Kieran Lumb - Straining & Striving to Tokyo
Kieran Lumb - 5000m
A nordic skier in high school, Kieran only really began focusing on Track & Field in 2015. For most of the last Olympic cycle, Kieran has been on a steady progression upwards.
Lots of striving and progress, not as much staining.
He has always stood out as one of the more disciplined and well-rounded student-athletes that you'll find.
As an electrical engineering student at UBC, he was often taking 7 intense courses per semester (then last fall I believe he took 8 in order to lighten his workload this spring).
For context, 5 courses is considered a standard "full" course load. Many students choose to spread a regular 4 year degree over 5 years by taking 4 courses per semester, and many U-Sports athletes get away with only taking 3 at a time…
He also has a penchant for cooking. For UBC team potlucks, he'd often volunteer (and somehow find the time) to make half the entire team's food!
kieran.m.lumb Like most other people, I typically only post things that I think are exciting or worth sharing. The reality is the vast majority of my time in the last 4 months was spent sitting at the kitchen staring at a screen, on Zoom calls, doing labs and assignments or studying for exams.
Coming off a strong 2019 cross country season and an equally impressive indoor season in 2020 Kieran was poised to be a contender for the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.
A few weeks after the Olympics got postponed, Kieran got injured and thus the postponement appeared to be a blessing in disguise for him.
In January 2021 Kieran headed down to Arizona for what he thought would be just a few weeks of high altitude training. But while he was down there, the COVID-19 situation and quarantine restrictions in Canada worsened so he decided to stay south of the border (only returning this week).
Kieran has been known for his ability to perform well in big races, but heading into this season had yet to prove that he could race consistently well week in and week out.
Consistency would be crucial in order for him to improve his world ranking into the top 42 in order to qualify for the Olympics.
His first race went well, but his second one not so much.
He was determined to break the pattern and to make the most of each and every one of his upcoming opportunities.
His resolve and focus enabled him to climb up the 5000m world rankings to as high as 21st (safely within the top 42 who could qualify).
With opportunities for his Canadian competitors to move themselves into the top 42 running out, Kieran appeared to be in a pretty safe position.
But then in quick succession, two of his competitors posted slightly better times and without a mandatory head to head race at nationals (like there would be in non-COVID years). It became unclear who the National Team Committee might select.
So he pivoted his plans again, and travelled to Europe to take an aggressive shot at running the Olympic auto-standard (which was well beyond his personal best)
He bravely went out on pace for the first 3000m, but could not sustain it.
Later that day here in Vancouver Luc, whom John paced, leapfrogged over Kieran by running the auto-standard.
Ultimately Kieran did not get named to the Olympic team as three other Canadians ran faster times this year than what had been the Canadian record just 6 years ago.
It goes without saying that it's an incredibly tough pill to swallow. To sacrifice so much (including living out of a suitcase for 6 months), improve so drastically, and still come up short of your goal.
But it is precisely this "straining" that leads to growth and makes sport so transformative and invaluable.
Having said that, this is still the type of setback that leaves many athletes bitter, jaded and questioning "was it worth it?"
However in a recent post, Kieran is demonstrating that he can handle the lows just as graciously as he handles the highs:
"Is it disappointing to miss out on qualifying for the Olympics? Of course is it. The good news is we’re sending the best 5000m squad Canada has ever seen (on both the men’s and women’s side!). Canadian distance running is taking off right now and count myself fortunate to be part of this era."
Thank you Kieran for showing us what is possible in terms of dedication in the classroom and chasing goals on the track. You have already grown so much this year, and being the student of the sport that you are, we know you'll learn a ton from this setback as well. You've got a long career ahead of you, and we're excited to follow it and keep cheering you on.
"I believe one of the things that makes Kieran special is his ability to be all in when he needs to be and total normal non-athlete when he wants to be. This ability to shift and not create a singular identity around his performance has allowed him to continually develop throughout the ups and downs. Further, he is a healthy student of the sport, wanting to learn why he is doing what he is doing. I would encourage all athletes to have conversations with their coach about why they are doing what they are doing. Learning, like Kieran, is one of the most important tools for athletes to empower themselves throughout their careers!"
-Coach Brant Stachel