Carson grabs CIS gold

Fraser Caldwell

Sports Editor

Lindsay Carson has battled for the better part of two years to find her health and her running stride, but that struggle was met with resounding success on Mar. 9.

The fourth-year member of the Marauder squad topped the field in the 3000m event at the CIS National Track Championships hosted by the University of Manitoba. The golden finish stands as a remarkable achievement for an athlete whose health issues had held her out of competition at the national level during the fall cross-country season.

Carson’s podium-topping performance during the Friday session of the three-day event was one of three medals garnered by the Marauders. The other two came by way of Katie Anderson, who won silver medals in the 1000m and 1500m races on Mar. 9 and 10, respectively.

The combined efforts of the Marauder women over the course of the weekend were enough to place the team ninth in the national field of 21 squads.

For her part, Carson indicates that winning her long-distance event was far from her mind as she entered competition in Manitoba, as her priority lay in performance alone.

“My approach to the race wasn’t associated with a place, it was associated with an effort,” said the fourth-year runner. “So my strategy was to run as relaxed as I could and by doing so I could save energy in my legs and save energy mentally. If I could do that I could really get up for the last few laps.”

Carson’s first reaction upon crossing the finish line was to assume that she had lost, ignorant of the fact that gold medal favourite Tamara Jewett had dropped out of the race midway through.

“To be honest, when I crossed the line I knew that I had given it my all but I sincerely thought that I had come third,” said the veteran Marauder. “I didn’t know that Tamara had dropped out, and I think not knowing actually boded well for me during the race. I didn’t have the pressure of knowing that I could actually win.

“I was gunning for second or third and finally started believing in myself in the last five metres of the race. I tried to out-lean [Guelph’s Andrea Seccafien] and I didn’t think that I got her. I thought that it was a valiant effort but that she got me at the line. It ended up being a photo finish and on paper we had the same time. That rarely happens in a distance race.”

The closeness of the finish aside, Carson finds herself in possession of a CIS gold medal after a lengthy period littered with injuries had the Marauder veteran doubting her running future. She indicates that the result – coming as it does after such struggle – is particularly sweet.

“It was very satisfying,” said Carson of her podium moment. “I was extremely happy with it from the finish but I think it became more satisfying each and every time another person came up to me and was genuinely happy with the performance. It’s not the fact that I won but the fact that a lot of people know and recognize the adversity that I’ve faced for the last two years.

“They know that I’ve struggled and to break through with this performance makes it all the more satisfying.”

Carson was lent support in that protracted struggle by her teammates, who formed a formidable long-distance squad for the Maroon and Grey this season. While the competitive environment of the track ultimately makes the Marauders’ efforts individual ones, the presence of strong training companions pushed Carson and her teammates forward.

The veteran member of the Maroon and Grey argues that the training benefits offered by her team were particularly potent this season as multiple representatives at the 3000m distance qualified as late as the CIS meet. That meant continued high-level companionship as Carson laboured toward nationals.

“It does help having more than one maroon singlet on the line and we had three in that race,” said the veteran of her medal-winning race in Manitoba. “Approaching the race itself it’s a very individual process, but throughout the season is where your teammates help. For your practices and workouts it really helps having others around you working at the same distance.

“Also, the fact that we had three at the CIS meet meant that we trained together longer throughout the season. If you’re done after OUAs, then you’re not training any more. With all of the girls making it to the CIS level, we kept that big, vibrant group. We use that energy during races, but there’s so much to think about during a race that you have to focus on yourself.”

In the wake of her national triumph, Carson is determined to take the wave of momentum she is currently riding into the spring and summer outdoor track season. Having built a measure of stability and race readiness through the indoor season, the veteran is confident in her ability to achieve even more outdoors.

“Right now I have a pretty clear view of my goal going forward,” said Carson. “I used the indoor season as a stepping stone to get me back on the circuit, get me back into racing and get me back into a positive relationship with running. Thankfully I ended the indoor season on a positive note and I can take that into the outdoor season.

“With that outdoor season approaching in May and June I’ll be getting some longer intervals in before the sharpening comes before competition.”

With another year remaining in her tenure with the Maroon and Grey, Carson hopes that continued success on the track will translate to the cross-country sphere.

After what she and her teammates believed to be a disappointing cross-country campaign this past fall, Carson and the Marauders will be looking for an all-around improvement on the trails.

“For McMaster, hopefully I’ll have a great outdoor season and be able to take that momentum into the cross-country season,” said the fourth-year veteran. “Because I think I can talk on behalf of the rest of the McMaster girls when I say that we were very disappointed in our finishes across the board.

“I think we’re all very hungry for next year and ready to improve.”

If indeed Carson can find another gear on the track, she has frightening potential in her final year of competition for the Maroon and Grey.