Toronto (Sunday, October 12, 2008) – Distance runner Andrew Smith crossed the line as the second North American finisher, in 31st place overall, at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, this morning. Smith, 29, a member of the Toronto-based Brooks Canada Marathon Project, ran neck and neck with top American finisher Jason Lehmkuhle until the 15-kilometre mark. Batting a stomach cramp for the final portion of the race, Smith held on for a dramatic improvement on his 52nd place finish at this event in 2005. His final time for the 21.1-kilometre race was 1:06:10, the third best time of career – a remarkable achievement given the hot and humid conditions. The race was won in dominant fashion for the second year in a row by Zersenay Tadese, of Eritrea, in a time of 59:56.
Andrew Smith, on his race: "It was a solid performance overall for me, when taking into consideration the very warm and humid conditions. The times as a whole were quite slow across the board. The temperature was somewhere around 25-26 Celsius and I heard 80% humidity. From the start of the race I actually felt great. Going through 10km in 30:14 I felt very strong, and I was really excited about running a fast time. I continued along running with the top American runner, Jason Lehmkuhle, and we worked together to try and keep each other rolling. Soon after 15km my race took a turn for the worse as I got an abdominal cramp on my right side. By 18km it was very painful, and despite doing my usual massage and breathing technique to get rid of it, the cramp was not getting any better. The frustrating part is that my legs felt quite good, and I really felt like I was winding it up and would be able to give a good push to the finish. I hung on the best I could, but I was passed by 6-7 guys in the final 2km or so. The American, Lehmkuhle, who I was with at 18km ended up placing 21st in 1:05:17. The hot weather was obviously a huge factor in so few PBs today… All in all, racing here, with the best in the world, was definitely a great experience for me."
Final results for the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships can be found at IAAF.org.
About the Brooks Canada Marathon Project:Now in its second year, the Brooks Canada Marathon Project provides distance runners with the opportunity to train with the goal of qualifying for the Olympic Games and World Championships. Thanks to a $1.5-million commitment from Brooks Canada founders Mike and Paul Dyon, the athletes train and live together in a house in Toronto’s west end provided by the Project. They also receive medical and travel support, and performance-based financial incentives. For more information, see http://www.brooksrunning.ca/runners_resource/marathon_project.html.
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