Athlete Profile sponsored by Jeff Schiebler's specialties, the 5,000 metres and 10,000m, are two of the most under-appreciated sporting events in Canada, but he still has legions of fans. That's because Schiebler runs in Japan, where he's become something of a star. Schiebler lives in Kofu, about 100km outside Tokyo, for about eight months a year, and makes a good living as an athlete - a rare luxury for a Canadian track athlete, let alone a distance runner. That kind of funding makes Japan a power in distance running. They go wild for the road races.
Kids there grow up wanting to be the next marathon champ.
The samurai spirit is instilled in Japanese people. The longer, the harder, the better - unlike North America, where we want things the easy way. Every team in the Japanese running league is allowed to have one non-Japanese runner. It doesn't, however, mean that Schiebler will be dealing with divided loyalties when he runs in Sydney. It's impossible for a distance runner to train in Canada.