Demi Wood: Keeping Distance Running in the Family

posted by rtchris on August 2, 2010, 5:32am

by Chris Wainwright

On the 17th October, 1982 Grenville Wood ran a personal best of 2:12.50 at the Melbourne Marathon, just behind a course record time run by the legendary Bill Rodgers (2:11.08). Over a quarter of a century later Grenville's daughter Demi has yet to reach the lofty heights set by her father, although is starting to make her own mark in Australian distance running.

Last December Demi ran an impressive time of 9:31.26 in less than ideal conditions to win the junior 3000m title at the Zatopek Classic and followed this with an all the way win at the 2010 World Cross Country trials at Brimbank Park, Melbourne.

With the win at the trials, Demi then went onto debut in the green and gold at the World Junior Cross Country Championships in Poland. Although everything didn't exactly go to plan Demi did manage to place 50th and plans to break into the top-20 at the 2011 version of the Championships when they take place in Punta Umbria, Spain.

We were lucky enough to catch up with Demi as she overcomes an achilles injury, discussing her experience gained from running in Poland and whether she one day expects to follow in her father's footsteps and eventually run a marathon.

We started by asking Demi why she missed running the Australian Junior Championships in April...

Runnerstribe

Firstly, it’s fantastic to catch up with you, just four months after you represented Australia at the World Cross Country Championships in Poland. What have you been up to since competing over in Poland (I did see that you won a 4km cross country event in South Australia in late April (13:53), although you did miss the Australian Junior Track and Field Championships)?

Demi Wood

After competing in the World Cross Country Championships I came back to Australia full of enthusiasm and confidence that I could be competitive with the best runners in the world in future years. I was keen to have a solid winter season and things were going very well until April when I developed a sore Achilles, which has persisted until the beginning of July. I am now slowly rebuilding my fitness and hopefully with no set backs will be running at my best within a few months.

Tim O'Shaughnessy described the course in Poland as rough and went onto say that “I've been coming to these events for years and they just seem to get tougher each year”. How did you rate the course and your own performance (considering that you ran through an asthma attack during the race, which must have been tough!)?

Demi Wood

My dad had always told me that the start of a World Cross Country was like a mad stampede so I was well prepared for what was to happen. The course itself was not too hilly however the logs did worry me because they were up to my knees in height. My biggest worry was not to get boxed in on a tight course and be able to run freely, as well as not slipping on the mud. 800m in to the race I felt great and was one of the first non African runners but soon found that my asthma attack took effect. I still was very pleased with the way I finished the race but would love to come back next year and place in the top 20. One thing I now realize through this experience is the enormous aerobic strength the top runners have and their ability to run strongly over difficult courses which makes me realize I still have a long way to go in my overall development.

Leading into the World Cross Country Championships you produced some quality races on the track, including a victory last December at the U/20 3000m at the Zatopek Classic in a personal best time of 9.31.26. I remember that night, with the rain coming down during the race (typical Melbourne weather!). You had previously run a 9.34.86 in a mixed 3000m in Adelaide (in November), so you must have been quietly confident entering the race? Was it a little frustrating to miss the WJQ time by only 3 seconds?

Demi Wood

My lead up to Zatopek was extremely good with most of my training sessions improving by the week. I certainly knew I could run close to 9.30 because of my Adelaide 9.34 time but was disappointed with my last lap as I should have been able to lift into the 9.20s. I feel that having to run the last 1500m on my own could have cost me my time but many runners in the past have had to run solo so I guess I should learn to lift the last lap on my own. As far as the WJQ because the previous time I had been so slow I wasn’t aware of what the time was until I got so close.

At the 2008 Zatopek Classic you finished a distant last in the U/20 3000m (running 10.30.31, behind Bridey Delaney’s quality winning time of 9.21.43). What’s been the difference that saw you run nearly a minute faster in 2009? Did you gain a lot of confidence from running so well in the City to Bay fun run in Adelaide in September, 2009 (where you produced a 42:44 for the 12km)?

Demi Wood

Zatopek in 2008 was a wakeup call for me. I realized standing on the start line that night I shouldn’t be there and if I wanted to compete with these athletes I would have to improve my training and racing dramatically. The following year in 2009 was a much more consistent year for me and I was able to build up on my training and gain the confidence from my training to back it up in racing. My dad/coach always gave me the lecture on ‘if no one can train like me, no one can race like me’ so I guess that shows when you stand on the start line of a major race you have got to believe in what you have done and have no fear of what might happen. The City to Bay is always a fun race for me as my dad doesn’t want me racing long distances. My results were pleasing but I guess it just reflects the good training that I had leading into it. If you regularly do 12-16km training sessions or long runs, racing 12km isn’t that hard.

You’ve also run a 4.34 for 1500m, but considering that you have already run such quality times over the longer distances – is that we’re your thinking your future athletic career is heading (more 5,000m/10,000m and maybe even the marathon)?

Demi Wood

Developing 1500m speed is certainly going to be something I will work on in the coming season as I realize the 3000m times are very much dependant on my half way split. Unfortunately the 2009-2010 summer season was mainly directed towards the World Cross Country and I feel it limited my potential over 3000m on the track. I certainly will be heading towards 5000m in the next couple of years and would love to be competitive enough to race against the great senior female athletes such as Eloise, Benita, Nikki and Lara.

You’re currently trained by your father, Grenville Wood. He’s an international marathon runner, so it must be nice to know that he has experienced what’s it like to reach the top of your chosen sport? Your father has a PB of 2:12.50 (23^rd on the Australian all-time list) for the marathon and also won Australian titles over the marathon (1985) and 15km (1985). Does he therefore see your success coming in the longer distances?

Demi Wood

My dad made the mistake of running marathons too early in his career and then went off to Europe and found that he lacked the speed to run top level marathons. He then refocused his training on developing that speed and although was never incredibly fast he still could manage the times you mentioned. For this reason dad wants me to develop my speed at the track races before even thinking about the future and hopefully I never have to run much further than 10,000m. I think I will really love the 5000m.

Over the past 12 months how has your training changed? Do you feel like you’re a lot stronger than you were last year? What’s your normal training week look like?

Demi Wood

My sister and myself both follow a training program that is similar to the top runners of the past such as Ron Clarke and Steve Moneghetti where our basic conditioning builds over our running years. My training has now developed to a point where my easy runs are still at a solid pace however it is easy for me. I often find myself running 4minute k’s on long runs without knowing it. An average week for me looks something like this:

Sunday: 1hour 30mins long run
Monday: am – easy 6km, pm – 12km as I feel, sometimes I reach 3.40km pace
Tuesday: am – easy 6km, pm – long VO2 max reps with long recoveries
Wednesday: am – easy 6km, pm – 12-15km easy
Thursday: am- easy 6km, pm- 1500m pace running maximum of 3km
Friday: am- easy 6km, pm – easy 8km
Saturday: tempo run of 8km or 20min fartlek

How have you found growing up in South Australia and racing against such a limited number of quality track athletes? You have the likes of Jessica Trengrove, Tara Palm and the very exciting 16 year-old Tessa Potezny (PB of 9.41.21 over 3,000m), although do you find it difficult running by yourself in many events?

Demi Wood

Its great having Tara and Jess here in Adelaide and I always look forward to a challenge against them as they are both established good runners and consistent performers. Tessa is a fierce competitor and I look forward to racing her when she is at her best as we are good friends. I find racing in Adelaide very low key and often use the boys as motivation to run at my best, however they do tend to start too fast. It is frustrating though that mixed race times are not recognized as I feel you still have to do the work to get the end results.

If you needed to leave Adelaide to follow your dream would be happy to do so? You’re actually studying at the University of SA in 2010, what are you studying?

Demi Wood

My dad talks weekly with the top British coach in the UK,Lindsay Dunn and I look forward tos pending time with him in the future. I would move anywhere in Australia if I thought it would make a difference to my running. I am currently studying a Bachelor of Education (Primary and Middle) which I think will fit in with my athletic career.

There’s always a record that still stands out on the women’s side of distance running in Australia. It was set way back in 1984 by a then 18 year-old Donna Gould. On that day in Eugene, USA, Gould ran an amazing 8.44.10 in a mixed 3000m and went onto run for Australia at the 1984 Olympic Games. She finished with Australian titles over 10,000m (1984 & 1985) and 3,000m (1983) and also placed 6^th at the 15km World Championships in 1985. Gould is a fellow South Australian, so is she somebody who you look up to, and maybe one day emulate? Are there other current Australian athletes that you look up to?

Demi Wood

My dad talks about Donna all the time and actually paced her to her 15.24 5000m time in Adelaide. She was an amazing athlete and it would be fantastic to achieve her times. She did train very hard. I email Benita quite often and always listen to her advice as she has done so much in her athletic career especially winning the World Cross Country Championships which I would love to do. I guess there are so many people that I admire for their achievements and I look forward to meeting many more in the future.

What are the next steps in the career of Demi Wood? What are your immediate goals for the upcoming 2010/11 track season? Are your goals set around representing Australia again in the Junior World Cross Country Championships in Spain?

Demi Wood

The very next step is to get back to my previous form then build to a new level. I have a great team of people behind me such as dad, my sister, Lindsay Dunn and Tim O'Shaughnessy and we constantly plan and re-plan my progress. So all going well I will race over 1500m and 3000m up until Christmas probably in Melbourne as we have no track in Adelaide and then refocus on the World Cross in Spain for early 2011.

With such a big breakthrough year in 2009 and your gutsy run at this year’s World Cross Country Championships do you dare to dream about a spot on an Australian team at a World Championships or Olympic Games? Do you think that you could one day line up in an Olympic final over 5000m or 10000m or do you one day see yourself winning a medal at a World Cross Country Championships –what would be the ultimate dream?

Demi Wood

Like all athletes I dream of running in the Olympics. A dream for me would be to be able to make the London Olympics over 5000m just for the experience. Then in future years stepping up to be Australias number one runner and being a real medal chance.

In such a tough sport who do you rely on to keep you on your path to success? Do you have a good support network to ensure that you can get through the tougher times in the life of an athlete? Do you gain inspiration from the likes of Eloise Wellings and Nikki Chapple who have gone through many ups and downs in their respective careers?

Demi Wood

It is very tough going through injuries as I have over the last 3months and even though my dad tells me this is all part of being an elite athlete it is still very tough. I certainly gain motivation when I hear of runners such as Eloise and Nikki who fight their way back to the top again just like I believe I can do.

At the end of your career what would you like to be remembered for? Are there little secret goals that you have noted down that you would one day want to reach?

Demi Wood

At the end of my career I will be pleased if I know I have reached my potential as an athlete and could not have gone any faster. If being recognized by Australia is part of that would be great.

Thanks for taking the time to complete this interview. Australia is always ready for another female distance champion, so hopefully we can one day interview you after a medal winning performance at a major World Championships!! Good luck for the future from all of us at Runnerstribe!

Tags: Demi Wood, Grenville Wood, Donna Gould, Australian 3000m, Track and Field 3000m, World Cross Country Championships
Read more | Comments (0) | Updated on August 2, 2010, 6:56pm

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Demi Wood: Keeping Distance Running in the Family