The Commonwealth Corner: Canadian Club Edition.

I’ve written before about the special connection shared between many members of the Commonwealth of Nations – a spectacular vestige of the past that suddenly surged in popularity with the recent Royal Wedding and release of ‘The Kings Speech'.  In a show of love for Queen Lizzy and all things Monarchy, The Runner’s Tribe brings you a new segment: “The Commonwealth Corner”, with our first instalment appropriately named “Canadian Club”.



At present, I am sitting in an apartment in Guelph, Ontario – nestled between two Canadian distance runners; Rob Watson and Taylor Milne, who between the two of them have represented Canada at the World Track and Field Champ’s, Commonwealth Games, World Cross, and the Olympic Games.  

You may have heard of Oregon Track Club, but here in Guelph Rob and Taylor run for ‘Speed River Track Club’. There are no Alter-G treadmills, cryo-chambers, or Alberto Salazar’s telling you to tuck your thumbs in. Rather, the group at Speed River is made up of tough, working-class runners living the dream in a college-town 1hr South-West of Toronto.

Upon first recollection the “dream” seems to resemble the life of a poor, dirty, student. However… For 99% of the world’s distance runners, this is the reality – and it works.  Once you see past the unwashed floors, bathrooms and piles of clothes, certain telltale signs of elite athletes begin to shine through. There are dozens of pairs of various New Balance shoes scattered throughout the house, a make shift “gym” in the corner of the room consisting of a medicine ball and some dumbbells that look like they are straight out of a Rocky Balboa movie.

A day in the life of these two is simple. Lot’s of running. A typical day for Rob is 1hr of running in the morning, followed by 90mins of running in the afternoon. There is no fucking around for this Canuck as he endeavours on his “600 mile May” in preparation for the Toronto Marathon on October 16^th and a crack at London 2012. As the token miler of the group, Taylor’s days are more focused on quality rather than quantity. After a morning-run of 4-6miles, he is often to be seen drinking two very large Rockstar energy drinks in preparation for the afternoon session thrashing the track as he looks to qualify for his second Olympics over the 1500m.

The afternoon session for the Speed River Group takes place at their base of Guelph University, where they are under the watchful eye of Coach and Scotch connoisseur Dave Scott-Thomas. Under ‘DST’ as he is known, Guelph has become the elite distance running capital of Canada. No other group has produced the results he has.

Evening is bonding time for the boy’s – but before Taylor takes his role as little spoon, there is something called “core o’clock” to be done with. About as self-explanatory as can be, at some time during the night before bed, the boy’s throw off their shirts, drop to the ground and begin a totally not-gay sweaty routine with each other. Over 30 minutes of half naked core work is followed by perhaps the group’s greatest use of technology. In an attempt to rival the Oregon Project’s technological savvy, Speed River utilises an android app designed to coach Rob Watson into being able to complete 100 push-ups non stop. The free app, titled “push ups” has been coaching Watson for several weeks now with remarkable results. He sees this as the extra 1% he will need to take him to the London Olympic Marathon. Two broken ice baths located in a small cupboard at Guelph University round-off the group’s technology department.

As with the East Africans, less is more in Guelph. Running is a simple sport, and needs not be complicated. Run hard, rest, and run hard again. With miles of trails, a fantastic coach, and support from New Balance – this grass roots group is changing the face of distance running in Canada and is sure to be well represented at next years Olympic Game’s from the metric mile to the marathon.  

BY DANIEL WALLIS