A quality run in Mexico today for Nic.  He ran 10.34 seconds (+0.3) at the La Loma meet and will line up again this Thursday to try to better that mark.

Nic ran a very smooth first 60m, and led by a wide margin to that point.  He then focused on running the rest of the race as relaxed as possible. 

***

On Thursday in Mexico, Nic ran 10.36 sec. into a -3.2 m/s wind.  A quick early season time would have been nice on a fast track and at altitude, but the wind simply did not cooperate.

Nic will now return to Edmonton having decided to not run in the 3rd slate of races scheduled for Saturday. 

Macrozonaris, Muir help in grassroots development
John MacKinnon, The Edmonton Journal
Published: Wednesday, May 02, 2007

EDMONTON - Nicolas Macrozonaris is off to Mexico for a track competition later this week, and Canada's fastest male 100-metre sprinter's long-range sights are set on the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

Carline Muir just returned from the Penn Relays in Philadelphia and is off to Brazil soon to try to hit the women's 400-metre qualifying standard for the 2007 World Championships in Athletics in Osaka, Japan, in August.

But the two world-class athletes, who train at the Canadian Athletics Coaching Centre at the University of Alberta's Foote Field, were front and centre at City Hall on Tuesday, helping launch the Edmonton Journal Little Big Run, a three-day walk and run event June 1-3 that's meant to promote healthy, active living.

"The Little Big Run is very important for the coaching centre and the university," said Kevin Tyler, who heads the coaching centre and is a driving force behind the Little Big Run. "Obviously, to have high-performance athletes, you need to have an active youth and a young community.

"We're not suggesting that all of them will go into track and field, but just by being more active we'll have a broader pool and a more healthy community. I think it's also important that if we're going to have some great talents like Tyler (Christopher), Nicolas (Macrozonaris) and Carline (Muir) in the community that they have a mentorship role to serve for younger athletes.

"They shouldn't just exist on their own little pedestal."

A pedestal is the last thing you'd find Macrozonaris standing on. The 26-year-old sprinter is more interested in getting to the podium as he hits his peak. Which is why he moved from Montreal to Edmonton to work with Tyler and the cluster of world-class sprinters based here, including the 19-year-old Muir.

"Kevin has really helped me so far and I think I have a lot more to learn," said Macrozonaris. "He's a very technical coach, he explains exactly what he wants me to do when I run at high speed.

"I'm back to being humble and wanting to reach my maximum potential.

I think I haven't done that. That's why I'm here."

Back in 2003, Macrozonaris ran a personal-best time of 10.03 at a Grand Prix meet in Mexico City, but he's never approached that level of success again. Tyler said the competitions at Los Lomos, a high-altitude swimming facility on a spanking new Mondo track, will provide Macrozonaris with a good opportunity to hit the A-standard of 10.13, or the B-standard of 10.21, either of which would qualify Macrozonaris for both the Pan-Am Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in July or the worlds in Osaka.

Macrozonaris, whose seven-year career in track was inspired by Donovan Bailey's double gold-medal performance for Canada at the 1996 Games in

Atlanta, is happy to do his part for grassroots development of his sport.

"If I could help one kid get into an athletic career, or just stay in sports, that's what I'm here for, that's where I fit in," Macrozonaris said. "Who knows, if I can be a role model and help kids get involved in an active lifestyle, maybe, in the back of their minds, they'll remember and get involved in track when they turn 17."

Muir grew up in Jamaica, a country with a rich track tradition, especially in the sprints.

"I used to do every sport there is," said Muir, a sports management student at the U of A. "Then I realized that I was (talented) at track and continued on.

"It's programs like this that helped me to realize my ability."

Just three days after finishing her final exams,Muir ran the fastest leg on Canada's 4x400-metre team that finished a disappointing sixth in their event at the Penn Relays on Saturday.

Muir said the relay format is a less stressful way to ease into the summer competition season than entering an individual event right off the bat.

Muir, like Macrozonaris, is happy to play role model.

"This is so important -- and it's fun," Muir said. "I love working with kids.

"It's fun to see the smiles on their faces, enjoying doing what they do."

jmackinnon@thejournal.canwest.com
© The Edmonton Journal 2007