Injuries behind him, Reid Coolsaet to “feel out pace” at Fukuoka Marathon

Canada’s second fastest marathoner of all-time will take another crack at the distance on Sunday at the Fukuoka International Open Marathon Championship in Japan.

Reid Coolsaet, 37, will run his second marathon of 2016 following a 23rd-place finish at the Rio Olympics in August. Fukuoka also happens to be the city where the Canadian men’s marathon record was set 41 years ago. The Hamilton resident, who runs for New Balance and Speed River Track Club, has a lifetime best of 2:10:28 from the 2015 Berlin Marathon, 19 seconds shy of Jerome Drayton’s national record.

Coolsaet ran 2:14:58 in Rio representing Canada at his second Olympic Games. He says that he is feeling much better ahead of Fukuoka than ahead of the Olympic marathon as he was bothered by back issues leading up to the August event. No Canadian has come closer to Drayton’s 2:10:09 than Coolsaet.

“I usually do have specific goals but I’m being a little more open-minded this time,” Coolsaet says when asked of his goals. “2:09:59 is always in the back of my mind but I’m not dead set on that this time around. Instead I’m going to feel out the pace and hopefully run with other guys if there is anyone running a similar pace.”

RELATED: Massive sinkhole forms near famed Fukuoka Marathon course in Japan.

The Fukuoka Marathon begins Dec. 4 at 12:10 p.m. local time in Japan. For Canadians, Coolsaet will get underway at 10:10 p.m. EST on Saturday night. He arrived in Japan mid-week and has been adjusting to the time zone difference since. Other notable names in the Fukuoka field include former world record holder Patrick Makau and 2:04:27 man James Kwambai.

Outside, inside, halfway up and on top of Acros building in #Fukuoka pic.twitter.com/oJDKFMWTVP

— Reid Coolsaet (@ReidCoolsaet) December 2, 2016

Coolsaet has put in some solid training since the Olympics and also became a father (to Louis) at the end of September. He averaged more than 200 kilometres per week in October. The 37-year-old University of Guelph alum ran the Fukuoka Marathon in 2013 and is familiar with the course. He ran 2:11:24 at the race three years ago.

RELATED: Why I can’t sacrifice a payday to run for my country in 2017.

“Before Fukuoka in 2013, last year in Rotterdam and Berlin I was in good shape for many weeks,” he says describing this race’s buildup. “Whereas this time things only came around at the very end. Things never clicked like this for Rio so at least I had some good sessions.”

Coolsaet told Canadian Running that he is not dead set on hitting 65 minutes, Canadian record pace, at the halfway point though that’s not out of the cards if he is feeling “great” on race day. “I’d like to feel strong towards the end of the marathon,” he says. “Maybe that means splitting 66:00 and trying to break 2:12:00.”

With one of Canada’s all-time great marathon runners approaching the latter stages of his career, Fukuoka provides one of the few remaining opportunities for Coolsaet to reach his 2:10 goal. In this race’s buildup, and since Rio, Coolsaet paced Eric Gillis to a Canadian championship title at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon and ran 29:40 for 10K at the Hamilton Marathon Road2Hope in November.