What began thirteen weeks ago, at 6:15 am on a frosty winter morning in February, finished with smiles and high-fives earlier this month as Dr. Katherine Ahokas and nine Huntsville runners officially wrapped up The SportLab’s Running Improvement Program with a fantastic showing at the GoodLife Fitness Toronto Half Marathon and 10K.
Designed to promote a healthy active lifestyle while also perfecting form and technique, the Running Improvement Program attracted local athletes from a wide variety of backgrounds and abilities. Some were seasoned runners, familiar with the grind of endurance racing, while others had never competed in a formal race environment before. For three months, they trained together to improve their fitness, conditioning and nutrition.
“During the 13 weeks, I worked through individual goal setting, and proper running technique with all of the runners,” said Dr. Ahokas. “In addition, The SportLab’s Running Improvement Program focused on preventing injuries, and properly preparing the athletes both physically and nutritionally for training and racing.”
(From left to right): Nancy Edson, Tannis Wettlaufer, Haydee Traviss and Stacy Tinkler show off their new hardware after an exceptional race weekend in Toronto
The expert advice combined with dedication, hard work and commitment to the program left the athletes well prepared for the cold and windy conditions they faced on race day in Toronto on May 1. The final results were as follows:
Half-marathon runners:
Katherine Ahokas 1:21:15 – Second overall female, personal record
Susanne Allen 1:43:06 – Fifth in her age group and four minutes faster than her previous PR
Kelly Millson 1:46:27 – Two minutes faster than her previous PR
Nancy Edson 1:54:15 – Sixth in her age group in her first 1/2 marathon
10K Runners:
Tannis Wettlaufer 54:19 – Seventh in her age group and three minutes faster than her previous PR
Jana Carr 56:57 – 12th in her age group and it was her first 10K race
Haydee Traviss 58:03 – 15th in her age group also in her first 10K race
Stacy Tinkler 58:10 – 17th in her age group in her first 10K race
*Madeleine Robins walked the 10K, after injuring her foot just prior to the race*
*Ray Love also completed The SportLab’s Running Improvement Program, and will be using his running abilities during the Muskoka 70.3 in July*
The SportLab’s Running Improvement Program had great success last weekend at the GoodLife Fitness Toronto Half Marathon and 10K
“All of our runners prepared very well,” said Ahokas. “It was evident they were using everything they learned and applying it, and it was great to see everyone improve.”
Ahokas, who herself competed in the half-marathon, demonstrated her own racing prowess with a blazing time of 1:21:15, good for second overall female in the event. She will now set her sights on the Ottawa half-marathon at the end of the month, where she again looks to secure a place on the podium.
Don’t miss out on Doppler! Sign up for our free, twice-weekly newsletter here.
0 Comments