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Jun 16 2016
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Kip Kangogo Chasing Fifth Scotiabank Vancouver Half Marathon Victory

By | Scotiabank Vancouver Half | No Comments
June 16th, 2016 – By Paul Gains.

Kip Kangogo returns to the Scotiabank Vancouver Half Kip KangogoMarathon June 26th in search of his fifth victory in this acclaimed road race.

The Kenyan born resident of Lethbridge, Alberta gained his Canadian citizenship in 2014 and has been a constant in this Canada Running Series race, winning on his debut in 2009 and repeating in 2010 and 2011. After second place to Olympian Reid Coolsaet in 2012 he won for the fourth time in 2013.

Kangogo, a proud Canadian, went on to represent Canada at last summer’s Pan Am Games. When he toes the Vancouver starting line it will be with mixed emotions.

Last month he failed in his bid to meet the Canadian Olympic qualifying standard (2:12:50) at the Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon. The warm, muggy conditions also ended any hope of beating his personal best of 2:15:26 which he ran at the 2015 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon. That PB came just three months after the Pan Am Games marathon. But the thought of another victory in Vancouver slightly tempers that.

“I think I will be just trying to go for the win,” he reveals. “I don’t know who is in the race. The Scotiabank Vancouver Half Marathon is a good venue for me. I have won it all those times. I think I have run it six times and I have won four. I lost to (2012 Olympians) Reid (Coosaet) and to Dylan Wykes in the other two years.

“When my daughter Emma was born I won this race in 2013 just for her. She was born June 2nd so I said I was going to run a race for her, just to welcome her. I won the Scotiabank Vancouver Half Marathon for her.”

On May 1st of this year, Kangogo became a proud father a second time when his son Roy Bii Kangogo came into the world.

The picturesque course starts on the grounds of the University of British Columbia and traces the Pacific Ocean shoreline to Stanley Park. Having run here so many times, Kangogo is comfortable with choosing the correct tactics to win.

In 2011, he ran 1:03:22 coming near the race record of 1:03:10 which has been held by Kenya’s Patrick Nthwia since 2007. A fifth victory would have additional significance therefore, and he has joked with race director, Clif Cunningham, that if he gave out rings for each title he could possibly fill the fingers on one hand.

“It is a good course because it has everything. It has flats, downhill, uphills, all the challenges that runners face,” he explains. “I know the course really well. I know where there is a hill and I know how to run it.”

The only uncertainty is his level of fitness. For half the Ottawa marathon he was on Olympic qualifying pace but then the heat started affecting him. Despite the conditions, he refused to quit, which would have afforded him the opportunity to save himself for another marathon. Instead he moderated his goal. The Vancouver race will be only four weeks after the marathon.

“I think (my recovery from the Ottawa marathon) was very good,” he reveals. “I took a week off then got back into running. It wasn’t bad. The weather wasn’t the best for running faster so I did the best I could with the weather. I just kept taking fluids and tried to pace myself.

“There was no point to save it. I knew it was the last chance to run the Olympic standard. In one way or another you are going to get it or not. My pacer was on pace until 11km when he dropped out, but we were still on pace. Then I went with one guy from Sudan. By 23km I knew it wasn’t going to happen. I said ‘You know what? The next option is to run just to finish it.’ That was the next reward for me. I knew the standard was gone but after that maybe I can reward myself by just crossing the line with a smile.”

At the age of 36 – he celebrates his 37th birthday on July 20 – Kangogo knows his best days are likely behind him and retirement is on the horizon. Still he is enjoying his running.

“I think I am going to sit down with my wife,” he says of his running future. “My wife is still going to school and I think we will discuss that plan and see what we are going to do going forward. I am still running now. She is still going to school. We will discuss that in the near future.”

The elite field in Vancouver also includes Kenya’s Dancan Kasia, best known for his pacemaking duties at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon as well as Canadian international Rob Watson. The latter had also attempted the Olympic standard earlier this spring at the London Marathon. He finished in 2:18:45 and will be looking to put a spark back into his racing form. View Canada Running Series’ Race Director, Alan Brookes’ interview with Rob Watson after the London Marathon earlier this year: http://runcrs.co/1sGU8yo

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For More Information and to register:

http://www.canadarunningseries.com/svhm/

Jun 09 2016
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Krista DuChene to race Toronto Waterfront 10 on Road to Rio

By | Elite Athletes, Toronto Waterfront 10 | No Comments
June 9, 2016 – by Paul Gains

Although the official announcement won’t be made for another month Krista DuChene has checked all the necessary boxes and is poised to represent Canada in the 2016 Olympic Marathon.

Now the 39 year old Brantford, Ontario native can look forward to racing the Toronto Waterfront 10 on Saturday June 25 without the pressure of anyone looking over her shoulder and assessing her fitness. Nevertheless, she will approach the 10km race with a specific target.

“I think it’s just to throw a bit of a changeup in the pace, just try to switch it up from the half marathons that I have done,” she reveals. “It will be a tune-up speed workout that’s the way we will look at it.

06-09-16-krista-finish

Photo credit: Inge Johnson/Canada Running Series

“In four of my last five races I have been second place. So, to be honest, if I get second again that day: whatever! I have been fit and healthy all year with injuries so who cares if I don’t get the win. What matters at the end of the day is that I am healthy and fit and ready to put it all out there on August 14 (the date of the Rio Olympics marathon).”

DuChene raced several times in the winter and early spring looking to satisfy Athletics Canada’s “proof of fitness”. She achieved the Olympic marathon standard with 2:29:38 in Rotterdam (April 2015) and this proof of fitness was required. After winning the Banque Scotia 21k de Montreal (April 24) she accomplished her task then managed a week off during which she admits to enjoying culinary treats. The rest was short-lived, however, as her 15 week marathon buildup toward Rio began immediately afterwards.

Although her legs will no doubt feel the effects of the extra training miles she will race to win the Toronto Waterfront 10, the newest race on the Canada Running Series calendar. She chose to run jt rather than fly across the country to compete in the Scotiabank Vancouver Half Marathon which is on the same weekend.

“It’s an early start so I will go to Toronto Friday night,” she explains. “I am there and back in less than 24 hours. There is a lot to be said for staying close to home, in your own environment, in your own bed, your own food and everything like that. I love going out to Vancouver to do that race but I think it just made sense to throw a 10k in there and also so I could focus more on those harder longer runs locally.”

Amongst her fans in Rio will be husband Jonathan and her three children. They have booked tickets for the marathon finish at Copacabana Beach. Now that all three kids are in school she no longer has to wake up before sunrise to get in her training and is obviously feeling the benefit of additional sleep.

On the Toronto starting line she will face Dayna Pidhoresky, who beat her at the Vancouver First Half Marathon in February, as well as Vancouver’s star master’s runner, Catherine Watkins. The latter a 44 year old rising star represented Canada at the 2015 Pan Am Games marathon where she finished a solid 8th. More recently she raced in the Ottawa 10k on May 28. She was the first Masters woman and finished 12th overall.

06-09-16-watkins

Photo credit: Inge Johnson/Canada Running Series

“I went into Ottawa feeling pretty fit but the conditions there weren’t ideal for a fast time,” Watkins recalls of the heat and humidity which plagued the race. “I kind of suffered in that heat. But I think in a few weeks in Toronto that is definitely my chance to go under 34 minutes again. That’s the goal.”

Watkins has seen remarkable improvement in her running career since joining up with BC Endurance Project coach Richard Lee. Among those she often trains with are 2012 Olympian Dylan Wykes, 2016 Olympic qualifier Natasha Kodak, Pidhoresky, and, when she is in Vancouver training, Canadian marathon record holder Lanni Marchant. They all live within a few kilometres of each other.

With two children in school full time Watkins is able to fit in her training while pursuing altruistic activities.

“I have been doing some volunteer work with a group out here called Street 2 Front,” she reveals. “They are a school out here that works with children from the Downtown Eastside. They are kids who generally haven’t made it in the regular school program. The man who runs the program has developed an amazing running program with them and has inspired them through running.

“A couple of years ago we organized a run to raise money. They took all the kids to Mount Kilimanjaro. They are doing another trip next year, to Peru to hike the Inca Trail.”

While the women’s race at Toronto Waterfront 10 is compelling stuff the men’s race holds great interest too. It will feature Olympians Reid Coolsaet and Eric Gillis.

Both represented Canada in the 2012 Olympic marathon while Gillis also ran the 10,000m at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. And with DuChene soon to become a first time Olympian there will definitely be an Olympic edge to the race.

Organizers are throwing a “Rio Send-Off” post-race party complete with Brazilian drummers and samba dancers from 8:45 a.m until 9:15 a.m. to celebrate the Olympians. There will also be presentations by the Honourable MP Peter Fonseca, himself a 1996 Olympic marathoner and the Brazilian Consul General.

Join the celebrations at the Toronto Waterfront 10k on June 25th!

Jun 08 2016
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Running Down Olympic Dreams at the Waterfront 10

By | Toronto Waterfront 10 | No Comments
By Amy Friel.

TORONTO June 8th 2016. With the Rio 2016 Olympic Games fast approaching, Canada stands poised to send a formidable contingent of distance runners to toe the start line with the best athletes in the world. Among them are runners like Melissa Bishop, Matt Hughes, Lanni Marchant, and Natasha Wodak – athletes who have not only risen to the top of their discipline, but who have also managed to rewrite the national record books in what amounts to a spectacular rebirth for Canadian distance running in recent years.

Earning a place on the Canadian Olympic team is no simple matter. Behind every qualifying time lies years of gruelling work, personal sacrifice, punishing race efforts, thrilling victories, and moments of doubt. It’s a challenge that demands more than mere talent, grit, or determination; earning a place on the Canadian team takes everything you’ve got.

Olya picture

Olympian Olya Ovtchinnikova

“You kind of drop everything for a chance to make it,” recalls Olya Ovtchinnikova, who competed in fencing for Canada at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. A former NCAA athlete, Ovtchinnikova put her studies in New York on hold and relocated to Montreal to train with Canada’s national team, a commitment that ultimately carried her to an Olympic berth.

“I’m really not exaggerating when I say, it’s like eating tuna and rice, because it’s the cheapest thing you can have,” she remembers. “I moved, didn’t know the language, didn’t know the city, and just came to train with the team because you’re chasing a dream. It sounds kind of cheesy, but this is what I did.”

Ovtchinnikova’s story of personal sacrifice and hard-won achievement is familiar to many top-level athletes in Canada, who often struggle to balance the rigours of an elite training regimen with the practical implications of an imperfectly-funded sport system.

“Fencing is not a big sport in Canada,” she explains. “So, I would say we’re almost like a perfect case study of a sport that’s just having the hardest time.”

Now a retired Olympian and the program manager of athlete marketing at the Canadian Olympic Committee, Ovtchinnikova has dedicated herself to assisting Olympic hopefuls in pursuit of their athletic dreams. This summer, she will be completing the Toronto Waterfront 10 as a charity runner, fundraising on behalf of the Canadian Olympic Foundation (COF). An official charity of the Toronto Watefront 10, COF provides funding and financial assistance for Canada’s next generation of athletes.

“There’s a lot of barriers there that make it difficult for kids to continue (in sports),” she explains. “So COF tries to invest in grassroots sports programs, to help kids continue, and to help them become the next generation of Canadian Olympic athletes. And they also support those podium performances as well, so they put some of the money towards helping Canadian Olympians perform and win on the world’s biggest stage.”

The work of organizations like the Canadian Olympic Foundation is crucial to the development of Canadian athletes. While federal funding for top athletes is available through Canada’s Athlete Assistance Program (AAP), it can be limited, with small monthly stipends available to only a handful of athletes in each sport. The practice (known as “carding”) relies on eligibility criteria which often requires the AAP to compare the performances of athletes across different sports, a subjective process that is often fraught with uncertainty.

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Pan Am Games bronze medalist Rachel Hannah

“To get to the next level, getting selected for carding and evaluated to show more potential than a fellow domestic athlete is not easy,” explains Olympic hopeful Rachel Hannah. Though a top-ranked Canadian marathoner and Pan Am Games bronze medallist, Hannah was nevertheless excluded from AAP funding. “While you know deep down you ‘have it’ and will ‘make it’, proving that to a selection committee is one of the hardest things.”

For those athletes who do not receive government funding, bankrolling their Olympic dreams often relies on a patchwork system of part-time employment, grants, prize money, and corporate sponsorship. Curating these financial resources while chasing after rigorous qualification standards can be stressful and time-consuming – an experience Hannah can attest to first-hand.

“Getting by as a long distance runner aspiring to elite performances, and increased training loads, is indeed a challenge financially,” she says.

The funding and resources available to Canadian Olympic hopefuls varies widely from sport to sport, prompting organizations like the Canadian Olympic Foundation to employ a targeted approach to athlete assistance.

“It’s not an overnight fix,” Ovtchinnikova explains of COF’s strategy. “It’s a lot of work by the sport system, but also by foundations like COF, that try to really target those little pain points everywhere, instead of kind of just throwing money at the system as a whole. So slowly but surely there are improvements happening, and I’m hopeful for the future.”

In sports where funding and resources have been made available, Canadian athletes have predictably flourished.

Canadian women’s wrestling, for one, has established strong and consistent tradition of Olympic podium performances since gaining inclusion on the Olympic program at the 2004 Athens Games. It’s a success story that is tied in no small part to precisely this sort of targeted athlete assistance.

Canadian Olympic Team Wrestler Jasmine Mian

Canadian Olympic Team Wrestler Jasmine Mian

For wrestler Jasmine Mian, who is poised to represent Canada at the 2016 Games, these resources have made an invaluable difference.

“It’s had its challenges, but the whole process of balancing school and sport has been really rewarding,” she says. “I’ve always kind of had support from our national team, and I’m really grateful for that, because it’s allowed me to perform without that added pressure of financial stress.”

A former competitive track runner and all-around athlete in her younger years, Mian now lives in Calgary, where she trains at the national training centre for wrestling.

“Running is an incredibly gruelling sport,” she recalls. “You have to find a joy in that suffering, and if you don’t, I don’t think you’ll ever fully meet your potential. And wrestling is very much the same way. You have to find something within yourself that keeps you going.”

For the Canadian distance running elite, what keeps them going through challenging times is often the love and support of the Canadian running community, which has been quick to rally around its star athletes in times of struggle.

“Distance running is truly accessible to all to participate alongside us,” says Rachel Hannah. “I get some of the most enjoyment from talking to and motivating fellow runners I see out there, in spite of my financial challenges.”

In partnership with the Canadian Olympic Foundation, the Toronto Waterfront 10 offers a new and unique opportunity for the running community to unite in support of our future Olympic athletes. And with an all-star distance running lineup ready to represent the red-and-white in Rio, there has never been a better moment to lend your footsteps to the pursuit of an Olympic dream.

Find out more about how you can run and fundraise for the Canadian Olympic Foundation at the Toronto Waterfront 10 here.

Amy Friel (@AmyFrii) is a Toronto-based freelance writer, two-time marathoner, and unabashed running geek. As a Digital Champion for the 2015 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, Amy had a taste of the city’s vibrant running community – and hasn’t been able to stop writing about it since. Her work has been featured in iRun magazine, the Globe and Mail, as well as on her blog thelongslowdistance.com

Jun 06 2016
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The Record-Chasers: Apply to break a Guinness World Record at the 2016 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon!

By | Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon | No Comments
By Amy Friel.
TORONTO June 6th 2016. 

The marathon is a unique and curious event. In one day, on one course, you can witness the complete spectrum of athletic endeavour – from elite distance runners chasing down national records or Olympic standards, to newly-minted marathon rookies pushing themselves to bold new personal challenges.

Michal Kapral

Michal Kapral and Annika, STWM 2004

And year after year, somewhere in the thick of the exhausting, frenzied celebration of human tenacity that is the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, a handful of runners have been quietly and consistently rewriting the record books.

It all began a little over a decade ago, in 2004, when Torontonian Michal Kapral ran down the Guinness World Records title for the fastest marathon while pushing a pram (2:49:44) with daughter Annika in tow. A year later, Kapral returned to STWM to set yet another Guinness World Records title, this time, for “joggling” – running while juggling three balls across the entire marathon distance.

Since then, the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon has played host to myriad Guinness World Record-setting runs – from the fastest marathon dressed as a mascot in 2010 to the fastest marathon in full hockey kit (stick included!) in 2012.

And while some records, like the fastest marathon dressed as a zookeeper (held by Bridget Burns in 4:08:17, and run in support of the High Park Zoo), lie on the periphery of the competitive fray, others are at once rapidly progressing and hotly contested.

For Nicholas Mizera, running to a 1:35:47 finish in the 2015 STWM half-marathon was both a particularly stylish personal best time and a Guinness World Records achievement for the fastest half-marathon in a suit. His record, which caught the attention of both Runners World and several other bespoke-suited distance runners, has been bettered twice in the less than a year since he set it (three times, in fact, if you count a recent 1:06:42 by Japan’s Yuki Kawauchi, albeit on an uncertified course), a progression which shows little sign of slowing down.

And when Michael Kapral’s joggling record was bettered by rival Zach Warren in 2005, the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon became the stage for his redemption, where he recaptured the title two years later in a blistering 2:50:12 finish, a mark which remains uncontested to this day.

“We love Guinness World Records!” says Canada Running Series race director Alan Brookes. “They are the perfect combination of costumes and sport. Costume runners contribute massively to the festive air of big-city marathons; at the same time, racing for records keeps the sport element strong!”

For those up to the task of running their way into the Guinness World Records record books, the flat and fast Toronto course offers an ideal venue to carry them to their goal. It’s little wonder the number of Guinness World Records being set at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon has been growing steadily over the past decade. And with more runners than ever pledging to chase after Guinness World Records marks this October, 2016 is shaping up to be a record year for Canada’s premier big-city marathon – pun intended.

“We are excited to once again be partnering with the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon at this year’s race” said Guinness World Records PR Manager, Kristen Ott. “From creative costumes to record challenges that require additional agility or skill, we’re looking forward to seeing what records will be broken at 2016 marathon and half-marathon!”

Whether you want to set the record for the fastest half-marathon run dressed as bottle (like Toronto’s Allegra Swanson), you’re looking to better the mark for the fastest marathon dressed as a chef (like Daniel Janetos of The Food Runners), or you’re chasing the mark for the fastest half-marathon dressed as fast food (as Pace & Mind’s Jess Collins hopes to do), the Guinness World Records challenge at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon offers the perfect opportunity to make marathon history on the streets of Toronto.

Nicholas Mizera, STWM 2015

Nicholas Mizera, STWM 2015

As for Nicholas Mizera’s suited-up half-marathon record, the competitive zeal he inspired with his dapper 2015 run seems to have taken on a life of its own; fellow runners Jennifer Wilson and Timo Kantereit are now looking to set and better the male and female marks respectively, on this year’s half-marathon course. And though Michael Kapral has long since conceded his former record for fastest marathon pushing a pram, fellow record-chaser Calum Neff hopes to bring the title back to the city by bettering the existing 2:42:21 mark on the Toronto course this fall, with daughter Aley along for the ride.

“I’m excited to try and bring the stroller marathon record back home to Canada and to Toronto,” Neff says. “The city has always been home-base for me growing up around the world, and now I can share it with my daughter, just like I do running.”

The Guinness World Records challenge at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon offers runners the opportunity to chase after the odd, off-beat, and often peculiar corners of athletics history, and run their way into the record books. For marathoners hungry for a challenge, it is a unique and memorable way to take on a distance that, like the records themselves, offers something for everyone. 

If you would like to attempt a marathon or half marathon record at the 2016 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, please click here for more information.

A few records we’d love to see broken at this year’s race include:

1. Fastest marathon or half-marathon dressed as a landmark.

2. Fastest marathon or half-marathon dressed as a cheerleader.

3. Fastest marathon or half-marathon in a police uniform.

4. Fastest marathon or half-marathon run by a pair of siblings.

5. Fastest marathon or half-marathon dressed as a snowboarder.

6. Fastest marathon or half-marathon dressed as a snowman.

7. Fastest marathon or half-marathon dressed as a Doctor.

8. Fastest marathon or half-marathon dressed as a vegetable.

9. Fastest marathon or half-marathon in a baseball uniform.

10. Fastest marathon or half-marathon dressed as a bottle.

11. Fastest marathon or half-marathon dressed in an ice hockey kit.

12. Fastest half-marathon in a suit.

13. Fastest marathon or half-marathon in a lacrosse kit.

15. Fastest marathon or half-marathon dressed as a shoe.

Amy Friel (@AmyFrii) is a Toronto-based freelance writer, two-time marathoner, and unabashed running geek. As a Digital Champion for the 2015 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, Amy had a taste of the city’s vibrant running community – and hasn’t been able to stop writing about it since. Her work has been featured in iRun magazine, the Globe and Mail, as well as on her blog thelongslowdistance.com

Jun 06 2016
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Meet the Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon Pacer Team: Christy Baker.

By | Digital Champions, Scotiabank Vancouver Half | No Comments

By Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon Pacer, Christy Baker.

VANCOUVER June 6th 2016. My first half-marathon was the Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon in 2003. I had just moved to Vancouver and running was my way to get to know the city and meet new friends. Fast forward to 2016 and I have done this race 5 times and a total of 15 half-marathons, one full marathon and numerous trail races including Seek the Peak! I am happily married with two kids and life is busy, but running not only keeps me fit and healthy, it is my social outing with friends or my husband, hitting our local trails minutes away from my front door.

I know we all lead busy lives and there is a fine line between balance and chaos. I try to keep this balance by running early in the morning, on the weekend, during my work day or after my kids go to bed. I find half-marathon training works with my family life and it is not so demanding that it takes away from every day life and fitness activities.

christy svhm 2

Training for the Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon this year, I have recruited some friends to run the distance with me as I will be the 2-hour Pace Bunny. This will help me practice staying on a consistent pace because I am usually a fast starter and then need to dig deep the last few kilometers to finish! My half-marathon times have improved over the last three years and I am happy with my consistently finishing between 1:45 -1:48. I am looking forward to leading the 2-hour pace group and encouraging others to get a personal best or just finish their first half-marathon. I look forward to seeing you at the start line on Sunday June 26th and if you see me, please say hi! I love to chat when I run so let’s make this an awesome half-marathon!

Register to run the Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon with Christy on Sunday June 26th. Sign up here.

 

May 23 2016
0

Mehrnoush’s Challenge

By | Scotiabank Charity Challenge, Scotiabank Vancouver Half | No Comments
May 23, 2016 – Vancouver, BC

“I had never met anyone with cerebral palsy, so when I came here [I was] so surprised, many people [are] like me,” Mehrnoush Izadi admitted over coffee at a café in the United Kingdom building, where the Cerebral Palsy Association of BC’s office is currently situated. Born in Dubai, Mehrnoush immigrated to Canada in 2011 with one of her brothers. It was very hard for Mehrnoush to adjust to her new life in Canada as “everything was so new.” After two years of living with her brother in a basement suite, her parents joined her in 2013. She eventually became accustomed to aspects of Canadian culture, including seeing other people with disabilities in the Lower Mainland, an emphasis on leaving the family home after the age of 18, and the number of dogs and dog parks – this is especially delightful since her family has adopted a dog named Felix.

One day last year Mehrnoush happened to come across website for the Cerebral Palsy Association online when she was searching for volunteering opportunities. She wrote down the address and visited the downtown office. She was pleasantly surprised to discover that Feri, the Association’s executive director, also spoke Farsi. Not only could Mehrnoush comfortably speak with Feri but Feri could also answer Mehrnoush’s parents’ questions and concerns.

Mehrnoush began helping Feri with mailing, accounting, deposits, and petty cash reconciliation. In the fall of 2014, she started the Accounting program at Douglas College. The financial burden of studying was offset by a $500 Tanabe bursary, one of the numerous bursaries the Cerebral Palsy Association makes available to its members over the years. Mehrnoush has become a well-rounded member of the association has participated in the yoga, dance, and the Association’s first ever pre-employment program in addition to volunteering her time to help support a Meat draw fundraiser in Chilliwack, the CPABC’s annual Gala, a Community Connections event on the North Shore, and the Healthy Eating-Healthy Life program, a monthly community kitchen event.

This past year has been an important year for Mehrnoush. The bursary funds and her academic pursuits have helped those around her see what she is capable of. She hopes to develop her accounting skill set more, frequenting the office 3 days a week instead of 1 day a week in the future. Her involvement at the Cerebral Palsy Association has helped her reach and realize both her personal and professional goals.

Last year Mehrnoush raised over $300 and walked the 5km route on behalf of the Cerebral Palsy Association for the Scotiabank Charity Challenge. The 2014 challenge was a first for both the CPABC and Mehrnoush – it was the first year the CPABC took part in the event, where all funds raised go directly back to participating charities – and it was the first major mixed abilities fundraiser Mehrnoush and her family had seen. Her family was amazed by the diverse participants and the scale of the event. She is so excited to be a part of the Scotiabank Charity Challenge for a second year in a row. This year, Mehrnoush and her family plan on walking together, “although I think my dad would win if he tried,” she jokes.

Learn more about the Cerebral Palsy Association and the Scotiabank Charity Challenge!

May 23 2016
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Rob Watson on the #ScotiaHalf Course

By | Elite Athletes, Scotiabank Vancouver Half | No Comments
May 23, 2016 – by Rob Watson

Elite athlete Rob Watson has raced the Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon a number of times and has trained on every square inch of the course countless times, so we asked him for a play-by-play of the race course and tips for Race Day.

Vancouver has some truly wonderful races, but if you ask me, I’d say that the Scotiabank Half-Marathon is the best one going. Why would I say that? Well for many reasons, but for today I am going to focus on just one very specific, very awesome reason; the course. This race has the most spectacular course around. It offers up a beautiful tour of our incredible city. From UBC, all the way to Stanley Park, this course showcases many of the best parts of Vancouver. If you are properly trained and ready for the intricacies of the course it can be very fast. I’ll take you through the race and give you a few tips on how to make sure you are ready to roll come June 26th.

Ok, let’s get started. Firstly, when the gun sounds, get going! The first couple km are quick fast – take advantage. Obviously you don’t want to go off sprinting like a crazy person, that’d be unwise, but don’t be afraid to let the legs stretch out a bit. If you are 5-10sec faster than goal pace do not stress, that’s just how the first few km’s rolls.

Settle in and try to find your rhythm during the rest of your time up at UBC, there are some gradual ups and downs, but nothing too gnarly. Settle in and relax.

Coming down off UBC we have ourselves a big ass downhill. This can be awesome, but it can also be tricky. Be careful here folks, running downhill is a great way to open up the stride and gain some time, but if you are overeager you risk putting junk in your legs. The pounding from that downhill mile can beat you up a bit. Two tips; 1) Practice running downhill. Get the body used to that pounding. 2) Come race day be patient and run light going down this hill. Let gravity do the work and save the legs for when you really need them (hint; we have a bridge to deal with at 18km).

So now you are at the bottom of the downhill. Hopefully you enjoyed the amazing views and the smooth ride on the way down. Now we are at Spanish banks and about 10km into the race. Use this time to settle back into rhythm. It will probably feel a bit funny at first as you change your stride back to a flat running gait. Don’t panic, the next 3km are pancake flat, plenty of time to get things sorted. You’ll be fine.

At 13km there is a little climb. Not gonna lie, it stings. The good news is that it is short-300m(ish), and when you get to the top there is a nice 1km downhill. That’s one of the good things about this course, after every uphill there is a nice downhill to recover on right afterwards.

At 15km you will roll past LuLu Chip’s place. Run strong and look pretty, the crowds are great here and you are making your way home. Enjoy the sights and sounds as you run past Kits beach and into the Kits Point area.

Alright then. Let’s talk about this bridge. At 18km you are going to come around a corner and encounter the Burrard Street Bridge. This is an iconic Vancouver structure that connects Kitsilano to Downtown. It is also an uphill, and it will be uncomfortable. Just get yourself to the top! Use the crowds, look at the mountains and think about all the training you have done to get to this point. Remember that it is all worth it. Once you crest this badboy it is all downhill to the finish.

After the bridge life is good. The crowds are rowdy, the course is downhill and you are so dang close to that finish. It is truly a wonderful feeling to run into Stanley Park to cross that finish line. Stanley Park is the jewel of Vancouver and boy does she look good after 21km of hard running. Cross the line, do a little dance and then drink a beer – you will have earned it.

Good luck folks.

Race Route

Want to join Rob on June 26? Sign up today at VancouverHalf.com and remember that prices go up on June 1st, so register today to save!

For more details on the course, check out the map, elevation profile, and course description.

May 19 2016
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United We Run: 4 Runners on the Road to the Toronto Waterfront 10. By Amy Friel

By | Toronto Waterfront 10 | No Comments

United We Run: 4 Runners’ on the Road to the Toronto Waterfront 10. 

If you want to hear the most hopeful sound in the world, go out and watch a big-city road race. You’ll hear it just a minute or two after the gun. In the bright, cool stillness of an early summer morning, before the rhythm of laboured breathing grows audible, it rises up from the throngs of runners: the sound of a thousand footsteps.

It’s the sound of elite athletes chasing the big win, of charity runners sweating for a cause, of newbies making strides toward self-improvement, and long-time runners rising to face new athletic challenges.

In Toronto, the diverse running community will make its footsteps heard once again this summer, when the city comes together for the inaugural running of the Toronto Waterfront 10 on June 25th. A lively course stretching from the heart of downtown to the city’s picturesque lakeside trail, the Waterfront 10 has become a summer goal race for thousands of runners of all abilities and walks of life.

Though each runs for a unique reason, four of these runners are set to converge on the race course on June 25th, adding the sound of their footsteps to so many others. Their stories are below.

James KokaThe Lion: James Koka

Countless runners are gearing up to toe the start line on University Avenue this summer, gunning for that ever-elusive, always-satisfying obsession: the personal best. And while chasing down your PB can be a tall order, the experienced Pacer Team at the Waterfront 10 aims to make this challenge just a little bit easier.

For James Koka, helping others to reach their personal goals is a familiar and rewarding calling. Koka cut his teeth pacing for the Nike Women’s 15K in 2015. A seasoned veteran of the Toronto running scene, he can lock into his six-minute-per-kilometre pace, and hold on with metronomic precision. Come June, he’ll put this ability to work once again, heading up the 65-minute pace group for the Waterfront 10.

It’s a task that Koka does not undertake lightly. “You know that a lot of people are relying on you to meet their PB or time goal,” he explains. “So you know you need to be as close to your pace as possible. You want to be down to the second.”

Koka, who recently completed his first marathon this spring, trains with both the Parkdale Roadrunners and Academy of Lions run crews. A former cyclist, he began running as a form of cross-training, but found himself quickly drawn into the sport, fuelled by the supportive, community-oriented crew atmosphere.

“It’s a family,” Koka says of his Academy of Lions compatriots. “We spend so much time together, and we’re all on this journey together. While we all have very different backgrounds and careers, when we get together for running, we all share that together.”

The friendships with his fellow crew-mates may motivate his training, but Koka also holds a special affection for the would-be strangers he has found himself pacing. A crew runner at heart, he’s been known to crack jokes and call out encouragement to his pace pack – anything to get them through those tough miles on their way to a shiny new PB.

“It almost makes it better,” he says. “They’re all strangers to me, and we’re sharing that experience together.”

joyThe Master: Joy Kramarich

For Joy Kramarich, the Waterfront 10 is more than just another big-city road race. A seasoned masters runner and something of a legend in the Toronto running scene, Kramarich will be competing alongside a stacked masters field in the race, which is also serving as the 2016 Ontario Masters Athletics (OMA) 10K Road Race Championships.

Kramarich is a high-achiever, unaccustomed to shrinking from any task; a gifted student and competitive athlete in her youth, she later went on to pursue a PhD. So when she began running again later in life, she approached the unique challenge of high-level training as a master with characteristic tenacity.

“It’s about pace,” Kramarich says of the key to masters racing. “You’ve got to control your pace because you just can’t run that way anymore. It’s really humbling.”

Kramarich’s petite, blonde exterior belies a formidable disposition; she’s endlessly talkative, and remarkably easy to spot on a crowded start or finish line. Her dedication to the city’s next generation of athletes has made her something of a fixture in the local racing circuit, where she can often be found playing the role of mentor to younger or less-experienced runners.

Kramarich, who trains under the University of Toronto Track Club, is an old-school running purist; she eschews the GPS-and-iPod set in favour of a sort of minimalist, almost spiritual, distance-focused regimen. Yet despite the tireless dedication and competitive zeal evident in her training, she is clear about what draws her to run the OMA Championships: a sense of mentorship and community.

“I love running,” Kramarich explains. “But the bigger thing I love now is promoting young people. That’s my job now. My job is no longer about me; my job is about promoting and encouraging.”

mike thorntonThe Dark Horse: Mike Thornton

Only a few short years ago, Mike Thornton might have lined up for a 10K road race just hoping to make it to the finish.

If this sounds like an unlikely origin story for an emerging competitive athlete, that’s because it is. The Brantford, Ontario native, who began a treadmill regimen five years ago in a bid to get fit, recently clocked a blistering sub-three-hour marathon, hot on the heels of his first-ever win at the Brantford Rotary Classic 10K.

“I don’t think you really realize your potential until it’s already happening,” Thornton says, when asked about his recent breakthroughs. “You’re just putting a little bit of work in every day, then all of a sudden you’re at this point, and you’re like, how did that happen?”

A commercial pilot and First Officer with WestJet, Thornton runs the bulk of his mileage alongside his teammates at Grand River Endurance, whose ranks include breakout elites like Josh Bolton, Tanis Smith, and Rob Brouillette.

“I consider myself the slowest out here,” Thornton says, a distinction he’s come to take pride in. “You surround yourself with the people that you want to be like, and feed off of that. It really helps.”

But fast friends and rigorous training aside, Thornton shrugs off any notion of himself as an elite distance runner. “I still don’t think I’m anywhere near that,” he says. For him, the Waterfront 10 represents his first post-marathon goal race – an important step in a long and protracted process of training that will, with any luck, ultimately allow him to compete at the level he wants.

“I kind of believe in the fact that, if you really want something you’ll make it work, you’ll make time for it,” he explains. “There’s not much you can do except roll with it and do your best. You just have to adjust your goals a little bit, and if it takes me a little longer to get where I need to be, then that’s what it is. I just work with it and do what I can.”

olyaThe Warrior: Olya Ovtchinnikova

For many runners, the daily task of getting in a mileage run can sometimes become a chore, taking a great deal of mental fortitude and self-discipline. But for Olympic fencer Olya Ovtchinnikova, who represented Canada at the 2008 Beijing Games, running has always felt like something of a pleasant diversion.

“I always ran, even when I was training,” she recalls of her days as an internationally-ranked fencer. “When you run, you clear your head and you don’t think. For me, it was physical exercise, but it was a mental break, so I ran a lot.”

Ovtchinnikova is no stranger to competition; she was named to her first national team at the age of 15, an overwhelmingly positive experience that further fuelled her already strong desire to train and compete.

“You realize that it is a little bit bigger than just having fun,” she says. “Those little steps – starting to deal with losses, losing a hundred times before you win once, dealing with pressure, either your own or external – those things, you just kind of take them one at a time. And you don’t realize what it does to you as a person until you step back and look at it.”

Over the course of her career, Ovtchinnikova won bronze medals for Canada at both the World Championships and the Pan American Games. In 2008, she competed at the very highest level, representing Canada in the Olympic Games in Beijing.

Since then, Ovtchinnikova has dedicated herself to working on behalf of the next generation of Canadian athletes in pursuit of their Olympic dreams. Now retired from fencing, she has begun competing in road races as a charity runner in support of the Canadian Olympic Foundation (COF), a organization which fosters high-performance athletes across the country.

After completing her first half-marathon last year, she now has her sights set on the Toronto Waterfront 10 this summer, once again running in support of COF. And although she came to the sport primarily as a fundraiser, Ovtchinnikova found herself pleasantly surprised by her experience, relishing everything from training, to pre-race jitters, to the satisfaction of a race well run.

“It was a nice feeling,” she says. “Even if it was just a fraction of the feeling I had when I competed, it was a nice throwback.”

Join James, Mike, Joy and Olya at the start line of the Toronto Waterfront 10 on Saturday June 25! Register and connect with them on social media using hashtag #Waterfront10. 

Amy Friel (@AmyFrii) is a Toronto-based freelance writer, two-time marathoner, and unabashed running geek. As a Digital Champion for the 2015 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, Amy had a taste of the city’s vibrant running community – and hasn’t been able to stop writing about it since. Her work has been featured in iRun magazine, the Globe and Mail, as well as on her blog thelongslowdistance.com

May 17 2016
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Toronto Waterfront 10 Draws Canadian Olympians, by Paul Gains

By | Elite Athletes, Toronto Waterfront 10 | No Comments

TORONTO May 17th 2016. Two of Canada’s Olympic marathoners have confirmed their entry into the Toronto Waterfront 10, the newest race in the Canada Running Series.

ericEric Gillis, who has satisfied all the criteria to represent Canada at the Rio Olympics, his third successive Olympic Games, will tackle Speed River Track Club teammate and training partner Reid Coolsaet over this scenic and very fast 10 kilometre course on June 25th. Their addition is welcomed by race director, Alan Brookes.

“We are thrilled and excited for this race to be a Rio sendoff for some of our favourite Canada Running Series stars,” says Brookes. “I am sure the Toronto running community will come out in force to give them a proper send-off.”

The pair, both 36 years of age now, have similar but different objectives for the race which is expected to draw around 7,000 runners.

“You know what? A solid effort is important to me,” Gillis reveals. “The fastest time I can run on that course, in those conditions, is important to me. So (it’s not just) going out there and just getting the win or just getting a race in. I am expecting it to be warmer come June 25 and it’s always tougher, when it is warmer, to get a fast time but in the conditions I’d like to run as fast as I can on that course.

“It’s a new course, a new time of the year for that race but you know what? It’s consistent; as always it’s a Canada Running Series race and CRS races are great to be part of. So I am excited to try their brand newest event and it is close to home too.”

Coolsaet, who met the Athletics Canada Olympic qualifying standard with his 2:10:28 clocking at the 2015 Berlin Marathon – the second fastest Canadian performance ever – has been suffering since March from an impinged nerve in his lower back. Because his qualifying time was recorded in 2015 he must still satisfy a ‘proof of fitness’ and knows his result here will be watched closely by Athletics Canada’s head coach, Peter Eriksson.

“Oh yeah it’s been super frustrating,” Coolsaet who ran the reid2012 Olympic marathon admits. “I have been injured since the beginning of March and now that I know what it is, I am making good progress and I am optimistic that I can turn things around the next few weeks and have a proper buildup for Rio. And, if I am training hard and getting ready for Rio, I am definitely going to want to run some races as well.

“I am sure Toronto Waterfront 10 will play into the mix; any race I do from now until July 10 will be scrutinized and if it goes well, will my seal my selection to the team.”

Gillis has had the luxury of easing back from a busy spring schedule during which he proved fitness with a 6th place finish in the Berlin Half Marathon (1:03:42) and then won the Vancouver Sun Run 10k in a quick 28:52. Reading bedtime stories to his two young children is a regular occurrence in his household these days. Meanwhile, Coolsaet has been fitting between two and four appointments for massage, physiotherapy and acupuncture into his weekly regimen.

“I am running about 100 and 120 km a week then supplementing what I can’t do on the elliptical and on the bike,” Coolsaet explains. “For me Waterfront 10 is just about being race sharp and breaking up the training and just having another good effort close to home before Rio.

“I have been doing a lot of volume and doing my intensity on the elliptical so I really don’t know what kind of running shape I will be in. Any sort of hard effort will be a test and a race more so than a big workout.”

Still, whenever he races Coolsaet can be counted on to produce a solid effort. Earlier in the spring he represented Canada at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in Cardiff and, under dreadful weather conditions, and, with his back seizing up the last third of the race, he still managed 1:04:56. And with a personal best of 27:56.92 for 10,000m he has the ability to race with the best in the world when fully fit.

These days he has been busier than usual because he must drive to the Guelph YMCA to do his cross training and also commute to therapy appointments. On top of this he and his girlfriend, Marie, have bought a house in Hamilton where he grew up.

“The last six weeks there has been a lot of house hunting on the internet and then going to open houses,” he reveals.  “This past week we bought one. I suspect once we move in I will be pretty busy with doing ‘new house stuff’ trying to save money by doing it myself.

“When I do have some downtime I like to pay attention to cycling and skateboarding. Right now I am kind of following the Giro d’Italia and other times watching skateboard videos on the internet.”

Coolsaet will commute to Guelph for workouts with Speed River Track Club. With five weeks remaining until the Toronto Waterfront 10 he will be gradually reaching peak fitness.

“I think my main concern will be putting in a solid effort that would really be a time-based goal and then it depends on who shows up,” he reveals. “Hopefully, it will be a good competition and I will want to win. Eric is going to be there. Depending on where we are in training we might push each other and go for a good time, then race it at the end like we have done before.

A new course. Two inspirational Canadian Olympians. What better way to introduce Toronto’s newest 10 kilometre road race?

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For More Information and to join Eric and Reid on the start line: http://www.canadarunningseries.com/toronto10k/

 

 

May 10 2016
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On Being a Scotiabank Half Digital Champion

By | Digital Champions, Scotiabank Charity Challenge, Scotiabank Vancouver Half | No Comments
by Digital Champion Bradley Cuzen

When I did my very first Scotiabank race back in 2009, it was a 5K. It seems that the race wasn’t chip timed, so I have no idea how long it took me to finish. What I can remember – vaguely – is that it was a struggle. It was one of my first races ever. Fast forward to 2016, and I am proud and honoured to be a Scotiabank Half Digital Champion!

And what exactly is that, a Digital Champion? Well, we are a diverse bunch of runners – different ages, who run different speeds, at different stages in our running journey. But what we have in common is our love for the sport, and our enthusiasm for the Scotiabank Half and what it represents and means to us.

You can meet all of the Digital Champions – and Pacers – by dropping by the Canada Running Series West website here. Debra Kato and I especially look forward to representing this event with enthusiasm!

Charity Challenge

One of the things that makes the Scotiabank Vancouver Half Marathon & 5K a truly special event is the emphasis on fundraising for charity. Every year there are a number of featured charities, plus a list of over 70 charitable partners to fundraise on behalf of. Fundraising can be as much or as little as you want, either as an individual or as part of a team. And while the Scotiabank Charity Challenge is an awesome component of the weekend, it’s not an obligation – but for me it holds great value.

I had intended to sign up for the Scotiabank Half in 2012 – and actually believed I had – but discovered just days before the race that I hadn’t registered. I took it as a sign and gave it a miss.

In 2013, I was on the ball early and signed up in January for the Canada Running Series Combo – the Vancouver Spring Run-Off 8K (now the Modo 8K), the Scotiabank Half, and the Eastside 10K. At that point, the thought of fundraising hadn’t yet entered my mind.

BC Cancer Foundation

Late in March of 2013, life threw us a curveball. My mom ended up in hospital with a number of medical issues, and we soon learned that she had cancer. It would turn out to be late stage pancreatic cancer, one of the cancers with the lowest survival rates. Because it often goes undetected until it has spread, it is largely incurable. This turned out to be the case for my mom. I headed back to Ontario to spend time with her and my dad, but two weeks later on April 19, she passed away quietly in hospice.

We spent the next couple of weeks putting affairs in order, planning the funeral, saying goodbye. And then it was back to the real world. I felt helpless, a bit lost, angry and exhausted. Then I decided that the only thing I could do was try and do something positive – and that where the Scotiabank Half came into play.

BC Cancer FoundationDeciding to fundraise on behalf of the BC Cancer Foundation, I wanted to honour my mom’s memory. I committed to raising money to fight cancer – and to help fund the research that is still desperately needed.

That commitment has continued – in 2014 and 2015 – and I’m doing it again this year. My goal is to raise $3,000 and bring my lifetime fundraising total to over $12,000. You can visit my fundraising page here:

http://donate.bccancerfoundation.com/goto/bjcjapan

So no matter what your motivation – to run your first half marathon, to join a team, to fundraise for a charity that is dear to your heart – the Scotiabank Half & 5K is a race worth running! Want to sign up? Visit the website here.

Mary Alice Cuzen 1934-2013