TORONTO. April 4th. Canadian Olympian Eric Gillis and Speed River TFC teammate Heather Petrick claimed victory in Harry’s Spring Run Off 8k this morning as 3,500 runners burst out from the coldest winter on record to declare Canada Running Series 2015 and the racing season in Toronto officially “Open”. Gillis broke the tape in 24:18 for his second Harry’s win; Petrick in 28:13 to get a “W” in her first-ever road race. It was the 37th edition of the city’s oldest continuously-held road race, the 30th year with Race Director Alan Brookes at the helm, and the 10th anniversary of Harry Rosen Inc. sponsorship. Glorious weather in High Park, great crowds of spectators, plus the $160,000+ that was raised for prostate cancer research at the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation, all added to a buoyant, festive atmosphere.
Gillis moved to the front from the start, with only Matt Loiselle of Athletics Toronto and Toronto Olympic Club’s Berhanu Degefa hanging on. By the time they crested Centre Road Hill at 3k, it was just Gillis and Loiselle; and by 4k, Matt began to slip and a 10m gap opened up.
“It went well for me today. I was pleased. It was my first race since Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon in October,” said Gillis. “I had a little race there at the beginning with Matt Loiselle. It’s nice to see him back fit again. He was pushing the pace and we worked well together for the first 4k, then I was on my own for the second half. I was looking to break 24:00; got close, but that finishing hill is a tough one! It felt good to be out here again. I’m going to run Toronto Yonge Street 10k, then the Ottawa 10k, and work on my speed this Spring.”
Loiselle hung on for a strong 2nd in 24:40, with Degefa 3rd in 25:34.
The women’s race unfolded in similar fashion, with Masters’ 
star Lioudmila Kortchaguina hanging onto the 19 year old Petrick until the Centre Road Hill at 3k did the damage. From there, Petrick cruised around the challenging course for a comfortable victory. No stranger to the Winners’ Circle, the Speed River teenager was 2014 Ontario University Cross Country Champion, and represented Canada at 3,000m in the Pan Am Jr Championships in Medellin, Colombia in 2013.
“I really enjoyed it,” said Petrick. “It was a really nice break from the track. It was a little bit different than just worrying about splits all the time, just kind of running how you feel, getting your rhythm in. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I decided to do the race because I usually run 5000m on the track, and I’ve decided to move up to 10,000m this summer, so this was something a little longer for me. It was a great atmosphere; a really fun experience. I’ll definitely do it again!”
Kortchaguina was 2nd overall and top Masters’ female, some 35 seconds back, with 27 year-old Brittany Moran of Etobicoke another 30 seconds behind.
At the Awards Ceremony, Brookes thanked Larry Rosen, CEO of Harry Rosen Inc, for
“10 Remarkable Years of sponsorship. Your partnership has helped bring a fine old race into the modern era, with great shirts, medals, caps, beanies, re-usable bags, music, fundraising, all the trappings that have turned it into a festival, a celebration of running in Toronto!”
Rosen was presented with a birthday cake and a photo collage of a decade at “Harry’s” that included pictures of Jack Layton and Mark Dailey; and he was serenaded with a rousing rendition of “Happy Birthday, Dear Harry’s”. The $160,000+ raised today for the battle to conquer prostate cancer brought the 10 year total to over $3 million, and was icing on the cake for the celebrations.
Full Results at: http://www.canadarunningseries.com/springrunoff/csroRESULT.htm
The next race in Canada Running Series 2015 is the Toronto Yonge Street 10k on April 19th. Online registration is open until April 12th at www.toronto10k.ca
