Belof Olympics-bound
(FREDERICTON, NB) “Struggling to be able to buy groceries or have a place to sleep was a challenge,” said Chris Belof, head coach of the UNB REDS track and field and cross country teams.
While he questioned his choice of profession in the beginning, Belof’s questions have all been answered.
In 2024, he begins his eighth season as head coach of the REDS, and he’ll join Team Canada as an event coach at the 2024 Summer Olympics, in Paris.
The Olympics is, without a doubt, known as track and field’s largest and most prestigious
event. Competing at an Olympics, or coaching at one, is considered one of the greatest accomplishments in the sport.
“I expect this to be one of Team Canada’s better Olympic Games if not our best and being able to play a role in that is very exciting,” said Belof.
Before he was known for coaching with UNB and Team Canada and preparing for the upcoming Summer Games, Belof, originally from Manitoba, came from humble beginnings.
Introduced to track and field as an athlete, Belof began his coaching career as an assistant, working a part-time job with Athletics Manitoba.
“At that time, I was struggling to make ends meet,” recalled Belof.
So, he gave himself an ultimatum.
“I saw track and field as my opportunity to give back and so I said to myself, I am going
to give myself three years to really give this coaching thing a shot. If I don’t have a full-time job in that time frame, I will know I gave it everything but maybe it just wasn’t the fit for me.”
Eight years later, he’s served as an event coach for Canada at the world track and field championships, was the head coach of Canada's 2021 and 2022 half-marathon teams, and has led the REDS track and field and cross country teams to record-breaking performances.
Coaching has proved to be a good fit for Belof.
At the upcoming Olympics, Belof will be serving as an event coach, assisting with Team
Canada’s road racers and distance runners.
“Having the opportunity to meet and have conversations with other coaches and staff members at such a high-level event like the Olympics is very beneficial,” he said. “I look forward to learning from this experience and applying that knowledge to the athletes I coach at
UNB.”
Since joining the REDS in 2018, Belof has not only been able to develop the track and field and cross country teams, but has evolved and grown himself into a national caliber coach.
Being able to learn from those at the highest level in coaching, Belof claims, has been one of the greatest factors in the growth of his career.
“I think, to be a really great coach you don’t have to reinvent the wheel, but instead apply
what you’ve learned and what others have found to what you do in your everyday training environment.”
Although Belof started his coaching career out west, he feels a true connection with the province of New Brunswick and looks forward to representing the province on the Olympic stage.
When thinking about his early days as a coach and what is soon to come, it’s fair to say Belof has come a long way.
“Going to an event like the Olympics in a way helps me validate that coaching really is
the right role for me, that this is a space in which I’m able to give back and that I’m able to help play a role in effecting other’s lives in a really big way.”
STORY BY: Shelby MacIsaac/for UNB Athletics
FILE PHOTO: Andy Campbell/UNB Athletics