March 2001 Report

MARCH 20, 2001 RUNNING REPORT

 

COURTNEY BABCOCK – BUILDING ON OPPORTUNITIES

There is a story told by Jack Canfield, co-author of the Chicken Soup for The Soul series, about his childhood.  In this story, he relates how as a six year old, his mother wanted to teach him one of those lessons in life that stays with us for always.  She told him that each child have six coins in their baggage when they are born.  The coin of time, talent, energy, money and opportunity.  Each child makes its way in the world by managing their coins and that you can either waste those coins or invest them wisely.  Courtney Babcock is one runner who has done a wonderful job at investing her coins for the highest return.  She has been especially productive in following opportunities.

 

Courtney, who grew up in Chatham, Ontario, started on her path to elite runner by moving South of the border to go to Michigan University and complete a degree in communications with a minor in marketing.  It is as a collegiate athlete that Courtney gathered some of her most memorable races.  It was as part of a distance relay, running the mile in last position, that her team won the NCAA Championship with three other members.  The camaraderie of the race made for a fun time and the win solidified its significance in Babcock’s mind.  It was also a reward for the coach as it was his first Championship.

 

After university, with one year left on her visa, she followed an opportunity to move to Boston and run for Reebok.  During her year on the East coast, she was able to use her degree by joining the marketing department of Running Times magazine.  She has also had the experience of completing an internship at Sports Illustrated.  With her visa about to run out, another opportunity opened itself to her and she knew how to take advantage of it.

 

This time, the opportunity presented itself in the unlikely place of Missoula, Montana.  What attracted her to this Midwest state was the chance to run for the Mountain West Track Club, one of the few clubs that actually supports runners and allows them to train full time.  The club had already approached her after university, but she was not quite ready at the time.  In October of 1997, she was ready and packed her belongings and made the move.  The experience has been very rewarding since.  With Mountain West, she trains with ten other women, five of which are Canadians.  Apart from herself, there is Nathalie Côté, Sue Binne, Vicky Lynch-Pounds, and Andrea Grove.  The club provides a monthly stipend, an individual travel budget, equipment, a coach and a trainer.  Together with the coach, Courtney chooses the races she would like to participate in.  A situation like this is a runner’s dream and is certainly not available in Canada.  Though she was initially concerned about living in a small Midwest town, she now loves the area and its abundance of trails where she can run freely.  Though she can be considered a full-time athlete, she does part time work as an interior designer, and spends her limited free time enjoying the outdoors or simply hanging out.  These arrangements have worked well for her and it is evident in her recent performances.

 

Late last year, Courney won her first National Cross-Country Championship when she raced in Toronto.  This was a memorable race for Courtney as she had the full support of her family who came from around the area to share in her success.  A couple of months later, in January, Courtney traveled to a favorite racing destination and showed her readiness as she won the Bermuda 10 K for the second year in a row.  At the end of January, she traveled to another traditional race for her as she went to California to run in the Super Bowl Sunday 5K, a race she had won before and that she won again, setting her road PB of 16:02. 

 

With her fitness indicating that she is primed for good performances, she is poised to do well at the World Cross-Country Championships 8K race in Belgium.  She will be part of the large Canadian team that will travel to Europe in late March.  Following her experience at the last World Cross-Country Championship she attended two years ago in Ireland, her expectations are modest.  In 1999, her experience was not terribly positive as her shoe became untied during the race and she was bothered by her asthma.  This time, she is only looking to enjoy herself and perform to the best of her abilities while representing Canada.  A top 30 performance would see her satisfied. 

 

After that race, her site will be the same as for most track athlete, Edmonton for the 2001 World Track and Field Championships.  She will be training especially hard to reach the standards in the 5,000m and the 10,000m, which are set at 15:22 and 32:00.  She has a track PB of 15:34 for the 5,000m, while her road 10K PB is 32:13.  She has PBs of 2:11.8 for the 800m, 4:17 for the 1,500m, 4:32 for the mile and 9:08 for the 3,000m.

 

Last year, in the Canadian Track Championships, she clocked her 5,000m PB and was overjoyed with her strong performance, finishing closely behind the winner, Tina Connelly.  Though she has limited experience in the 10,000m, Babcock believes that is were her potential lies, if she can remain uninjured.  Running on the track for the distance events can be brutal for a body.  Her training this year has dropped slightly from 90 miles per week to the low 80s.  This is comprised of a long 14 mile run, two workouts per week on the track, and some steady 6-8 mile runs.  She runs twice a day four times a week.  Her track workouts could be 12x800m up to 2 mile repeats.  With healthy consistent running, performances are expected to follow.

 

Courtney Babcock has invested her five coins wisely.  She focused her effort on one of her talent, running.  Her youthful energy has permitted her to train at the level where she can be competitive on the international scene.  She has followed opportunities that now allows her the time to train and provides her with sufficient money to live, travel and pursue her dream of one day racing in the Olympics. 

 

ISABELLE LEDROIT WINS IN ITALY

Isabelle Ledroit continued to show great form early in the year as she travelled to Ferrara, Italy to compete in a Marathon.  The race was held on March 11 in almost ideal conditions with temperatures hovering in the low teens and only a light wind.  The course was favourable to Ledroit who won the race in a time of 2:38:58.  Throughout the race, Ledroit felt good.  The organization was impeccable with regular kilometre markings and plenty of water and sponge stations.  Italians were very friendly and the last 150m were on a red carpet along a castle which made the victory more memorable. Ledroit ran in company of men throughout the race, which has not always been the case in her previous marathons.  Isabelle was happy with her performance and the win.  Having broken the 2:40 barrier was quite an accomplishment.

 

FELL AT AN AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP

Graeme Fell was invited to the Indoor Masters Mile held during the U.S. Indoor Championships in Atlanta on March 3.  Fell won the mile in a time of 4:18.43.  Following up on his ranking as he top Canadian Masters, Graeme Fell had the following to say:

How would you describe your running in 2000?

So, so. I got injured and missed most of February and March and only began running in April, so it wasn't bad considering. I never really felt strong during the season so I guess I was happy with some of the performances.

What was your best race and why?

Probably, the Shelter Island 10k on Long Island. Although the race wasn't very fast for me at 30:36, it was incredibly hot, the index was over 100 and I ran myself to exhaustion.  The finish time was worth a lot more, probably sub 30 easily.

What are your goals for this year?

Time wise to run as close to 14 minutes for 5k as possible. For 10k, to run under 30 and as close to 29:30 as possible.

 

NEWARK DISTANCE CLASSIC

Canadians have done well in the past at this race with Tania Jones winning last year.  This year, Kristan Pearson placed 2nd in this 20K race in New Jersey on March 3.  She completed the distance in 1:18:20.

 

UVIC 5K

Male

 

Female

 

1. Steve Osaduik

14:51

Barbora Brych

16:58

2. Peter Cardle

14:53

Roxi Reid

17:17

3. Trevor O’Brien

15:01

Andria Dyck

17:54

4. Jim Finlayson

15:02

Nancy Baxendale

18:13

5. Paddy McCluskey

15:15

Anne Barrington

18:18

6. Craig Odermatt

15:17

Catherine Gill

18:21

7. Mark Cryderman

15:25

Charlene Waldner

18:35

8. James Morrison

15:32

Ulla Marquette

18:41

9. Rob Harmsworth

15:35

Gwyn Woodson

18:56

10. Kris Swanson

15:38

Martine Renaud

19:17

Masters

1. Rob Reid

16:32

Nancy Baxendale

18:13

2. John Edgington

17:06

Ulla Marquette

18:41

3. Sandy Stewart

17:12

Gwyn Woodson

18:56

 

ST. PATRICK’S DAY AMERICAN RACES

A few Canadians had the luck of the Irish and the speed of the Canadians as they made their way to Seattle, WA on March 17 to participate in the St. Patrick’s Day Dash 3.4 Mile race.  The men’s winner was Canada’s Allan Klassen who finished in 15:14.  He was followed closely by two other Canadians, Mark Bomba who finished in 15:15 and Masters runner Graeme Fell with a 15:16.  In the women’s race, Leah Pells placed 2nd in a time of 16:53.

On the other coast, Masters runner Janice McCaffrey was just as lucky and speedy, but she added endurance as she won the Shamrock Marathon in Virginia Beach, VA.  McCaffrey, also known for her race walking, finished the marathon in 2:46:55.

 

JACOBSON AT THE NEW BEDFORD HALF

Sandy Jacobson travelled to Massachusetts on March 18 to compete in the New Bedford Half Marathon.  Jacobson placed 4th in a time of 1:19:12. 

 

RESULTS

February 18 – Hatley Castle 8K, Victoria

Female

 

Male

 

1. Barbora Brych

29:11

Steve Osaduik

26:32

2. Andria Dyck

30:35

Chad de Pol

26:37

3. Kathy Rung

31:24

Alex Coffin

29:07

Masters

1. Andreas Mehl

29:07

Gwyn Woodson

32:27

 

February 25 – Gatorade Half Marathon, Peterborough, ON

5K – F1. Lauren King – 17:22; M1. Ian Reid – 16:06

Half-Marathon

Female

 

Male

 

1. Allison McKenzie

1:26:42

Shawn Brady

1:13:40

2. Nancy Morrison

1:28:12

Dan Major

1:14:59

3. April Boultbee

1:31:53

Dan Michaluk

1:15:38

Masters

1. Nancy Morrison

1:28:12

Peter Drake

1:18:44

 

March 4 – Comox Valley Half Marathon, Comox, BC

Male

 

Female

 

1. Steve Osaduik

1:07:42

Kathy Rung

1:25:13

2. David Matte

1:11:09

Colleen Grady

1:29:10

3. Andreas Mehl

1:17:28

Natasha Sawatsky

1:29:43

Masters

1. Andreas Mehl

1:17:28

Sheron Chrysler

1:30:32

 

March 4 – Crystal Wealth Grimsby Half Marathon, Grimsby, ON

5K – M1. Greg Dailey – 16:20; F1. Lauren King – 17:02

Half-Marathon

Male

 

Female

 

1. Shane Lavell

1:10:20

Suzanne Pribaz

1:26:20

2. Charles Bedley

1:10:27

Lesley Grice

1:29:31

3. Stephane Gamache

1:11:32

Jennifer Oreck

1:29:55

4. Rory Sneid

1:12:32

Rhonda Guzda

1:31:42

5. Curtis Desroche

1:12:49

Renee Head

1:33:19

Masters

1. Ed McColm

1:17:19

Renee Head

1:33:19

 

March 17 – St. Patrick’s Day Races, Ottawa

5K – F1. Kathy Tremblay – 18:28; M1. Francois Menard – 17:06

10K – F1. Joyce Switzer – 37:58; M1. Eric Lascelles – 32:19