Lanni Marchant fulfils wish list with Sun Run win

The dominance of Kenyan marathoners begins with countless miles in the hills of rural precincts in that East African country, a place where Canadian Olympian Lanni Marchant returns yearly for a form of boot camp.

Part of the attraction is training at altitude so the body can use oxygen more efficiently, giving her a competitive edge when she returns closer to sea level for a race such as the 32nd annual Vancouver Sun Run 10K.

Marchant, 32, also has learned to overcome the intimidation factor, matching strides with Kenyans and their towering heritage in long-distance running.

“I’ve gone there every winter since 2012,” she said Sunday, after winning the women’s division of the Sun Run in her first attempt. “It’s pretty common for me to be in a race with Kenyans. I was intimidated at first. But I’m just learning to overcome it. I’m trying to convince myself that ‘I am good.’ It feels hard, awkward in saying that. The Kenyans are good. But I have to line up thinking they’re beatable. If you’re not thinking you’re going to win, there’s no point in lining up.”

Currently training with Olympians from around the world in the rarefied air of Flagstaff, Ariz., and its 7,000-foot elevation, Marchant arrived in Vancouver on Friday in a bid to knock off another goal on her bucket list.

She has been yearning to take part in the Sun Run since 2009, when she was forced to withdraw two weeks before that year’s race after fracturing her pelvis in training.

Competing in running events in the eastern half of the continent, closer to her home base in Chattanooga, Tenn., usually have kept her from a western swing in April. But a potential conflict was eliminated this year, when the Toronto 10K was moved to June, freeing up an open date on her spring race schedule.

“I’ve always wanted to come to Vancouver. It’s a bucket list race,” Marchant said. “I wanted the W. Regardless of who was here, I wanted that win.”

She got it, finishing five seconds ahead of Risper Gesabwa, last year’s Sun Run women’s champion, in a time of 32 minutes, 16 seconds. Jane Mirage, another Kenyan, was third in 33:27.

The Canadian record holder in the marathon (she broke Sylvia Ruegger’s 28-year-old Canadian record in the marathon in 2013) and half marathon, Marchant says her next goal is to wrest the national record in the 10,000 metres away from good friend and travel buddy Natasha Wodak of Vancouver. Sun Run women’s champion in 2012 and 2013, Wodak was forced to pass up this year’s race because of a stress fracture (foot).

“Over the next couple of years, I want to lower all the records that I have, and some that I don’t,” Marchant vowed. “Natasha knows. I want her track record this year. I want to put more records out there for others to chase.”

To say her determination is boundless is to put it mildly.

Having qualified for the Rio Summer Olympics in both the 10,000 metres and marathon, Marchant is preparing to do both, even though the long-distance events line up on the track and field schedule less than 48 hours apart.

“There’s 46 hours between the finish of the 10,000 and the start of the marathon,” Marchant explained. “Not a lot of time. But we’re going to do some things to make sure we can execute it perfectly. In theory, I think we have the engine to do it. I’m working out all the kinks now to make sure my body is absolutely ready to do it.”

A criminal defence lawyer in Chattanooga — Marchant holds law degrees from Michigan State and the University of Ottawa, enabling her to practice on either side of the border — she believes a career outside of professional running is absolutely necessary to make her the doughty competitor she is on the road and track.

“I’m a better lawyer when I’m running and a better runner when I’m still lawyering,” Marchant said. “If I’m nervous in court, and afraid my argument won’t come out, I can go clear my mind with a run. When I’m nervous on the track, I remind myself that nothing’s scarier than being in front of a court, opening my mouth and the words won’t come out. Believe me, thousands of people watching me run is a lot less pressure than people waiting to hear my argument in court.”

No argument Sunday. The “intimidation factor” belonged to the Canadian.
mbeamish@postmedia.com
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