Calvary and Lacey DeJong are like any other members of the Bison cross-country team — besides the fact that they are a married couple. The Manitoban was able to talk to one half of the duo, Calvary. Among other topics we discussed, the team heading into the Canadial Interuniversity Sport (CIS) Cross Country Championships hosted by Laval on Nov. 12.
The Manitoban:
How did you guys meet?
Calvary DeJong:
After high school. I did a one-year missions program called Master’s Commission. As part of the program we volunteered at a drop-in centre for local high school students on a rotating basis once a week. The drop-in was hosted at the church that Lacey was attending at the time and she would often drop by to help out. Lacey and I made acquaintance during once of these visits, although we did not “hit it off” so to speak until a year or two later.
M: Are you guys very competitive with each other when you compete and train?
CD: We try not to be, but it does happen from time to time. Typically men are faster then women, and thus men and women typically compete in separate races based on gender, so there is no true “head to head” match ups. While both the men and the ladies have the same coach and work out at the same time, we run the workouts separately. Additionally at CIS the women race 5k while the men compete over 10k.
Generally speaking, Lacey is a much stronger runner on the track (1,500m-5,000m) while I am typically stronger relative to the field in road racing (10,000m-1/2 marathon). In cross country, there is a lot of parity — it has been pointed out to me that in the women’s race last year at CIS Lacey placed one spot higher than I did in the men’s race. But we will see what this year brings.
M: What are your hopes for the Bison team in the CIS championship meet?
CD: We are only returning two of our top five from last year, and only one of our top five this year are in their fifth year of eligibility. Therefore, it has been fairly obvious from the beginning of the season that somebody needs to step up and lead this team by racing hard and placing well.
According to the first “Slanders and Speculations” report this year (a commentary of CIS XC teams which comes out periodically throughout the season): “This team desperately needs the boost of a guy who spent his summer hammering out the miles and avoiding beer and ladies in order to crack the top 20 this fall.”
I would like to be that guy who steps up at the big race.
M: Who is your running idol?
CD: Probably Reid Coolsaet. He is a former skateboarder, like me, who was mediocre in high school and didn’t develop into a stud until the end of his university career. Since then he has won a number of national championships and represented Canada at the World Championships. More recently, this fall he qualified for the Olympics in the marathon and is within striking distance of the Canadian marathon record. I like the narrative trajectory of his career.
M: What are you currently studying?
CD: Presently I am in extended education since all the courses I am taking are through distance education. I am planning to enrol in the faculty of arts second-degree program with a major in philosophy and a minor in religion or vice versa.
M: Would you ever want to compete in an ultra marathon?
CD: Yes. But just to show ultra-runners that they should focus on running farther faster, not just farther! I see very little glory in plodding along aimlessly for hours upon hours in events with little to no competition just to say that you “won” something. The 26.2 miles of a marathon should be long enough to find a winner.
