Former Gryphon ran his way to London Olympics
Hamilton native, Reid Coolsaet, didn’t have to travel far to begin his success as a distance runner – especially with the University of Guelph on his radar. With his eye on acclaimed Gryphon cross-country coach, Dave Scott-Thomas, and the university’s appealing marketing program, Coolsaet began his journey to Olympic success donning the red and gold.
Coolsaet’s collegiate career was full of impressive accomplishments, being named a six-time All-Canadian and seven-time member of the national track and field team, and being twice named the University of Guelph’s male athlete of the year. Coolsaet also experienced great success on the podium, winning gold for track and field in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) Championships, a silver-medalist in the 5000-meter event at the World University Games, and becoming a 10-time national champion in cross-country and track and field.
With the winning hardware being an obvious perk, Coolsaet remembers his time at the University of Guelph with others in mind. “Running and working hard with a bunch of good friends,” was his fondest memory as a Gryphon, Coolsaet explained. “It didn’t hurt though, that we won a lot of OU and CIS championships along the way.”
The University of Guelph isn’t just a memory for Coolsaet, however, it remains a very important presence relevant in his career today. “I’m still coached by Dave Scott-Thomas 15 years later,” Coolsaet explained. “That speaks volumes about how much he has helped my running career.”
Accomplishments as a Gryphon are also still reflected-on with pride, as Coolsaet holds a collegiate success parallel with Olympic qualification. “Capping off my collegiate career with a silver medal at the World University Championships with the 5000 meter in Turkey was one of the highlights of my career,” the Bachelor of Commerce graduate explained. “Qualifying for the Olympic marathon is probably the accomplishment I’m most proud of and, so far, my career’s defining moment.”
Coolsaet’s journey to the London Olympics began with the personal improvement to a marathon distance in 2009. As a five-time National Champion in the 5000-meter, Coolsaet said the change was inevitable. “I kept improving as the distance got longer,” Coolsaet explained. “I was focused on the 5000 and 10,000 meter up until the 2008 Olympic year and didn’t want to test a new event during that Olympic cycle. Subsequently, a post-Olympic year offered a good opportunity to start a new event.”
Two years later in 2011, the jump to marathon distance proved to be nothing but right as Coolsaet ran the second-fastest marathon by a Canadian athlete with a time of 2:10:55, placing third in the Toronto Waterfront Marathon. The time qualified Coolsaet for the 2012 London Olympics, where he would go on to finish in 27th place. “That performance in 2011 was the biggest accomplishment of my career. It fulfilled my long-time goal of competing at the Olympics,” Coolsaet said. “Running 2:10:55 while battling windy conditions gave me a lot of confidence in my ability as a marathoner.”
The Olympic games are something the former Gryphon will never forget, even though Coolsaet feels he fell short of his personal goal. “I’m not happy with 27th [place], however, I’m not disappointed either,” he explained. “I was aiming for a top 20 finish, I was in 21st with a few kilometres to go, but I hit the ‘wall’ and was unable to finish strong.” The attitude of a true athlete – always looking for improvement and refusing to be satisfied – is a good indicator for Coolsaet’s great success. With that being said, Coolsaet also knew what to take away from the whole Olympic experience. “I fought until the finish and kept going even though my body was telling me to stop,” Coolsaet explained. “The overall experience was amazing, and I will always remember racing against the best in the world on sports biggest stage.”
Perhaps Coolsaet’s ability to fight through obstacles stemmed from two incidents in 2008. “In April, I incurred an injury and wasn’t able to compete at all that summer,” Coolsaet said of his first setback. “I never really thought about quitting even though I didn’t know if I was going to make a full recovery.” A full recovery came, but was short-lived when just seven months later, in November, Coolsaet suffered a broken foot. “It was another setback but I went back to the start, got back into race form, and in May 2009 qualified for the World Championships in the marathon.”
With a remarkable attitude, Coolsaet truly embodies the fact that you can get where you want to be if you strive for it. However, with all the incredible accomplishments to his name, Coolsaet sees one piece of advice to be of the utmost importance: “Enjoy the process as much as the end result,” Coolsaet explained, highlighting that the path along the way is just as important, if not more, than the podium finish.