Accomplished Terrace runner Tyler Dozzi has his eyes set on the world cross country championships next February in Croatia.
On a bit of a break over the latter part of the summer, Dozzi said his training will begin in earnest this fall.
“I generally run six days a week and cross train — elliptical or pool or bike — running two hard workouts a week and running easy on the other days.
“On my easy days I’ll usually run twice to get more mileage in, and I’ll add in weight training maybe twice a week,” said Dozzi who competes mainly in the 5000M category.
Now 24, Dozzi’s racing career dates back to his early teens at regional high school track competitions held in Smithers followed by provincial championships and then to the national and international stage.
“Going to race at the B.C. Summer Games was a huge start for me in my running career and definitely one of the best opportunities I had while in Terrace,” he said.
Despite years of running and intense preparation, Dozzi admits to still being nervous.
“Confidence comes with knowing that I’m in good shape. If I’m confident in my running I’ll know how I want to race,” he added.
Dozzi’s competition list includes placing second in the 2018 Pan American U20 Cross Country Championships held in El Salvador and the 2018 U20 World Championships for the 5000M in Tampere, Finland. Running on an injured leg, Dozzi placed 19th.
Following his high school graduation Dozzi went to the University of British Columbia (UBC) where he raced with that university’s Thunderbirds team.
In 2021 Dozzi placed second in the eight kilometre category at the Canada West Cross Country Championships but last fall, in Abbotsford, Dozzi took gold, leading the UBC Thunderbird men to their second straight conference title. He was also named the men’s Canada West Cross Country Athlete of the Year.
A UBC mechanical engineering graduate this spring, Dozzi placed 12th in the 2023 Bell Canadian Track and Field Championships in the men’s 5000M senior category.
His base remains in Vancouver where he’s now employed as an engineer in training and where he trains with several other competitive runners and with the Thunderbirds.
“I’m hoping to compete for many years to come as I’m still improving year on year, in a sport where the peak age is usually late 20s,” he said of the next years.
“I still have my eye on the Olympics (most likely 2028) but no matter where I go, the sport has already given me so much.”