Olympian Kathy Tremblay third at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Half Marathon

In her debut over the distance, Olympic triathlete Kathy Tremblay grabbed third at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Half Marathon on Sunday in a time of 1:18:44. Although Tremblay has retired from triathlon, the former 10 km specialist isn’t showing signs of slowing down. She insists that finding a balance between competing, running her own business and raising her young son is essential to living a full and varied lifestyle.  Tremblay believes it’s important to embody the message of her coaching company Equipe Altius which helps employees integrate sport and fitness within the corporate lifestyle.

“I felt really light and quick until the last 6 km of the race yesterday. While I’m very pleased with my time, I do think I can go faster with the same fitness if I can manage my race better. I would have loved a pacer because I always start out too fast,” said Tremblay.

She’s been following a plan from her coach Dorys Langlois (who is a coach at Equipe Altius) to help maintain and build fitness in her transition from triathlete to road runner. Based on a recent 10 km race she ran in Montreal, in which Tremblay ran 35:39, Langlois predicted a finish of 1:19.  “I am realistic–I don’t train like I used to and get in only four to five workouts a week now, but I do want to go faster and maybe even run a marathon in the future if my body and schedule allow it,” says Tremblay. She credits Langlois for maximizing the time she does have to train with quality over quantity.

If everything goes according to plan, next up for Tremblay will be the Philadelphia Half Marathon on November 22. She’s hoping to get someone to run with her to help her go under 1:18.

Pan Am Games marathoner and TMC contributor Rachel Hannah won the women’s race in a time of 1:12:25. In second was Toronto’s Lyndsay Tessier in 1:17:13.

The top three men were Jeff Costen in first in a time of 1:08:02, followed by Adam Hortian in 1:08:13 and Iain Quinn in 1:08:46.