These days, Will Harrower competes against his body as much as the guy in the lane next to him.
Having just turned 40 in January, he has a physique that wouldn’t look out of place in Men’s Health Magazine, yet in the world of Masters sprinting, he has reached a point where he has to fight to hang onto every hundredth of a second.
“At this age, it’s more holding onto the speed that I have,” said Harrower, who has competed in track since age 11.
“Now it’s a war against not necessarily the guy you’re lining up against, it’s against yourself now.”
Having once attained a personal best 10.80 seconds in high school, Harrower is arguably even stronger in age-group racing. He clocked the fastest time of the season (12.13) in Canada for the men’s 40-44 division at a meet earlier this year in Kamloops, and recorded the fifth fastest Canadian time ever in the 60m. His relay team set a provincial record in the 4x200m relay.
“I’m the baby in the group now,” smiled Harrower, of his jump into the older division.
At the 2010 World Masters Indoor Championships in Kamloops, Harrower ranked 11th in the 100m, and helped set a national record as Canada secured bronze in the men’s 4×100 relay. Overall, he owns three world bronze and 10 national titles.
An ongoing Achilles injury kept him off the track for most of the 2011 season, but the father of 10-year-old twin sons, Carson and Anson, now has his sights on the national age-group record (12.07).
His next big meet is the B.C Masters Championships, June 15-17 in Langley.
“We have four of the top six (sprinters) in the country in B.C. I’ve won the last two… but we’re close,” he said. “There’s probably a metre between us. On any given day anyone can win. It keeps me sharp.
“It’s a big adrenaline rush. I love racing when you get to that level.”
Harrower, who bombs around town in a Jeep with the licence plate “TRK STR”, began Masters sprinting at age 32. He has gone head-to-head with several former Olympians, and won.
“That’s the good thing with Masters – everybody has kids, everybody has a job and a mortgage and everything else… so now everyone’s on the same playing field,” said Harrower, a truck driver for The News Group.
“Everybody’s got injuries, and if they don’t, they’re working hard not to get them.
“When I was 29 and 30, I’d be racing against kids sleeping in mom and dad’s basement and all they do is workout, eat and sleep.”
Harrower’s Achilles still flares up once in a while, so he constantly has to find that balance where he can compete without overdoing it. He usually trains six times a week for maintenance, ramping it up to 10 sessions when he is preparing for a meet.
“I’ll go by feel on how much I can run,” he said. “As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned patience. Sprinters aren’t patient. You want it now.”
Originally, Harrower was purely a 100m specialist, only training in the 200m distance to improve his conditioning. Once he started competing at meets in Eastern Canada, it made sense from a practical standpoint to compete in the 200 as well. He even tried his arm at shot put.
“What is it…4,000 kilometres for two races? I figured I’d make the most of it,” he laughed.
Self-coached, Harrower has used Facebook to connect with, and get tips from, former Canadian sprinting icons Ben Johnson and Donovan Bailey.
He has a theory on what it takes to be fast.
“I’ve always found the ones that feel fast are the slowest ones,” he said. “You feel like you’re working harder, you’re tightening up. The ones that feel slow are when everything just flows and it’s natural. You’re fluid, you’re relaxed, you’re working efficiently.”
