Lindsey Butterworth looks to make Canadian history at Harry Jerome Track Classic

Lindsey Butterworth appears ready to join some elite company, though the middle-distance runner won't be drawn into the hype entering this week's 35th annual Harry Jerome International Track Classic.

The 26-year-old will race the women's 800 metres on Wednesday (CBCSports.ca, 10 p.m. ET) on the new, state-of-the-art track at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby, B.C., where she could join national record holder Melissa Bishop and four others as the only Canadian women to run under two minutes.

• Bishop, one minute 57.01 seconds (2017)
• Diane Cummins, 1:58.39 (2001)
• Charmaine Crooks, 1:58.52 (1990)
• Fiona Benson, 1:59.59 (2015)
• Jessica Smith, 1:59.86 (2012)

On May 31, a tired but relaxed and confident Butterworth clocked a personal-best 2:01.13 at the Festival of Miles meet in St. Louis, where she was third with 250 metres left before closing strong for the victory.

"When you focus on the race and less on time," she says, "that's when a personal-best time comes."

Racing before family, friends and some of her former Simon Fraser University teammates in her ninth appearance at the Harry Jerome meet, Butterworth plans to accelerate more coming off the line to better position herself in the first 200 metres, work on tactics and finish strong.

Brit Townsend, SFU's head track and field coach, believes there is "no question" Butterworth could run sub-two minutes on Wednesday but a lot of things have to go right. Is the race going fast enough in the first lap? What if Butterworth gets boxed in?

"I try not to focus on time with her," says Townsend, a two-time Olympian in the 800. "Race, compete and make the move when you should make the move. I hope we run faster this year. If we don't, 2:01.13 is a great stepping stone."

If you get through 400 metres and have positioned yourself to strike, it's over the last part where the race is won.— Simon Fraser University head track and field coach and 2-time Olympian Brit Townsend on running the 800 metres

Many uncontrollable things can happen during a race, adds Butterworth, "so I always try to keep it simple and have a plan in mind, but try not to panic if things play out differently."

After finishing her collegiate career with NCAA Division II indoor and outdoor titles, Butterworth began working with a mental performance specialist in 2015 to help with the transition to post-collegiate racing. Nowadays, she's racing for herself, noting the chance to compete for Canada last summer at the Francophone Games (2:07.63) and world championships (2:03.19) helped reinforce her mental focus and self-belief.

'Huge learning curve'

Townsend, who described Butterworth's progress this season as "phenomenal," would like to see her take chances in the final 200-300 metres in competition.

"If you get through 400 metres where you want and have positioned yourself to strike, it's over the last part where the race is won," says the seven-time National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics coach of the year. "It's been a huge learning curve for Lindsey. She's really good at implementing any strategy I want and part of that is her composure. She's able to listen, take information and make things happen."

Butterworth opened the 2018 outdoor season at the end of March with a win at the Stanford Invitational in Palo Alto, Calif., where she ran 2:04.25 one day after setting a PB in the 1,500 "to set the tone" for her ensuing races.

Here's how she did in those subsequent competitions:

• May 3, Payton Jordan Invitational, 1st place, 2:03.33
• May 17, USATF Distance Classic, 1st (2:02.20)
• May 25, Prefontaine Classic, 3rd (2:02.24)

Butterworth has structured her training this season to peak at the upcoming Canadian track and field championships in Ottawa, where she placed third in 2:04.34 a year ago behind Bishop (2:00.26) and Jenna Westaway (2:03.88).

"Will Harry Jerome be close to that? Yes, I hope so," Townsend says, adding Butterworth's goal is to secure a spot on the Canadian team for the North America, Central America and Caribbean (NACAC) track and field championships in August in Toronto. "She'll have to run 2:01 [to qualify]. If she runs that on Wednesday I would be ecstatic. She now believes she belongs [among the elite] and I think she's arrived."

Here are the other notable Canadian athletes at the two-day Harry Jerome:

Aaron Brown, men's 100m (Tuesday, 11:52 p.m. ET): The Toronto native is coming off a 200-metre victory (20.05 seconds) at the Golden Spike event in the Czech Republic. Brown also ran 20.07 at a Diamond League meet in Stockholm earlier this month, three days after clocking a 19.98 personal best in Norway.

Along with Andre De Grasse, he'll be part of the team that faces top sprinters from China at Swangard Stadium in the China-Canada Sprint Challenge, a 10-event competition over the two days.

Andre De Grasse, men's 100/4x100 relay (Wednesday, midnight ET): The 2016 Olympic triple medallist returns to the track for the first time since a disappointing 10.25 result at Diamond League Shanghai on May 12. De Grasse also ran 10.15 in his return from a hamstring injury in April at the Drake Relays.

Crystal Emmanuel, women's 100/4x100 (Tuesday, 11:44 p.m. ET, Wednesday, 11:52 p.m. ET): Emmanuel, 26, stopped the clock in 23.08 seconds at the Diamond League's Golden Gala in Rome on May 31. The Canadian-record holder in the 200 ran a season-best of 22.70 in April to place fifth at the Commonwealth Games.

Cristabel Nettey, women's long jump (Tuesday, 9:40 p.m. ET): In 2015, the Surrey, B.C., native set a Harry Jerome record of 6.86 metres while her jump of 6.92 in March at the Queensland International Track Classic in Australia is second in the IAAF world rankings. Nettey jumped 6.84 two months ago to capture Commonwealth gold.

Damian Warner, men's 110m hurdles (Tuesday, 9:30 p.m. ET): The 28-year-old told CBC Sports he would compete at less than full strength this week as he continues to recover from right ankle discomfort that nearly forced Warner to withdraw from the Hypo Meeting decathlon last month in Gotzis, Austria. The London, Ont., native managed the pain to set a Canadian record and world-leading 8,795 points for his fourth title.

Sage Watson, women's 400 (Wednesday, 11:36 p.m. ET): Watson reached the podium for the sixth time this year at the Bislett Games in Oslo on June 7 with a third-place finish in a season-best 54.55 seconds, or 3-100ths of a second off her personal best. The 24-year-old from Medicine Hat, Alta., was also fifth at the Commonwealth Games in 55.55.