the year with a PB of 2:40:08. In the States, former Boston Marathon winner Jacqueline Gareau placed 2nd at the famous Washington Road Race as she raced up the mountain. Sarah Dillabaugh placed 2nd at the Nordion 10K in Ottawa in 33:41.
Summer months saw Tania Jones place 2nd at the Avon Women’s race in Toronto in 35:04, just behind a Kenyan. Véronique Vandermissen ran in the Boilermaker 15k where she placed 6th in a time of 52:45. Also racing in the States, Michelle King was 4th at the Crazy 8’s 8K race in Tennessee.
In September, the racing season picked up again in Canada with Danuta Bartoszek placing 3rd at La Grande Course de Montreal 10K in 34:18 behind two Kenyans. In Toronto, Isabelle Ledroit was the 1st Canadian and 3rd female in the Half-marathon as she finished in 1:14:50. Isabelle continued to show her form as she won the Canadian 10K Championship in Montreal in 34:04.
October saw the beginning of some great marathon performances as Paula Davalan was 3rd at the Greater Hartford marathon in 2:47:17. Danuta Bartoszek won the Niagara Marathon in 2:38:30. Sandy Jacobson won the Silicon Valley Marathon in 2:39:42. Elizabeth Ruel won the Marine Corps Marathon in 2:47:52. In Columbus, Isabelle Ledroit placed 4th in a time of 2:40:27.
All these wonderful performances bode well for road running in Canada. With the World Track and Field Championships in Edmonton next year and Canada sending a full team as part of the marathon, Canada will be sending some strong athletes.
FAST TIMES FOR
CANADIANS IN CALIFORNIA
The California International Marathon in Sacramento, CA is known as a fast course. This explains the high number of Canadians who journeyed to California on December 3 to run this popular marathon. In the men’s race, young talent was evident as four Canadians placed in the top 11. Oliver Utting, Christian Marmen and Stephane Gamache placed 6th, 7th and 8th in times of 2:21:03, 2:22:34, and 2:23:08 respectively, while David Matte was 11th in 2:29:19. These times placed these runners close to the top of the list for Canadians and were PBs for Marmen and Gamache.
In the women’s event, four Canadians placed in the top 16. Seanna Robinson came in 7th with a time of 2:51:30. Natalie Butler was 9th in 2:56:03 followed closely in 10th by Kristan Pearson in 2:56:41. Masters runner Leslie Black was in 10th place in a time of 3:00:59. These showing is quite encouraging for the future of Canadian Marathoning as a new wave of runners are coming on strong.
The Great Canadian Bagel Canada Running Series organized by Runner’s Choice Promotions is now over for the year. The set of high quality and competitive race gave a chance for Canadian runners to test themselves against some of the best as many Kenyans participated. The Canadian portion of the Series was won by Véronique Vandermissen and Steve Boyd. Their strong early season performances assured them of the titles.
KONANTZ IN BARBADOS
Masters runner Laura Konantz decided to go for an early get-away as she travelled to the Caribbean to race. Konantz placed 2nd in the Marathon as she finished in a time of 3:13:32. The race was held on December 3 and based on the times, it must have been hot conditions.
MONTGOMERY AT A US CHAMPIONSHIP
Carol Montgomery ran in the Avon Running US Championship in Phoenix, Arizona on December 10 and came away with a second place finish. Avon Running has been organizing women’s only races for the past few years to promote fitness and a healthy lifestyle. The Phoenix race served as the US Championship which qualified athletes to participate in the Avon Running World Championship later on. Montgomery clocked a time of 34:37. This is a great result for an athlete who was operated on at the beginning of the year and qualified for the Olympics in the 10,000m and the triathlon, only to crash during the Sydney Olympics Triathlon and was unable to complete any of the event she qualified for.