Rod Dixon - Interview Chris Kelsall Aug 04, 2013

Rod Dixon holds court five minutes from downtown Victoria in a rain-soaked, gravel parking lot at the back of the Cedar Hill Recreation Centre. He has an enraptured audience; a handful of early-arrival runners who have come to spend six hours listening to him talk about the finer details of training. He is here as a representative of the Lydiard Foundation, along with co-founder Nobuya, 'Nobby' Hashizume.

On first meeting Rod Dixon at 6:30 a.m., one would be remiss to blame him for being a bleary-eyed guest however, he is anything but that. After all, he is a much traveled Kiwi with an American address or two - he gets around. He is highly engaging, entertaining and perpetually energetic, talking with his hands in smooth, sweeping gestures. He lights up the early morning grayness with his giant, ivory grin; he seems more rock star than running legend.

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37 OLYMPIANS FROM AROUND THE WORLD SET TO COMPETE IN #NTL2013 TORONTO STOP Chris Kelsall May 27, 2013

 
 

 

The 2013 National Track League (#NTL2013) announced that 37 Olympians have confirmed their participation at the 3rd annual Toronto International Track & Field Games (TITFG) on June 11 at the University of Toronto's Varsity Centre.

 

The Toronto competition serves as the second of five stops in NTL2013.  The series will crown champions in ten events and will feature some of the best athletes from Canada and around the world.

Gillis and Duchene win national half marathon titles in Montreal Chris Kelsall Apr 28, 2013

OTTAWA - Eric Gillis of Antigonish, N.S., and Krista Duchene of Brampton, Ont., were crowned 2013 Canadian Half Marathon Champions today in Montreal, Quebec at the ScotiaBank 21k.

 

"I came to race for the win today", said Gillis. "Perfect weather and a flat course made it a big marathon workout. It felt good to compete in just my second race since the London Olympics, served as great preparation in my lead up to the Ottawa Marathon (May 26)." Gillis finished in a time of 1:05:56.

Geoff Martinson - Will he break the TC10k course record? Chris Kelsall Apr 26, 2013

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Sunday, April 28th the annual Times Colonist 10k race takes place on the downtown streets of Victoria, BC. This year hometown favourite Geoff Martinson is looking to break the streak of back-to-back leap-frogging Kenyan winners Willy Kimosop and Kip Kangogo, who have won twice each, every other year from 2009 to 2012. The previous hometown winner was Eric Kiauka in 2008 in the time of 30 minutes and 31 seconds. Before Kiauka, two-time Olympian Bruce Deacon won twice consecutively in the time of 30:08 in 1998 and 30:33 the following year. Deacon won one other time in 1993, breaking the 30 minute barrier by finishing in 29:42.

Canadians at Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational Chris Kelsall Apr 26, 2013

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The Canadian contingent of athletes competing in the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational on April 28th will be bolstered by a strong field of both men and women competing primarily in the middle distance events.

“My goal for Payton Jordan is to toe-the-line ready to hurt, and then hurt some more and beat as many people as I can in my section.”

In the men’s 800m race the University of Guelph’s Anthony Romaniw and the unattached Quin Ferguson lead the way, as they both have run under 1:48. Ferguson’s personal best of 1:47.11 is two years old though, where Romaniw ran his best during the 2012 season. Complementing the top two are a pair of University of Victoria Vikes, Adam Gaudes and Thomas Riva who own personal bests of 1:48.90 and 1:49.54, respectively. Also running are, Stuart Ellenwood, Travis Vugteveen and Cameron Proceviat, the latter three will be representing Simon Fraser University. The standards for making the Canadian team going to the IAAF World Track and Field Championships in the 800m are, “A” 1:45.40 and “B” 1:46.30.

Lanni Marchant Continues to Prove She is Elite Chris Kelsall Apr 22, 2013

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Lanni Marchant continues to prove that she is an international calibre long-distance runner, by crushing the field with her elite performance at the Yonge Street 10k Sunday, April 21st in Toronto, Ontario.

Canadian Marchant, based in Chattanooga, TN ran an impressive new personal best time of 31 minutes and 56.5 seconds to place 16th overall and first female. She led second place Toronto native, Rachel Hannah by over one and a half minutes, Hannah finished in a solid 33:38.2. Paul Wiltse from nearby Oakville finished third and first master (over 40) while competing in the 45-49 age-category. Her time was 34:56.0.

Martinson and Therrien Win Inaugural Bob Reid Magical Mile Chris Kelsall Apr 14, 2013

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The first annual Bob Reid Magical Mile, which boasted a total prize purse of $5400, took place in Victoria, BC at 12:00 PM on Sunday, April 13th, under variable spring-like conditions. Runners of all abilities raced in a staggered start format over a schedule of nearly three hours. The event was the Pacific Northwest Championships for all age categories. “I was thrilled at the number of high performance athletes that came to the inaugural running of the (Prairie Inn) Harriers, Bob Reid Magical Mile,” said race director Bob Reid.

Nick Walker Interview - Merville 15k Chris Kelsall Apr 08, 2013

 

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Interview with Nick Walker, winner of the 2013 Merville 15k. The race is the seventh event in the Vancouver Island Race Series. Walker, a former University of Victoria Vike will be racing the BMO Vancouver Marathon.
 

Cameron Levins is ready to take the next step with Alberto Salazar Chris Kelsall Apr 06, 2013

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As has been widely reported, Cameron Levins has joined the Nike Oregon Project. After having won the NCAA 5,000m and 10,000m Championships while running for Division 1 Southern Utah University, then competing for Canada at the 2012 London Olympic Games in the 5,000m and 10,000m events, it appears that this is the next logical step for his running career.

Race Results Weekly reported that going-forward he will also be working with famed coach Alberto Salazar. Levins told Athletics Illustrated, “I knew very quickly that this is a program I wanted to be a part of, and that I could do very well training with such fantastic athletes.”https://can.milesplit.com/articles/101578-simon-bairu-interview

Skypin' with Natasha Fraser Chris Kelsall Mar 30, 2013

 

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A casual Skype conversation with Natasha Fraser, who had just returned from the IAAF World Cross Country Championships.

 

Comox Valley Half Marathon Race Video Chris Kelsall Mar 27, 2013

 

 

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Comox Valley Half Marathon showing top-Canadian middle-distance runner Geoff Martinson's first half-marathon race with a Canadian master's record attempt by Jimi Finlayson. The Comox Valley Half Marathon is race number eight of the BC Timex Road Race Series and number six of the Vancouver Island Race Series

Martinson Prevails at the St. Patrick's Day 5k - On a New Fast Course Chris Kelsall Mar 20, 2013

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Six days after Victoria's Geoff Martinson stepped off the plane in Sidney, BC, (feeling completely under the weather) to win a come-from-behind five kilometre race in 14 minutes and 32 seconds against second and third place finishers Ryan Brockerville of Vancouver and Clifford Childs of Victoria, he flew to Vancouver to pull off the trick again, at the popular St. Patrick’s Day 5k. He raced almost the same group however, this time he wasn’t feeling sick as a dog. Martinson won in 14:37.88 to Child’s 14:42.58. Third went to Nanaimo’s Forrest Simpson who finished in 14:47.65. “I was definitely feeling better this time around,” said Martinson.

Martinson Wins Synergy Health Bazan Bay 5k - Nine under 15:00 Chris Kelsall Mar 11, 2013

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Nine men ran under 15 minutes in the Synergy Health Management Bazan Bay 5k in Sidney, BC on Sunday, March 10th. The overall winner was former University of Victoria Vikes star athlete, Geoff Martinson of Victoria, BC who finished in a near dead-heat with Vancouver’s Ryan Brockerville – a Simon Fraser University grad and current member of Point Grey Track and Field Club - in the time of 14:32. Third went to former University of Victoria Vike Clifford Childs in 14:40.

Synergy Health Management Bazan Bay 5k - a Competitive Race Chris Kelsall Mar 07, 2013

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The fastest event of the 2013 Vancouver Island Race Series, the Synergy Health Management Bazan Bay 5k road race is happening this Sunday, March 10th in Sidney, BC (approximately 20 kilometres north of Victoria). The course is flat, fast and provides the potential for very good results. Because of the nature of the flat and straight course the field, as usual, will be competitive.  

The favourite in the men’s division is Goeff Martinson of Victoria, BC. He is looking to defend his win from 2012, where he set the new course and all-time event record in the time of 14:20, where he was not challenged. This year may be different.

Rob Denault - Interview Chris Kelsall Mar 05, 2013

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Rob Denault, who competes for the Villanova University Wildcats just wrapped up his 2013 indoor track season by acheiving one of his primary goals; running a sub-four minute mile at an indoor meet. He did so by running just under the benchmark of 3:59.39 as a freshman at the Alex Wilson Invitational at Loftus Sports Center on Saturday, March 2nd.

Denault hails from Aurora, Ontario. 

Denault earned All-Mid Atlantic Region honours and helped Villanova receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships by finishing 19th overall at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional. He crossed the finish line in that race in 30:54 and was the Wildcats fifth counting runner. He also finished in the team's top five at all five scored meets during the cross-country season and placed second on the team and 53rd overall at the Pre-NCAA meet with a collegiate-best 8K time of 24:04.7. 

 

Hajo Seppelt Interview - On Apparent Kenyan Doping Chris Kelsall Feb 27, 2013

Hans-Joachim “Hajo” Seppelt is a journalist for ARD, a nationwide German TV and radio broadcasting network located in Berlin. He is, as his bio indicates, a film author who is involved in creating features and reporting for all of the German state broadcasting institutions. At this time, he is primarily reporting for the regional WDR network with the doping editorial team (WDR in Cologne).

Seppelt is also a reporter and expert for the ARD network on doping, politics in sport and coverage of the Summer and Winter Olympic Games, as well as other major sports events.
Seppelt recently spent time undercover in Kenya posing as a sports agent. His report, broadcast on German television as well as radio, created a firestorm of controversy within Athletics Kenya. World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) President John Fahey visited Kenya and asked the sports officials to investigate the matter.

One of the athletes implicated Mathew Kisorio, has received a two-year suspension. As a result of the broadcast Athletics Kenya’s Chairman Isaiah Kiplagat announced an ultimatum on October 17th that all foreign coaches working in Kenya without permits must leave the country in one week’s time. The announcement came one week after the report aired.

Speed River Inferno Chris Kelsall Feb 22, 2013

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As part of the grand opening of their brand new state-of-the-art Alumni Stadium, Guelph, Ontario's Speed River Track and Field Club will host a unique, high-performance track meet on May 28th, called the Speed River Inferno. The event will be unusually fast, not just in regards to the pace that the athletes will be burning up the track with, but also in the length-of-time that the entire meet will take to showcase the elite talent that they are expecting to host. The Inferno meet will be just 60-to-90 minutes in length.

The Stunning Removal of Wrestling from the Olympic Games Chris Kelsall Feb 18, 2013

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On Tuesday, February 12th, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) made a stunning and highly criticized move to strip wrestling, one of the world’s oldest sports, from the Olympics. The 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games will have wrestling, the exclusion starts with the 2020 Games, for which a host city is not yet named.

Dick Pound, former president of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and former vice president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) told Athletics Illustrated, “At a time when the fundamental Olympic values are under great pressure (just see what is going on in cycling and football, among others), the decision of the IOC Executive Board to exclude one of the most traditional of the Olympic sports seems counter-intuitive. This is all the more so when the obvious split among the members of the Executive Board suggests not a principled consideration and decision, but subjective personal opinion, perhaps in some cases influenced by conflict, or perceived conflict, of interest.”

Mark Bomba - Interview Chris Kelsall Sep 07, 2011

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Three-time Canadian national champion Mark Bomba, joined Trinity Western University as the team’s Endurance Director in April of 2011.

He was a national champion in both the 10,000 metre and half-marathon distances (in 2005) and in cross-country (2000). Bomba competed in the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in 2005, the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in 2001 and 2003 and the Chiba Ekiden Relay in 2002 and 2004. He was also the 1993 NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) national champion in the 1500 metre event while competing for Vancouver’s, Simon Fraser University.

Dayna Pidhoresky - Interview Chris Kelsall Sep 07, 2011

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Former Windsor Lancer, Dayna Pidhoresky of Tecumseh, Ontario is quickly becoming one of Canada's top distance runners.

She arrived on the Canadian running scene in style with an impressive win at the 2010 Detroit Free Press International Half Marathon. Her winning time of 1:13:15 is one minute off Tara Quinn-Smith’s Canadian half-marathon record of 1:12:09.

Dayna, continued her good form recently winning 3 of 4 road races that she entered including the competitive Harry's Spring Run-Off 8k, Sporting Life Toronto 10k and the Around the Bay Road Race (30k). She is coached by Josh Seifarth.

Eric Gillis - Interview Chris Kelsall Jun 09, 2010

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Eric Gillis from Antigonish, Nova Scotia, recently finished as top-Canadian and fourth place over-all at the Ottawa 10k with his finishing time of 29:11. The Ottawa 10k is run in conjunction with the Ottawa Marathon weekend. On May 9th, Gillis finished second to Kip Kangogo at the 50, 000 participant-strong, Vancouver Sun Run in 29:03 to Kangogo's 29:01.

He also happens to have won the Canadian 10, 000m Championships in 2008 and 2007 and has won bronze in that same event in 2005.

He is coached by Dave Scott-Thomas (DST) who is the head coach at the University of Guelph. DST happens to coach several elite-level Canadian runners with Speed River track and field club.

Gillis represented Canada in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games 10, 000m event. He has also represented Canada three times at the IAAF World Cross-Country Championships.