What began as an off-season activity for his hockey career has brought Ben Preisner to Tokyo to compete for Olympic gold
The goal was clear. Ben Preisner wanted to run Olympic entry standard time
at the Marathon Project in Chandler, Ariz., and be one of the top two
Canadians in the race to qualify for the Olympic Summer Games in Tokyo.
The only catch for the 25-year-old? The December 2020 event would be the
first official marathon he ever competed in.
“It was pretty much the only marathon in North America that you could
qualify for [the Olympics],” Preisner says. “Because I didn’t have a time
before that, I kind of knew the Marathon Project is my one and only shot.”
His goal was daunting. There were only three spots on Team Canada for
marathon athletes and one athlete had already qualified. With experienced
competitors in the field, including two Canadians also vying for an Olympic
berth, there was a lot of pressure on Preisner’s debut.
On top of that, he was…