by CONNIE TABBERT
Editor
WHITEWATER REGION (Cobden) — Tristan Woodfine has figured out what career he wants, so along with focusing on that, he’s also back to focusing on running. And not just any running…but competing in an Olympic marathon.
The 24-year-old is entering the third semester of a four-semester program at the Ontario College of Health and Technology in Stoney Creek near Guelph.
While a student in the philosophy program at the University of Guelph, following graduation from Opeongo High School where he did quite well in running, Woodfine took up triathalons.
In 2012, he fractured his right elbow in a cycling accident which threw off his tri-season. The following year, his tri-season did not exist because his elbow was still bothering him. His focus changed to cross-country running with the University of Guelph varsity team. In August 2012 he underwent surgery for his elbow, where it was discovered he had a lot of scar tissue.
He came second in the Canadian University championship in cross-country running, which sparked his passion for running again.
Following graduation in 2015, he took a nutrition program and focused just on running.
“I found I didn’t miss swimming and cycling as much as I thought I would,” Woodfine recalled. “I decided it was time to focus just on running, since I did enjoy it the most.”
He also worked and continued to compete in marathons. But, later that year, he suffered a severe ham-string injury, which kept reoccurring, forcing him to stop competing competing.
With the ham-string occurring again and again, Woodfine went to therapy and it eventually healed properly.
Woodfine had an opportunity to talk to his cousin Mark Bell who is a paramedic in Renfrew County – and decided that’s what he wanted to do.
Woodfine also began participating in the Canadian Racing Series. There are seven races and participants earn points. The points in the best three races are tallied and the runners are ranked, he explained.
This year, Woodfine, who is with the Speed River Track Club in Guelph, was named the Canadian Racing Series for men. He had won the Race Roster Spring Run Off 8K in Toronto in April, then finished 4th in both the Toronto Waterfront 10K and the Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon on back-to-back weekends in June. That earned him 116 points, 12 more than Toronto’s Sami Jibril who actually beat him at the Waterfront 10K.
Today, Woodfine is looking forward to becoming the best marathoner he know he can be. He is now working with running coach Greg Keely in Ottawa.
“He was my former tri-coach when I was in high school,” Woodfine said. “We got along well and we kept in touch. He recently reached out to me and wants to help me take my running as far as I can take it.”
Woodfine was home for the Christmas season and enjoyed being back running on the rural roads, even in the very cold temperatures.
“I enjoy running on the quiet roads and checking out the great scenery,” he said.
He has a long-term goal now – to be an Olympian.
“My goal is every year to get better and better,” he said. “I would love to compete at the Olympics. It’s on my radar.”
He knows to compete in the marathon at the Olympics, he needs to run a certain time and he’s looking forward to the challenge of reaching that time. A marthaon is 42.2 kilometres and for the Olympics, the time to reach is 2:19:00.
Woodfine says he knows what his goal is and it will be up to Keely to create a program to help him achieve it.
Workouts will include learning to run faster, endure longer runs and weight training.
“I need a good coach who can see the big picture,” Woodfine said. “It’s my coach who will plot the program to get me to the Olympics.
“I will focus on the little things.”
