one and two and three and four

I’m back in Guelph now and its about 24 hours since I finished the race.  I’m very happy with winning the race, but once again I wasn’t too far off of getting a B standard so a little frustrating. 

Being mid-July in southern Ontario I really couldn’t have expected for better weather conditions considering it easily could have been very hot and humid.  It was 20 degrees, less than 10km winds and less than 50% humidity. With those kind of conditions it would be a waste if we didn’t at least attempt to run a good time (sun 13:28 to be exact).  Before the race Paul Morrison, Eric Gillis and I mapped out a plan to get to 3000m in 8:02 to 8:06.  I would lead the first 200m if no one else in the field took it…so I led the first 200m in 32 seconds flat. And then we would each take a pull of 600m and then each take a pull of 400m. The order was Gillis, Morrison and then myself.  We did a great job, if I don’t say so myself, of getting that race going and I passed 3000m in 8:04 with Morrison taking another 400m from 3200m to 3600m before taking back over the lead.  Coincidentally the same 3000m split at Aarhus but this time I got to 4000m 5 seconds faster (10:46).  By this point I was running solo and needed a 2:40 last km to roll under 13:28.  My first lap in that last KM was fine and then I started to fall apart.  I cam through the bell lap in 12:27 so I told myself I need a 60 second last lap, just like my last race.  Whenever I tried to run faster it just got harder and I puttered a 67 second last 400m.  From memory this was the first time I ever had my last lap as my slowest in a 5000m race.  Kip Kangogo, who hung out in 4th during the pace sharing, ended up finishing second but, since he’s Kenyan Paul and Eric got the silver and bronze. 

Winning my fourth national 5000m title in a row is a great feeling, especially knowing that I’m the first Canadian to do so (Paul Williams might have had 4 if he wasn’t DQ’d in 1985 according to Mark Bomba).  The other part of my agenda at nats (winning being one part) was to run under 13:28.  Once again I failed to get a B standard and since I only have one more 5000m lined up before the July 29th deadline I will need to run the Canadian A standard of 13:19.71 in Heusden.  The good news is that Heusden (barring disasters and crappy weather) will likely be my best shot as its a great place to run fast with a great field. 

  1 Coolsaet, Reid            79 Speed River           13:34.55$  10        
  2 Morrison, Paul            80 QC – Sherbrooke       13:43.55$   8        
  3 Gillis, Eric              80 Speed River           14:06.50$   6        
  4 Kerr, Geoff               84 AB – U of Calg.       14:12.08    5        
  5 Ziak, Jeremiah            76 BC – Kajaks Trac      14:16.20    4        
  6 Mosley, Richard           82 Unattached  B C       14:18.27    3        
  7 Caldwell, Trevor          79 ON – U of T           14:20.26    2        
  8 Smith, Andrew             79 Brooks Canad          14:25.85    1        
  9 Marial, Deng              83 ON – Windsor Leg      14:28.42             
10 Nakluski, Derek           82 ON – Tor. Olymp.      14:28.73             
11 Staples, Cal              76 Speed River           14:42.31             
12 Booth, Mike               80 MB – Winn. Opt.       15:32.04             
— Dolmage, Jay              77 Independent                DNF             
— Kitz, Robert              85 Unattached N               DNF             
— xKangogo, Kip             79 Flaman Track Club    X13:40.97$

Here’s a pic I took today of the 1500m final on the first lap.  I was too busy watching the race and cheering to take any other pictures.

1500

Article from the Mercury with a vintage 2000 photo!  When the reporter asked me if I felt bad for Paul being second again I told him I would have felt worse if I lost.  He got a chuckle but left that out.

Coolsaet takes fourth-straight 5,000m title

Speed River runner defends crown by one second at Canadian Track and Field Championships in Windsor

GREG LAYSON

REID COOLSAET

WINDSOR (Jul 14, 2007)

If the awards for winning races at track meets were rings rather than medals, Guelph’s Reid Coolsaet would have a hand full of them from the Canadian Track and Field Championships.

Coolsaet captured his fourth consecutive 5,000-metre gold medal at the national championships last night at University of Windsor Stadium, breaking the previous best of three straight golds, which was shared by three runners.

“This means so much,” Coolsaet said. “To win four in a row is an honour, especially to beat out the guys previously.”

Coolsaet, a member of the Speed River Track and Field Club, ran the five kilometres in a time of 13 minutes, 34.55 seconds, edging out Paul Morrison of Sherbrooke, Que., who finished second for the fourth consecutive year. Morrison posted a time of 13:43.55.

Fellow Speed River runner Eric Gillis placed third in a time of 14:06.50. Gillis was aiming for a silver medal and a personal best. Neither happened.

“I got dry throat 2K in and I just found it tough to close,” said Gillis, who entered the race ranked third.

Coolsaet’s time was also a new University of Windsor Stadium record, shattering the previous best by 32 seconds.

Morrison, on the other hand — and in his own words — “blew up” by pushing the pace with Coolsaet.

With two laps to go Coolsaet pulled away on the front stretch while Morrison could be seen grimacing.

“Honestly, I just didn’t have it. I went for it, but I didn’t have it,” Morrison said. “I’m not as disappointed as I was last year, but I’m really sick of finishing second.”

Last year, Coolsaet won the race by three one-hundredths of a second. Morrison admitted he thought he was the winner at first. It was a race Morrison called heartbreaking.

The trio admitted to working together last night. All three medalists led at least one lap.

All three also had their sights set on the Canadian Olympic B qualifying standard, and they were on pace early.

“We had a second agenda, and that was to post a fast time,” said Coolsaet, who missed the standard by seven seconds.

Coolsaet and Morrison pushed each other through the first 3,000 metres, trying to gain ground on the qualifying standard, and then “raced after that,” according to Coolsaet.

Both will be in Europe later this month still trying to meet the Olympic standard.

“Honestly, we had a plan and whoever had something left in the tank with 3,200 (metres) to go would win it,” Morrison said.

And that was Coolsaet once again.

In other events with local content, Puslinch’s Megan Brown won her 1,500m semifinal in a time of four minutes, 19.67 seconds.