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Canada’s Trevor Hofbauer To Debut at Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon

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By Paul Gains

Trevor Hofbauer will make his eagerly awaited marathon debut October 22nd at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon which is both an IAAF Gold Label race and the Canadian Championship.

The move up in distance comes less than a year after he moved east to join Guelph, Ontario based Speed River Track Club. The club, under the direction of Dave Scott-Thomas, counts Olympic marathoners Eric Gillis, Reid Coolsaet and Krista DuChene as members.

For fourteen years Calgary had been the 25 year old distance runner’s home. Leaving behind his family and friends not to mention employment as the New Balance Technical Rep for Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, was a dramatic move that he hopes will pay dividends. The sacrifices were many.

“A lot,” he emphasizes. “Calgary is my home. I have a lot of really good lifetime friends. We went to junior high and high school there and spent a lot of time together afterwards. The past ten or fifteen years I have created this unbelievable network out there, just charming individuals I had to leave. One of the toughest to leave was my grandmother, who is getting old. She is like my angel. That was most difficult.”

Hofbauer first attracted attention with his performance at the 2015 Philadelphia Half Marathon where he recorded a good personal best of 1:04:30 the equal tenth fastest ever by a Canadian. A third place finish at the 2016 Canadian Cross Country Championships earned him a spot on Canada’s team for the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Kampala, Uganda. There, he finished 71st in the senior men’s race and was Canada’s top finisher. The half marathon, though, he admits was a turning point.

“64:30 is a cool time but it’s nowhere close to where I think I can go,” he says of the Philadelphia race. “I need to stay consistent and patient and all the stars to align and something faster will happen.

“I am going into the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon with a very open mind because I have never actually raced a full marathon before. To do that it is going to be a very different experience. I have an ‘A’ goal which is a preferred time, then I do have a ‘B’ goal which is for placement in the race. But my ‘C’ goal is to just finish the race and to learn as much as I can. I feel the marathon is where a lot of my potential can be found.”

The success of Speed River’s distance program was the principal attraction when Hofbauer first contacted Scott-Thomas by email. That initial contact was followed by a two hour telephone conversation. Their first face to face meeting, Hofbauer laughs, was a little awkward.

It was during the 2016 Canadian Olympic Trials in Edmonton. Hofbauer was driving down Whyte Street near one of the meet hotels when he spotted the coach walking along the sidewalk.

“I ripped into a McDonald’s parking lot and came jumping out of the car and I was like ‘Dave Scott-Thomas, how’s it going?’ I caught him off guard,” Hofbauer remembers with a laugh. “It was so awkward. I was like ‘Dave I am not a super fanboy I saw you walking on the street and I wanted to introduce myself and wish you luck this week. I don’t even go to McDonald’s for lunch.’ That was my first encounter with him.“

These days Hofbauer has settled into a routine in the ‘Royal City’ with a typical week including as much as 200km of running. Until recently he trained three days a week with Eric Gillis but the three time Olympian has since moved to Antigonish, Nova Scotia to take up a coaching position at St. Francis Xavier University.

Nevertheless, training partners are close at hand. He shares a rental house with fellow Speed River distance runners Evan Esselink (2017 Canadian 10,000m champion), Andrew Nixon and Chris Dulhanty. He admits his lifestyle is quite uneventful in order to best focus on athletics.

“I try to stay way from my smart phone as much as possible,” he declares. “Once or twice a week, Evan and I will go out to the coffee shop. He studies for school and I try to get some work done on my computer whether it’s writing or talking to people through emails. We will go for an afternoon run and then eat dinner. Typically we will watch a movie or play video games in the evening.

“Over the summer it was difficult. I didn’t have much time to myself because I was working 45 hours a week at a golf course. Some days I had to work from 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. so I had to go for a run at 4:00 a.m.”

Now that he is no longer employed he admits he is living off the savings accrued over the past few years. He studied hospitality management at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology for two years earning a diploma in the subject. Maybe a career in that industry will eventually follow. But for now money doesn’t appear to drive him even though he is aware that winning the Canadian Marathon Championship would earn him $5,000.

“I decided to pack my bags and move out to Guelph to join SRTC and really try and give this sport of running a go,” he declares.  “I want to find my maximum potential and see where I could really set the bar. At times you have to make sacrifices. sometimes they are big and sometimes small.”

Come October 22nd running fans across the country will know if the sacrifices have paid off and if Hofbauer can follow in the footsteps of his more famous clubmates.

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For more information and to join Trevor at this year’s race: http://STWM.ca

About the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon:

An IAAF Gold Label race, the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon is Canada’s premier, big-city running event, the Athletics Canada National Marathon Championships, and the Grand Finale of the 7-race Canada Running Series. In 2016 it attracted 26,000 participants from 70 countries, raised $3.24 million for 182 charities through the Scotiabank Charity Challenge, and contributed an estimated $35 million to the local economy. The livestream broadcast was watched by more than 72,000 viewers from 129 countries. http://STWM.ca

Ethiopian excellence to continue at Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon

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By Paul Gains

Sendafa is a small town 40 kilometres north east of the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa. On any given morning, as the sun rises above the nearby hills, large groups of runners gather with their coaches to run the dusty roads and to take advantage of the 2,500m elevation.

Ethiopian runners have had a major impact on the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, over the years, finishing amongst the top places with record breaking performances. All have trained in Sendafa.

Deressa Chimsa set the current men’s course record of 2:07:05 in 2013 while Koren Jelela Yal recorded a Canadian All Comers’ record of 2:22:43 in winning the 2011 women’s edition of this IAAF Gold Label race.

Relationships with the world’s premier athlete management companies have been the reason for these close ties with the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon. The 2017 edition will continue this outstanding tradition on October 22nd.

The defending and two time Toronto champion, Shure Demise, is from the same training group as Chimsa and Jelela but, since she represented Ethiopia at the recent World Championship marathon in London (where she placed 5th) she will unable to make it three in a row. All are managed by Italian group, Demadonna Athletic Promotions.

For the past several years Gianni Demadonna, the owner of DAP, has depended upon noted Ethiopian coach, Gemedu Dedefo to develop a fine group of international middle and long distance runners. Dedefo’s premier 5000m runner, Muktar Edris, beat British superstar Mo Farah to win the recent World Championships.

“My marathon training group is 25 men – marathon runners and some half marathon runners,” Dedefo reveals. “On the women’s side there are 29 marathon runners. They train together with me but, to control them better, men and women train on different days. This is only to follow the athletes better and to give attention to everybody.

“Every time they plan to run a marathon the expectation is high. Our first goal is to win the race, not just to run. Every race is important for us. When we put an athlete in a marathon everybody (in the group) pays attention to his race.”

Other management teams have also sent their best athletes to Toronto. When Koren Jelala Yal set that Canadian All Comers record – which is still standing today – the second-place finisher was Mare Dibaba (2:23:25). She went on to win the 2015 World Championships marathon and earn a bronze medal over the distance at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Dibaba is coached by Haji Adilo an employee of Elite Sports Management International and a former classmate of the great Haile Gebrselassie. Among his enormous group, which numbers well over one hundred, is Amane Gobena, the 2009 Toronto Waterfront Marathon winner.

Each of the major management groups have small buses they use to transport some of the athletes from Addis to Sendafa. The more affluent athletes, those who have earned appearance money and have shoe contracts, drive themselves.  After giving their runners instructions the coaches hop aboard the buses and follow them as they wind their way along the roads and into the hills. They shout encouragement and watch carefully for signs of strength and weakness.

Getaneh Tessema coaches a group of about one hundred athletes and is aligned with the Dutch group Global Sports Communication.

“Some of the athletes come from the place where we are doing our training,” Tessema says. “Some come from different areas just for the training. They rent a house there and sometimes they have to do some labour work to support themselves. If they have other work it is too difficult to join all the workouts. But if I think somebody is strong enough to compete I will ask (Global Sports) to arrange a competition.”

Getaneh Tessema is sending Solomon Deksisa, who ran 2:06:22 at the 2016 Rotterdam Marathon, to Toronto Waterfront this year with high expectations.

Volare Sports another Dutch management company, which represents many of the top Kenyan marathoners, has recently set up a training group in Ethiopia. They have confirmed a young woman who is one of the most exciting prospects to come to Canada.

Hiwot Gebrekidan ran a 2:25:45 Course Record to win Israel’s Tiberius Marathon this past January. Just 22 years old she led the Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon in May by a wide margin up until the final kilometre when she was overtaken. She still managed to hold on to second place. Gebrekidan could be the next Ethiopian star.

Born in Adigrat, Tigray Region in the far north of Ethiopia she moved to Addis Ababa in 2015 to pursue her running career and be coached by national coach Baye Asefa. She rents a home in the capital which she shares with a younger sister.

“During my race in Ottawa I was not healthy and I was not in shape after (winning the Cherry Blossom 10 miles) in the USA,” she says. “I felt pain in my knee and I didn’t do good training because of my knee problem. In Ottawa I went out at 15km to push the pace. When I passed 25km I felt pain in my leg. From Ottawa I learned I have to pass my first half a lot faster than 1 hour 11 minutes and I can pass it same or faster for the second half.”

“I haven’t heard anything about the Toronto marathon but I think it is better than Ottawa because the Toronto marathon course record holder (Koren Jelala) was running with me in Ottawa and she was 8th. Last year she was the Ottawa winner with a time of 2:27. I think she ran 5 minute slower than Toronto (Waterfront) Marathon so I expect Toronto is better than Ottawa.”

Although Gebrekidan’s logic might be a method to boost her self confidence there is no denying her ambition.

“First I want to win the race,” she declares. “I will be satisfied if I break the course record. I will try my best to break the course record.”

It is too early to declare the favourites for victory but one thing is certain, Ethiopian runners will stamp their authority on this race October 22nd. The Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon is firmly planted on the Ethiopian calendar.

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For more information and to enter this year’s race:  www.stwm.ca

About the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon:

An IAAF Gold Label race, the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon is Canada’s premier, big-city running event, the Athletics Canada National Marathon Championships, and the Grand Finale of the 7-race Canada Running Series. In 2016 it attracted 26,000 participants from 70 countries, raised $3.24 million for 182 charities through the Scotiabank Charity Challenge, and contributed an estimated $35 million to the local economy. The livestream broadcast was watched by more than 72,000 viewers from 129 countries. http://STWM.ca

Course Preview – Under Armour Eastside 10k

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This year’s Under Armour Eastside 10k features a brand new course as well as a new start/finish area outside the Woodward’s Development on Cordova St. Check out the course map as well as course preview photos below. The run is now SOLD OUT but we still have some volunteer positions available or just come out to cheer runners on!

Photographer Rob Shaer snapped a couple photos over the weekend to give you a preview of some of the new course – check them out below!

Philemon Rono to Defend Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon Title

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By Paul Gains

A year ago Kenya’s Philemon Rono overcame a world class field, humid conditions – not to mention an incident with a traffic barricade – to capture the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon in a time of 2:08:27.

It was a remarkable achievement and one that was madly celebrated upon his return to Kaptagat in Kenya’s Great Rift Valley.

“There was great joy,” he recalls of being reunited with his training group back at the Global Sports training camp.  “We celebrated together and everybody was happy for me. Laban Korir was happy that the victory came back to Kaptagat.”

Now Rono has announced he will return to Toronto Waterfront to defend his title in this IAAF Gold Label race (October 22nd).

Amongst his training partners, Toronto is spoken of in respectful terms. Korir it will be remembered was the 2014 Toronto champion. It was he who had encouraged Rono to race in Canada’s biggest city after his own success there.

“I started training (for the 2017 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon) in June and my training is going along well,” Rono reveals. “I am just focusing on a great achievement. If the weather is good I will run my personal best. I am very excited to come back as I really enjoyed the race.”

Rono has a personal best of 2:07:07 recorded at the 2014 Hamburg Marathon. A year ago he also ran 2:07:20 in Hamburg while finishing second. The Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront course record remains 2:07:05 by Ethiopia’s Deressa Chimsa (2013) and there is a C$40,000 incentive for beating that time.

During his warm-up last year Rono managed to pull over a barricade that he was using to stretch against, it came down on his forehead and rendered him briefly unconscious. For a few frantic minutes his management consulted by overseas telephone on whether to allow him to run or not. The decision was taken to let him see how he felt during the first couple of kilometres. As we now know, he quickly recovered and was grinning ear to ear following the victory.

Rono is currently back at the Global Sports camp training with some of the world’s greatest runners. His roommate is Brimin Kipruto (2008 Olympic 3,000m Steeplechase champion). But the most famous training partner in the thirty-man group is the reigning Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge, who has had a profound impact on Rono and the others.

Philomen Rono with his training group in Kenya, including Eliud Kipchoge (front left) who ran 2:00:25 in the Nike Breaking2 attempt. Photo credit: Rosemarie Smit/Global Sports Communication

“He taught me to focus on what you want to do and want to achieve and to be disciplined,” Rono explains. Prior to his Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon debut Kipchoge had told Rono he believed he would win Toronto. “I want to be like him.”

“Mostly I stay there in the camp from Tuesday till Saturday full time. On Sunday and Monday I go home. I go home after the speed work on Saturday morning. I am married.”

Each athlete has specific duties and shared responsibilities. Rono, for example, is the camp treasurer and collects money from the others when necessary. When one among them has success somewhere in the world there is normally a celebration. This camaraderie has been responsible for numerous champions.

There is a vegetable patch which is tendered by the runners and they also have acquired some cows. And, they all ensure the camp stays clean which means rolling up their sleeves in various odd jobs – cleaning the outhouse included. A full-time cook prepares a balanced diet when the group is in camp.

The group is coached by the illustrious Patrick Sang, who won an Olympic silver and two World Championship silver medals for Kenya back in the 1990’s. His influence on the group is extraordinary from creating a tight relationship within the group to scripting their individual programs.

“Training starts at 6:00 a.m., Eliud is the one who wakes us every day at 5:45 a.m.,” Rono says. “After training we take breakfast (chai and bread), then we relax until lunch and around 4:00 p.m. we go for a recovery run.”

During the evenings, when there is some time for relaxation the athletes enjoy watching athletics, professional wrestling and soccer on television. Rono is a huge fan of Chelsea Football Club he says. While training for the marathon takes up most of his time he is also a member of the police force and reports for duty during his off season.

In the buildup to Toronto Waterfront he will continue training hard with his teammates. He will test himself with a half marathon race sometime in September and determine where his fitness lies. Earlier this year he ran 2:09:22 in Rotterdam finishing 8th. But there is much more on the line as defending Toronto champion.

Though he is still just 26 he sees himself running for another ten years and has dreams of following Kipchoge’s path.

“My dream is to run a time under 2:04,” Rono declares with confidence.  And once his competitive career comes to an end he has other plans.“I hope to be a coach in the future. But first I will focus on my athletics career.”

With the experience gained from racing and winning Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon a year ago, Philemon Rono will certainly be one to watch when the elite racers line up come October 22nd.

For more information and entry, see STWM.ca

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About the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon:

An IAAF Gold Label race, the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon is Canada’s premier, big-city running event, the Athletics Canada National Marathon Championships, and the Grand Finale of the 7-race Canada Running Series. In 2016 it attracted 26,000 participants from 70 countries, raised $3.24 million for 182 charities through the Scotiabank Charity Challenge, and contributed an estimated $35 million to the local economy. The livestream broadcast was watched by more than 72,000 viewers from 129 countries. http://STWM.ca

Green Turns to Gold at 2017 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon

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Organizers improve on past performance to earn gold level certification from the Council for Responsible Sport for Social and Environmental Initiatives

Eugene, OR—August 8, 2017—The Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon (STWM), held October 16, 2016 and hosted by Canada Running Series, has achieved Gold Level Certification from the Council for Responsible Sport (Council) by improving performance from its first certification effort (silver) in 2015. Organizers earned credit on 45 of the best practice standards offered in the Council’s certification program for social and environmental responsibility at sporting events, up from 38 achieved in 2015. The marathon, which hosted over 25,000 participants in 2016, remains the only certified event in Toronto out of over 150 total certified events worldwide.

Race Director Alan Brookes said “Canada Running Series is passionately committed to ‘building community through running’ – and that means the cities we live in as well as the sport we love. Sustainable communities; green, healthy cities for people, and the organizing of environmentally responsible runs are core values for us. We’re proud of this achievement for our city, and the certification will inspire us to do more.”

Certification is valid for two years. It is achieved by complying with criteria across five categories: planning and communications, procurement, resource management, access and equity and community legacy. Highlights from the event that earned credit towards certification included:

  • Continual improvements to a comprehensive solid waste management plan to strive for high rates of diversion from landfill. Green team members assisted with proper placement of garbage, recycling and compost at each waste station.
  • 135 pairs of lightly used running shoes were collected and redistributed through partner organization Community Education Services (CES) Canada, which provides secondary school education for youth orphaned in Kenya.
  • 740 pounds of food was donated to Second Harvest, a local food bank that distributes the food to those in need.
  • 1,200 local youth in grades 4-8 finished an active lifestyle training program by running in the 5K event weekend free. Canada Running Series covered all transportation costs, t-shirts, bib numbers and a nutritional snack, totaling around $36,000.
  • Canada Running Series staff coordinated a staff outing to clean-up a community park along the marathon route.
  • The Neighbourhood Challenge annually provides an opportunity for neighborhoods along the marathon route to gather and celebrate their communities by providing resources, coordination support and even prize money for categories including most people, most noise, best costumes and best entertainment.
  • Supported locally owned businesses such as Chiovitti Banana and Vert Catering through direct purchases and promotion.
  • The Scotiabank Charity Challenge helps to make runner’s participation meaningful by fundraising for causes important to them. Scotiabank adds an additional total of $33,000 in cash awards to the participating charities who recruit the most runners, fundraise the most dollars and who raise the most on average per fundraiser. The Scotiabank Charity Challenge is a turnkey fundraising program that provides a simple way for runners to support the charity of their choice and make a significant impact locally. Participating charities keep 100 per cent of the proceeds raised, as Scotiabank pays for all transaction and credit card fees.

“The Council for Responsible Sport congratulates Canada Running Series on this most recent accomplishment. It’s a group that has worked hard for many years now to think strategically about what it means to host events that truly support local economies, build community and reduce the environmental impacts of their planning and purchases. That’s the core of the responsible sport movement!” Said the Council’s managing director, Shelley Villalobos.

About the Council for Responsible Sport: 

The Council’s vision is a world where responsibly produced sports events are the norm and its mission is to provide objective, independent verification of the socially and environmentally responsible work event organizers are doing and to actively support event organizers who strive to make a difference in their communities. The current version of the Council’s Certification standards (v.4.2) was developed by an outside working group of both sustainability and sport industry experts, reviewed by a wide range of stakeholders throughout 2013 and implemented in January 2014. www.CouncilforResponsibleSport.org

About the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon:

An IAAF Gold Label race, the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon is Canada’s premier, big-city running event, the Athletics Canada National Marathon Championships, and the Grand Finale of the 7-race Canada Running Series. In 2016 it attracted 26,000 participants from 70 countries, raised $3.24 million for 182 charities through the Scotiabank Charity Challenge, and contributed an estimated $35 million to the local economy. The livestream broadcast was watched by more than 72,000 viewers from 129 countries. http://STWM.ca

 

England’s Top Marathoners to Challenge Canadians at Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon

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By: Paul Gains

Using the 2017 London Marathon as its selection event, England Athletics has chosen six athletes to represent the country at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, October 22nd.

The special relationship between the sports’ governing body and this IAAF Gold Label race has existed for more than a decade.

“It is very important to us,” says Charlotte Fisher, Road Racing Coordinator for the national federation. “We are trying to provide a proper international quality opportunity for our elite road runners and we are trying to link to our own England national championship so there is an incentive there for athletes who perform well at our national championships.

“It is an important stepping stone for our elite athletes of the future. For somebody like Anna Boniface or Tish Jones, it provides them an experience of competing abroad and all that goes with that, the travel, and preparing yourself for a proper championships with a view to hopefully seeing them on England and GB international teams in major championships in the future.”

The fact that Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront is an IAAF Gold Label race is heavily promoted amongst English international athletes. The team are treated as elite athletes and as such are entitled to their own specific fuel positions on the elite tables during the race. They also eat their meals with the large contingent of international stars at the race hotel.

“Some of the athletes that go hone that experience of being on the elite start line, dealing with water stations and the fact that it has that status definitely is a factor,” Fisher continues. “I think just that whole thing with dealing with traveling to the other side of the world and with a view of preparing people for future championships is important.”

Anna Boniface. Photo credit: Marathon Foto.

Named to the team bound for Toronto are Anna Boniface, Tish Jones, Jonathan Poole, Lee Grantham, Ben Johnson and Keith Gerrard. The latter, who represented the Isle of Man at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, is one to keep an eye on. He hasn’t really begun to explore his marathon potential having run the half marathon in 63:39. At present he is preparing for Toronto from his training base in Flagstaff, Arizona.

Tracy Barlow is an example of how the relationship with Toronto has benefited English athletes. Two years ago she ran 2:38:49 in Toronto as part of the England team, a 13-minute personal best. Earlier this year she was picked to represent Great Britain at the 2017 World Championships after improving to 2:30:42 at London Marathon in April.

Boniface, who is fairly new to the marathon, knocked almost nine minutes off her personal best at London with a time of 2:37:07. The Reading Athletics Club athlete has the benefit of being able to ‘gather intelligence’ from her personal coach Rob McKim who was England team coach last year in Toronto.

“I am still quite young for a marathoner. I am 26 I have only done two marathons,” she admits.  “The big things I am still learning are the feeding strategy, and also the pacing strategy. I went into London with more of a kind of a racing target and thinking about my splits. I was just there to race it. It was more of a risky strategy.

“So, for Toronto, I might have to think differently about how I target it. Because I am in the elite field – one of the first times I have done that – I will be thinking about drink stations rather than having to load myself down carrying the gels and things. You actually get to have designated athlete drink stations to work off, so I am going to be looking at changes in my training.”

Tish Jones. Photo credit: Roger Sedres/Gallo Images.

Possibly the most anticipated performance is expected to come from Tish Jones who ran 2:36:13 in her debut to win the Cape Town Marathon last September. Then, in her second marathon this Spring, she ran 2:33:56 in London. A member of Belgrave Harriers she has traveled the African continent in recent years before settling in South Africa.

“It was a delight to be selected to represent England at such an established event,” she said recently. “My goal would be to run under 2:35 if I am in good form. The experience of participating means a huge deal to me. I love to travel and I love to run. To visit this part of Canada and to race will be an amazing achievement for me.”

Jones will be easily identified: she bears a tattoo down her right forearm with the words ‘to travel around the world’ written in the language of all the countries she has visited.

Although there will be the usual contingent of East African stars lining up in Toronto the England team will more likely be competitive with the next generation of Canadian marathoners during the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront marathon.

At this point Canadian women will include the previously announced 2016 Canadian Olympian Krista DuChene, debutant Lyndsey Tessier, who recently won the Scotiabank Vancouver Half Marathon, Melanie Myrand and Arianne Raby. The latter ran 1:15:56 to place third at the Banque Scotia 21k de Montreal this year.

Leading Canadian men include Speed River Track Club’s upcoming duo Rob Winslow (2:19:00 at the 2015 Rotterdam Marathon) and John Mason whose personal best is ‘only’ 2:22:35 but who recently ran an encouraging personal best of 67:41 at the Banque Scotia 21k de Montreal.  Fellow Speed River athlete Trevor Hofbauer has a personal best of 64:30 for the half marathon and will make his much awaited 42km debut after representing Canada in the IAAF World Cross-Country in Kampala, Uganda in March.

While the battle for prize money will invariably be sorted between the East African stars at the front, this England – Canada confrontation represents a splendid sub plot.

For more information & entry to this year’s Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, Half & 5K www.STWM.ca

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Krista DuChene

One Last Push: Krista DuChene

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By: Paul Gains

Athletes aren’t always the best judge of when it’s time to retire but 2016 Canadian Olympian Krista DuChene has no false illusions.
Seven months past her 40th birthday the second fastest female Canadian marathoner of all time acknowledges she is ‘plateauing’ and with that in mind is pouring all her efforts into one last sublime performance at the 2017 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon. The race, set for October 22nd, has once again earned an IAAF Gold Label.

“This is probably my last attempt at a PB (personal best),” DuChene declares. “I feel like this is where I am giving 100% one last time. And, I am not saying I am retiring or giving up on a chance to make a world championship team, but this is where I am going to give everything to run as fast as I can and then just take it from there.”

Four years ago she recorded her personal best time of 2:28:32 in Toronto, four seconds faster than Sylvia Ruegger’s Canadian Record but was beaten to the line by Lanni Marchant (2:28:00). Given her declared intent to chase her personal best the Canadian record would be a suitable target, one would think. DuChene, articulate as ever, declines the bait.

“When I am asked that it comes down to ‘do you want to beat Lanni?’ And no I don’t want to just go out there and beat Lanni,” DuChene clarifies. “She’s a phenomenal runner and well deserving of that record. I want to run as fast as Krista DuChene can run.”

Following the Rio Olympics, where she finished 35th in 2:35:29, DuChene turned to Dave Scott-Thomas for coaching after a long and successful relationship with Rick Mannen. Though she is clearly grateful for Mannen’s commitment she says she felt she needed to grow and try a new approach. Scott-Thomas had seven athletes on the 2016 Olympic team including marathoners Eric Gillis and Reid Coolsaet.

Over the winter DuChene traveled to Kenya for her first ever experience with high altitude training, running as much as 190 kilometres a week. She expected that the tremendous work would bear fruit at the London Marathon in April. But, for the first time in her career, she fell victim to gastrointestinal problems during the race and faded to 2:43:31.

“Reid (Coolsaet) said it’s almost like I have taken two steps forward and one back,” DuChene recounts. “The one step back was my performance in London. I think that is true. I believe I have grown so much even as an experienced marathoner at the age of 40 I can apply that again and there are still benefits I can gain from that experience.”

One thing she learned is how much she enjoys running in Toronto which is only an hour’s drive from her Brantford, Ontario home.

“I must say I am excited to run Toronto because, when I was in London, even though it’s such a prestigious race with such an amazing elite field, I was lacking that healthy pressure I get in Toronto,” she explains.

“When I was there I was no one. It’s not that I needed to be going to the race expo and being busy with all that stuff, but it was so relaxed. It was too relaxed. There was no element of accountability with the home town crowd or knowing that I would have family at the finish line that I could hug when I finished, or, seeing people along the route cheering for me and just giving me that extra push.

“You don’t get that anywhere in the world other than in Toronto for me. That’s why I am returning to do this race again. I could pick any race in the world to do and this is the one I choose.”

Under her new program DuChene is covering more mileage than ever. On her summer schedule she rises at 5am so she can run and then be ready to spend the day with her three children who are on summer break. Afternoons may be spent at her sister-in-law’s pool down the road. Occasionally she drives to Guelph for key workouts with Scott-Thomas.

As her children grow up she realizes she has been sacrificing home life to get the most out of her running career. Now as they are 11, 9 and 6 years of age she embraces the change to come.

“One thing that makes me feel this is my last attempt at running my fastest I want to save some energy. I want to be able to ski with my kids and not worry about injury,” she reveals. “I want to be able to go for ice cream when they are going for ice cream, Those are some of the things I don’t want to look back on and say ‘I wish I had spent more time with my kids.’

“When I went to Kenya, Johnathan took the kids out to Calgary to ski.  And there was this little video clip of the kids coming down. It was the sweetest thing. One of my kids said ‘it would be so much fun if mum was here.’ It didn’t upset me; it kind of resonated with me. I don’t want to look back and wish I had taken a bit more of physical risk with my kids. That is something I have definitely had to sacrifice. I want to have more energy to give them.”

DuChene will make those sacrifices one last time and hope that her health and the racing conditions in Toronto are optimal so she can run faster than ever. It’s her fifteenth marathon in fifteen years. It could be a one heck of a climax to an Olympian career.

To join Krista on the start line, or get more information on Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon see STWM.ca

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About Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon

An IAAF Gold Label race, the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon is Canada’s premier, big-city running event, the Athletics Canada National Marathon Championships, and the Grand Finale of the 7-race Canada Running Series. In 2016 it attracted 26,000 participants from 70 countries, raised $3.24 million for 182 charities through the Scotiabank Charity Challenge, and contributed an estimated $35 million to the local economy. The livestream broadcast was watched by more than 72,000 viewers from 129 countries. STWM.ca

#UAeastside10k Training Program

By | Eastside 10k, Training Tips | No Comments

With the Under Armour Eastside 10k fast approaching, our friends at MapMyRun have put together a well-structured training program to set you up for success. There are four parts to the program: Strength; Movement and Mobility; Running and Endurance; and Recovery. Here’s how it works:

Strength
The Strength program is designed to meet the demands of a runner looking for a more competitive edge. It isn’t designed to build muscle, but rather enhance your stability and mobility to runstronger.

Movement & Mobility
This routine will prepare your body for running by increasing mobility at the ankles, hips and T-spine. It will also activate your body for the twice weekly Strength sessions.

The Running & Endurance program is built for beginner- and intermediate-level runners. You will be introduced to tempo running, fast hill repeats and long slow runs, and you’ll develop the discipline for recovery runs.

Recovery
This routine is based on Under Armour’s belief that today’s recovery is tomorrow’s training. It is essential to attempt to restore movement quality after a run and the program is designed to hit the areas of the body that need the most attention.

All you need is eight weeks, a foam roller, and a firm commitment to get fast, strong and ready for race day. Are you ready? Read on for more details and download the official Under Armour 10k training plan here!

Get fast, strong and ready to toe the line come Race Day!

Whether you’re running your first 10K or your 100th, having a well-structured prepared training plan is your best bet to set you up for a successful race day. From mobility and endurance to strength and recovery, this plan provides everything you need to have your best race yet—and maybe even snag yourself a PR along the way.

Are you ready?

 

THIS EIGHT-WEEK PROGRAM WILL HELP YOU BECOME A BETTER RUNNER WITH MOBILITY, ENDURANCE STRENGTH, AND RECOVERY TRAINING.

 

Recovery Routine

Recovery Grid

Exercises to Improve Hip Stability in Runners

By | Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon | No Comments

The Centre for Sport and Recreation Medicine has been a proud medical sponsor of the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon for 15 years. We’ve had the privilege of helping many runners make it to the start line and watch thousands of runners cross the finish line every year. New this year, we’re partnering with Canada Running Series to provide a monthly blog to support runners preparing for the race. Whether this is your first 5K or your 50th marathon, we wish you well in reaching your goal!

By: Darryl Reid, MScPT 

What this Physiotherapist learned about hip strength from looking at his own race photos. 

After finishing a sprint triathlon 5 years ago, I was surprised by what I saw in a race photo taken of me during the final kilometre of the run.  In the photo, you could see I was weight bearing on my right leg during the mid-stance of my stride.  My left hip was dropped compared to my right, and my knee looked like it was caving in towards the mid-line of my body.

Not only did this explain why I was having some hip pain after the event, it also demonstrated to me that the endurance of my lateral hip stabilizers was not up to par.

As running is really just alternate single leg stance, it is very important for runners to have good strength and great endurance of the lateral muscles that stabilize the hip.

A lot of runners that I see feel that they don’t need to perform any lower body strengthening exercises because “I run, my legs are strong.”  This is typically true; runners usually have excellent strength in the muscles groups that help propel them in a forward direction while running.  But what we as Physiotherapists commonly see is a relative weakness in the lateral stabilizers of the hip musculature of runners, especially those rehabbing from an injury.

When I speak about the lateral or outside muscles of the hip, what I’m referring to is the hip abductors, more specifically the gluteus medius and gluteus minimus.  These muscles help to stabilize the lower limb while standing on one leg and prevent the large bone of your leg, the femur, from rotating inwards which can cause a poor force on the knee.

The following is a progression of exercises to target the hip abductors.  The first exercise in this serious was presented in our last blog by my colleague Alison Pinto.

As always, the following exercises are not for everyone, if you experience pain with any of these do not perform them.  If new to exercise please consult a healthcare provider for proper guidance.

Clamshell: Keep your back still, you should feel the muscles in the back of the hip working as bring the top knee away from the bottom 3 sets of 10 reps on left and right 3 times a week.

Bridge with alternate leg extension: Lift your tailbone off the ground to the bridge position.  Do not extend through the lower back as you bridge.  Once in the bridge position, extend the right leg, make sure to keep your pelvis level (as if you are balancing a tray on your belt line) as the leg is extended.  Bring the right leg down and perform the same extension with the left side.  That is one rep.  Lower back down to the start position with the back flat on the ground 3 sets of 8 reps 3 times a week.

Side stepping with resistance band: Place a resistance band around your legs just above your knees. Slightly bend your hips and knees into an athletic ready posture.  Slowly and with control step out with one leg to the side.  Bring the opposite leg in the same direction to get back into the athletic posture.  You should feel the muscles working in the outside of your hip.  Take 5 steps to the left and 5 to the right, that is one set.  Perform 4 sets.

Single leg ¼ squat on chair:  Start with one leg forward in a lunge position and the opposite rested on a chair.  The front knee should be in line with the mid aspect of the same foot.  Keep tall through you spine and try to keep your pelvis level. Perform a ¼ squat on the leg that is forward.  Try to keep you knee in line with your hip as well.   The knee should not travel over the toes.   You should feel the muscles in the outside part of the hip on the leg that is forward.   Perform 3 sets of 6 reps on each leg.

Trio of Guinness World Records Title Seekers to Run Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon

By | Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon | No Comments
By Paul Gains

In addition to the formidable cache of elite runners from around the world, the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, each year, attracts thousands running for charities and many more simply committed to the challenge of completing the distance faster than ever.

Then there are those hearty souls seeking a Guinness World Records title.

Michal Kapral set a world ‘joggling’ – juggling balls while running – marathon record ten years ago in Toronto when he completed the distance in 2 hours 50 minutes and 12 seconds. That was with three balls.

Owner of three Guinness World Records currently, Fastest 10km joggling with three objects (male) 36:27, Fastest half marathon joggling with three objects (male) 1:20:40, and Fastest marathon joggling with three objects (male) 2:50:12, on October 22nd, 2017 he will attempt to set the record for Fastest marathon joggling with five objects (male).

“I have upped the ante big time with this attempt to do five ball,” Kapral says laughing. “There is no current Guinness World Records title.

“As far as I know there is only one other person who has done a marathon while joggling five. That was back in 1993 a guy named Billy Dillon who was a kind of a five ball juggling pioneer He ran the New York Marathon in 7 hours 7 minutes. And he was a very fast runner. So you can see just how much harder it is to joggle with five.”

It has taken Kapral, who points to a personal best marathon of 2:30:40, almost six months to learn the pattern of juggling with five balls. He practices each lunch hour at Toronto’s Varsity Stadium, much to the amusement of the university football team, which also trains around that time. Learning how far ahead he must toss each ball to catch and transfer between hands has proven much more challenging.

“With the five balls I have discovered there is no such thing as an easy pace,” he explains. “Immediately my heart rate shoots up. It is really, really tiring. It is also addictive. It’s super fun when you have three balls in the air. It is a ton of fun but definitely this is going to be by far the hardest record I have tried.”

Kapral will be accompanied by his joggling rival Zach Warren during the Toronto race who will act as spotter so that he doesn’t interfere with other runners. As a precaution Kapral usually runs on the opposite side of the road to others. He has chosen to fundraise for Sick Kids Foundation, an official charity of the Scotiabank Charity Challenge.

A year ago Daniel Janetos ran Toronto wearing a chef’s costume the entire distance. He recorded a time of 3:56:21 to earn the Guinness World Records title of Fastest marathon dressed as a chef. This year Janetos, who owns the annual Mac and Cheese Festival at Ontario Place, intends to chase the record for the Fastest half marathon achieved in a chef’s costume.

“It’s a little bit goofy, I get it,” he declares. “Really the number one thing is to raise money for charity. It’s the National Wildlife Rehabilitation Foundation.

“These guys have been a grassroots agency for 25 years and with my help were able to formalize into a foundation. We were able to get some funding for them. My running helps them to take care of animals.”

Janetos is aiming to run 1 hour 45 minutes for the 21km race to claim the record title. That’s a tall order when his personal best for the distance is roughly that. Add such ingredients as a 9 pound pot and chef’s clothes and it’s certainly not as easy as someone might think. He trains as part of a group called Food Runners which aims to improve the health and fitness levels of people in the food industry.

“I try to make sure I am out at least three hours a week in the early stages. Then I follow a more rigorous program that our coach puts together for us,” he explains.

“I do train with my girlfriend Kate Boyle, She usually stops running with me when I put on my chef uniform. She is a little more low key. As soon as I put the chef’s hat on she is out.”

Running in a chef’s uniform is mind boggling. How about running 42.2km wearing a lumberjack costume complete with heavy boots? That’s what Dan Grant will attempt to do. The Torontonian has applied to attempt the Guinness World Records title of Fastest marathon dressed as a lumberjack (male) and has agreed to the costume they have assigned: a plaid/flannel short sleeved shirt, suspenders, denim pants, a stocking cap or beanie, lace up outdoor boots and an inflatable axe.

“I’ve run three marathons in the past couple years,” Grant reveals, “as well as a 60k run to Hamilton last month, so the distance doesn’t scare me. I am little worried about how much it’s going to slow and weigh me down if it rains during the STWM.”

At the Toronto Waterfront 10k on June 17th Grant finished in 44:53, claiming to be below his best. He had run another 10k race thirty six hours before.

Another concern for Grant is that he is a vegan and wants to find non leather boots in which to run.

Grant is growing a beard to further ‘grow into the part.’ He reports that Great Lakes Brewery has agreed to supply his post training fueling with a generous supply of Canuck Pale Ale. A year ago the owner of the brewery shaved Grant’s head in a fundraising event for Sick Kids Foundation. He will run Toronto Waterfront Marathon to raise funds for Good Foot Delivery one of the official charities of the Scotiabank Charity Challenge.

City marathons embrace runners of all descriptions and Toronto is no different. The inclusion of this trio of record seekers certainly enhances the enjoyment of this annual IAAF Gold Label event.

Interested in attempting a Guinness World Record at this year’s race? Please contact Jenna Pettinato, Canada Running Series’ Manager of Communications at jenna@canadarunningseries.com or visit our website: http://www.torontowaterfrontmarathon.com/guinness-world-records/

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