About

                          

My name is Chantelle Groenewoud, I am from North Vancouver, British Columbia. I currently run for Speed River Track Club as a post collegiate athlete in Guelph, Ontario. I just recently graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where for 5 years I had an athletic scholarship for cross country and track. I competed as a post-collegiate during the 5th year while finishing my degree. I specialize in the 3000m steeplechase, which you may ask yourself “WHY of all races?”, but I love the distraction and technical aspect of the hurdles and water pit. I received my degree in Kinesiology with a concentration in Pre-Physical Therapy. Like most post-collegiate athletes my ultimate goal is to run for Team Canada at the Rio 2016 Olympics. I moved to Guelph to put myself in the best training position with great coaches, teammates, and support. My thoughts are that by making a blog and sharing my journey with those who are interested I am not only documenting my experiences (whether good or bad) but also being held accountable. I have always struggled with sharing my success with people or being able to “sell” my accomplishments. Here is my attempt at advertising my goals and sharing my adventure.

Accomplishments to date:

– Midwest Region Runner up (2008)

– 2 time All-Region Cross Country Runner (2008, 2009)

– Second Team All-Big Ten Cross Country (2009)

– Big Ten Runner-Up, 3000m Steeplechase (2011)

– 3-time NCAA Outdoor Track qualifier.

– Second fastest 3000m Steeplechase in University of Illinois history.

– NCAA Div. 1 Second Team All-American, 3000m Steeplechase (2011)

– 5 time Canadian National team member (Pan Am Jr. 2007, World Juniors 2008, FISU 2011, FISU 2013, Franophone 2013 )

– 3-time medalist at Senior Canadian Nationals (2011, 2012, 2013)

– 4th place finish at FISU 2013 in Russia.

– 4th place finish at Jeux de la Francophonie in Nice, France.

– Second fastest 3000m Steeplechase in Canadian history. (Personal Best = 9:51.17, Canadian record= 9:51.10)

Future Goals: 

– Become a better all-around runner (1500m, 5000m, flat 3000m).

– Get the Canadian Record in the Steeplechase.

– Get diploma in Holistic Nutrition.

-Qualify for Common Wealth Games 2014 in Glasgow, Scotland.

– Qualify for Pan American Games 2015 in Toronto.

– Qualify for World Championships 2015 in Beijing, China.

– Qualify for Rio 2016 Olympics.

– Make a difference in the local community.

– Inspire the younger generation.

– Volunteer abroad.

-Support research for Muscular Dystrophy and Multiple Sclerosis.

– Travel for leisure.

– Get a Masters

Of course these lists will be ever changing, I would like to think that its because Im crossing off my goals and adding them to my accolades but not everything always goes as planned. I do believe that everything happens for a reason, there is only so much I can control so I plan to focus on that. Sometimes when a goal  seems too far away and daunting, you have to take the first step forward and hope it leads you in the right direction. This is my first step, let the experience begin.

Also follow me on twitter for more frequent updates:

@ChanyGroenewoud

Dream Big