If we go back ten or so years, the “thing” that the Speed River group has been known for is its 5000m/10000m athletes.

Reid Coolsaet had success in the 5,000 meters and won FISU silver back in 2005, won 4 national championship titles and represented the Canadian national team at a world championships. His teammate, Eric Gillis, was a 10,000m guy and competed at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

Times have changed. The club is now known now for a wider variety of reasons and those aforementioned athletes have moved up to the marathon and achieved great things in that race. That’s not to say that the 5,000m and 10,000m group is any less potent. There are fresh faces carving out names for themselves in those two events and their goal is to not only match, but eclipse their teammates’ historical accomplishments.

This week’s show, we look specifically at the 5.000, and 10,000m event groups and some of the athletes training for those distances in Guelph. We chat with former junior record holder Heather Petrick about her time in Guelph, dealing with injuries and what the future holds for her. We also talk with Evan Esselink, the Canadian 10,000m champion about the accountability of living with other high performance athletes and his move from running in the NCAA to a post collegiate environment. We’ll check in with Ross Proudfoot, the two-time Canadian Cross Country Champion, who will show us around Guelph, including some great work out spots and places important to the team.

It will also appear on the Terminal Mile podcast feed so subscribe on iTunes there.

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