Sports
July 24, 2008 07:08 PM
By: Mike Hayakawa
Jerry Kooymans had every reason to believe 13 is an unlucky number.
Just two years ago, the Markham resident set his sights on establishing his 13th Canadian running record in the 50-plus age category.
Those plans, however, were put on hold after suffering heel and hamstring injuries. The former eventually required surgery.
But at the York University Track Club Summer Twilight Series Meet, the 53-year-old Kooymans dispelled that myth after tracking down that elusive 13th 50-plus record in the outdoor 3,000-metre run when he crossed the finish line in 9:11.59.
He finished seventh out of 19 runners in the all-comers race, but first among those older than 25 and eclipsed the record set by Benjamin Johns in 1986 of 9:14.8.
What made the record so satisfying is it came after a time when Kooymans thought his running career was in jeopardy.
“I was certain my record-setting days were behind me (after the 2006 injuries).
“My main concern was whether or not I would even be able to resume recreational jogging.”
Kooymans persevered and, after a 14-month rest from competitive running, he picked up the pieces last fall by running cross country trails.
Eventually, Kooymans thought he had progressed enough to re-enter the competitive scene.
He conceded, though, beating the 3,000-metre mark would be a challenge. Especially since, at his age and being in the upper echelon of the 50-54 bracket, runners tend to lose speed.
“For example, the age-grading tables indicate a runner would slow down by 13 seconds in the 3,000m from 50 to 53, so attempting to break the record at age 53 was a daunting task,” Kooymans said.
“I ran four 3,000m races this year before my record-setting race and they were all in the 9:22 to 9:26 range, so I appeared to be in a rut and held out little hope I could improve another eight seconds.
“Luckily, I decided to give it one more shot and this time, my efforts paid off.”