#ACXC2018 elite profile – Get to Know… Natasha Wodak
  • 2017 ACXC result: 4th place, 35:07.7
  • Canadian 10,000m (31:41.59) and 8-kilometre (25:28.5) record holder
  • Her passion is running, but kitty cats are a close second
  • Proud Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue Association volunteer
  • 13-time National Team member
  • Twitter
  • Instagram

 

Heading into ACXC 2018…

Most memorable Canadian Cross Country Championships race (where, when and who did you compete against):
Wow, that’s a tough one! I’ve had quite a few memorable XC experiences. But I would have to say the 2015 Championships in Kingston is the one that sticks out in my mind. About half way through the race (4 kilometres) I put a surge in and gapped the field by about 20-30 meters. But I lost focus and they came back to me with 2 kilometres to go. Rachel Hannah, Sasha Gollish and Rachel Cliff ran by me and I started to fall back. For a few moments I felt defeated and I was ready to give up, but something in me was like “GET GOING!!!”. I passed Cliff and Gollish with 1 kilometre to go, but Hannah had gotten a 30-40-meter lead. I just kept pushing and with 200 metres to go I was right behind her on that final big hill. I heard my friend and physio Chris Napier yell at me, “YOU HAVE TO GO NOW” and I just started sprinting like a maniac up the hill. I went by her and gave everything I had until the finish line. It’s one of the only times I have ever had to have someone hold me up at the finish. I was spent. This race is my favourite, not just because I won, but because I never gave up.

Who inspires you most to be a better runner?
My coach, Lynn Kanuka. She is an absolute legend in Canadian distance running. The things she achieved back in her day are amazing – Olympic medal, bronze at the World Cross Country Championships, Commonwealth Games gold and two Canadian records that still stand today (30 years later) – just to mention a few. I have always been inspired by her since I was a little girl and now I am so lucky to learn from her as my coach.

There is no way I am letting __________ pass me in the chute at ACXC 2018.
There is no way I am letting ANYONE pass me in the chute at ACXC 2018.

What is the strangest thing you have even seen happen (or been part of) during a XC race?
Well I don’t know if I would call it strange or unfair… at the World Cross Country Championships in 2015, a coach of one of my competitor’s kept running next to her up the hills. He was cautioned to stop by several bystanders (officials?) after the third or fourth time, but he still did it a few more times. I even yelled at him!

What are some of your favourite things about XC running?
I like the challenge of XC running. The courses are always different – you can never predict what is going to happen. It’s not about time; it’s purely about RACING. I also love that XC brings all sorts of runners together – 3000-metre steeplechasers are racing marathoners – it’s awesome. My very favourite thing about XC running is the team aspect. Knowing your team is relying on you may be that extra something you need to push through when you are hurting.

Who is on your XC dream team:
Myself, Rachel Cliff, Sasha Gollish, Claire Sumner, Kinsey Middleton and Jessica O’Connell.

 

Get to know Natasha even better…

If you could be on any TV show or in any movie, what would it be? Why?
I would love to be a part of The Amazing Race with my boyfriend Alan. It would be such an awesome adventure and I think we could do really well (as long as he ate all the weird foods)!

What is something interesting about you that most people don’t know?
I quit competitive running after university (2006) for three years. It wasn’t until the fall of 2010 (I was 28 years old) that I made my first National Team.

If you had a warning label, what would yours say?
PROCEED WITH CAUTION IN THE MORNING. SPEAK TO NATASHA AT YOUR OWN RISK.

Three words (or superlatives) that best describe you:
Fierce
Fun
Affable
(and one more – impatient! LoL)

Join us in Kingston on Saturday, Nov. 24, to watch Natasha go for the title of National Champion at the 2018 Canadian Cross Country Championships or tune in to AthleticsCanada.tv if you can’t be there in person.

For more on #ACXC2018, including the race schedule, visit www.athletics.local/acxc2018.

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