Posted: March 19, 2006

Commonwealth Games: Messages from Melbourne - Nicole's Marathon Report

Nicole Stevenson, with a marathon PB of 2:32:56, is ranked second in Canada. She is in Melbourne, Australia to compete in the Commonwealth Games and will be sending reports back to the Runner's Web.

March 19, 2006 (Australia Time)

Hi Ken,

Ooooh I wish this was easier to type! More than a wee bit disappointed with my 11th place finish in close to 2:41. But let me tell you how it went:

We started out on the track at a very slow pace. After 3 laps we ventured into the city, where we met a ton of hills in our close-knit pack of 13 or so women. The pace was pretty erratic so I hung out at the back, trying to stay out of trouble and also trying to not waste energy with the surges some of the girls would throw at random intervals.

At 10km we encountered the longest and steepest hill of the course and we remained a pack. There were people on the sidelines, cheering their lungs out in one heck of a long line! By 15km, I fell off the pack a bit but felt good. The pace changes were tiring and I figured many of the girls ahead would fall back to me after halfway if I conserved a bit now.

At the halfway mark, I still felt pretty good but I was a bit concerned about the sun beating down on us. At that point I was close to 30 seconds behind the pack. At 23km, a couple of Scottish gals had also fallen off and they became my target. Only problem was -- when I surged to gain some ground on them, my legs didn't co-operate! Panic set in. How can I feel tired already? I didn't freak out, but just kept the girls as targets for the near future. The kms ticked by but I was no closer to them. So I did my best to just stay positive, there were many kms left to go.

We re-entered the city at around 33km and that's where the pain really set in. Many people were cheering for me and I had to fight to hold off tears of pain. My quads felt like they had daggers jabbing at them with every step. What kept me going was all the support from home: my friends, my coach and the Newmarket Huskies, my family, and so many others. I was disappointed with how I was doing, but I knew they were wishing me well and urging me on.

Between 37 and 39km, we met two hairpin turns where I grimaced in agony, thinking the pain must be from the hills from way back at the beginning. I managed to catch the girl from Lesotho, which was a bit reassuring, only because I knew that someone else was hurting as much as I was!

With less than one km to go we climbed up the ramp into the stadium (the descent of this ramp was MUCH worse than the way up!) and there it was: a PACKED stadium cheering for each runner like we were all the winners! I tried to soak up as much of that feeling as I could. With a few strides to go, I even raised my arms, not for any reason but to hear the rush of cheers that followed!

And finally I was finished! That was the toughest marathon of my life. There were many points where I wanted to quit: knowing I wasn't near my goal time or place. But I've never been one to quit if I can help it and I'm very glad I toughed it out. This experience is one I'll hold for a long time, knowing that this memory will help me run a smarter race, should I be fortunate enough to represent Canada in Beijing in two years.

Now I'm off to veg out and try to find a nice German beer with my pals! Let me know if you'd like track updates, otherwise I'll just cheer on my team and enjoy the rest of this awesome trip!

Ken, I appreciate all your support leading up to this event. It really means a lot!

Thx,
Nicole

Nicole's comments after the marathon

March 17, 2006 (Australia Time)

Hi Ken,

The opening ceremonies on Wednesday night kicked off the Games for us. We all felt the goosebumps that are inevitable when 90,000 people are watching you from their seats. Before our appearance, we had to wait inside for quite a while, but Nicole Forrester (High Jump) and Emmanuel Parris (sprints) did a great job of keeping the Canadian team upbeat and entertained. They were awesome -- Nicole had people chanting in their seats! When we finally starting our walk towards the stadium, we were all pumped up, but we had no idea of the exhilaration that was soon to come: once we actually stepped foot in the packed stadium, with lights shining on us and our faces on the Jumbotron TVs, we were absolutely giddy with excitement. What an experience!

Malindi Elmore had a brush with royalty yesterday. A few of us were hanging out in the village, but while I was inside puddering on the internet, Malindi noticed something happening outside near the cafe. Volunteers were setting up a runway lined with bouquets. Next thing Malindi knew, the Queen herself came out of one of the buildings and sat with a small crowd of Games volunteers surrounding her. As Malindi was one of the few athletes nearby, the Queen called her over and asked what event she was doing.

"I'm running the 1500m."

Without hesitation, the Queen replied, "That starts on Monday, doesn't it?" (How on EARTH does the Queen know the Games schedule so well?)

So Malindi quipped, "Too bad Kelly (Holmes) isn't here, eh?" and the Queen gave her a chuckle. Can you believe it? Malindi cracking a joke to the Queen? Well done!

Today we scoped out some of the marathon course. The first 10km is rather hilly with lots of turns. After that we venture straight south down St Kilda Road. We head back towards downtown beside the coastline, which will be scenic, but may lead to a windy few kms. We finish back downtown in the stadium. The weather looks to be mild and overcast, much better than last Sunday's unbearable heat.

My body and mind are feeling good. Now I just have to prepare my best and race smart on Sunday. I'll give you the full report!

I'll be back on Sunday and will try to get pictures.

March 14, 2006 (Australia Time)

Greetings from Down Under! I arrived on Thursday at around noon after 30 hours of travel. The flight wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, thanks to the comfort of Air New Zealand seats. We were greeted at the airport by a bunch of local volunteers, then bussed to the athletes' village. Olympic champ Kyle Shewfelt was on the bus with us, reminding me of the great athletes I'd be surrounded by over the coming weeks!

At the village, the Canadian Commonwealth Games committee handed us a ton of HBC gear. Thank you - the kit is great! Canadian flags are abundant in our area as we have a larger team of 253 athletes. The village will house all 6,000 athletes and managers through the Games, and afterwards it will be converted into a residential community. I'm staying at a house with about 15 women, mainly track athletes and a few divers who have been in Tasmania on a training camp.

All through the village teams have hung their flags marking their allegiance. This is a great geography lesson because I've never heard of some of these places: Jersey, Masawi, and many others. The athletes are all super-friendly, but I've been spending most of my time with the Canadian women's track team.

I am sharing a room with Katie Vermeulen, originally from London, ON but now living with her fiance, Luke, in LA. Being a road racer in recent years, I've missed out on the Canadian track scene. But hanging around all the fast track girls makes me miss trace racing! Katie is exceptional: very fun and easy to be around. Luke is also impressive, even though I haven't met him. He sent two dozen red roses to Katie with a note full of love and support. Good on you Luke!!! Some of the other girls have their spouses or familly coming to see them through this experience. I'm looking forward to my friend Dan from Endurosport in Toronto coming to watch the race, and my pals Julie and James from Brisbane who will be here for the race weekend. Nice to have familiar faces during nervous race time!

On Thursday night, Tara Quinn-Smith and I ventured downtown to watch the IAAF Telstra meet. There are two great track venues right in downtown Melbourne! This meet was in the smaller stadium, while the Games will take place in Olympic Stadium.

We saw the women's 3,000m where Aussie favourite, Benita Johnson, led the first two thirds of the race only to be outkicked by 5 other women in the last 600m. The winning time was 8:50 to Benita's 8:59. The men's 800m was a tactical race, but a good chance for the Canadian men to run the flight out of their legs. Gary Reed finished 2nd in 1:47. Aschraf Tadili and David Gill also ran that event. We missed the final race of the night: the men's 2,000m. Matter Kerr and Reed Coosaet were chasing the Canadian record of 5:04 while Craig Mottram was aiming for a new Australian time of sub-5:00. Matt and Reed missed the record but still ran solid races of 5:07 and 5:09, respectively. Mottram dominated the race, winning handily and demolishing the record with a 4:50!

I'm glad I managed to keep awake the first day, as that will help me recover from the flight and time change. Now to cope with the weather! On Sunday the mercury crept all the way up to 36C! Luckily it has cooled off since then and the long-range forecast predicts 22-24C for my marathon race on the 19th. I have yet to check out the course, which is described as fast and challenging. I'm not sure how those two descriptions fit for the same marathon, but I'll find out! I haven't seen the start list yet so I still don't know my competition.

Opening ceremonies take place tomorrow, March 15th. After that, it's chill out time for race prep. I'll be sure to let you know how it goes!!! Special congrats to Newmarket Huskies teammates Megan Brown and Sheila Reid. Megan won 3 golds at the CIS meet and earned female athlete of the meet. Sheila scored a silver at the NACAC cross country champs. Way to go girls!!!

Thanks,

Nicole

Nicole Stevenson - File Photo: New York Road Runners

Nicole Stevenson Toronto, ON
Marathon
PERSONAL DATA:
Sex: Female Height: 168cm/5’6 ½ “
Born: 13 September 1973 Weight: 55kg/122lbs
Birthplace: Hamilton, ON Marital Status: Single
Hometown: Hamilton, ON Club: Newmarket Huskies
Residence: Toronto, ON Coach: Hugh Cameron
Languages: English, French Occupation: Pharma Product Manager
PERSONAL BEST:
10Km – 32:29 – April 2005 – Sun Run, Vancouver, BC
10 Miles – 55:20 – Aug 2003 – Crim, Flint, MI
½ marathon – 1:12:51 – June 2003 – Scotiabank Vancouver Half, BC
30km – 1:47:29 – March 2002 – Around the Bay 30km, Hamilton, ON
Marathon - 2:32:56 – January 2006 – HP Marathon, Houston, TX - USA
2005 CANADIAN RANKING:
2nd Marathon 2:38.50 May 2005 ING Marathon, Ottawa, ON
PAST PERFORMANCES:
2006 Chevron Houston Marathon, Houston, TX – USA 2 2:32:56
2005 Sun Run 10km, Vancouver, BC 1 32:29
ING Marathon, Ottawa, ON – CAN 3 2:38.50
National Track Champs 5000m, Winnipeg, MB 3 16:06
Aramco Houston Half Marathon, Houston, TX – USA 4 1:13:37
Crim 10-miler, Flint, MI – USA 4 55:33
World ½ Marathon Championships 28 1:14:26
2004 ING Marathon, Ottawa, ON – CAN 3 2:34:45
HP Houston Marathon, Houston, TX – USA 2 2:33:37
Casino Niagara International Marathon, Niagara Fall, ON – CAN 1 2:37:09
2003 Ottawa Marathon, Ottawa, ON – CAN 2 2:39.38
Sporting Life 10km, Toronto, ON 1 32:55
Scotiabank Vancouver ½ Marathon, Vancouver, BC 2 1 :12 :51
Crim 10-miler, Flint, MI – USA 10 55:20
2002 Waterfront Marathon, Toronto, ON 1 2:36:56
Crim 10-miler, Flint, MI, USA 6 56:02
Sporting Life 10km, Toronto, ON 1 32:56
Around the Bay 30km, Hamilton, ON 2 1:47:29

Human Interest:
Nicole Stevenson owes much of her personal development to her success in running. Once a shy, introverted girl from Hamilton, Ontario, she came out of her shell when she found her talent as a runner at age 12, thanks to the example set by her older brother Avery. With the newfound confidence in herself, Nicole improved in all areas of her life, especially in athletics. From 1992-1996, Nicole attended Wake Forest University, in Winston-Salem, NC, on a full athletic scholarship. While there, she studied biology and French, and earned numerous awards, including: Dean’s List 6 semesters; 4.0 GPA her senior year; ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) Athlete of the Week; All-American Honours in Cross Country; and captain and MVP of the track and cross country teams. Just after graduation, Nicole lost some focus in her running, but remembered crucial words from friend/coach Joan Nesbitt, “Run for fun the first few years out of graduation and you will regain a high fitness level in the years to come.” Joan had predicted the future for Nicole. She ran for fitness up until 2000, while working in marketing at adidas Canada, and then she joined the Etobicoke Huskies and Coach Dave Reid. After her first year training with Reid, Nicole’s 10km personal best dropped from 33:44 to 32:56. She changed her career to allow for greater flexibility in her training and racing schedule.

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