“It helped for sure that the three of us were good friends. We could talk openly about training and what races we were going to aim for and our goals.” — REID COOLSAET
While Canadian men have had an impact on the international marathoning stage, let’s not forget about some of the phenomenal performances recorded by our nation’s top women in what has been a shorter history. The first ever women’s Olympic marathon was only held in Los Angeles in 1984. Silvia Ruegger, in the thick of the action, finished eighth in 2:29:09. The following year she set a new Canadian record of 2:28:36, which lasted 28 years until Lanni Marchant eclipsed it at the 2013 Toronto Waterfront with 2:28:00. Serendipity put Ruegger on her path to the marathon. “I went to the [inaugural] iaaf Word Road Racing Championships 10k in San Diego and that night after the race, I couldn’t sleep,” Ruegger recalls. “I went down to the lobby of the hotel and was talking to a reporter. He began to talk about the Olympic Games women’s marathon and he described the course to me. As he started talking about it I thought, that’s the event. That’s it.” Lanni Marchant has nothing but respect for Ruegger. While Ruegger combined her full-time university studies with her training, Marchant was
with epsom salts were the order of the day as sports massage and therapy was unheard of. Today’s marathoners benefit from sponsorships, science-based training programs and refuelling techniques. Moreover, modern race courses are designed for speed.
The advance of professional running has drawn runners from East Africa into the mix, pushing the bar even higher.