While the focus was on the top finishers at the 2021 Canadian 10K Championships, Lee Wesselius set a personal best time and missed the podium by twenty seconds. Despite being overlooked, he is content with staying out of the limelight.
Wesselius, a 28-year-old from River Glade, New Brunswick, achieved an impressive time of 29:13 during the race. He enjoyed running along the shore of Lake Ontario so much that he will be participating in the 2022 Toronto Waterfront 10K on June 18th on the same course. He has fond memories of his previous visit.
Living in Mountain, Ontario, Wesselius works full time as a large animal veterinarian. Reflecting on his performance, he said, “I had not raced for a while, and my training was going well, so I knew I was ready to push myself last year.” He noted that it was a competitive field, but he was pleased with his results, especially since he surpassed some strong competitors.
After the 10K race, Wesselius went on to finish second at the Indianapolis Marathon with a new personal best time of 2:16:41.
Maintaining a Balance Between Veterinary Work and Running
What makes Wesselius remarkable is his ability to combine his veterinary profession with his running. He shared, “Typically, my work days start at 7:00 or 7:30 a.m. and end around 3:30 or 4:00 p.m. Sometimes, I have alternating weeks of five and four workdays, with on-call duties every fourth weekend. It can be challenging to fit in training, as I often receive calls during my runs. However, I manage to squeeze in two runs most of the time by waking up earlier.”
Wesselius aims to run about 100 miles per week (160 kilometers) during non-marathon training periods, and even more during marathon training. Although he experienced various injuries while studying at St. Francis Xavier University and the University of Prince Edward Island’s veterinary school, he has been more consistent in recent years. His performance earned him a bronze medal at the 2022 NACAC Half Marathon Championship in Costa Rica.
Stepping Towards Greater Achievements
Wesselius, who has been self-coached since leaving St. Francis Xavier, takes a relaxed approach to his training and races. He recently finished 5th (29:58) at the 2022 Canadian 10K Championships in Ottawa before waking up at 5:00 a.m. the next day to pace Kinsey Middleton to victory in the marathon. His position as a full-time veterinarian allows him to enjoy running without the pressure of depending on it for a living.
While he acknowledges that running in the Olympics or World Championships may be out of reach at this point, Wesselius remains focused on improving his times gradually. He stated, “As long as I continue to enjoy it and see progress, I will keep working towards my goals. Running at the highest level requires a substantial commitment, and it’s not easy to pursue it as a full-time career unless you are among the elite.”
The Challenges of Balancing Recovery
Combining a demanding job with a rigorous training schedule can be challenging for Wesselius. Unlike some of his competitors, he doesn’t have the luxury of resting between sessions. He emphasized, “Some of the calls can be physically demanding. It would be nice to have more time to recover between training sessions, but running is a sport that doesn’t offer significant financial rewards unless you are at the very top. Pursuing it as a full-time career is much more difficult.”
Wesselius looks forward to competing against strong runners at the Toronto Waterfront 10K. If he has a particularly good work week, he could surprise everyone with his performance. He believes there is still room for improvement in his running career.
For further information and registration for the Toronto Waterfront 10K, please visit canadarunningseries.com/toronto-10k/.