Three Canadians podium at the New Balance Grand Prix
Julie-Anne Staehli broke a national record and Justyn Knight ran a world-lead
Hello.
It was the New Balance Grand Prix in New York City, the first real meet to feel like a real meet, even though watching such things is still unsettling. Three Canadians podiumed at the event, and one national record was set. I break it all down below.
I also look at the life and legacy of Barbara Howard, who is believed to be the first Black woman to have represented Canada in international sport.
Julie-Anne Staehli breaks Canadian indoor two-mile record
Julie-Anne Staehli had the Canadian performance of the week, when she ran 9:22.66 in the two-mile at the New Balance Grand Prix in New York City.
She finished third overall, behind Americans Ellie Purrier and Emma Coburn, both who ran faster than the old American two-mile record.
Julie-Anne, who is 27, is sponsored by New Balance and is training while working as an assistant coach with Western University’s cross-country team. She can collegiately for Queen’s University.
Julie-Anne’s time is 14 seconds faster than the old record. The record was previously 9:36,79, which was held by Jessica O’Connell.
It’s not officially a “record,” though, because Athletics Canada doesn’t officially recognize or ratify the two-mile distance.
Justyn Knight runs world lead in indoor two-mile
Justyn Knight broke the tape in the men’s two-mile event at the New Balance Grand Prix. His time of 8:13.92 is the fastest time in the world at this event so far and was 8/10ths of a second off the record, which is held by Moh Ahmed.
Justin threw up a heart with his hands as he crossed the finish line, and joked online after maybe he would have gotten he record if he hadn’t done that:
The 24-year-old trains with the Reebok Boston Track Club, alongside fellow Canadian Ben Flanagan. He competed for Syracuse in the NCAA in his college years.
Marco Arop runs second fastest Canadian indoor 1,000m
Marco Arop was the third Canadian to make the podium at the New Balance Grand Prix. He placed second in the 1,000m. His time of 2:17.10 is the second fastest Canadian time at the distance, just short of the 2:16.87 record set by Nate Brannen in 2014. He came second to American Bryce Hoppel, who set a world lead and an American record of 2:16.27 to break the tape.
It was the first time Marco has ever raced this event, making his result that much more impressive. Arop, who is 22, recently ended his collegiate career at Mississippi State University to turn pro.
Remember Barbara Howard, the first Black woman to represent Canada in sport internationally
Barbara Howard was the first Black woman to represent Canada at international competition.
Barbara was born in 1920 in Vancouver.
She qualified for the 100 yard dash and team relays at the 1938 British Empire Games (these are now the Commonwealth Games), when she was 17 years old. Canada won silver in the 440-yard relay and bronze in the 660-yard relay and Barbara Howard became a media sensation because Black athletes were so uncommon.
She would never get to achieve her Olympic dreams, because the 1940 and 1944 Olympics were cancelled because of the Second World War.
After retiring from competitive running, Barbara would go on to become a teacher who was deeply involved in her community. She was the first Black teacher hired by the Vancouver School District, where she taught for 40 years.
CBC British Columbia did a piece on Barbara’s life and legacy, in honour of Black History Month.
Barbara got more attention for her accomplishments later in her life. She was named to the B.C. Sport Hall of Fame in 2012, and there is a city plaza in Vancouver named after her. In 2015, she was named to Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame.
She died in 2017, when she was 96 years old.
The Globe and Mail did a piece about Barbara shortly after she died:
Barbara Howard's first trip away from her birthplace of Vancouver was a month-long voyage by ocean liner to Australia, where she competed for Canada at the 1938 British Empire Games.
The unheralded schoolgirl was just 17, a sprinter who surprised the sports world by running a world-class time in qualifications. She would be disappointed by her performance at the Games, finishing sixth in the marquee 100-yard dash, though she returned home with two medals from relay races. She also carried with her a stuffed doll resembling a koala, one of many gifts she received from sports-mad Australian fans.
Miss Howard, who has died at 96, spent most of her life in anonymity, her early athletic achievements forgotten as she pursued a successful but quiet career as an educator.
Athletics Canada included Barbara in a roundup Black track and field athletes to remember.
Strides: Other stuff to read, listen to and know about
🌟 CBC Sports has a series sponsored by Toyota called Breakthrough, featuring athletes sharing their big moment. Moh Ahmed is part of the series, reflecting on his 12:47 5,000m run that put him at 10th all-time in the world at the time. The interface is a little hard to follow, but there’s a video of Moh talking about his run and what lead to that performance, and there’s another video with his mom talking about their bond and what he was like growing up.
🏟 Decathlete Damian Warner shared two big announcements with the Toronto Star. First, he helped update an old hockey arena in his hometown of London to become a multi-use training facility after he needed a place to train when the pandemic began and other facilities were shut down. Second, he and his partner Jen Cotton are expecting their first child.
🎧 Jessica O’Connell was on The Inner Olympian podcast. The 2016 Olympian, who also runs the coaching business Grit, talked about what it took to fulfil her Olympic dream and how she’s handled her ups and downs, and several injuries, on her quest to return to the Games.
🇲🇽 I enjoyed this Runner’s World profile of Andrea Ramírez Limón, who is one of Mexico’s top marathoners. She finished just behind Natasha Wodak at the Marathon Project in Dec. 20.
🐱 If you’ve been following Natasha Wodak on social media or on podcasts, you will know that her beloved cat Sammy was ill the week of the Marathon Project, but held on long enough for Natasha to go race. After he died, Natasha decided to foster two cats, and well, she ended up adopting them. Natasha looks so happy to be welcoming Oliver and Elliot to her family.
🚩 The NN Running team is working on putting together an elite-only race in lieu of the Hamburg marathon on April 11, running a 10.5K loop around the city. Only four athletes are listed, but the race will feature 100 runners. If other marathon opportunities don’t crop up in North America, I wouldn’t be surprised if a couple Canadians try to make the trip.
💧 I enjoyed this piece by David Roch for Trail Magazine about the power of running, and of crying while running:
So, yes, running has a tendency to turn anyone into a nihilist sometimes. The highest highs and the lowest lows are sharing a three-bedroom suite with the monotonous, in-your-own-head grind. Joy, sadness, boredom all shacked up together. Throw in some endorphin swings and hormonal shifts for good measure.
Tears of joy. Sad sobs. Bored to tears. Those are all sayings for a reason, and I think they are a part of many more running lives than is reflected in social-media posts or magazine articles. Not only is it OK to cry in and around runs, I think it might just be a sign that you’re paying attention.
💍 Long-distance runner Justin Kent and middle-distance runner Lindsay Butterworth got engaged!
🎶 Around the Bay, the oldest race in North America, has released a theme song for its 2021 virtual edition:
That’s it for this week! I hope you had a good long weekend, if you had one.
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Thanks for reading. Stay safe everyone.