It’s official: Ellie Greenwood is awesome.
Greenwood successfully defended her title at the Edmonton marathon in
2:47:14, decimating the women’s field by 20 minutes, Sunday (Aug. 21).
Keeping a steady pace, she finished seventh overall, beating many of the top male runners in the field and keeping her crown as one of the best distance runners in the world.
“I’m super happy. After last year I hoped I would win again,” Greenwood said.
Greenwood shaved 2:40 off her personal best from last year,
The fast and flat course served as a warm-up for the world ultra-marathon championships in Netherlands in three weeks time, where Greenwood will also attempt to defend her world title.
“I’m quietly optimistic about it,” she said.
In Edmonton, she has amassed a bit of a following and did not disappoint her fans.
“I went out to lead the females from the start. There were about 10 guys ahead of me, but I let them go ahead because there were some really fast guys.
“I managed to keep pace with one guy and we ran the majority of the race together, which is good for pacing.”
The race started at 7:30 a.m., but heat was still a factor.
“It was hot. It was important to use the aid stations. I feel for the slower racers as they had to contend with more of the heat.
The key to winning the Edmonton marathon is pacing, she said. Clocks every kilometre keep the racers aware of their time, which helps with the splits.
“Not going out too fast is important. You have to have a target time and be prepared. Your last 10 kilometres, it’s hard to keep the same pace.”
It has been another busy year of running for Greenwood, who finished her first 100 mile race in California this past June – something she describes as a ‘long race.’
“There were lots of long, slow miles,” she said.
A native of Fife, Scotland, Greenwood is happy to call Banff home and is enjoying the celebrity that comes along with her results.
“It’s kind of fun. I love to share my running and motivate others to share,”
She has a few running partners around Banff, but mostly she’s on her own.
“I have good friends I run with and have adventures in the mountains, but sometimes it’s easier to just go,” she said.
To follow Greenwood’s progress, visit http://elliegreenwood. blogspot.com
