ACAC Cross Country Runner Kicks the Habit
by ACAC Sports Writer Curtis J. Phillips
It's an October afternoon in Northern Alberta and 29 runners' line up for a cross country meet in Grande Prairie.
Amongst the many faces and laces. is a competitor who only a year prior had given up a pack-a-day cigarette habit.
All of that has changed.
Such is the life now of Ian Lee of the Concordia University of Edmonton Thunder cross country team, in that the 25 year-old placed fourth overall amongst the collegiate athletes in the above mentioned Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference Running Room Grand Prix #4.
Run in conjunction with the Steve Burgess Memorial Race, Lee finished 6th overall in the open field behind a clocking of 31:20 for the eight kilometre run which started at the Biathlon stadium.
Lee, a native of Kingman, Alberta, has also fared well in previous ACAC Grand Prix events: September 10 2016, Edmonton, Concordia host, 34:31, 11TH ACAC, 35TH overall and September 17 2016, Calgary, SAIT Trojans host, 31:09 10th in ACAC and 23rd overall.
Not bad for someone who started smoking at age 20?
"I don't know how I picked it up," recalled Lee, who played high school basketball and football. "After high school I was traveling a lot, especially in Europe, and I was learning French and spent a better part of a year in France. Lots of people were smoking over there. it seemed more socially acceptable."
Returning to Canada, Lee started working in the oil fields with inspection services and quality control.
"When I was working in the oil field I was probably smoking a pack a day. When you are working you don't notice and being young you don't know the damage it can do to your body. And after work I would usually have four or five beer also."
After working for several years, Lee decided to go back to his original reason for earning a paycheque.
"When I started working, it was because I wanted to go to university (he had attended a semester at Concordia after graduating from Cornerstone Christian Academy). I realized that I didn't want to get stuck working all the time and not go back to school."
He decided to return to Concordia for the January 2016 semester and upon coaxing from a friend on the Thunders' cross country and indoor track team, Lee contacted head coach Matthew Norminton to see if he could tryout.
"I shot him (Norminton) an e-mail and he replied back (around October 25-26, 2015) that I could tryout," said Lee, who would go on to make the team and finish 10th in the 3,000 metre and 11th at the 1,500 m at the 2015 Indoor Track Championships held at Calgary's Talisman Centre and hosted by SAIT Trojans. "I quit right there and then. I realized that this (smoking) was not conducive to my new goals.
"I probably had 10 or 12 (cigarettes) left in the pack, so I gave them to one of the guys I was working with. He would have given me a hard time if I had thrown them into a garbage can when there was a bunch of guys around me that could and would have used them."
Of the transition from "recreational running" which he had kept with, Lee stepped up his game to be prepared for post-secondary competition.
"It really wasn't that hard at first…although the first days were kind of tough. Plus I was working a lot of hours. But after a while it felt really good. Then when I started training with the Concordia team it became challenging as I was now running with people who would challenge me."
Of his return to school and athletics, Lee, who is gearing for a Bachelor of Art with Major in Political Economy and Minor in Philosophy. surmised: "Running has helped me with quitting smoking and school and study has helped me with not drinking every night, although I still drink socially. I am now filling my time with things that will benefit my life."
Lee, along with other student/athletes from the ACAC will be competing at the 2016 ACAC Cross Country Provincials to be held in Grande Prairie October 29, 2016 and hosted by the Grande Prairie Regional College Wolves.
In men's competition keep an eye on Kenyan runners representing Lethbridge Kodiaks with Boaz Korir (Kabarnet, Rift Valley) and Edwin Kaitany (Eldoret, Rift Valley) to medal with a threat for top spot coming from SAIT Trojans Alex Howells.
Kaitany is a two-time defending ACAC cross country champion winning in 2013 and 2014. A Kodiak runner has claimed the men's title 10 of the last 11 years.
In women's running the favourite to cross the line first is Kodiaks Rachel McKenzie a 4th year student/athlete from 4th year Nelson, British Columbia with challenges from teammate Emily Spencer and Grande Prairie Regional College Wolves' Andrea Snider along with Red Deer College Queens Jordanna Cota and Jill Stewart. SAIT Trojans Ricki Doyle is also looking for a medal.
Key ACAC runners for each school to keep an eye on with their best time in ACAC Grand Prix events include:
Men's 8 km
University of Alberta Augustana Vikings
Matt Martin 29:29 Grand Prix 3 29:43 Grand Prix 4
Joedy Dalke 33:42 Grand Prix 1 30:43 Grand Prix 4
Lane Anderson 44:14 Grand Prix 2
Erik Rust 32:45 Grand Prix 3
Bryce Turner 32:33 Grand Prix 4
Concordia University of Edmonton Thunder
Michael Quick 33:29 Grand Prix 1 31:59 Grand Prix 2 32:18 Grand Prix 4
Ian Lee 34:31 Grand Prix 1 31:09 Grand Prix 2 31:20 Grand Prix 4
Keith Spruyt 32:39 Grand Prix 4
Grande Prairie Regional College Wolves
Brandon Wladyko 30:15 Grand Prix 1 29:43 Grand Prix 3 29:53
Josh Malmestem 34:16 Grand Prix 3 33:05 Grand Prix 4
Lakeland College Rustlers
Ankit Bishnoi 39:02 Grand Prix 1
Carter Tomyn 36:18 Grand Prix 3
Ankit Bishnoi 36:37 Grand Prix 3
Conner Robertson 38:28 Grand Prix 3
Lethbridge Kodiaks
Boaz Korir 27:36 Grand Prix 2 28:26
Edwin Kaitany 28:25 Grand Prix 2 30:00
Alex Andres L 29:56 Grand Prix 2 30:24
Logan Gechter 31:48 Grand Prix 3
Olds College Broncos
Ethan Nielson 53:01 Grand Prix 1 48:57 Grand Prix 2
Red Deer College Kings
Cory Deraadt 33:55 Grand Prix 1 32:29 Grand Prix 2 33:05 Grand Prix 4
Nolan Dyck 34:08 Grand Prix 1 31:48 Grand Prix 2 31:25 Grand Prix 4
Devon Gurney 31:41 Grand Prix 2 31:59 Grand Prix 4
Jeff Willoughby 32:43 Grand Prix 4
St. Mary's Lightning
Matthew Mundy 33:17 Grand Prix 1 30:58 Grand Prix 2
Karan Matusin 31:12 Grand Prix 2
SAIT Trojans
Alex Howells 28:49 Grand Prix 1 26:41 Grand Prix 2 27:43
Daryl Ross 30:24 Grand Prix 1 28:47 Grand Prix 2
Jacques Saarman 31:13 Grand Prix 1 28:04 Grand Prix 2
Sean Hickey 30:41 Grand Prix 3
Matthew Vandegriff 33:08 Grand Prix 3
Daniel McCoy 33:13 Grand Prix 3
Women's 5 km
University of Alberta Augustana Vikings
Tayla Koerber 27:34 Grand Prix 1 25:52
Emily McIlroy 22:55 Grand Prix 3
Concordia University of Edmonton Thunder
Elise Nawrocki 23:03 Grand Prix 1 20:55 Grand Prix 2 22:00 Grand Prix 4
Baylee Frissell 23:07 Grand Prix 1 21:35 Grand Prix 2
Rachael Smilie 23:10 Grand Prix 1 21:35 Grand Prix 2 22:21 Grand Prix 4
Grande Prairie Regional College Wolves
Andrea Snider 21:20 Grand Prix 3 21:23 Grand Prix 4
Kailey Bratland 22:44 Grand Prix 3 22:52 Grand Prix 4
Maria Houle 21:53 Grand Prix 4
Lakeland College Rustlers
Darian Elloitt 26:12 Grand Prix 1 24:29
Amanda Store 23:12 Grand Prix 3
Lethbridge Kodiaks
Rachel McKenzie 19:55 Grand Prix 2 20:51
Emily Spencer 20:40 Grand Prix 2 21:04
Kirstyn Janzen 21:43 Grand Prix 3
Red Deer College Queens
Jordanna Cota 21:03 Grand Prix 1 20:05 Grand Prix 2 20:32 Grand Prix 4
Jill Stewart 21:46 Grand Prix 1 20:17 Grand Prix 2 21:02 Grand Prix 4
Amy Severtson 22:14 Grand Prix 1 21:11 Grand Prix 2 21:38 Grand Prix 4
St. Marys Lightning
Brooke Whitaker 26:36 Grand Prix 1 24:37 Grand Prix 2
Randi Thiessen 26:54 Grand Prix 1 25:26 Grand Prix 2
SAIT Trojans
Ricki Doyle 21:27 Grand Prix 1 21:04 Grand Prix 2
Erica Paxton 23:56 Grand Prix 1 22:49 Grand Prix 2