The third 200.

The third 200m in one of the most gruelling disciplines in sport is where races were won and lost for Gary Reed.

Texas-born, BC Interior-raised, and Victoria-trained, Reed retired in 2010 at 29 years old. At the time, he was at the height of a brilliant career as one of the best 800m runners in Canadian history.

"Any good 800m runner can run hard to 400 metres," says Reed. "It's the ability to commit and run hard through the third 200m that separates good from elite.” It's this mindset that carried him to victory in six national championships. He competed at six world championships, winning a silver medal in 2007.

The 800m event is a relentless test of speed and endurance. Cruel on legs and lungs, but also a fierce mental battle.

"You're going through a significant amount of suffering while undergoing a high-stakes chess match," says Reed. "You have to think and anticipate every move. One mistake at a championship and you're out."

His track and field career hit high gear when he moved from Kamloops to Victoria in 2002 to train under National Training Centre Head Coach Wynn Gmitroski. The training environment at the then-PacificSport Training Centre, financial backing and athlete housing program allowed him to focus solely on the 800m.

"My breakthrough was at the Victoria Track Classic in 2003. David Kiptoo a world class Kenyan 800m Runner agreed to rabbit the race. He told me "Just do not lose contact with me for the first 500 meters. Stay right on my heels."

From the gun Reed followed the pace setter's advice, but realized at 400m that this was a race different from any he'd ever run. "Coming into 400m I thought there was no way I could finish this race I am going to crash out. The pace felt way too fast." Kiptoo trailed off at about the 550 metre mark, but Reed pushed through. "When I crossed the line, it was 1:46. Faster than I'd ever run before by over 1.5 seconds. From that point I never looked back the lights went on for me.”

The silver medal at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka Japan set Reed up perfectly for the Beijing Olympics in 2008. In that Olympic final he finished 4th, a little more than one tenth of a second back of the podium.

His decision to retire came less than a year later, while warming up for a race in the Netherlands. "I realized for the first time in my life I didn't care whether I won or lost and had always promised myself that would be it if I ever felt that way.”

He never ran again.

Retirement from athletics came without reservation, and Reed took lessons learned from high-performance culture and parlayed it into a successful career in real estate development. "The thing that separates the best athletes in the world is their capacity to learn" he says.

His most crucial learning came in Victoria, and Gary Reed's journey to the top of his sport is one of connection and commitment. Mentoring the next generation of athletes is a priority.

"It's one thing to meet a young athlete and motivate them for a day, but the goal should be to push past that first meeting in the room. An ongoing mentorship means being able to pick up the phone before a major championship and get advice from somebody who has been there in the deep end. That has real value for the younger generation."

Reed is married with two daughters and calls Kamloops home. At the time of his retirement, his time of 1:43.68 was the fastest 800m ever run by a Canadian.