Hello, I’m Rob Watson, and for as long as I can remember running has been a part of my story. I come from a running family – my first race was as a 7-year-old kid ripping around the Forest City Road Race 10km in my hometown of London Ontario. I ran 59min that day. The next year, as an 8-year-old, I knocked 10 minutes off my time to go 49min. Not bad for a wee lad if I do say so myself.
Throughout my awkward teenage years running was an anchor that allowed me to form a sense of identity and gain confidence – being the fastest kid around carried a bit of clout.
I was able to leverage my running ability into a track and field scholarship to attend school at Colorado State University in the NCAA. While at CSU I was privileged to have four of the most wonderful and transformative years of my life. l travelled the country to train and compete with some of the best friends and teammates that I could have ever asked for.
I wasn’t much of a student, but running provided me the opportunity to earn a degree. It has yet to be determined whether I will ever put that degree to use, but at 42 years old it is not looking like I will be pursuing a career in “History” anytime soon…although I do find myself reflecting on the past quite a bit these days.
Upon finishing up my years at CSU I was not ready to hang up my spikes – I put my head down and kept on living the running life. I was primarily a Steepler, competing in the weird cousin event adjacent to the more “normal” 5000m and 1500m. It was in the Steeplechase where I won my first two Canadian titles (in 2008 and 2009) and qualified for my first World Championship team representing Canada at the 2009 World Track and Field Champs in Berlin, Germany.
After another season of chasing steeples, I set my sights on the road and made the transition from track to asphalt. I had never really planned on being a marathoner, but to be fair I never really planned on much. I was more of a ride the wave type guy and trusted my gut and heart to help set the direction.
I opened up my marathon career with a 2:16 at the 2011 Houston Marathon coming 4th place in the process. It was a bit of a savage day with a blow up unlike anything I had ever experienced in the sport (up to that point). I thought I was going to go 2:11, but the combination of naive optimism and lack of experience saw me lose a good 5 minutes over the last 10km of the race. It was a VERY painful last 10km of the race – welcome to the marathon, kid.
The marathon may have destroyed my legs, but it filled my soul and gave new life to my running. There was no going back. I spent the next several years simply trying to run as fast as I could. I put in big miles, worked shit jobs, and sacrificed it all just to give myself a shot at greatness and to chase my Olympic dreams.
From 2011 to 2016 I was 100% all in on the marathon – I ate, drank and slept that damn race. In 2012, I relocated to Vancouver and lowered my PB to 2:13:37. In 2013, I was cooking – four marathons that year: 11th in Boston, a Canadian Championship in Ottawa, 20th at the World Championships in Moscow, and ultimately finishing it off with a new PB of 2:13:29 and a 6th place finish at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon.
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2013 would prove to be the best year of my career and the pinnacle of my achievements. I continued to push on, I made more national teams, I won more races, but for whatever reason I was never able to quite find the magic again.
After a disappointing 2:18 finish at the 2016 London Marathon I failed to make the Olympics for the third time. I was mentally and physically exhausted and made the decision to hang up my racing flats.
Post-retirement I continued to run – because I am a runner, and that is what I have always done, and that is what I will always do. I even managed to win the 2018 Vancouver Marathon, which was a nice post-retirement treat.
I have remained heavily involved in the sport as the co-owner and head coach of Mile2Marathon Vancouver. I am proud of the community we have built and the athletes that have come through our group. We have helped guide countless runners to PBs and BQs, while making lifelong memories and friendships along the way.
Over the past few years, I dabbled in trail racing (too technical), ultra running (too boring), and bike racing (too scary). It wasn’t until just recently that my competitive drive and desire to smash myself for a cause has really been reawakened.
In 2023, I was talked into doing my first triathlon, taking on the Ironman 70.3 in Indian Wells, California. My swim was a strugglefest, I vastly overcooked the bike, and I finished it off by running the slowest and most painful half marathon of my life – but boy did I ever enjoy the experience.
I have continued to lean into triathlon and just recently I had my best race to date at the Santa Cruz 70.3 finishing in 4:24:20 to place 2nd in my age group, securing a spot for the 70.3 AG world championships in Nice, France. I have also come to find that triathlon has a vibrant, inviting, and supportive community. I feel truly at home here, and I am absolutely buzzing at the prospect of diving in and putting it all out there to chase greatness again at the world champs.
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My goal is the podium, but whatever the outcome I’m sure I’ll add another chapter or two to this endurance life that I live.
Rob Watson is a former professional runner and the Head Coach of Mile2Marathon Vancouver: visit https://mile2marathon.com for more information.
The post Introducing Rob Watson: From Track Star to Marathoner to Triathlete appeared first on Triathlon Magazine Canada.