Posted: July 29, 2005

Athletics: Woods sets Canadian mark -Ottawa runner's 3:57.48 mile his second record of summer

By Chris Lackner, The Ottawa Citizen

Ottawa-born long distance runner Mike Woods broke his second Canadian record of the summer last night at the Pan-American Junior Athletic Championships in Windsor.

Woods finished the one-mile (1,609 metres) race in a time of 3:57.48, beating the previous national record of 3:58.04. But Woods was still edged in last night's competition by Adam Gocher of Portland, Oregon. Gocher, a former Olympic finalist in the 5,000 metres, finished with a time of 3:56.15.

"It's all smiles tonight," Woods said in a telephone interview from Windsor, minutes after his record-setting performance.

"To set two records in one year is beyond anything I could have ever expected."

Woods set the Canadian record in the 3,000 metres on June 29 at the Terry Fox Athletic Facility in Ottawa.

Close to 6,000 fans watched last night's battle between nine competitors from Canada and the United States.

The event launched the championships, which run until Sunday night.

The runner credited his success to his training partners at the University of Michigan, which include Nick Willis, a prominent amateur American distance runner and multiple Canadian record-holder Nate Brannen.

Woods is a graduate of Hillcrest High School in Ottawa, where he developed his skills as a runner.

Beyond a place in the record books, Woods also netted $3,000 of the $10,000 cash prize awarded to participants.

Woods's next race in Windsor is scheduled for Sunday in the 1,500 metres.

Woods said he'd love to complete the hat trick and set his third Canadian record of the season.

© The Ottawa Citizen 2005 Reprinted with permission.