Around the Bay Champ Ready for Fall Marathon
Terence Attema has quietly been one of Canada’s top distance runners in the past two years, recording impressive performances at each of the last two Around the Bay races. He won the historic 30k for the first time this spring. He’s planning to make his marathon debut this fall. Canadian Running: How did you get your start as a competitive runner? Terence Attema: I started running seriously about halfway through high school. In Grade 10, I ran track but didn’t train seriously. I missed of saa by a few places, and realized that most runners ahead of me trained with a track club outside of high school. I decided to join the Niagara Olympic Club that summer and train more seriously. I improved a lot those next two years, good enough to get a scholarship to Campbell University (in North Carolina). After graduating from Campbell, I hit up the road racing scene and improved quite a bit over the next year or so. CR: Congratulations on your win at Around the Bay. What did winning that race mean to you? TA: I’ve never won a race that big and with such history, so it was a neat experience for sure. I had been dealing with some injuries earlier in the winter that impeded my training a bit, so I was just happy to be to be at the line injury free, let alone win it. I did figure the race was winnable though, provided that I could run a time comparable to last year when I came second to Reid Coolsaet. I had a good battle with Josephat Ongeri in the final few kilometres and I was able to win it, and finish strong. This is a good confidence boost since it indicates that although I ran 40 seconds slower than last year, I likely could’ve run faster if I needed to, or sustained a good pace for a few more kilometres. The goal for the fall is to sustain that pace for an extra 12.2k in a marathon debut. CR: Did you eat anything special for breakfast that morning? TA: Nothing too special, just a couple of bagels and fruit and a granola bar. Dinner was a bit more unique, I guess. The night before, I had a plate of pasta and a beer, since that’s what I did the year before when I had a great race and I wanted to keep it the same. A little superstitious of me. I don’t usually have beer. I have a friend that lives near the start of the race, so I stayed at his place and that’s what he offered me last year, so this year when he asked what I wanted, I told him I didn’t want to mess with success, so I had the same thing again. CR: In your blog, you talk openly about running for God. What role do faith and religion play in your athletic career? TA: I don’t like to use the word “religious” to describe myself. A religious person is often perceived as someone who follows strict rules in order to please the higher power they believe in. That’s not me at all. The way that I follow Christ is by using the gifts that he gave me to the best of my ability. For me, running is one of those gifts. I believe God wants me to enjoy that gift. It doesn’t mean I’m going to run well every race, but I do believe that if God wants me to continue running competitively, he will give me the opportunity to do so.– ML
“I had a plate of pasta and a beer, since that’s what I did the year before when I had a great race and I wanted to keep it the same.”– Terence Attema