Canadian Cam Levins runs blistering 800m at the end of a 210K week
Canadian 10,000m record holder Cam Levins, notorious for his high mileage, ran a fast 800m at altitude despite a 210-kilometre week in training.
Cam Levins, the Canadian record holder in the 10,000m, showed off his range on May 13 at the Brigham Young University last chance meet in Provo, Utah. Levins, 27, ran 1:49.73 in the 800m, at altitude, to take third behind a pair of local BYU athletes.
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Levins begins in lane five in the above video and takes the lead just before the 600m mark of the race before relinquishing the lead and finishing in third.
“It certainly felt sluggish trying to get out fast at the beginning of the race, but I am really pleased with how I felt,” says Levins. “Overall, it was nice to break up the training a little and race something for fun.”
Levins’ time came at the tailend of a 210K training week. The Nike Oregon Project member, which also features Olympic silver medallist Galen Rupp and Olympic and world champion Mo Farah, rarely runs the two-lap sprint. The event, known as the last chance meet, was geared for American college athletes looking to qualify for nationals but was also open to professionals.
His time was particularly impressive because it was run in Provo, a city located 1,387 metres above sea level, which makes it tougher for runners to achieve fast times.
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Levins, a graduate of Southern Utah University, has been known for running high mileage weeks in the past including three runs per day during his college years. He struggled for parts of the indoor season but still competed for Canada at the world indoor championships in Portland, Ore., his current residence, in March.
Connor Ross and Marcus Dickson go 1-2 in the men's 800. Cam Levins 3rd. All three go under 1:50 at altitude! pic.twitter.com/rzBlqRvLN9
— BYU Track and Field (@BYUTFXC) May 13, 2016
“I’m very pleased with where my training is at the moment,” adds Levins. “There is still a lot of room for growth, but everything has gone smoothly since the end of indoor season.”
The Black Creek, B.C. native is gearing up for the Olympics and has the Canadian qualifying standard in both the 5,000m and 10,000m. He will compete at the Canadian track and field championships in Edmonton in July to try to secure his spot to the August Games in Rio.
Results
1. Connor Ross – BYU – 1:49.40
2. Marcus Dickson – BYU – 1:49.47
3. Cam Levins – Nike Oregon Project – 1:49.73
4. Chase Horrocks – BYU – 1:50.49
5. Trevor Fuhriman – BYU – 1:51.06
6. Joe Cremer – Westminster – 1:53.78
In the lead-up to the May 13 race, Levins got in some supplemental training in this underwater treadmill, which appeared to pay off during the 800m race.
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