The 2018 Under Armour Eastside 10k is sure to impress any fan of Canadian Road Racing! With so many storylines to choose from within the elite field, it is anyone’s guess who will prevail in both the Men’s & Women’s race.
The defending Men’s Champion, Geoff Martinson, won last year in 29:59 and was also victorious in 2015 (29:32). His challengers include his training partner, Olympian Lucas Bruchet, who is preparing to defend his Canadian Cross Country Championship later this fall and just took 2nd place at the Canadian 5K Championship. Ontario’s Tristan Woodfine is the reigning Canada Running Series Champion and won both the Race Roster Spring Run-Off 8K and the Banque Scotia 21k de Montreal in the spring. Alberta’s Trevor Hofbauer, the current Canadian Marathon Champion & 3rdplace finisher at the Edmonton 10k will also be in the mix for a top spot.
Local Justin Kent can’t be overlooked as he’ll be looking to improve on the runner-up position he’s occupied the last two years. A largely unknown quantity who should also be in the mix is Adam Visokay, a graduate of the University of Virginia and Syracuse University, now living in Seattle.
The women’s race will feature a smaller but very competitive field with two previous Champions returning to reclaim their lost titles. In 2017, Scotland’s Sarah Inglis was a somewhat unexpected winner in 33:44 but had to pull out of this year’s race due to injury. Ontario’s Leslie Sexton always runs well here, placing second last year and winning in 2016 with a time of 33:17. She is also the defending Canada Running Series and Canadian Marathon Champion, titles she’ll be aiming to defend at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon in October. She also just won the Edmonton 10k in the Inaugural event back in July. Another notable returning champion is Olympian Natasha Wodak. She is the event record holder (33:04 in 2015) and is an athlete in-form having just won the Canadian 5K Championship.
Other women expected to be in the mix include Dayna Pidhoresky, winner of the Scotiabank Vancouver Half Marathon earlier in the summer and Alberta’s Olympic steeplechaser Maria Bernard-Galea. She is an intriguing addition to the field as she looks to make her 10K debut.
Bettering Wodak’s 33:04 or Kelly Wiebe’s 29:20 run in 2014 will earn the winners a $500 event record bonus.
In addition to top-5 prize money of $1,500, $1,000, $500, $300 and $200, and Canada Running Series points, the Under Armour Eastside 10K also serves as the penultimate event in the 2018 BC Super Series, and the finale of the Lifestages Lower Mainland Road Race Series.
The 3,000 non-elite runners can take on the Kill the Hill Challenge, with prizes from Fit First and Lady Sport for the quickest in each age group over a 700m uphill section at the mid-point in the race.
The race supports three local charities – the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre, the Greater Vancouver Food Bank, and the PHS Community Services Society. Top fundraisers receive Under Armour running gear.
Action gets underway at 8:30am Saturday morning, with the start/finish on Cordova Street in Vancouver’s Gastown. Complete event information, https://canadarunningseries.com/vancouver-eastside-10k/.
