Running News Daily

The streets of Ottawa were cold, soaked and unforgiving on Sunday morning, but none of it could slow down Elissa Legault’s determined march toward one of the finest performances of her career.

Battling relentless rain and difficult racing conditions at the Ottawa Marathon, Legault emerged as the top Canadian finisher after producing a superb 2:29:13 performance — a time that left her just eight seconds shy of her personal best.

In weather that tested both physical strength and mental resilience, Legault showed remarkable composure from start to finish. While many athletes struggled against the cold temperatures and wet roads, the Canadian standout maintained her rhythm with impressive consistency, turning the challenging conditions into a stage for one of the most courageous runs of the day.

Her performance carried extra significance not only because of the result, but because of the manner in which it was achieved. Running near personal-best pace under ideal weather is difficult enough. Doing it in rain-soaked conditions against biting cold elevates the achievement to another level entirely.

Legault’s effort quickly became one of the defining stories of the marathon as spectators watched her power through the final kilometres with unwavering determination. Finishing as the leading Canadian on home soil added even greater meaning to an already memorable day for the talented distance runner.

The 2:29:13 clocking further confirms Legault’s growing status among Canada’s strongest marathon performers. With form like this — and considering how close she came to her lifetime best despite the difficult conditions — there is every reason to believe even faster times could be ahead in future races.

Sunday’s race was more than just another marathon finish. It was a statement of resilience, toughness and rising ambition from an athlete continuing to build momentum on the international stage.

The third-fastest marathoner in history, Ethiopia’s Amane Beriso, claimed her first world title on Saturday morning in Budapest at the 2023 World Athletics Championships. Beriso broke away from the field in the final 10K to win in 2:24:23 on a warm morning in the Hungarian capital.

The race started as a tactical affair, with nearly 20 women passing the halfway point on a 2:29 marathon pace in 1:14:30. As the final lap of four began, Ethiopia had four women in the lead group of seven athletes until Tsehay Gemechu dropped out as Beriso started to surge. It seemed like there would be an Ethiopian podium sweep with three kilometres to go, but 10K world record holder Yalemzerf Yehualaw faded from third to fifth, losing nearly two minutes to her competition in the final kilometers.

Morocco’s Fatima Gardadi took advantage of Yehualaw’s faltering, having the race of her life to win bronze in 2:25:17, behind 2022 world champion Gotytom Gebreslase, who won silver in 2:24:34.

Beriso has had quite a track record in her last three marathons. Last December, Beriso pulled off an upset over her compatriot Letesenbet Gidey at the 2022 Valencia Marathon to win and become the third-fastest woman in history in 2:14:58. Beriso was also the runner-up at the 2023 Boston Marathon, finishing behind Kenya’s Hellen Obiri.

Wodak: “I ran as hard as I could.”

Vancouver’s Natasha Wodak was in the mix with the lead group in Budapest as she started her third lap but started to feel nauseous and fell back to the chase pack at 27km. She finished 15th overall in 2:30:09. “I ran as hard as I could,” Wodak told Canadian Running post-race. “It was tough, and I am a little disappointed.”

Wodak, 41, said her goal was to finish inside the top 10, and even though she positioned herself to achieve that, she admitted she didn’t have the legs in the final 10K. “To be 15th in the world is still a good day,” said Wodak.

Toronto’s Sasha Gollish made her return to the marathon at the world championships and savoured every minute of it. In 2019, she experienced heartbreak after failing to finish the marathon at the World Athletics Championships on a hot morning in Doha, Qatar. Today, Gollish achieved redemption, finishing 61st overall in 2:45:09 and bringing her energy for every second.

“I hope my journey inspires everyone who has not run a marathon to go out and test themselves,” said Gollish to Canadian Running. “Cause anything is possible.”

Gollish received an invitation to represent Team Canada in this marathon only a month ago after Canada’s Kinsey Middleton and Elissa Legault withdrew due to injury. Gollish was the third Canadian finisher at the 2022 TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon, where she ran a personal best of 2:31:40.

For full results from the women’s marathon at the 2023 World Athletics Championships, check here. The men’s marathon will take place tomorrow morning in Budapest at 7 a.m. C.E.T. and 1 a.m. E.T. Ben Preisner, Justin Kent and Rory Linkletter will represent Team Canada in the event.

It was the perfect race and the perfect day for Kinsey Middleton at the 2022 Ottawa Marathon. She became the first Canadian woman to win the race since Lioudmila Kortchaguina in 2007, in a personal best time of 2:30:08.

Middleton, 29, who lives and trains south of the border in Idaho, sat in sixth place at the halfway mark in 1:14:19 but stuck to her pace and moved up as a few runners dropped from the front pack. At 30K, she discovered she was leading the race when the lead vehicle pulled in front of her. Middleton’s pace slowed a bit over the final 5K but she managed to hold on for the win. 

This was a day beyond my wildest dreams,” Middleton says. “I was shooting for a top-five finish but to end up with a personal best and the win, I couldn’t be more thrilled.”

Lee Wesselius, who was fifth in the Canadian 10K championships yesterday, paced Middleton for the entire race. It was a successful weekend for Middleton, who will now head back to Boise with a race purse of $29,000 for winning the race and being the first Canadian to cross the finish line.

Middleton grew up in the U.S. but her mother is from Canada and her father is American. Middleton is a dual citizen and chose to compete for Canada after graduating from Oregon State University.

Thirteen women from Kenya and Ethiopia, who were on the elite list, were not able to run the marathon due to visa issues required for entering Canada. The list of women includes 2:19 marathoner Tigist Girma and 2019 Paris Marathon champion Gelete Burka from Ethiopia.

Elissa Legault of Montreal was the second woman to finish in a huge personal best time of 2:33:26. Her previous best came at the 2o21 Berlin Marathon where she ran 2:38:13. Legault negative split the final half of the race in 1:16:19 after covering the first half in 1:17:07. Katja Goldring of Flagstaff, Ariz., was the third runner to finish in 2:33:57.