Canada's Simon Bairu sits on the pitch after retiring in the Men's 10,000 meters race during the World Athletics Championships Monday, Aug. 27, 2007, in Osaka, Japan. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)The Associated Press
Simon Bairu learned some harsh lessons about marathons when he collapsed just four kilometres from the finish line in New York just over a year ago.
The Regina native takes aim at the Canadian Olympic qualifying standard in the Chevron Houston Marathon on Sunday, and will step to the start line with a new measure of respect for the unforgiving race.
"I feel as though my approach is a lot more mature this time around," Bairu said in a phone interview from Houston. "It's hard to really know what you're getting yourself into with a marathon until you actually run it."
The 28-year-old, one of Canada's top distance running talents, was making his much-anticipated marathon debut in New York in November of 2010. Instead, he has a DNF — did not finish — to show for his one and only attempt.
He was on a quick pace before he collapsed near the finish of the 42.195-kilometre race, and was hospitalized due to what he believed was a failure to ingest enough carbohydrates during the race.
"I think I went into it with a little bit of a lack of respect for the marathon in New York and now I think I know what to expect, I know what it's going to be like and I know what I have to do to accomplish my goals," Bairu said.
His immediate goal is to run the Olympic qualifying standard of two hours 11 minutes 30 seconds.
Canada can send three marathoners to the 2012 London Games and two Canadians have already achieved the standard.
Reid Coolsaet of Hamilton, Ont., and Eric Gillis of Guelph, Ont., booked their tickets at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon in October.
Coolsaet finished third in the race in 2:10.55, narrowly missing the Canadian record of 2:10.09 despite blustery conditions that day. Gillis was fourth, just finishing under the qualification mark with a time of 2:11.28.
Bairu had originally been slated to run in Toronto but withdrew citing fatigue.
Despite the frustration of not finishing his debut in New York, he's thankful to have that experience to draw from.
"I think there were a lot of positive things we could take from that race," Bairu said. "For example, there was a lot of fluctuation with pace. We would run anywhere from 5:50 for the first mile, to ... I think the fastest mile was in the 4:30s."
Sunday's plan is for steady five-minute miles with a couple of rabbits keeping the pace.
"I think having been able to run the drastic change of pace in New York gives me confidence that I can run a steady pace for as long as I need and then kind of grind it out in the end," Bairu said.
If he achieves the Olympic standard, he'll also be close to the Canadian record, an elusive mark that Canada's marathoners have been chasing for 36 years.
Jerome Drayton has the record of 2:10.09, set in 1975, making it Canada oldest track and field record.
"The record is something I might think about with six miles to go, depending on how I feel and what my time is," Bairu said. "The first 20 miles of the race is really just trying to stay as relaxed as possible and make sure you can hit the standard.
"Those last few miles, if the stars align and I'm right there, that's probably when I'll think about it."
The weather forecast calls for no wind Sunday and a temperature at start time of around 6 C — conducive to fast times.
Bairu admits there's pressure in knowing he has one last chance to book his spot on the Olympic marathon starting line, but said he doesn't mind it.
"Honestly it comes with territory, if you want to be a medal contender in the world then this is kind of small potatoes in terms of pressure," Bairu said. "I want to be able to bring home a medal one day. The pressure I put on myself is about 100 times more than everyone else combined can put on me."
While Bairu doesn't want to think past the upcoming race, if he misses the Olympic marathon standard, he'll switch his focus to the track ahead of London. Bairu holds the Canadian record in the 10,000 metres.
Canada hasn't had a participant in an Olympic marathon since Bruce Deacon in Sydney in 2000.