Running News Daily

Ethiopians Make Impact at TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon

On a record setting day more than 6,200 runners crossed the line making the 2024 TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon the largest marathon in Canada.

Ethiopian women once again filled the top four places with the first three smashing the course record.

Waganesh Mekasha crossed the line first in a marvellous time of 2:20:44 to claim the $20,000 winners’ purse together with $10,000 for beating the course record. The record of 2:22:16 had been set by Kenya’s MagdalyneMasai in 2019.

A year ago Waganesh had finished one second behind the winner and returned here with victory in mind.

“I had prepared very well and I thought I could get the course record,” she said through a broad grin. ‘I thought I might get 2:21. I didn’t expect 2:20 so I am very happy.”

Second place went to Roza Dereje, who was returning to marathon racing after taking three years off to start a family. The Olympic 4th place finisher in 2021 she has a personal best of 2:18:30 and had been boldly insistent that she wanted a pacemaker to take the leaders out at course record pace. She got her wish.

The four-woman Ethiopian contingent passed half way in 1:10:19 but at 30km there were just three of them left, Waganesh, Roza and Afera Godfay.

“Around 35 -37km is where I made my move,” Waganeshsaid afterwards while waving to a Toronto spectator who hails from her village in Ethiopia. “From there I pushed on and that is where I was able to separate.”

Roza was pleased with her performance and praised her compatriots.

“I praise the Lord first, I am very happy with the run and with the time,” she declared. “I am happy for my kids and my husband. It has been three years (since her last marathon) and I am happy. I came to win but I am very happy with what I got.”

Following Roza home was Afera Godfay to repeat her third place finish from a year ago but this time she was rewarded with a a new personal best of 2:21:50.

The TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon is a World Athletics Elite Label race and doubles as the Canadian Championships. It was Natasha Wodak, a two-time Canadian Olympian and current national record holder at 2:23:12, who claimed the championship gold medal while finishing 5th overall.

After chasing the Olympic standard in 2023 and early 2024 and falling short she was delighted with her first championship in her favoured distance. She drew encouragement from the fact her time of 2:27:54 was her fastest since 2022.

“I am really happy that I was able to win,” she said as her parents and her coach Trent Stellingwerf looked on. “ Ididn’t feel awesome in the second half but I had an amazing pacer who was encouraging me and when I needed to slow down we would slow down and when I felt good we would speed up.

“I didn’t feel that great which is a little frustrating but to still run sub 2:28 when you are not feeling great on a windy day I am happy with that.”

The Canadian championship silver medal went to Leslie Sexton (2:33:15) with the bronze going to Rachel Hannah (2:34:33).

Mulugeta Uma, who is a member of the Ethiopian armed forces, won the men’s race in 2:07:16. He had also come to Toronto hoping to produce a course record (2:05:00). When the pacer dropped out at halfway reached in 63:01 he pushed the pace all the while encouraging those around him to share pacemaking duties.

Eventually Kenya’s Domenic Ngeno took on the role and opened up a ten-second lead which appeared to undo the field. But Mulugeta was unfazed.

“I was running my own pace I saw (Domenic) move ahead but I knew he would come back to us because I was running my own pace,” he revealed later. “It was very hard. It was cold and very windy so it was very difficultrunning. I didn’t get the time but I got the win.”

Ngeno hung on for second place in 2:07:23 a three second improvement over his previous personal best.

“I was thinking I would run ahead of that guy from Ethiopia,” said Ngeno. “I knew he was very strongbecause he has a personal best of 2:05:33. When the group caught me I knew I would be on the podium. I am happy with my second place.”

Third place went to Noah Kipkemboi of Kenya who also recorded a personal best with 2:07:31.

The Canadian men’s title went to Vancouver’s Justin Kent who ran a personal best of 2:12:17. He had run aggressively from the start accompanied by a dedicated pacemaker who took him through half way in 65:13.

"I felt fantastic - until we hit the wind in the last 8k,” he said afterwards. “I felt really, really good, holding back a lot, and then the pace faltered a little bit. I was just zoned in on the pacer. There were two 5km splits there where we were running 15:50, which allowed them to come back a little bit. My legs felt great just the wind was not so fun.”

At one point a chasing pack of Canadians closed the gap paced by his friend and training partner, Ben Preisner. Yet, he was able to hold them off before extending the margin .Second place went to Lee Wesselius in 2:13:52 with Andrew Alexander, who was making his marathon debut, taking the bronze medal in 2:14:13.

“I knew at the first turnaround they were a lot closer than I thought,” Kent continued. “I knew that was potentially going to happen but I knew they were just as sore as I was. I was a little bit worried that they might work together in the wind. That’s a hard stretch to run into the wind that last 8km. I was able to pull away the last couple of kilometres.”

Both Kent and Wodak earned valuable World Athletics points for their Canadian Championships which they hope will earn then places on Canada’s 2025 World Championship team bound for Tokyo.

TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon elite field announced for 2024

We are just 10 days away from Canada’s largest race weekend: the 2024 TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon. Since 2015, this event has also served as the annual Canadian Marathon Championships. This year’s race will feature everything from former champions and national record holders to rising stars looking to make their mark on the 42.2 km distance.

Here’s your cheat sheet for the men’s and women’s elite fields in Toronto.

Canadian men’s field

Andrew Alexander (Toronto): The 25-year-old former NCAA standout won the 2023 Toronto Waterfront Half-Marathon in 62:44. He is coached by Matt Hughes, the Canadian record holder in the men’s 3,000m steeplechase, and former Canadian marathoner Dave Reid. Alexander is aiming for a sub-2:10 finish at his hometown marathon.

Thomas Broatch (Vancouver): The reigning Canadian marathon champion. He was the first Canadian across the line last year in his marathon debut (2:16:25). Four months later, Broatch took another shot at the distance, lowering his personal best by more than four minutes at the 2024 Houston Marathon (2:11:54).

Justin Kent (Surrey, B.C.): This will be Kent’s first time competing at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon. He ran his PB of 2:13:07 at the 2023 Prague Marathon, earning him a spot on Team Canada’s men’s marathon team for the 2023 World Athletics Championships.

Maxime Leboeuf (Gatineau, Que.): Leboeuf finished third at the 2022 Montreal Marathon in 2:24:25. He’s a former graduate of Queen’s University XC program and an avid cross-country skier.

Kieran McDonald (Halifax): McDonald will be making his marathon debut in Toronto. He ran his half-marathon best of 65:45 at the 2024 Houston Half Marathon in January.

Alex Neuffer (Stratford, P.E.I.): Neuffer ran his PB of 2:21:34 at the 2022 Boston Marathon, finishing as one of the top Canadians. He’s a graduate of St. Francis Xavier University’s XC program and a training partner of Kieran McDonald (see above). 

Thomas Nobbs (Vancouver): The 25-year-old will be running his second-career marathon in Toronto. He made his debut in Philadelphia last fall, running 2:19:13. Nobbs finished just off the podium at the 2024 Canadian 10K Championships, in 29:31. He also finished second at the Canadian Half Marathon Championships in Winnipeg in June.

Sergio Ráez Villanueva (Mississauga, Ont.): Ráez Villanueva has competed at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon for the last two years. He set his best of 2:18:04 here in 2022 (his marathon debut). Ráez Villanueva is self-coached and also coaches youth athletes in his hometown of Mississauga.

Tristan Woodfine (Cobden, Ont.): Coached by former Canadian Olympic marathoner Reid Coolsaet. Woodfine won the half marathon here in 2022. He has the fastest time among Canadian men in the field, with a PB of 2:10:39 from Houston earlier this year.

International men’s field

Elvis Cheboi (Kenya): Cheboi ran his personal best of 2:09:20 to win the 2023 Toronto Waterfront Marathon. (Reigning champion)

Mulugeta Uma (Ethiopia): Uma ran 2:05:33 to win the 2024 Paris Marathon in April. He has the fastest personal best in the men’s field.

Abdi Fufa (Ethiopia): Fufa finished just off the podium at the 2024 Dubai Marathon in January (2:06:23). He ran his PB of 2:05:57 at the Siena Marathon in 2021 (where he was second). The 29-year-old is looking for his first marathon win.

Hailu Zewdu (Ethiopia): The 29-year-old ran his PB of 2:06:31 at the Dubai Marathon in 2020. He has not broken 2:09:00 in his six marathons since.

Gizealew Ayana (Ethiopia): Ayana is the youngest elite athlete in the field–he’s only 21. He ran his PB of 2:07:15 to win the 2023 Paris Marathon in his debut at the distance.

Domenic Ngeno (Kenya): The 26-year-old is the fastest Kenyan marathoner in the Toronto field. He won the 2024 L.A. Marathon in March in 2:11:01. Ngeno’s PB of 2:07:26 was from a podium finish at the 2023 Eindhoven Marathon in the Netherlands.

Noah Kipkemboi (Kenya): A veteran of the marathon distance. The 31-year-old has competed at more than 10 marathons in his career. He podiumed at the Enschede Marathon earlier this year, with a time of 2:09:06. 

Brian Kipsang (Kenya): Kipsang arrives in Toronto fresh off a personal best at the 2024 Milan Marathon in March, where he placed second in 2:07:56. The 30-year-old has finished in the top five at three of his last four races. 

Abe Gashahun (Ethiopia): Gashahun has the fastest half-marathon personal best in the field of 59:46. He’s had success at shorter distances and cross country, but it hasn’t yet translated to the marathon. The 26-year-old ran 2:08:51 earlier this year in Saudi Arabia.

Sydney Gidabuday (U.S.A.): Former member of Adidas Tinman Elite Track Club in Colorado. Gidabuday made his marathon debut on Canadian soil at the 2023 Ottawa Marathon, where he finished ninth. His PB of 2:14:34 was run at the hilly NYC Marathon in 2023.

Yusuf Nadir (U.S.A.): Personal best of 2:15:27 from the 2023 Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, Minn. He finished 25th at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in February.

Aidan Reed (U.S.A.): Also made his marathon debut at the 2023 Ottawa Marathon–2:20:23. Reed ran collegiately at Southern Utah University, following in the footsteps of Canadian marathon record holder Cam Levins.

Canadian women’s field

Kate Bazeley (St. John’s, N.L.): The 40-year-old ran her PB of 2:36:35 in Toronto in 2019. Earlier this year, Bazeley represented Team Canada at the World XC Championships in Belgrade, Serbia.

Anne-Marie Comeau (Saint-Ferréol-les-Neiges, Que.): The 2018 Canadian (winter) Olympian ran her marathon best of 2:34:51 in Toronto last year, crossing the line as the second Canadian woman.

Asia Dwyer (Toronto): Dwyer ran her personal best of 2:42:45 at the 2023 Toronto Waterfront Marathon last fall. She told Canadian Running in an interview for the November/December 2024 issue of the print magazine that she is looking to smash her previous best.

Rachel Hannah (Port Elgin, Ont.): Hannah was the top Canadian finisher at the 2024 Ottawa Marathon in May. She won a bronze medal for Canada at the 2015 Pan-American Games in Toronto. She ran her personal best of 2:32:09 was at the 2016 Houston Marathon.

Liza Howard (Toronto): Howard told Canadian Running in an interview that her goal is to reach the podium and run a personal best. Howard ran her current personal best of 2:35:29 at the 2022 Chicago Marathon. She has unofficially broken the Canadian women’s 50K record, twice, in her marathon build for this race.

Erin Mawhinney (Hamilton): The 28-year-old runner will be making her marathon debut in Toronto. She is coached by two-time Canadian Olympian Reid Coolsaet. She broke the tape at the Toronto Waterfront Half Marathon last year, running a PB of 1:13:50.

Melissa Paauwe (Calgary). Paauwe is carrying the pride of Calgary into Toronto. She ran her PB of 2:41:12 at the 2023 Chicago marathon, and finished as the top Canadian.

Leslie Sexton (Markham, Ont.): Sexton returns to Toronto to run her hometown marathon. She said she will be trying to qualify for Worlds in Tokyo next year. She set her PB of 2:28:14 at the 2024 Houston Marathon this year, but missed the Olympic standard by two minutes.

Natasha Wodak: (Vancouver) started her marathon career here in 2013 but has not returned until this year; has never won the championship. Her PB of 2:23:12 from the 2022 Berlin Marathon stands as the current Canadian record.

International women’s field

Waganesh Mekasha (Ethiopia): Has a personal best of 2:22:45  from the 2019 Dubai Marathon. The 32-year-old Ethiopian won the 2023 Ottawa Marathon and finished second in Toronto last fall, with a time of 2:23:12.

Afera Godfay (Ethiopia): Godfay finished third behind compatriots Buze Diriba and Mekasha (see above) last year. She has a personal best of 2:22:41 and has finished in the top five in four of her last five marathons.

Roza Dejere (Ethiopia): The 27-year-old Ethiopian has the fastest personal best in the women’s field (2:18:30). She finished fourth in the women’s marathon at the Tokyo Olympic Games. She comes to Toronto as a threat to the course record of 2:22:16, which was set in 2019.

Meseret Gebre (Ethiopia): Gebre hasn’t raced since Toronto last fall, where she finished seventh in 2:29:54. She set her PB of 2:23:11 to win the Barcelona Marathon in 2022.

Valentina Matieko (Kenya): One of two Kenyan women in the international elite field. Matieko comes to Toronto fresh off a personal best earlier this year at the Paris Marathon in April (2:24:21).

Lydia Simiyu (Kenya): Simiyu ran her PB of 2:25:10 earlier this year at the Rome Marathon. She served a six-month doping suspension in 2022 after she tested positive for chlorthalidone after the Poznan Half Marathon in Poland.

Rediet Daniel (Ethiopia): Two top-five finishes in her three professional marathon starts. The 24-year-old Ethiopian ran her personal best of  2:26:25 at the 2024 Doha Marathon in February.

The TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon, to be held on Oct. 20, is Canada’s premier running event and the grand finale of the Canada Running Series (CRS). Since 2017, the race has also served as the Athletics Canada marathon championship and Olympic trials.

Canadian International Justin Kent To Race TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon

While the international field for the 2024 TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon has rarely been stronger the number of elite Canadian entries continues to grow.

Justin Kent, who represented Canada at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, has now added his name to the medal contenders for this Canadian 

Championships which are run concurrently within this World Athletics Elite Label race.

Kent says he has prepared well and is looking to beat his personal best time of 2:13:07, recorded while finishing 10th in the 2023 Prague Marathon. That race led to his call-up for a place on Canada’s 2023 World Championships team with his long-time training partner, Ben Preisner (2:08:58 personal best).

“Budapest was definitely a memorable experience,” Kent remembers, “Having my team-mate Ben there, and we ran kind of side by side which was really cool. It was pretty special. You get to wear that Canadian singlet longer than in any other event.  It was awesome.

“It was hot so Ben and I had pretty strict orders to run conservatively the first half then swallow up as many bodies as we could in the second half. I still have this sensation of us - it felt like we just hopped into the race that last ten kilometres as we were going by guys that were just zombies because they were so depleted. We were like 80th at halfway and we ended up 27th (Preisner) and 29th.”

he will be in Toronto alongside his friend as he has offered pacemaking duties.

The pair will no doubt bring that commonsense approach to the race taking the weather conditions into account. During this buildup Kent has been encouraged by the fact both coach Richard Lee and Preisner have seen workouts that indicate Kent is more than capable of running around 2:10.

Only nine Canadians have gone under 2:11 and just four have beaten the 2:10 barrier.

“I don’t necessarily want to get ahead of myself. I have definitely learned the hard way of being too ambitious,” Kent says. But I know, definitely, I am the fittest I have ever been. It depends on the weather and the pacing.

“There is a pace group (going for) 2:10 I’d like to be maybe a little bit quicker the first half and see what I can do that would set me up well to run in the 2:10’s. That’s easier said than done.”

Kent will also be accompanied in Toronto by his wife of two years, 800m runner Lindsey Butterworth, who represented Canada at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, and their four-month-old daughter, Willa.

With a family to support Kent continues to do coaching work with Mile2Marathon which he views as a chance to connect to the running community. His main source of income, however, is working as a marketing specialist for a Vancouver-based startup company called Stoko, which manufactures supportive apparel used to overcome injuries.

“I am in the office four days a week. They are flexible with my hours to get my training in or sneak out early to get my training in,” he explains. “I have been with the company for just coming up to a year.”

Meanwhile Butterworth is on maternity leave from her job as a community health specialist for Fraser Health Authority. She is back running and will, in fact, compete in the Toronto Waterfront 5km.

As for his objectives with this year’s Toronto Waterfront Marathon, Kent recognizes that a national championship offers bonus World Athletics points used in the qualification for next year’s World Championships in Tokyo. The automatic qualifying standard in the men’s marathon has been lowered to 2:06:30

“Definitely I think with the new standard of 2:06:30  a lot of guys are going to be trying to get bonus points at races,” he concedes. “I think that is more my aim this whole build is to win a national championship. I think the (fast) time will come with that.

“I haven’t thought too much beyond October 20th. I know if I can run well it would give me a great opportunity to make the team next year. But the main goal is still to come away with a national title or at least contend for one.”

Ethiopia dominates women’s marathon on Saturday morning in Budapest at the 2023 World Athletics Championships

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.

Leslie Sexton flies to second straight Vancouver Sun Run crown

A star-studded lineup of runners raced the 2023 Vancouver Sun Run on Sunday, producing a pair of exciting 10K races won by John Gay and Leslie Sexton. Gay won the men’s race in a tight battle with 2019 Sun Run champion Justin Kent, crossing the line in 29:40. Sexton successfully defended her title from 2022, winning in 32:22. The race was a massive success, as more than 30,000 runners took to the wet and rainy streets of Vancouver to test their limits. 

Two in a row for Sexton 

Sexton won the 2022 Vancouver Sun Run in 32:27, and this year she not only repeated as champion, but also improved on her previous winning time by 15 seconds. As she told the Vancouver Sun after the race, “I tend to run well in the rain. I saw the forecast and I knew this was a strength for me, and I’m just going to roll with it.” 

Sexton ran near identical splits over the two halves of the race, running the first 5 km in 16:12 and the second in 16:10. This even pacing and negative split helped her catch Olympic marathoner Malindi Elmore, who got out to a hot start, passing through the 5 km checkpoint in 16:04. Over the closing 5 km, Sexton didn’t panic or force things as she attempted to draw Elmore back in, instead sticking to a regular pace and trusting in her fitness. 

“Last year, I went out too fast,” Sexton told the Sun. “The course really chewed me up over the second half [in 2022] and, this year, I just let the top three go and they gapped me a bit. I just worked my way past people as it went on.” By 7 km, Sexton had caught Elmore, and she made her passing move on a slight uphill around a kilometre later. 

Sexton continued to pull away in the final couple of kilometres, ultimately crossing the line in 32:22, 13 seconds in front of Elmore. Cleo Boyd rounded out the podium with a final time of 32:55. 

Ethiopian Andualem Shiferaw breaks course record to win the Ottawa Marathon

On a sunny Sunday morning in the nation’s capital, Andualem Shiferaw of Ethiopia ran a new course record time of 2:06:03 to win the 2022 Ottawa Marathon. Shiferaw smashed the previous record held by Ethiopia’s Yemane Tsegay of 2:06:54.

Shiferaw, who had the fastest personal best heading into the race of 2:05:52, went out with the lead group of six runners. The group went through half in 1:03:53, which faired to be a bit slow for the 30-year-old Ethiopian. At the 25K mark, Shiferaw put on a surge and developed a bit of a gap on the field.

Once he hit the 30 km mark, race organizers knew they would be witnessing a course record performance from Shiferaw. Once he crossed the finish line, Shiferaw did not stop running– doing a victory lap and high-fiving patrons who were on hand to witness his performance. Abdi Ali Gelchu of Bahrain was the second runner to finish in 2:09:23, while Yuta Shimoda from Japan was third in 2:09:49.

Shiferaw earned himself $24,000 for winning the race and an additional $10,000 for breaking the course record. His win in Ottawa was his fifth win in his last seven marathons. Shiferaw sported the 2021 Nike pro kit for the marathon, despite being dropped for 2022.

Justin Kent of Vancouver was the first Canadian to finish in a new personal best time of 2:13:33. Kent shook almost four minutes off his previous best of 2:17:22 from the Marathon Project, which he ran in 2020. “I am over the moon about my performance,” Kent says. “I haven’t even come to terms with what I have accomplished yet.”

“Being the first Canadian was the big goal,” Kent says. “I owe my training partner (Ben Preisner) a few beverages for helping me out on the course.” Preisner paced Kent through 30K in an hour and 35 minutes.

“I got a taste of Ottawa Race Weekend in 2019 when I competed in the 10K championships,” Kent says. “I knew I had to return to experience the atmosphere for the marathon.”

Kent mentioned he will be taking a down week before ramping up again with his coach Richard Lee for a few summer and fall races.

BMO Vancouver Marathon delayed by ‘suspicious device’ on course

Vancouver’s 50th BMO Marathon got off to a rocky start Sunday morning when the event was delayed due to a suspicious device found along the course near Science World. CTV News reports that Vancouver police feel “the device was ‘strategically placed’ to disrupt the BMO Vancouver Marathon Sunday morning, but has been ‘rendered inert.'” Due to the incident, the race started an hour behind schedule.

Police think the device, which was spotted just after 5 a.m. by a volunteer, was planted to cause panic and disrupt the event. 

Thankfully, it was a false alarm and the 18,500 runners were able to race safely. 

In elite results, Chris Balestrini took the win for the men in 2:23:56. On the women’s side, 2020 Olympian Dayna Pidhoresky won in a new course record of 2:34:30, surpassing Kim Doerksen’s 2:37:00 from 2014. Also under the former record was 2016 Olympian Lanni Marchant, who was second in 2:36:42. Post-race, Pidhoresky said, “It was a bit of a rollercoaster, mentally. Lanni and I were together for most of the first half of the race. She’s a tough competitor, so in no way did I ever think that I had it in the bag. I was working hard the whole time.”

Of his win, Balestrini mentioned the incredible views: “It’s so scenic and so fun. Going along the seawall is just amazing.”

In the half-marathon, Justin Kent and Olympian Ben Preisner crossed the finish line together in 1:04:54. Preisner, who was the top Canadian performer in the men’s marathon in Tokyo, has run consistently well since his first Games.

Post-race, Kent said he’s thrilled to see the running community back together: “It’s always a top-notch event. I heard that there are 3,000 volunteers–it’s amazing–we are super appreciative just to be here.”

In the women’s race, 2:28 marathoner Leslie Sexton continued her winning streak, taking the title in 1:14:56. Sexton, who has currently run the fastest marathon time within the qualifying period, has her eye on the World Championships marathon this summer. Olympian Natasha Wodak was also entered in the half on Sunday, but this time in the role of pacer. She helped her friend Julie Pelly to a personal best of 1:30.

Rock N Roll DC Recap

More than 12,000 registered participants took to the streets of the Nation’s Capital on Saturday celebrating the 10th running of the United Airlines Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series Washington D.C.

The musically-themed event provided runners and walkers alike with an unforgettable running tour of the District showcasing some of its most iconic scenery, including the National Mall, the White House, the Capitol Building, the Lincoln Memorial, and much more before passing down an electric finish at RFK Stadium all during peak cherry blossom season.

The second event in the Rock ‘n’ Roll Elite™ half marathon series took part at Rock ‘n’ Roll Washington, D.C., it was Justin Kent (Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada) and Hirut Guangul (New York, N.Y.) claiming victories.

The winners

The Rock ‘n’ Roll Elite half marathon series offered a shared $10,000 elite prize purse and Elite Beat Rankings (EBR) points to the top three male and female finishers including in his second straight victory, Justin Kent of Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada took top honors in the men’s race, earning 50 EBR points with a finishing time of 1:03:56 and cementing his #1 ranking, with 100 total points in the new series. Collecting 44 EBR points was Benjamin Preisner of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada with a finishing time of 1:05:01, and John Borjesson of Boulder, Colo. followed in third place finishing at 1:05:49 and scoring 39 points. Hirut Guangul of New York, N.Y. took the top spot in the women’s race earning 50 points with a finishing time of 1:14:01. Emiline Delanis of Cary, N.C. followed Guangul in second for the women’s division with a finishing time of 1:14:24, earning 44 points, while Jane Bareikis of Crestwood, Ill. rounded out the podium with a time of 1:14:31, earning 39 points. The new Rock ‘n’ Roll Elite half marathon competition offers world-class runners the opportunity to showcase their talents in eight cities in North America, culminating with a grand finale at the 2023 edition of Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series Las Vegas.

Several local bands, including Enviro Drum, Ocho de Bastos, Prettier in Person, BATALIA, and School of Rock performed live on band stages along the route interspersed with crowd support. The party wasn’t only on the course – runners were treated to the sounds of local favorite White Ford Bronco whose lead singer, Gretchen Gustafson ran the half marathon just before taking the stage at the Finish Line Festival at the Armory Mall just outside RFK Stadium.

Canadian 20,000m record holder Justin Kent is set to make his debut in the marathon on Sunday at The Marathon Project

Justin Kent is set to make his debut in the marathon on Sunday at The Marathon Project in Chandler, Ariz. Kent, who also works as a coach with Mile2Marathon, is no stranger to road racing, having won the virtual Canadian 10K Championships in July (he ran 28:52) and having run an unofficial half-marathon PB of 1:02:34 in October. The marathon is a completely different beast, though, and Kent says he knows there’s a steep learning curve when it comes to running 42.2K well.

Below is his favorite type of workout from his marathon build, and while he admits it “isn’t the most glamorous” of sessions, he says it is an important one that all prospective marathoners should include in their training schedules. 

Kent says he respects the distance and his fellow athletes too much to try to forecast what time he will run on Sunday. “Obviously I want to run really fast, but if I made some crazy prediction saying I would go and run a certain time, I think it’d be a disservice to people who have run those times in the past.” He has put in the work, though, giving himself the best chance to run a great time. One of his favourite workouts in this build to The Marathon Project has been the progression run. 

“I’ve grown to love the long, sustained efforts,” Kent says. “A few years back when I was training for the 1,500m, I always enjoyed the long run, and over the years, it’s become even more enjoyable.” He recently completed a 38K progression run that featured “a pretty solid chunk at marathon pace.” These runs are so important and effective, he says, because they help “your body get used to the effort that you need to maintain that marathon goal pace.” 

Kent says he believes that the experience he has gained from these long efforts will help him at The Marathon Project. He adds that he has already seen the benefits of his progression runs in a race setting when he ran the national 20,000m record of 1:01:01 in November. “These kinds of workouts aren’t as exciting to talk about as big runs on the track,” he says, “but the sessions that aren’t as glamorous are the best bang for your buck.”

If you’re planning on running a marathon, adding some progression runs to your schedule could really help you out. Kent says to warm up as you would for a track session with drills to get your body ready for the effort. Then, start your run with 5K to 8K of easy running. “Just go through the motions,” Kent says. “It’s just normal running for a while, and then you start picking it up. The key is to not hammer it right off the bat.” 

After your warmup, your run can vary in distance. No matter how far you’re planning to run, you should reach marathon pace at some point. For example, if you warm up with an easy 8K, you can spend the next 8K slowly building. After that, close with 8K at marathon pace. By the time you reach the marathon pace section, you will probably already be at least a little tired, which is why this type of workout can be so effective.

There’s no chance that you won’t feel tired in your marathon, and getting used to running while tired will only help you on race day.

Try it out yourself, and play with the distances. Progression runs can also be used in training for other distances. The key is to reach race pace and maintain it for a solid period of time. 

5 reasons why The Marathon Project will be the race of the year

With just over 100 of the top athletes in North America (and several athletes representing other nations) prepared to race on Sunday on a flat and fast course in Chandler, Ariz., The Marathon Project has the potential to be the best race of 2020. Records could be broken, Canadians could hit Olympic standard and drama could unfold, all of which makes the event mandatory viewing for all fans of the sport. There are many reasons why The Marathon Project could be a top event, but here are just a few if you needed any more convincing.

It’s one of the only races of the year

The Marathon Project could be one of the best races of the year because, well, it’s one of the only races of the year. So far this year, the biggest races we’ve seen have been the U.S. Marathon Trials in February, the Tokyo Marathon in March, the London Marathon in October and the Valencia Marathon in December. Based on its stacked lineup, The Marathon Project will likely join this list as one of the top events of 2020, and if the contenders are firing on all cylinders on Sunday, it could beat out those other events as the top race of this strange year.

Canadians are racing

Six Canadians are set to race in Arizona on Sunday, and we can’t wait to see any of them run. On the men’s side, Cam Levins will look to better his Canadian marathon record of 2:09:25, and he’ll be joined by Rory Linkletter, who has a marathon PB of 2:16:42, and Ben Preisner and Justin Kent, who will be running their debut marathons. (Preisner ran a solo marathon earlier this year, but this will be his first official race over 42.2K.) While Levins is the only one to have ever run under the Olympic qualifying standard of 2:11:30 (although he has yet to do it in the current qualifying window for Tokyo 2021), they’re all certainly capable of hitting this time, and it will be exciting to see how they fare on Sunday.

Natasha Wodak and Kinsey Middleton will represent Canada in the women’s race, and like the runners on the men’s team, they’re both threats to beat the Olympic standard, which is 2:29:30 for women. Wodak has run one marathon before, but that was all the way back in 2013. She ran a 2:35:16 back then, and now, seven years later, she’ll be looking to take a significant chunk off that result. Middleton won the Canadian Marathon Championships in 2018, when she ran her PB of 2:32:09. Two years removed from that result, she’s likely hungry to run even quicker in Arizona.

Records could fall

Sara Hall is the top-seeded runner in the women’s field, and she’s coming off a spectacular PB at the London Marathon, where she ran 2:22:01. If she has a good run, she could be in the hunt for the American record of 2:19:36, which belongs to Deena Kastor. On the men’s side, Levins could challenge his own Canadian record, which he set at the 2018 STWM.

It’s a chance to race

Not being able to race in 2020 has been hard on all runners, but for these elites, this is how they pay their bills. Racing brings prize money and sponsorships, and with so few chances to race this year, it has been extremely tough on these athletes. The Marathon Project is giving runners the opportunity to earn some cash, which is a great gift in time for the winter holidays.

Olympic spots are up for grabs

The Olympic qualifying window was closed for runners throughout the summer, and even if it had been open, there were next to no chances for athletes to run standard at official races. The American Olympic marathon team was decided at the trials in February, but for athletes from other countries, this presents an opportunity to potentially book their tickets to Tokyo next summer. With so much at stake, there will definitely be some thrilling racing on Sunday.

Canadian Justin Kent and Natasha Wodak continue stellar seasons ahead of December marathon

Despite having limited opportunities to race this year, Justin Kent and Natasha Wodak have had great seasons. The pair of B.C. runners have both run half-marathon PBs in 2020, they took the wins in the virtual Canadian 10K Championships in July and they’re both headed to Arizona in December to compete in the Marathon Project with some of the top marathoners in North America.

Over the weekend, they added another couple of big results to their lists of accomplishments for 2020, with Kent breaking the Canadian 20,000m track record in 1:01:01 on Saturday and Wodak coming close to the national half-marathon record with a 1:10:01 showing at the Fierce Half Marathon in B.C. on Sunday. 

Kent’s 20,000m record 

Kent’s 20,000m best is his first Canadian record. Tom Howard was the previous record-holder in the 20,000m with a time of 1:01:10, which he set in 1974. Kent’s result works out to an average pace of 3:03 per kilometre, and while this was on the track and not the road, the result is proof that he’s in tremendous form with just over a month to go until the Marathon Project, which is set for December 20. The race will be his debut marathon, and he’ll undoubtedly be chasing the Olympic standard of 2:11:30. 

Kent was supposed to run for Team Canada at the World Athletics Half Marathon Championships in Poland in October, but Athletics Canada pulled out of the race just days before it was held due to health and safety concerns. In lieu of the world championships race, he ran a solo half-marathon and set his PB of 62:34. With that result and his shiny new Canadian record, Kent will be a runner to watch at the Marathon Project and beyond in 2021. ⁣⁣

Wodak’s near miss 

Earlier in 2020, Wodak became the first Canadian woman to run sub-1:10 in the half-marathon when she ran a 1:09:41 at the Houston Half Marathon in January to set the national record in the event. She only got to enjoy the record for two weeks, though, because in February, Andrea Seccafien ran 1:09:38 at a race in Japan, which is the current Canadian best. Wodak, who owns the 10,000m national record with a time of 31:41.59, was looking to lower the half-marathon bar once again at the Fierce Half Marathon on Sunday, but she came up just short. Still, her 1:10:01 is the third-fastest time in Canadian history, and if she had run it in any other year, it would have been the national record.

Even though she couldn’t beat Seccafien’s time on Sunday, this result is a good sign for Wodak, and it looks like she is in great form just six weeks out from the Marathon Project. Unlike Kent, Wodak has run a marathon before, but just once — seven years ago when she posted a 2:35:16 at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon in 2013. This is basically her Debut 2.0 at the distance, and based on her last few years of results, it would be safe to bet that she will smash her marathon PB. Wodak will have her eye on the Olympic standard of 2:29:30 in Arizona, and she’ll have dozens of the best road runners in North America to work with as she chases that time. 

Athletics Canada team withdraws from the World Half-Marathon Championships

On Wednesday morning, Athletics Canada made the decision to withdraw its team from the upcoming World Half-Marathon Championships set to take place this weekend in Gdynia, Poland.

With 24 hours until their flight, athletes were notified that the team would no longer be participating. On the women’s side, Rachel Cliff was the lone Canadian representative and on the men’s side Canada was sending Trevor Hofbauer, Justin Kent, Ben Preisner, Thomas Toth and Phil Parrot-Migas. 

This event was postponed in March due to COVID-19, but is now set to go on Saturday. Several other countries, including the U.S. and Japan, pulled out of the championship in September, citing safety reasons. 

“This was a very difficult decision, but we think it is in the best interests of the athletes and the team staff,” Simon Nathan, Athletics Canada’s high-performance director, said in a press release. “We know that this is disappointing news, but we have made this decision with our team’s health and safety at heart.”

While Athletics Canada officials were confident that WA was doing everything possible to protect participants, they felt there were too many risks that nobody could be expected to control.

“When we considered the risks associated with flying and transfers within airports, with the athletes being in publicly-accessed common areas like hotel lobbies and common dining areas, and the unknown of individuals’ compliance to safe protocols, we felt it was prudent not to expose our team to those risks,” said Dr. Paddy McCluskey, Athletics Canada’s Chief Medical Officer.

World Athletics announces new Road World Championships

WA announces 5K to be included in 2023 world half-marathon championships, rebrands it Road Running World Championships

On Tuesday morning, World Athletics announced a new event coming in 2023 – the Road Running World Championships. This new championship will be part of the existing World Athletics Half-Marathon Championships, but will also feature the world 5K championships as a new event, and could potentially include others (like the road mile) in the future.

“Road running has become an increasingly significant part of our sport over the past 20 years and it deserves greater recognition within our World Athletics Series events,” World Athletics CEO Jon Ridgeon said in a press release.

The 2020 World Half-Marathon Championships are scheduled to run October 17 in Poland. While the U.S. and Japan have pulled out of the race, Canada named their team last week. Rachel Cliff is the lone Canadian representative on the women’s side, and on the men’s side, Canada is sending Trevor Hofbauer, Justin Kent, Ben Preisner, Thomas Toth and Phil Parrot-Migas.

Parrot-Migas was a late addition to the team, but last week he successfully appealed Athletics Canada’s initial decision to leave him off the team, meaning he will be running in Poland in three weeks’ time.

World cross-country to move to even years

WA also announced that as of 2024, their cross-country championship will move to even years to align with the Olympics. This is in anticipation of hopefully transitioning cross-country to an Olympic event once again.

Run with Paula Radcliffe in the fast 10k virtually

The World Athletics Half Marathon Championships are just a couple of weeks away, and race organizers in Gdynia, Poland, have provided one last challenge ahead of the free virtual mass participation race.

The Fast 10k with Paula Radcliffe is the final test of fitness for participants who plan to run the half-marathon, and they can do it (virtually) alongside one of the best marathoners in history, after whom the challenge is named. 

Radcliffe is an Olympian, a British and European record-holder many times over and the former women’s marathon world record-holder. Her marathon best was only recently beaten by Brigid Kosgei, who lowered Radcliffe’s longstanding record of 2:15:25 at the Chicago Marathon in 2019. In a promotional video for the Gdynia event and her virtual challenge, Radcliffe says the “World Half Marathon Championships have a very special place in my heart.

It was my first world title. I won three World Half Marathon Championships and all of them were extremely special to me.” She won the world half-marathon titles in 2000, 2001 and 2003, the same year she set her marathon world record. 

This is the last of the virtual “warmup events” that have been organized for competitors by the Gdynia 2020 team. There was also a one-mile run with World Athletics head Seb Coe and a 5K with British Olympian Eilish McColgan, among other events. It’s easy to participate. Simply head to the event website, download the Gdynia 2020 tracking app and head off on your 10K challenge in preparation for your virtual half-marathon. 

The mass participation race was cancelled and changed to a virtual format for 2020 due to COVID-19, but the elite race is still set to go ahead. The race has a number of big names ready to run, and it should be an exciting one to watch.

Newly-minted 5,000m world record-holder Joshua Cheptegei will be debuting at the distance in Gdynia, and he will be lining up alongside a strong Canadian team that’s made up of Trevor Hofbauer, Justin Kent, Phil Parrot-Migas, Benjamin Preisner and Thomas Toth. The lone woman heading to Poland to represent Canada is former national half and full marathon record-holder Rachel Cliff. 

For anyone interested in participating in either the The Fast 10k with Paula Radcliffe challenge or the virtual half-marathon, it’s not too late to sign up.

Athletics Canada has unveiled its team of four men and one woman for the World Athletics Half Marathon Championships Gdynia 2020

Pan American 10,000m bronze medalist Rachel Cliff, former national record-holder in the marathon (2:26:56), heads to Gdynia with a half marathon PB of 1:10:06, set last December in Japan. She came within a few seconds of that mark in Houston earlier this year with 1:10:13.

“After a spring and summer of race cancellations, I wasn’t sure when I would have this opportunity again,” Cliff said. “Since March, we’ve all had to make massive adaptations to our lives, and I think the World Half Marathon Championships will be a chance to get an understanding of what racing in this ‘new normal’ will look like. Competing on the world stage has never been something I’ve taken for granted, but I will appreciate it all the more this time round.”

Trevor Hofbauer, who has earned early nomination for Canada’s Olympic team in the marathon, has an official half marathon PB of 1:04:30, but recently ran a 1:03:02 time trial. Ben Presiner has the fastest official PB of the field with 1:02:57, set earlier this year. Justin Kent and Thomas Toth are Canada’s other team members.

“This is obviously not your typical World Championships race,” said Athletics Canada head coach Glenroy Gilbert. “Everyone has had to adapt in a season without a lot of competitions. Our runners have put in a lot of miles to get to this race and it will be a good test of their physical and mental preparations. I’m looking forward to seeing how they manage the race and I expect to see some good results.”

Canadian team for Gdynia

Men: Trevor Hofbauer, Justin Kent, Benjamin Preisner, Thomas Toth

Women: Rachel Cliff

Natasha Wodak and Justin Kent win Canadian 10K virtual championships

Natasha Wodak proved that you can run a pretty killer solo effort on Wednesday when she earned her second-consecutive national 10K championship win, only 10 seconds behind her winning time from 2019. She finished her 10K run in 32:41 and took the top women’s spot by nearly a minute with Rachel Cliff finishing second in 33:35. 

The Canadian 10K Championships, which historically took place as part of Ottawa Race Weekend, were moved to a virtual event for 2020. Registered runners had a 12-hour window (from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time) on Wednesday to complete a 10K course of their choosing. Their route had to be an out and back. 

In the men’s race, Justin Kent came out on top with a 28:52, followed by Luc Bruchet who ran a 29:17 just days after a 10, 000m personal best on the track. Dylan Wykes, Elite Athlete Organizer for the Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend is really happy with how the virtual race went. 

“This year has been extraordinary in so many ways that we really wanted an opportunity to engage with Canadian elite runners and give them a chance to compete against one another in some way. Congratulations to all the runners who took part and we cannot wait to see them at the Start Line in Ottawa in 2021.”

If runners didn’t have a chance to run on Wednesday, no worries, there’s still plenty of time to participate in the The Beat the Champ race. This event will run through the month of July and invites runners to try to beat the national 10K champion at their own game.

This open competition asks runners to beat the 2020 winning times (28:52 and 32:41) by running 10 x 1K intervals, and combining individual segments to beat the winning 2020 10K result.

For the first time in 27 years, a local runner has taken the top overall spot in the Vancouver Sun Run

Burnaby runner Justin Kent had the top time in the men’s 10K race, finishing in 29:30, followed by Calgary’s Trevor Hofbauer just a fraction of a second behind.

Natasha Wodak of North Vancouver topped the women’s category with a race time of 32:38. The 2016 Olympian has previously won the women’s category in the 2012 and 2013 Sun Runs.

“It’s beyond words. I’ve dreamed about this. I grew up in Vancouver. It’s always been such an iconic event. I’m speechless,” Kent said at the finish line.

The last local to win the race was Paul Williams in 1992.

“I can’t believe it’s happening. You dream of moments like this, it puts everything in perspective, all the hard work. I can’t thank my family and coach enough,” said Kent.

It’s the first time Kent has ever competed in the Sun Run, saying he is more of a track runner and that the event had previously not lined up with his race schedule.