Toronto Waterfront Marathon
Toronto, 17 September 2003

Jeff Schiebler confirmed as favourite for the Half-Marathon at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront, September 28th.

--Canada’s #1 distance runner selects Toronto Waterfront Half for final tune-up before Chicago
--Schiebler will be in exciting duel with ”New” Canadian, Mustapha Bennacer of Montreal, continuing illustrious tradition of Toronto Half
--Schiebler interviews with Waterfront Race Director, Alan Brookes

Organizers are very pleased to announce that Canada’s #1 distance runner today, Jeff Schiebler of Vancouver, is confirmed to start as pre-race favourite in the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Half Marathon on 28th September. The Half Marathon, with over 4,000 runners expected, is part of the broader Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon running festival. Although somewhat overshadowed by the 4-year-old Waterfront [full] Marathon, with its $40,000 prize purse, the Half has consistently been the best-quality long-distance run in Canada for more than a decade. In racing the 14th edition of the Toronto Waterfront Half, Jeff continues the proud tradition of “Canada’s Distance Classic”. Begun in 1990 as the Coors Light Toronto Half, the event has an illustrious past, that by-far eclipses any other distance race in the country. Legend Joan Benoit Samuelson, America’s darling-winner of the first-ever Olympic marathon for women in 1984, won the first 2 editions of the Toronto Half in ’90 and ‘91. Other world-class Olympians such as American Ed Eyestone and Alejandro Cruz of Mexico continued to build the tradition in the ‘90s. Later in the decade, a procession of top-flight Kenyans such as Godfrey Kiprotich and Helen Kimayo took over the winners’ crowns. The course records of 62:29 [men] and 72:19 [women] speak for themselves.

At 30, Schiebler is the current Canadian record holder in the 3,000m, 5,000m and the 10,000m. He set the 10000m record of 27:36.01 in Stanford, California, in 2001, taking out Paul Williams’ long-standing mark. When Joan Samuelson was still winning marathons, Jeff was setting Canadian Junior records-- in the 3,000m steeplechase in 1992, with a time of 8:40.98 at the National Championships; he was the #1 world-ranked junior in the steeplechase in 1992.He has gone on to compete in two Olympic Games (1996, 2000), five World Championships (including 2001 where he reached the final for the first time), and eight World Cross Country Championships.

Schiebler first raced the Toronto Waterfront Half last year, as part of his preparations for his much-hyped marathon debut in New York City in early November. New York was his long-anticipated move up from the 10000m, with all eyes on his performance, and Jerome Drayton’s national marathon record of 2:10:08, set so far back [Fukuoka, Japan, 1975] that only statisticians and historians could remember. Early in his NYC preparations, Schiebler made his first appearance at the Toronto Waterfront Half, where he placed second to Kenyan Joseph Ndiritu, 65:18 to 64:48, last September 15th. On November 3rd, he went on to run 2:14:13 and place 11th in the Big Apple—an encouraging debut, but not the kind of time to put him in the first flight of world marathoners yet.

This year, Schiebler has another year’s experience behind him, and has selected the prestigious Chicago Marathon, with 40,000 participants, for his second attempt. This year, the Toronto Waterfront Marathon Half will be his final tune-up and test of marathon-sharpness, with Chicago coming only 2 weeks later. Toronto comes at his peak, rather than the early-preparation spin around the distance, that it was in 2002.

Schiebler will need all his sharpness, however, if he is to beat “new” Canadian, Mustapha Bennacer of Montreal. A refugee from Algeria currently settled in Montreal, Bennacer has a 10000m best of 28:20, and has just burned up the roads in the Canada Running Series this year [www.canadarunningseries.com]—especially at the half marathon distance. In April, he won the adidas Demi Marathon de Montreal in 64 minutes flat. In June, he took the Scotiabank Vancouver Half Marathon [a fast, downhill course] in 63:11. Just to prove that was no fluke, he easily defeated the field at the Demi Marathon des Deux Rives in Quebec City on August 24th. There, he ran 63:28 on a challenging, rolling and windy course—pulling over to the side and slowing down several times, taunting the competition and encouraging them to take the lead into the wind several times in the early going. The feeling is, that Mustapha could run 62 minutes if pushed, setting up a cracking duel on the Toronto Waterfront.

Also confirmed for the Half are other fast “new” Canadians, Danny Tshindid, who has brought great excitement to the Toronto scene since settling here from The Congo, and Bennacer’s friend and training partner, Djamel Boukhari. Team Caribbean members Errol Williams and Curtis Cox of Trinidad, and Keith Cumberbatch of Barbados will lead the international challenge.

All will be on hand at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon & Half Press Conference, 10am Friday 26th September at the Toronto Convention Centre on Front Street. The Press Conference also marks the opening of the 2-day Runners’ Expo—a sizeable fitness fair and location for last minute registration and packet pick up.

What follows is an interview with Jeff Schiebler, by Alan Brookes, Race Director of the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon & Half.

Further info and registration www.torontowaterfrontmarathon.com
Contact: Dave Reid, Technical Race Director, cell 416 543 4321.
From Tuesday 23rd, Alan Brookes, cell 416 464 7437

JS Last year's edition of the Waterfront Half was different than this year’s in that it was much earlier in my buildup for the marathon than it is this year. Considering that, I was pleased with the performance and ran about where I thought I would based on my fitness at the time.

AB The big question…? What happened in NYC? Can you describe that race and experience?

JS The NYC Marathon was a great experience. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Being my first marathon, I wanted to put as much emphasis as possible on simply going out and racing. I did not care about time, nor did I care about standards. I ran head to head with the eventual top runners for as long as I could and left the race feeling that the marathon distance is one that can be good for me and that I wanted to run another marathon.

AB Did you feel a lot of pressure with the Drayton record thing?

JS I feel no pressure this year, nor did I last year about setting a record of any sort.

AB How hard was it to move up from 10000m to the marathon?

JS It is not that hard to move up from the marathon from the 10,000m, keeping in mind that over 10000m not once have I ever run head to head with the eventual winners of a major championship race. Most often I am only concerned about running well for myself and running a time that is good relative to my past performances for me. The marathon in New York gave me no such comparison and so I chose to just simply go out and race. I placed 11th. I think the marathon training is similar to 10000m training, except the distances are longer. The concept is largely the same.

AB How has the last year gone, since then, with your running?

JS I have been running well the last year. I decided to skip the World Championships in Paris to better focus and train for Chicago.

AB Are you back in Vancouver now [temporary? for good?]? How does it feel to be
running "at home" again? Is it home?

JS At the current stage of my life I do not feel that I have a home. Running in Canada is always exciting for me, originally being from here. I have just signed with a new team in Japan, as of Sept. 1 and will be based in Vancouver all of September and October and then will return to Japan for November/December. I was in Japan all of August, though without a team, as my former team, NEC, dissolved as of June 30, 2003. I am now a member of Fujitsu.

AB From Toronto Waterfront to Toronto Waterfront; and from NYC to Chicago...what
did you learn from last Fall?

JS I learned last fall that I would be better prepared for a marathon, as for any major 10000m race or any other major "peak" race, if I am able to do my own training and my own preparation, in every regard. For that reason I am preparing solely in Vancouver for Chicago, without any outside influences or distractions. I think I am healthier for it and preparing more consistently for it.

AB How will this Fall be different?

JS I think my results in both Toronto and Chicago will better this year than in Toronto and NYC last year because of my better preparation and because I was not on a "team" through July and August. Though I am a part of a team currently, I am not required to be in Japan and so therefore the freedom to do my own preparation is much greater.

AB What are you hoping for in Toronto again, and in Chicago?

JS I am hoping for a final strong race simulation/steady state training situation in Toronto and my goal in Chicago is to run the Olympic "A" qualifier of 2:12:00

AB Are you going to get Drayton's record this time?

JS I have given little or no thought to Drayton's record. How fast is it?

AB Are you ready?

JS I feel my preparation for the marathon distance has gone much better this year than last year. Last year I had a nagging injury that never really put me out of commission but that also did little for my confidence or my optimal physical fitness.

AB What have your preparations been the last month [and last 3 months]?

JS I have prepared well the last 3 months, though at the current time I have yet to race. I have done four 35km long hard steady runs and three 40 km hard long steady runs, with another 1 of each distance planned before Chicago on October 12 and feel that this will provide the strength I need over the last 7 to 8 kms. Last year my longest run was 36 km, once.

AB Can you give us a typical week of training from the last month, with favourite routes/workout?

JS Monday: AM 15km easy PM 15km easy
Tuesday: AM 10km easy PM 5km w/u //CC workout 3 mile steady + 5 X mile// 5km w/d
Wednesday: 20 km run easy
Thursday: AM 10km easy PM 5km w/u// 16X 400m off 1 minute avg. 61.8// 5km w/d
Friday 25km run easy
Saturday 40 km run 2:12:30 gradually increasing pace so that the final 5km is close to race pace. This is the Japanese influence in my training. This one long run a week is done on the road, a 5km loop course where I take splits each 5km. All of my other training, other than the speed workout on the track every three weeks is done on the extensive trail network throughout the Vancouver area.

AB Finally, you seem to be running in Toronto quite a bit now [3 times in 12 months] after not racing here before. How come?

JS I think that T.O. is the centre of the universe and chances were that I was going to land there sometime. It just happens through random chance that it will be three times over 1 year.

AB Spoken like a true British Columbian! Whatever the reason, we're REALLY glad you are racing more in Canada. Thanks. We’ll see you in a week and a half.

Enter at www.torontowaterfrontmarathon.com