Olympic runner to speak about journey in Lethbridge

By Lethbridge Herald on January 16, 2025.

Submitted Photo Malindi Elmore crosses the finish line after winning the National 10 Kilometre Road Race championships in Ottawa last year.

By Justin Seward

Lethbridge Herald

An Olympian is coming to the city next week to guest speak at the Runner’s Soul Marathon Club kick off about her journey as a competitive runner.

Malindi Elmore represented Canada three times at the Olympic Games in 2004 in the 1,500- metre race, and  in 2021 and 2024 as a part of a marathon and she will  discuss her experience with runners as they begin another year of marathon preparation.

Her best performance at the 2021 Tokyo Games where she came ninth.

Guests will learn about how to stay motivated, the sport and its longevity and what it’s like in training and racing through different stages of life.

Elmore bounced back from significant injuries that kept her out of training and competing for a couple years and missing out on making the 2008 Canadian Olympic team by .07 seconds.

“So that was pretty devastating,” said Elmore.

“Then there’s just been other things in this sport like doping and politics that make it sometimes a bit challenging to stay true to why I do it and why I love to train and race.”

Those reasons had her evaluate as to why she has stayed in the sport so long.

“Like I said, I love the people and love the journey,” said Elmore.

The Kelowna native will highlight the growth of training as the years have gone on.

“Running’s taken me through career changes and training changes, and I’ve had kids, and so I’ve have had to evolve as an athlete as well and just naturally what you can do at 44 is different than what you can do at 20,” said Elmore.

“So I think it’s still keeping the mindset that just because you get older, doesn’t mean that you  have to get slower.”

Balancing between coaching, training and family as a competitive runner is another subject she will talk about

“I think it’s possible and I think sometimes we do our best when we’ve got a lot of demands and we just have to rise to the occasion and set high standards for ourselves,” said Elmore.

Elmore coaches the UBCO Heat women’s cross country and track teams and worldwide online runners.

“I love working with people and helping them to achieve their goals,” said Elmore.

“It helps me realize that you need to trust the process because I know that if I set a program up for someone and they can do it, that they’re going to be ready to have a good day.”

Elmore is guest speaking on Jan. 20 at the University of Lethbridge in Room PE 250 at 7 p.m. and is open for anyone to attend.

The group run with Elmore around Henderson Lake is on Jan. 21, beginning at 9 a.m. at Runner’s Soul and is open to all high school and post-secondary distance runners.

While there is no cost for the run, registration is required.