Matt Loiselle grew up in Windsor, Ontario before studying and training Central Michigan University, where he was an NCAA qualifier who specialized in the 3000m steeplechase. Upon signing with the Brooks Canada Marathon Project after college, Loiselle moved to Toronto and won two Canadian half-marathon titles in 2009 and 2010 while representing his country at the World Half-Marathon Championships. Heading into the Scotia Bank Toronto Marathon on October 16, 2011, Loiselle is one of a handful of runners taking a shot at Jerome Drayton's thirty-six year old Canadian record in the marathon and a qualifying spot for the 2012 London Olympics. Tnfnorth caught up with the Toronto-based runner:

TNF: If you had one piece of advice to give a young athlete what would it be?

ML: Don’t be afraid to win. Set reasonably high goals and work at them. That doesn’t mean that you have to be cocky and tell everyone how fast you’re going to run; but have a goal in mind and take the time to work towards it. When you do hit your goals be happy and be proud of yourself, but be humble as well, because somewhere out there someone is still running faster than you are.

TNF: What's your highest volume week ever?

ML:  220km, but I’ve only hit that volume once so far.

TNF: What does racing in Canada mean to you?

ML: I always enjoy racing in Canada, especially if friends and family can come out to watch. It’s nice to see that at road races all over the country with more people becoming involved and getting interested in the sport.

TNF: What will it take for you to break Jerome Drayton's record?

ML: For this next race, for me it will take cutting the course and running shorter than 42.2km. I’m not at that level yet. Right now, I’m just focusing on working towards the Olympic qualifying standard.

TNF: What has been different in this year's build up as compared to your previous marathon builds?

ML: This year, the mileage is up, the long runs are up, and the pace during workouts is quicker. Training is also more consistent this time around. After getting through one marathon race (Waterfront in 2010), I learned a few lessons and that’s helped me realize what I need to work on.

TNF: With the Brooks Project winding down after 2012 what is the future for you and the group?

ML: I told myself when I first joined the group that if I was close to being an Olympic-caliber runner by 2012 I would continue to train full time. I believe that I’m on my way there, so I will continue to work towards my goal. The Dyons and Brooks have been great to me and I can’t see myself running for another running brand anytime soon. As for everyone else, I can’t speak for them, but currently we have a pretty good group going on as a whole with Brooks and Athletics Toronto, so I just hope those that are serious about doing well in the sport stay on and keep working at it.

Megan Brown is one of the best female runners in the county, Lucas (McInerny) has been steadily improving, and I feel that if Rejean Chiasson has a good day at Waterfront he is going to surprise a lot of people. One day sooner than later he is going to be one of our country’s best marathoners. We also have the middle-distance guys in our AT group who hop in some intervals with us as well.

TNF: You moved to the marathon earlier than most of the other top contenders. Does this give you an advantage?

ML: I don’t really think I have an advantage over anyone else. Off the top of my head, I think Wykes has the most marathon experience out of anyone, and he’s only a year older than I am. Gillis and Coolsaet are in their 30’s so perhaps I have more time than them, but in order to take advantage of that time I have to stay healthy and keep progressing. With the high volume and intensity of the training we do, anything can happen.

TNF: Why did you decide to get into the marathon so young?

ML: I attempted my first marathon when I was 24 (dropped out of Ottawa in May 2009 due to injury), which I don’t think is too young of an age. Maybe I could have spent more time trying to get fast in the 5k and 10k, but I knew then that I wanted to be a marathoner so I wanted to start working at it and learning about it.

TNF: How big of a transition was it coming to the Brooks Canada Marathon Project?

ML: The transition was very easy when I joined the BCMP. The coaches didn’t rush me into anything. The first fall I was here (in 2008) I trained for the 10k. I don’t think any of us envisioned me trying to run a marathon the following spring, but things were progressing well so we went for it, and I’m glad I did. Even though I dropped out of the race, I learned a lot about the importance of doing the little things to help your body to recover and prevent injury.

TNF: What has it been like working with Hugh Cameron, Eddie Raposo and Dave Reid at the Project?

ML: These guys are awesome and I’ll be forever grateful for the amount of time they’ve put in helping us. They’ve never accepted a penny from us—they do it all for free. It’s great because you have three different personalities: Eddie, who is very quiet but shows up and will give advice whenever you ask; Hugh, who is probably the most organized person I’ve ever met, and if you’re not running well tells you in a very nice way; and Dave, who knows I can handle the honest truth and will tell me when I need to hear it.

TNF: What are your aspirations heading into October and 2012?

ML: At Waterfront in October I’d like to run a much smarter race than last year. This includes everything from pacing to fuelling. I’d like to get as close as I can to sub-2:11:30 this fall, and I really want to hit that time during the qualification period.

TNF: Good luck.