Gabriela Stafford wins third 1,500 metre title after a “little prayer” for mom

OTTAWA – In the last decade, Gabriela Stafford has found solace out on long runs. And when pre-race nerves threaten to derail her, she finds strength in thinking of her mom.

The 22-year-old from Toronto raced to her third 1,500-metre title Sunday at the Canadian track and field championships, and in the moments before she stepped to the start line alongside her younger sister Lucia, she said a little prayer for her mom.

“A lot of runners, in their moments of anxiety leading into a race, will fall on something, and for some people that’s God and prayer,” Stafford said. “I’m not the most religious person but I’m definitely a very spiritual person, and in those moments of doubt and hurt and worry before the race, I always think of my mom and say a little prayer to her, to give me strength. . . it gives me comfort instead of shying away from that place of hurt.”

“I always think of her before a race.”

In Sunday’s tactical race at Terry Fox Stadium, Stafford took control with 400 metres to go and crossed in four minutes 17.08 seconds for her third national title, punching her ticket to the NACAC championships in Toronto next month. Nicole Sifuentes was second in 4:17.71, while Katelyn Ayers won bronze in 4:18.59.

Lucia Stafford, a first-year senior, was ninth.

“It was tough getting myself on the start line, my mental approach is not the greatest yet anyways, I’m still figuring it out every day,” Lucia said. “But it’s a cool way of remembering her (mom), running in her honour.”

The Staffords’ mom Maria Luisa Gardner died of leukemia when Gabriela was 13 and Lucia just 10.

The sisters’ 1,500 heats were scheduled for Saturday, the 10-year anniversary of their mom’s death. Gabriela wrote on Instagram on Saturday: “On the 10th anniversary of our mother’s death, running today wasn’t easy. Both of us wouldn’t rather not stepped on the track today. But we did what we had to do, and got the job done.”

Moments after crossing the line Sunday, Gariela said: “It was hard, nationals is always like a tricky time of year for me, a tricky time to race, because nationals is already inherently a stressful race, and then for it to fall on our mom’s anniversary is hard.

“You wake up and you’d rather just stay in bed.”

The Staffords were raised in a running family. Dad James raced for Canada in four world cross-country championships, while aunt Sara Gardner ran at the 1992 world cross-country championships. Their mom coached elementary school cross-country.

Gabriela found solace after her mom’s death in the solitary hours on the trails or track.

“I really feel like the long runs are very therapeutic,” she said. “And for me, running and grief have always been intertwined, because running is one of the most emotionally vulnerable sports, I think, because you’re out there on your own, you don’t have a team to fall back on.

“And then you’ve just got to get comfortable with hurting and discomfort. So that and grief, and recovering from the loss for me, they’ve just always been very intertwined.”

Gabriela raced to an emotional victory in the 1,500 at the 2016 national championships in her senior debut, and erupted in tears when talking to reporters afterwards — once again, on the day after the anniversary of her mom’s death. The victory earned her a spot on Canada’s team at the Rio Olympics, where she didn’t advance out of her heat.

Her best time is 4:03.55 from last season. The Canadian record is 4:00.27, set by Lynn Williams 33 years ago.

Gabriela’s best time this season is 4:05.83, but she said she’s struggled recently in a sport that can be cruel, and improvement elusive, with tiny incremental gains sometimes years apart.

“I’ve struggled emotionally finding racing fun,” she said. “I’m at a point where improvements aren’t as easy, I’m in a re-evaluating period, but am having more fun now. Maybe it’s the good weather.”