Mike Peterson on Why Sometimes It's Smart to Ask For Help
I first met Mike Peterson back in 2018 as he was leaving me in his dust at the Brookvale Ultra Trail Race, where he went on to take the win. One of the great things about trail running through was as he was passing me and moving up into 2nd place late into the race, his pacer Steve Reeves made full introductions, and the two of us chatted for a while before he left me behind. I can't think of any other sport where two athletes competing for a spot on the podium would have a conversation and get to know one another in the middle of a race. That is one of the many reasons I love this sport.
Mike Peterson is fast, like 2:47 marathon fast, but he didn't run a step until 36! He started running after being inspired by his wife, who is also a pretty awesome runner. His story shows that anyone can pick up the sport of running at any point in their life and excel in the sport. Mike has taken his passion for the sport to the next level and is now the high school and UPEI cross country and track coach; and this all came about because he said yes to helping out the running coach at the school he was teaching at in Halifax.
I love a good story where someone listens to the universe and chases after their dreams, and with a lot of hard work and determination, they make those dreams a reality, and this story does not disappoint.
Following our meeting at the Brookvale 50k, Mike reached out to me for coaching to help him run his first 100 miler. The catch was that he also wanted to go after a big PR at the Chicago marathon eight weeks later. This was quite the challenge too. When you are going after fast marathon times, it can be challenging to maintain the specific leg speed needed to run at your peak in the marathon while training for a 100-mile race. We get into all the details around his training and how we were ultimately able to pull this tall order off. It was a pretty special and proud moment for me not only when Mike crossed the finish line of his first 100, but then he did go on to run a PR in the marathon only 8 weeks later. We were able to make this work because we had developed a great coach-athlete relationship and had excellent communication back and forth during the whole process.
I enjoyed the opportunity to sit down and catch up with Mike, and I am sure this story will inspire you.
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