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Kevin Coffey Archives - Canada Running Series

Oct 19 2017
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Canadian Marathoners to Watch at STWM

By | Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon | No Comments

There is a strong contingency of Canadian athletes toeing the line at the 2017 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon.  From athletes making their debuts, to runners hoping to break master’s records, it’ll be a race worth watching.  Here are a few Canadians to look out for:

Sami Jibril

A local athlete who has Toronto as his hometown, Sami Jibril is no stranger to this race.  Not only does he have home course advantage, Jibril has been a pacer for STWM in previous years.  A member of the Canadian World Cross Country Championships team, Jibril is a force to be reckoned with on any cross-country course, and will undoubtedly be one on the marathon course.

Leslie Sexton

With a blazing personal best of 2:33, Leslie Sexton is a mileage hound who is inspiring to follow on Strava.  Running upwards of 200km per week, Sexton is no stranger to high mileage.  Slowly building up her tolerance to running these distances, she’s a workhorse that’s perfect for the marathon.  Don’t be fooled, even with that amount of mileage in her legs, Sexton has the speed that placed her in 2nd at the 2017 Under Armour Eastside 10k this September.

Kevin Coffey

Relatively new to the elite marathon world, Kevin Coffey has shown that he belongs there.  Having the cheeriest demeanour, it’s hard to find a race where there isn’t a photo of Coffey’s infectious grin plastered across his face.  Finding a balance between coaching with Vancouver’s Mile2Marathon, and running up a storm, Coffey has the same marathon goal almost every runner has: to beat his personal best.

Catherine Watkins

Faster as a master.  Catherine Watkins has shown the running world that age doesn’t slow you down.  Having represented Canada at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto in the marathon, her continual success in every race distance is awe-inspiring.  A mother of two girls, Watkins has found a balance between family and being an elite runner.  Like anything, at times it can be hard, but with her family’s, coach’s, and running community’s unwavering support, we have high hopes for this master to break some records at STWM.

Trevor Hofbauer

Giving up on his hoop dream of being an NBA star, Trevor Hofbauer has found stardom in distance running.  Initially he was training mostly on his own, Hofbauer made a big move from Calgary to Guelph to run with some of Canada’s top runners.  Representing Canada at the World Cross Country Championships, and at the World Half Marathon Championships, Hofbauer has shown he has strength in every distance.  Debuting at STWM has been much anticipated and we look forward to seeing what this young star will do.

Natasha LeBeaud Anzures

Originally from Kelowna, Natasha LeBeaud Anzures now calls San Diego home.  Running since she was a young girl, she’s made it her life not only in racing competitively, but in the non-profit organization she and her husband founded, 2nd Recess.  Ranging from 1500m to the marathon, Natasha’s natural speed is a benefit even in the gruelling 42.2km of a marathon.  In the hopes of hitting a new personal best, LeBeaud’s high-humidity training could give her an advantage when running through the potentially cool streets of Toronto.

Oct 06 2017
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What Elite Athletes Eat: Marathon Edition

By | Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon | No Comments

For anyone racing a marathon, either for their first or fiftieth time, the pre-race dinner is always a hot topic.

What should you eat?

What should you avoid?

Is carb-loading really all it’s cracked up to be?

We may not have the exact answers, but what we’ve learned over time is that it’s best to eat what you’re used to, and that a carbohydrate-rich meal is a go-to for most runners.  There is a large Canadian elite contingent coming to race at the Canadian Marathon Championships at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, so we took the chance to ask them what fuels their fire the night before a big race.

Sami Jibril: When I’m out of town, maintaining a routine diet has its challenges. I personally try to pack at least one meal and snacks for long out of town races but when its not possible, and I am stuck in an airport with limited food options, I need to be flexible. I understand unhealthy food is better than no food, but healthy food (good fuel) is even better.

The most important factors I consider for selecting meals is food that is high in carbohydrates and easy to digest. The simpler the foods the better, and nothing unfamiliar.

Living in the Toronto and running STWM I have the luxury to eat a personal homemade meal the night before my race. I typically eat a heavy meatless pasta/spaghetti dinner with lots of veggies and I binge on fruits for dessert.

Leslie Sexton: My go-to meal before long runs and workouts when I’m at home is usually beef or chicken kabobs with grilled vegetables (splashed with a bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar) and linguine with pesto sauce. I love cooking on the BBQ during the summer because it adds a bit of flavour and usually requires less clean-up. And of course some chocolate for dessert!

Kevin Coffey:  The last supper isn’t much of a change from the usual meal before a focused long run. I never experiment with new foods and I try to keep the fibre as low as I can.  For my last meal before a big race, I will have Thai gluten free stir fry rice noodles with a simple tomato sauce and half a serving of chicken (60g-75g of carbohydrate) with a refreshing glass of sports drink (30g carbohydrate). I have found gluten free pasta works best for my stomach and it often has less fibre than whole wheat.

Catherine Watkins: My favourite pre-race food is simply chicken or salmon with brown rice and veggies. For the marathon, I’ll go heavier on the rice and lighter on the veggies!  If it’s a shorter race and out of town I find sushi is a great pre-race food. Usually a salmon roll, tuna roll, and avocado roll.

Natasha LeBeaud Anzures: Before a race, I love to have a giant veggie-packed salad topped with my all-time favorite food: beets.  I love a big serving of brown race pasta (I have Celiac disease, so I cannot have any gluten) with marinara sauce and a side of salmon.

Trevor Hofbauer: My pre-race meal while traveling is pasta with a cream sauce and chicken. Regular pasta with a tomato sauce is an appropriate alternative as well.  For STWM, I’m actually bringing my pre-race dinner with me from Guelph. It will be my staple carbohydrate meal; cornmeal, sweet potato, chicken breast.

John Mason: The night and even through the week leading up to the race I eat a lot of bread.  I eat a lot of bread in general, but even more in the last few days heading into a marathon.  In 2015 before STWM I ate 4 loaves of bread in the last 36 hours leading into the race, an entire loaf of bread for dinner as I was strolling the streets of Toronto.  Bread and butter really is my marathon “bread and butter”.