# Rob Watson (athlete)

Robin "Rob" Watson (born 23 June 1983) is a Canadian long-distance runner. He is a two-time Canadian national champion in the 3000 metres steeplechase. He has won the Canadian Marathon Championships, the Canadian 10k Championships (twice) and placed 2nd in the Canadian Cross Country Championships.

## Career

The fourth of five boys. Robin Watson grew up in the Old South neighbourhood in London, Ontario. His parents were recreational runners; his mother ran track, his father marathons. His oldest brother Pete has been his greatest influence. Wanting to run like him, Watson entered a 10k race with him at age six. His endurance, and help from his brother, made him a top steeplechaser by the end of high school. He accepted a scholarship at West Virginia University where his brother Pete attended running in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). After a year that saw WVU cutting its track program, Watson followed his brother to Colorado and began running track and cross- country for coach Bryan Berryhill at Colorado State University.
He got a call from coach Dave Scott-Thomas, and on graduating moved to Guelph, Ontario, to train for the 2009 International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) world championships in Berlin. After a disappointing finish, Watson and his coach discussed him running the marathon. After struggling for success, Watson turned to his brother Pete who was coaching in North Carolina.
He entered the 2012 marathon in Rotterdam but ran a 2:13:37 race and failed to qualify for financial support from Athletics Canada. In summer 2012, Watson moved to Vancouver, British Columbia. Watson subsequently finished first in the 2013 Canadian Marathon Championships and second in the 2014 Canadian Marathon Championships.
Watson has coached at Mile2 Marathons for more than four years.

## Profile

| Discipline | Performance | Location | Date |
| Marathon Outdoor | 2:27:38 | Vancouver, CAN | 6 May 2018 |
| 10 Kilometres | 30:01* | Vancouver, CAN | 22 April 2018 |
| 5 Kilometres | 14:41 | Vancouver, CAN | 17 Mar 2018 |
| Half Marathon Outdoor | :08:44 | Victoria, CAN | 8 October 2017 |
| Marathon Outdoor | 2:18:45 | London, GBR | 24 April 2016 |
| 10 Miles Road | 52:35 | Edinburgh, GBR | 17 April 2016 |
| Half Marathon Outdoor | 1:03.58 | Houston, TX, USA | 17 January 2016 |
| 8 Kilometres Outdoor | 23:47 | Saanichton, CAN | 10 January 2016 |
| 10 Miles Road | 49:07 | Hamilton, CAN | 26 December 2015 |
| Marathon Outdoor | 2:16:38 | Chicago, IL, USA | 11 October 2015 |
| Half Marathon Outdoor | 1:04:48 | Vancouver, CAN | 3 May 2015 |
| 10,000 Metres | 29:27.66 | Charlottesville, VA, USA | 18 April 2015 |
| 10 Miles Road | 49:02 | Hamilton, CAN | 26 December 2014 |
| Marathon Outdoor | 2:16:38 | Ottawa, CAN | 25 May 2014 |
| Half Marathon | 1:05:03 | Tempe, AZ, USA | 19 January 2014 |
| Marathon Outdoor | 2:13.29 | Toronto, CAN | 20 October 2013 |
| 10 Kilometres Outdoor | 30:46 | Toronto, CAN | 21 September 2013 |
| 10 Miles Road | 49:49 | Lynchburg, VA, USA | 28 September 2003 |
| Half Marathon Outdoor | 1:03:22 | New York, NY, USA | 17 March 2013 |
| 10 Kilometres Outdoor | 30:36 | Toronto, CAN | 22 September 2012 |
| 10 Kilometres Outdoor | 30:24 | Toronto, CAN | 24 September 2011 |
| Marathon Outdoor | 2:13:37 | Rotterdam, NED | 15 April 2012 |
| Half Marathon Outdoor | 1:04:20 | Vancouver, CAN | 26 June 2011 |
| Marathon Outdoor | 2:16:17 | Houston, TX, USA | 30 january 2011 |
| 10 Miles Road | 48:39 | Hamilton, CAN | 26 December 2010 |
| 10 Kilometres Outdoor | 30:03 | Toronto, CAN | 16 October 2010 |
| One Mile | 4:07.26 | Guelph, CAN | 5 June 2010 |
| 3000 Metres | 8:11.12 | London, CAN | 2 June 2010 |
| 3000 Metres Steeplechase Outdoor | 8:39.30 | Palo Alto, CA, USA | 1 May 2010 |
| 2000 Metres Steeplechase Outdoor | 5:44.14 | Ypsilanti, USA | 16 April 2010 |
| 5000 Metres Outdoors | 14:06.84 | Berkeley, CA, USA | 23 April 2010 |
| 2000 Metres Steeplechase | 5:44.14 | Ypsilanti, USA | 16 April 2010 |
| 5 Kilometres Outdoors | 14:41 | Vancouver, CAN | 17 March 2010 |
| 3000 Metres Steeplechase Outdoor | 8:27.09 | Eugene, OR, USA | 7 June 2009 |
| 1500 Metres | 3:46.55 | Windsor, CAN | 16 May 2009 |
| 5000 Metres Outdoors | 13:40.33 | Walnut, USA | 17 Apr 2009 |
| 1500 Metres | 3:47.95 | Brasschaat (BEL) | 23 JUL 2008 |
| 3000 Metres Steeplechase Outdoor | 8:38.72 | Walnut, CA, USA | 18 April 2008 |
| 5000 Metres Outdoors | 14:22.36 | San Diego, CA, USA | 12 May 2007 |
| 3000 Metres Steeplechase Outdoor | 8:38.92 | Eugene, OR, USA | 20 April 2007 |
| 3000 Metres | 8:13.97 | Tempe, AZ, USA | 14 April 2007 |
| 5000 Metres Indoor | 15:00:10 | Albuquerque, NM, USA | 23 February 2007 |
| 3000 Metres Indoor | 8:18.70 | Lincoln, NE, USA | 20 January 2007 |
| 3000 Metres Steeplechase Outdoor | 8:47.96 | Palo Alto, CA, USA | 31 March 2006 |
| 5000 Metres | 14:44.83 | Albuquerque, NM, USA | 24 February 2006 |
| 3000 Metres Indoor | 8:13.21 | Nampa, ID, USA | 11 February 2006 |
| 3000 Metres Steeplechase Outdoor | 9:02.73 | Berkeley, CA, USA | 8 April 2005 |
| 3000 Metres Steeplechase Outdoor | 9:07.42 | Princeton, NJ, USA | 8 April 2005 |
| 3000 Metres Indoor | 8:30.78 | Fayetteville, AR, USA | 12 February 2005 |
Legend:
* Not Legal