By Noel Paine
Photo Credits: Milos Savic and Ekaternia Moysov
The mile is four laps of an outdoor track. Most runners will struggle to get near to a 6-minute mile. Windsor Ontario’s Corey Bellemore recently broke the 4-minute barrier for the mile; a mark many thought humanly impossible until Roger Bannister broke it in 1954. As fast and impressive as blistering up the track to run under 4-minutes, he has also run the fastest Beer Mile ever (4:33.6) – a feat that involves running the distance and consuming a beer each lap.
The miler (23) was born, raised and learn to run in Windsor, Ontario and is currently only 20-minutes away from home studying at the University of Windsor. He is close to family and he says they, along with the support of his sponsors are what enables him to train without added stress. With his running successes Corey has garnered sponsorship form those such as Adidas Canada and a local brewing company, Flying Monkeys Brewery.
I caught up with the young Canadian runner and found our how he started, how his grandmother inspired his competitive spirit and whether or not he believes he can best his current world record.
iRun: Tell us how did you develop a passion for running.
Corey Bellemore: I loved running from a young age mainly because my parents enjoyed running and I would often bike next to them on their runs. I remember my dad picking my siblings and I up after school and I would always see the cross country team doing laps in the back field of the school. I always thought to myself, I wonder if I can do that…that thought never left. First race ever was in grade 2 where I was too young to be on the actual cross country team but they added a special race at the first meet to allow a few of us to race. Our “rabbit” was a guy on a dirt bike that I anxiously wanted to sprint after. My mom always told me growing up that her mom (my grandma) would tell her to run like there was a tiger chasing her. That’s part of where my competitive running mentality stemmed from. That quote stuck with me.
Bellomere’s Best: PB – 800m – 1:47.6, PB – Mile – 3:57.2 (indoors), PB – Beer Mile 4:33.6
iRun: How did it feel to go under the magical sub 4-minute barrier for the mile?
CB: Running under the 4min barrier for the mile was always a big goal of mine so to actually do it felt satisfying. With that being said, that satisfaction only lasted so long before I realized I want a lot more than that. It’s definitely a step in the right direction and something that alludes to the hard work I’ve been putting in with my coach, Dennis Fairall.
What are your running plans for 2018?
“My running plans in 2018 are to take advantage of every opportunity that comes my way. It’s a time in my life that I need to enjoy what I have while I have it. I realize running isn’t going to be around forever so while I am young I plan on putting a big effort into seeing where I can go. I really want to continue training the way I am and get into a fast 1500m race where I can show what I am capable of.”
iRun: Do you think your increasing speed will mean a faster beer mile – if you go after again?
CB: I am sure I can run a faster beer mile and I’ll do another at the end of my summer track season at the Beer Mile a World Classic which will take place in Burnaby, BC in August.
iRun: What keeps you pushing yourself and how do you keep the passion for running?
CB: My passion for running will never go away because no matter how hard life gets, it’s going to be there for me to take my mind off things. It’s something I can put all my energy into and control everything about it: my mind, my pain tolerance, my breathing, etc. It’s a therapeutic activity for me that makes life seem a little less busy and a little more simple. I’m appreciative of how many great people I’ve met through running and love hearing different reasons about why people run or how they got into it.
At 23-years old Corey Bellemore has many more years of running to come – keep an eye out for this young Canadian runner.
Noel Paine is a communications professional, running coach, and father based in Ottawa. Paine is a regular iRun contributor and you can also follow his journey on Twitter @NoelPaine.
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