At 55, Kevin Smith isn’t slowing down—he’s dashing up, grabbing two nationwide age-group information at one of many U.S.’s quickest races. Over the weekend at Washington D.C.’s iconic Cherry Blossom 10 Miler, Smith shocked even himself by breaking not one, however two nationwide information for males aged 55–59. Smith crossed the 15K timing mat in 53:19, toppling a mark of 53:34 set by Maurice Tarrant in 1988. Minutes later, he hit the 10-mile end in 57:29, shaving 41 seconds off his personal document from December’s Boxing Day 10 Miler in Hamilton.
“I wasn’t even planning on chasing the 15K till I noticed the Cherry Blossom race had an authorized mat for it,” Smith explains. “It was an opportunity to go for the double—and I couldn’t resist.”
Taking it to America
Smith didn’t simply chase information—he chased down your complete U.S. subject in his age class. “That’s my contribution to ‘Taking It To the U.S.‘,” Smith jokes. Racing as a part of the USATF 10 Mile Championships, he received the 55–59 division outright and even bested the highest finisher within the 50–54 group.
The journey south got here with some conflicted emotions. Smith had deliberate it in January, earlier than political tensions and tariff discuss made cross-border journey really feel just a little loaded. “I used to be fairly conflicted because the race approached,” he admits. However staying with household close to D.C. helped maintain the deal with racing—and ensured he didn’t spend a lot cash whereas within the U.S. “One tank of fuel, a pack of gum, and a McDonald’s meal. That’s all I spent!”
The lengthy sport
In October, simply three weeks after ending eighth in his age group on the Berlin Marathon (2:42:56), Smith smashed the Canadian 55+ half-marathon document on the TCS Toronto Waterfront Half-Marathon, clocking 1:15:42. It was a milestone 15 years within the making.
With greater than 40 years of aggressive operating and 30 years of teaching expertise, Smith is the president and co-founder of Marathon Dynamics Inc. and an NCCP-certified operating coach. He first dreamed of breaking information at 40, when he lastly found out easy methods to prepare constantly with out harm. Impressed by his hero Rod Dixon—New Zealand’s middle-distance star turned marathon legend—Smith set out on a self-described “Dixonian Sweep,” aiming to interrupt information from the mile to the marathon.
“Rod Dixon was my idol,” he says. “Little did I notice how exhausting it could be to even get one.” After years of devoted deal with consistency with out harm, Smith says the work is paying off. “I didn’t get a lot quicker—I simply didn’t decelerate.” Now 55, he’s going all in: chasing 12 information in 12 months. “I do know it’s unlikely I’ll get all of them, however the problem is thrilling.”
What’s subsequent?
If his cranky hamstring permits, Smith is eyeing the 5K document later this spring and hopes to shoot for the 10K document on the Toronto Beneath Armour 10K in June. Then, he hopes to deal with “the hardest dragon of all”—the marathon—on the Toronto Waterfront Marathon later this 12 months.
And the way does a record-breaking runner have fun? “A few beers, some chocolate indulgence, a day or two of relaxation—after which I’ll leap joyously again into the grind.”