Canmore’s Connor Howe reminded us that he is one of Canada’s best 1,500-metre (m) speed skaters at the 2024 Canadian Long Track Championships (CLTC) in Quebec City, Quebec.
The 24-year-old speed skater was born in Regina, Saskatchewan, but he calls Canmore home.
Howe started speed skating when he was seven and began competing two years later. He skated short track for eight years but couldn’t skate faster than puberty moves.
He eventually became too tall for the sport, a problem many of us wish we had. It turns out Howe didn’t care much for short track anyway and preferred to race against the clock, not people.
It wasn’t long before Howe found his calling in the 1,500m event. In addition to being his favourite distance, Howe’s role model, Denny Morrison, holds the Canada men’s 1,500m speed skating record at 1:42.01.
Howe’s personal best is a fraction of a second behind Morrison at 1:42.34. Howe has represented Canada three times at the ISU World Junior Championships (WJC).
He broke the ice in a big way at his first ISU WJC in 2017, winning a silver medal in the team sprint alongside teammates Tyson Langelaar and David La Rue, arguably his biggest rival.
Howe competed again at the 2018 and 2019 USI WJCs, finishing 10th overall at the 2019 event. The same year, he set the junior national records in the 1,500m and 3,000m distance events.
Since then, Howe has won many awards, including a World Cup gold medal. He made his Olympic debut at the Beijing 2022 Olympics, where he placed fifth in the Team Pursuit and 12th in the 1,000m.
Earlier this month, athletes from across the country arrived in Quebec City to compete for the crown in their respective distance events at the CLTC.
1,500m National Champion
Howe’s performance at the CLTC was cold as ice. To no one’s surprise, he finished first in the 1,500m, marking the fourth year in a row Howe has won the event.
His time was 1:45.825, an entire second faster than second place La Rue. While it wasn’t his best performance, Howe is happy with his consistency in lap times around the 26-second mark.
“It shows consistency and gives confidence, but you never know how you’re gonna be. It’s kind of the first big race of the year so it’s a bit of a test, so it’s good to be able to get that and keep the streak going,” Howe told the Rocky Mountain Outlook.
Howe didn’t stop at dominating the 1,500m distance. He also claimed national gold in the 1,000m for the second time and took bronze in the 5,000m.
He has now beaten the 1,000m favourite Laurent Dubreuil twice, which is no easy feat considering Dubreil was the Beijing 2022 Olympics silver medalist. “Howe” does he do it?
Howe’s approach to the 1,000m is the same as it is for the 1,500m. Conserve energy throughout the race for a mad dash down the final stretch.
He compares his strategy to road cycling, another sport Howe dabbles in, where cyclists pedal like hell in the last 200m of a race.
Howe prepares for his races by watching previous races on YouTube to help him get in the racing mindset.
Howe’s talent is scary, but even scarier is that he still has room to grow. One thing he struggles with is exploding off the starting line.
“I’m always behind a couple tenths there and it’s really hard to gain that back, but it’s a good practice race for the ‘15 and if I have a good one I could be top 10 or top six sometimes,” explained Howe.
“It Never Gets Easier, You Just Go Faster”
Howe is a talented young athlete with both brawn and brains. In both 2019 and 2021, he received the Peter Williamson Memorial Bursary Award.
The award is distributed annually to skaters who best combine athletic and scholastic achievements.
When he isn’t skating, Howe hits the books, pursuing graduate studies and a career in mathematics, business, and education.
He also enjoys hiking, skiing in Canmore, playing tennis, and playing GeoGuesser, a game where you guess a location on Google Maps based on a few images. If you are ever lost in the woods, send a picture to Howe and he can probably find you!
Howe lives by the motto “It never gets easier; you just go faster,” which is a quote by legendary American cyclist Greg LeMond.
LeMond’s quote captures the idea that a beginner exerts just as much effort as an elite athlete with years of experience and many wins under their belt.
Since day one, Howe has put his best foot forward in training and continues to do so today. His effort has paid off, but that doesn’t mean he trains with less intensity.
Like the blade of a speed skate, Howe sharpens his skills whenever possible to perform his best. The results speak for themselves.
Howe has started training for the ISU World Cup Speed Skating on November 22 in Nagano, Japan. This year, he plans to focus on the 1,500m, 1,000m, and Team Pursuit events.
Afterward, Howe has his sights set on dominating the 2026 Winter Olympics. He is already a fraction of a second away from the national record. Do you think he will break the record at the 2026 Winter Olympics?
