Gardiner: Canada’s marathoners capable of 2:08

Canada's track and field head coach both raises and tempers expectations for the marathoners going to London.

(This story was originally posted on July 18, but since the Olympic marathon is happening on Sunday, we wanted to draw your attention to it again.)

Alex Gardiner, head coach of Canada’s track and field team, has taken his share of criticism in past years for focussing too much on the sprints and field events, while ignoring the distance runners. “Has there been an emergence [of people saying], ‘we’ll prove you wrong, Gardiner,'” he said. “Absolutely, and I welcomed it.”

Athletics Canada is sending 46 runners, jumpers and throwers to London, its largest Olympic team in recent history. For marathoners, and fans of distance running in general, there will be plenty of hometown heroes to cheer for.

The men’s marathon on Aug. 12 — the final event of the Olympics — features three Canadians: Dylan Wykes of Kingston, Ont., Reid Coolsaet of Hamilton, Ont., and Eric Gillis of Antigonish, N.S. “People know the names of these guys — they’re all pretty engaging guys. Anybody in the Canadian running world is going to be watching the marathon and looking for those three guys,” Gardiner said.

What makes it so special is that the marathon will be the entire focus for the day, giving Canada’s fast-growing running community a chance to brag to other casual sports fans that they once rubbed shoulders with Wykes, Coolsaet and Gillis at a local road race.

All three are within reach of the Canadian record of 2:10:09, but Gardiner thinks they have potential to go even faster. “We honestly believe that any of these guys can run 2:08, which on the day in London, can carry you anywhere from 14th to the top 8. And if they get there, that will be remarkable.”

The Canadians are well down on the world rankings, but the Kenyans and Ethiopians dominate the IAAF marathon list, and each country can only send a maximum of three marathoners to the Olympics. While nobody expects Wykes, Coolsaet or Gillis to challenge for the medals, they could still place well.

Gardiner also speaks highly of 5000m/10,000m runner Cam Levins of Black Creek, B.C., who made his first senior track team this year, achieving Olympic “A” standards in two events. Levins, who ran 13:18.47 for 5000m and 27:27.96 for 10,000m this season, has demonstrated an ability to finish strong. He has closed some races in a 55-second last 400m. “I think he’s capable of kicking with the [East Africans]. The question is can he run repeatedly uneven laps. And I suspect he can,” Gardiner said.

Levins gained notoriety for running up to 240K per week and racing a full NCAA schedule. Some observers questioned if it would lead to injury. “Cam Levins is a remarkable young man,” Gardiner said. “He seems to have the right body. He tolerates a lot of work. He’s a physiologist in training. He knows his body better than anyone else. He monitors his body very closely. He’s got speed to be competitive at 1500m.”

There are also potential finalists in Hilary Stellingwerff in the women’s 1500m and Nate Brannen in the men’s 1500m. Gardiner points to promising young stars Melissa Bishop and Jessica Smith in the women’s 800m as potential medal threats four years from now in Rio. Both Bishop and Smith broke two minutes in the 800m this season — making them only the third and fourth Canadians in history to accomplish the feat. They could certainly advance past the rounds in the 800m, which would be a major accomplishment for the young runners.

If Canada’s track team wins any medals, expect it to come from Dylan Armstrong in the shot put or Jessica Zelinka in the heptathlon. Phylicia George and Nikkita Holder could also reach the podium in the women’s hurdles, after dethroning Canadian favourites Priscilla Lopes-Schliep and Perdita Felicien in the Olympic Trials. The distance runners won’t carry the burden of medal expectations. But if they are able to crack the top 10 in events traditionally dominated by the East Africans, it will be seen as a huge victory.

Related Links:
Canadian Running’s Olympic Profiles

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