Ten myths about the elite runner busted

1) Myth: they never take a sip of booze

While it is true you’d be hard-pressed to find an elite athlete who binge drinks while training, many elites enjoy a drink now and then.

2) Myth: they eat healthy all the time

Again, while most athletes work to maintain a healthy diet, especially during important training blocks, they often treat themselves. Especially within distance running, a sport obsessed with weight, maintaining a balanced attitude towards food is imperative for all elites.

3) Myth: they give up their social life for running

If you define a social life as excessive drinking, partying and staying up until the wee hours of the morning, you could say elite runners give up their social lives for running. However, if you define a social life as dinner or coffee with friends, meeting all sorts of people at races, serving as a role model to countless young runners, then, well…

4) Myth: they kill it every workout

Elites have off days just like us regular folks. Try not to dwell on the fact that their off days could still crush your good days.

5) Myth: they all head to the U.S. for university

While the lure of high-level competition in the states, scholarship money and school resources can snag some of most up-and-coming Canadian high school athletes, Canadian universities just keep getting better and better. In fact, at the Paul Short Run, an NCAA event held at Lehigh University, the Guelph and Queen’s University teams showed that they were well up to competing at the NCAA level.

6) Myth: they’re up early to run

You’re much more likely to find a sub-elite who has to juggle holding down a full time job pounding the pavement before the sun comes up than an actual elite. Sleep is a priority of every high-level athlete.

7) Myth: they don’t get along with their main competitors

Lanni Marchant and Natasha Wodak may have single-handedly destroyed this myth over the course of this racing season. These two super-speedy ladies have demonstrated they can fight on the course and hug after the finish.

8) Myth: they never ignore injuries

Why do us normal runners ignore injuries? Because we’re desperate to make it to the start line of whatever big race we have planned. Elites feel this desperation, multiplied.

9) Myth: they never get nervous

Elite runners have a lot of pressure weighing them down before big races, particularly ones they are favoured to win, or where a significant amount of prize money on the line.

10) Myth: they’re never hurting during races

Oftentimes, when we see elites on TV, their running looks effortless. Key word here is “looks.” Recently, new Canadian 10,000m record-holder Cam Levins told us that its all about suffering during a race.