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Damien

Dec 03 2019
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Hannah and Woodfine Win Canada Running Series 2019 Titles

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Two past winners found themselves top of the table when the 2019 Canada Running Series final points were tabulated recently, an indication that these Olympic aspirants are on the right path.

Tristan Woodfine at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, 2019

Tristan Woodfine’s fine performance at the Series finale Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon earned him both a silver medal in the Canadian Marathon Championships and 52 points to take his point total to 142.

If that wasn’t impressive enough, he also took two minutes off his personal best time with 2:13:16. Along with the prestigious CRS title the Cobden, Ontario resident will receive $3,000.

Woodfine won the series for the first time in 2017 and finished second a year ago behind two-time Olympian Reid Coolsaet. His nearest challenger this year was Ben Preisner who took second ($1,500) with 119 points and Trevor Hofbauer, who snatched the Canadian Marathon Championship title with a whopping personal best and Olympic qualifying time of 2:09:51. That’s the second fastest time by a Canadian ever.

Hofbauer wound up with 112 points and receives $1,000 for finishing third overall.

Rachel Hannah, who resides in Guelph, Ontario put an injury-restricted summer aside to claim the women’s title for the first time since 2014. This year her margin of victory was just two points over Dayna Pidhoresky, 129 to 127. The latter was crowned Canadian Marathon champion in a personal best 2:29:03 which automatically puts her on the flight to the Tokyo Olympics with Hofbauer.

Woodfine, who won Toronto’s Race Roster Spring Run-Off 8K for the third straight year as well as the Banque Scotia 21K de Montreal, claims that he didn’t followed the points tally that closely.

“I try to get my three CRS races in, but I think I was so focused going into Toronto (Waterfront Marathon) and getting the marathon qualifying standard for the Olympics that I forgot about the whole series,” he explains. “After the race I thought ‘I wonder how it all ended up?’ Finishing first is always nice.”

As fate would have it Woodfine and Preisner never actually raced each other in the Series mainly due to the former’s focus on the marathon.  Preisner, from Milton, Ontario, saw a breakthrough with his victory in the Scotiabank Toronto Half Marathon which was run concurrently with the marathon championship. His time there was an impressive 1:03:08.

Woodfine, who has temporarily put aside a career as a medic to focus on his running says he will put the winner’s prize to good use.

“Yes, it will come in very handy. I think I am going to make the trip to Kenya for a good chunk of the winter,” he reports, “So, yes, the money really helps. Winters in the Ottawa Valley can be brutal, lots of snow and -40C. It will be good to get away.”

He has sought advice from Reid Coolsaet, no stranger to high altitude training camps in Kenya.

Rachel Hannah at the lululemon Toronto 10K, 2019.

Although she has never trained at altitude before Hannah is also contemplating taking a couple of weeks off her job as a nutritionist at the University of Guelph to explore the opportunity.

“If I can stay healthy and am able to do a spring marathon I would like to go away and do an altitude training camp and see if I would benefit from it,” she says. “I don’t know if I will do Flagstaff, or somewhere, I don’t think I will go to Kenya yet, I want to try somewhere in the US to see if I benefit. But definitely that money will come to good use.”

Hannah admitted that her foot injury meant that running the Canadian Olympic trials marathon was out of the question so she and coach Dave Korell plotted a schedule that could put her in position to win the CRS overall title.

“We started thinking ‘what do we have to do to get maximum points?’ So, it was either come first at the Zoo 10K or the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Half Marathon,” she explains. As it happens, she won the Oasis Zoo 10k.

“We were following it and it’s exciting. I was disappointed I couldn’t race the marathon, but it was nice to have something else to look forward to and support all the CRS races I could. There are years where I am not able to do that. They do such a good job. It’s always competitive and there is always someone to push you.”

Kinsey Middleton the 2018 Canadian marathon champion who lives and trains in Boise, Idaho finished 3rd overall in the series.

Vancouver’s Craig McMillan handily won the men’s masters’ competition with 165 points, 60 of those coming from his fine performance at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon where he ran a personal best of 2:26:17. Allison Drynan was the women’s master’s winner. They each collect $500 for their respective titles.

Besides providing elite runners the opportunity to compete against one another on extremely well-organized courses the Canada Running Series also has an incredibly strong charity component. CRS Race Director, Alan Brookes, reports that the 2019 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon alone raised $3,694,370 for local charities. That brings to $6.9 million the total money raised across the 8-races in Canada Running Series 2019.  A record number of participants also ran the CRS in 2019 (69,045).

What a year we had! A record number of participants in the Series, and a huge total of almost $7 million raised for our 300 plus charities,” Brookes declares with his customary excitement. “The two lululemon races in the East and West that both sold out in less than a day and brought Canada to the forefront of an exciting ‘New Running Movement’. A movement that is bringing not only excitement but joy and celebration to the sport.

“And the four men who ran under 2:05:15 and the seven women who ran under 2:24:30 at the Series finale, the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront – made it the fastest marathon in all of The Americas in 2019, as well as the fastest marathon ever run on Canadian soil.”

Brookes also points to Trevor Hofbauer and Dayna Pidhoresky achieving the Olympic qualifying standard in the 30th anniversary year along with the incredible performances of the international athletes. Remarkably, the Toronto Waterfront Marathon was watched by 695,000 viewers in 79 countries on the live stream broadcast.

“It has been a gob-smacking, awe-inspiring 30th Anniversary year to remember,” Brookes concludes. “Thanks to everyone – athletes, guests, the CRS team and volunteers, sponsor partners, family, friends and spectators, whose passion and energy made it all happen!”

The 2020 Canada Running Series kicks off once again with the Spring Run-Off on April 4th.

For more information and to register for 2020 Canada Running Series events visit www.canadarunningseries.com

Sep 16 2019
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Tokyo 2020 hopefuls Evan Esselink and Malindi Elmore win Under Armour Eastside 10K

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VANCOUVER, September 14th.  Evan Esselink (29:50) and Malindi Elmore (32:44) laid down convincing markers winning Saturday’s Under Armour Eastside 10K ahead of an impressive field of 2,900 participants.  Evan stuck with a group of runners including last year’s winner, Trevor Hofbauer who came in second place and Milton Ontario’s Ben Preisner who came in third.  Evan made a move at the 8K mark and dropped the hammer at 9K to finish off strong contenders in Hofbauer and Preisner.

On the Women’s side, Malindi Elmore stormed to an outstanding victory on the challenging eastside course who, along with Evan, will be competing in the Athletics Canada marathon trials at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon October 20th.  Malindi was able to hold off Boise Idaho’s Kinsey Middleton for most of the race as well as previous Under Armour Eastside 10K winner Leslie Sexton who came in third.

The event attracted a field of 2,900 runners and so far has raised over $26,000 in support of the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre, PHS Community Services Society, and Youthco. Participants can continue to fundraise online until October 1st online at www.eastside10k.ca.

“Every year the competition gets better,” said race director Ryan Chilibeck. “It’s also so great to see runners completing their first run, setting personal bests and fundraising for our three great charity partners. The Under Armour Eastside 10k is a true community event.”

Under Armour Eastside 10k top finishers results:

10km Male 

  1. Evan Esselink – Vancouver, BC, Canada                               TIME: 29:50
  2. Trevor Hofbauer – Calgary, AB, Canada                               TIME: 29:58
  3. Benjamin Preisner – Milton, ON, Canada                               TIME: 30:10

 

10km Female         

  1. Malindi Elmore– Kelowna, BC, Canada                              TIME: 32:44
  2. Kinsey Middleton – Boise, ID, USA                                       TIME: 33:19
  3. Leslie Sexton – London, ON, Canada                                   TIME: 33:33

 

Information and complete race results can be found at www.eastside10k.ca

For more information on Canada Running Series events, please visit www.canadarunningseries.com

About Under Armour Eastside 10k:

The Under Armour Eastside 10k is part of the prestigious Canada Running Series. As Vancouver’s premier fall 10k, it takes place in the Eastside, running for three Eastside embedded charities, with the great Eastside Community. More than 3000 runners take to the streets each September to show their love for the heart of Vancouver. Canada Running Series is the nation’s premier running circuit with events in Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton and Montreal.  It annually attracts over 65,000 participants and raises more than $6 million for some 320 charities. Canada Running Series is strongly committed to staging great experiences for runners of all levels from first time runners, charity supporters and Canadian Olympians; and to making sport part of sustainable communities and the city-building process.  Our mission is “building community through running”. For more information please visit:www.CanadaRunningSeries.com

Jul 09 2019
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Chesoo and Wodak set new course records ahead of sold-out crowd of 7,000 at lululemon Edmonton 10K

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Edmonton’s Leonard Chesoo (29:28) and Vancouver’s Natasha Wodak (33:15) stormed to new course records in front of a sold-out crowd of 7,000 enthusiastic runners. It was a fine morning for running in the Alberta capital: 15 Celcius, overcast, and no wind. The scenic course, which took participants through the heart of the city and along the High Level Bridge, attracted Olympians and recreational runners from across the country and the U.S. In fact, “Guests from seven provinces, two territories, eleven states, and six (6!) countries traveled to Edmonton for today’s 10K. It was a world-wide running meetup and the energy was palpable! It was just a massive celebration of running and a healthy, mindful lifestyle.” said Alan Brookes, President, Canada Running Series. 

More than a run, the race was an experience; in addition to custom medals, a donut wall, free massages, DJ Joanna Magic, a lululemon pop-up shop and a post-race party zone, runners were also treated to two community yoga classes led by lululemon Global Yoga Ambassador, Ryan Leier. 

“This is a race to celebrate the city of Edmonton and all the fantastic people who choose to call it home,” says Natalie Westlake, Director, North America Community, lululemon. “Since its inception two years ago, the race has grown in popularity, this year selling out in 10 hours. Every runner gets to experience the city in a special way—whether it’s through running across the High Level Bridge, experiencing the sense of community at the post-race party, or celebrating the fact that we have raised more than $35,000 for our charitable partner Wellspring Edmonton.” 

With eight cheer stations along the route, the community extended beyond those wearing bibs. Hundreds of spectators cheered on runners along the course, shouting words of encouragement and waving motivational signs, with help from ivivva by lululemon cheerleaders, Kokopelli Choir and CycleBar. 

At press time, the lululemon Edmonton 10K had raised more than $35,000 for lululemon’s social impact program “Here To Be” and Edmonton-based charity, Wellspring Edmonton. 

In the second year of this increasingly popular event, both Chesoo and Wodak set new course records. Evan Esselink followed Chesoo in second place with a huge PB, and Canadian marathon record-holder, Cam Levins, out-sprinted defending champion Reid Coolsaet and London, Ontario’s Chris Balestrini for third, fourth, and fifth. Calgary Olympian, Jessica O’Connell was second in the women’s field, with Torontonian Gladys Tarus following in third. 

Defending champion, Reid Coolseat, was pleasantly surprised with his fourth-place finish saying, “I’m happy with my race considering how close this race came after the Ottawa marathon. It was good to kick it in with Cam even though he edged me out of the podium”. 

Women’s champ, Natasha Wodak, was also pleased with the win, “I was in front the whole way and thought Jess would be with me, but she held back,” she continued, “I’m in a bit of a relaxed part of my season and since the Vancouver Scotia half and will now start increasing intensity in preparation for the Pan Am Games 10,000m on August 6th.” 

After a spectacular day in the Alberta capital Canada Running Series will take a short summer hiatus before moving on to Vancouver for the Eastside 10K and Toronto for the Oasis Zoo Run in September. 

Edmonton 10K Results 

Men 

1. Leonard Chesoo, Edmonton – 29:28 

2. Evan Esselink, Guelph – 29:57 

3. Cameron Levins, Portland – 30:14 

4. Reid Coolsaet, Hamilton – 30:15 

5. Chris Balestrini, London – 30:15 

Women 

1. Natasha Wodak, North Vancouver – 33:15 

2. Jessica O’Connell, Calgary – 33:50 

3. Gladys Tarus, Toronto– 35:02 

4. Christy Lovig, Kelowna – 37:02 

5. Alecia Kallos, Edmonton – 37:05 

For full race results, visit: Edmonton10K.com 

Jun 24 2019
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The Scotiabank Charity Challenge raises a record $1.2 million dollars at the 2019 Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon and 5k

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Canadians Ben Preisner and Natasha Wodak win in front of a sold out field of 6,440

 

Sunday, June 23, 2019 – VANCOUVER – The 2019 Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon and 5k had many highlights, with $1.2 million dollars being raised for local organizations through the Scotiabank Charity Challenge, capping off a spectacular, record-setting day. Milton, Ontario’s Ben Preisner had an impressive Half-Marathon debut to take the men’s title in 65:41, while North Vancouver’s Natasha Wodak narrowly missed the course record in a time of 71:21. They raced to victory ahead of a sold out crowd of 6,440 participants, who came from 36 countries, eight Canadian provinces and 27 American states.

“It was an honour to run alongside the many participants of the Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon and 5k that ran for a purpose, raising $1.2 million dollars for 69 local organizations as part of the Scotiabank Charity Challenge,” says Lesly Tayles, Regional Senior Vice President – BC & Yukon, at Scotiabank. “At Scotiabank, investing in communities isn’t new. For 187 years we have remained committed to building strong communities and are focused on enriching the lives of young people and their communities. We know that how we support young people today, can prepare them for tomorrow, and that’s why we want to help them thrive. We want to recognize Canada Running Series and all the volunteers of the Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon and 5k for another great event and thank all the racers who fundraised for their charity of choice.”

 

Up front, Preisner made two decisive moves around Kits Point at 17K and then on the steep climb over Burrard Bridge to break away from a lead pack of four. Wodak was racing the clock today, chasing the course record that has stood since 2003. “It got hard after 15K,” she said, “then the bridge finished me off. I lost the 30 seconds there!”

 

Wodak has had an impressive spring season, claiming the 10,000m National Championship, and currently holds the 10k national road title. She was recently selected to the Canadian team heading to the World Championships in Doha, Qatar in the fall. Dayna Pidhoresky came in second with a time of 74:36. Vancouver’s Briana Hungerford was third, with a time of 78:21.

 

“It was an outstanding race day all around,” says Race Director, Ryan Chilibeck. “We saw some very impressive times today, and record setting contributions through the Scotiabank Charity Challenge. There were a lot of smiles today.”

 

Scotiabank is committed to helping young people reach their infinite potential, by investing in the complete picture of their development. We believe this is an investment in the long-term security, stability and growth of our communities. Many of the organizations that participate in the Scotiabank Charity Challenge have a direct impact on young people. As a Bank, we believe that Investing in young people is the pathway to community prosperity and Scotiabank aims to make a measurable and lasting impact on our global communities.

The Scotiabank Charity Challenge is a turnkey fundraising program that provides a simple way for runners in these races to support local causes that make a significant impact on Canadian communities. Participating charities keep 100 percent of the proceeds raised, as Scotiabank pays for all related transaction and credit card fees. Scotiabank offers the Scotiabank Charity Challenge at six sponsored marathon events across Canada including Montréal, Halifax,Ottawa, Calgary, Vancouver and Toronto. Since 2003, over $74 million has been raised as part of the Scotiabank Charity Challenge across Canada.

2019 Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon and 5k Results

 

Half-Marathon Results 

Half-Marathon Male 

1. Benjamin Preisner 65:41
2. Chris Balestrini 65:59
3. Julian Heninger 66:19

 

Half-Marathon Female

 

1. Natasha Wodak 71:21
2. Dayna Pidhoresky 74:36
3. Briana Hungerford 78:21


5k Results

5k Male

1. Christian Gravel 15:47
2. Mark Klassen 16:19
3. Richard Keep 17:01

 

5k Female

1. Sidney Swierenga 17:56
2. Courtney McEwan 20:03
3. Samantha Barnes 21:33

 

To see a list of charities involved in the Scotiabank Charity Challenge, please visit the Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon and 5k website.

For more highlights and complete race results, please visit www.vancouverhalf.com.

Twitter and Instagram Hashtags: #ScotiaHalf #RunScotia #InfinitePotential

About the Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon & 5k
The Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon & 5k is organized by the Canada Running Series, the nation’s premier running circuit with eight events: four in Toronto, two in Vancouver, one in Edmonton and one  in Montreal.  It annually attracts some 65,000 participants and raises more than $6 million for some 320 mostly-local charities.  The Series includes the IAAF Gold Label Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, and the Athletics Canada National Marathon Championships. Since 1999, CRS has gained international recognition for innovation and organization.

 

We are passionately committed to staging great experiences for runners of all levels from Canadian Olympians and International stars, to healthy lifestyle people and charity runners; and to making sport part of sustainable communities and the city-building process.  Our mission is “building community through the sport of running.”

 

About Scotiabank
At Scotiabank, we aim to support organizations that are committed to helping young people reach their infinite potential. Young people are our future leaders and Scotiabank’s goal is to help ensure that they have the necessary skills and resources they need to support their success. Together with our employees, the Bank supports causes at a grassroots level. Recognized as a leader for our charitable donations and philanthropic activities, in 2018, Scotiabank contributed more than $80 million to help our communities around the world.

 

Scotiabank is Canada’s international bank and a leading financial services provider in the Americas. We are dedicated to helping our more than 25 million customers become better off through a broad range of advice, products and services, including personal and commercial banking, wealth management and private banking, corporate and investment banking, and capital markets. With a team of more than 99,000 employees and assets of over $1 trillion (as at April 30, 2019), Scotiabank trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: BNS) and New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BNS). For more information, please visit www.scotiabank.com and follow us on Twitter @ScotiabankViews.

Nov 02 2018
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60-year-old Elizabeth Waywell’s 3:07:56 marathon, age graded, would be the overall Canadian women’s marathon record (by a lot)

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The late comer to distance running destroyed her age group Canadian record, ran one of the greatest marathons by a 60-year-old ever, and when put through an age-grading calculator, demolishes Lanni Marchant’s 2:28:00 national record. What’s even more impressive is that Waywell seems to be getting faster with age

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Oct 21 2018
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Mimi Belete breaks Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon record

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Mimi Belete battled it out with defending champion, Ethiopia’s Marta Megra, until the final kilometre of the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon on a cool October morning. Belete finally pulled away to win the race, breaking the course record and setting a personal best in a time of 2:22:28.”I wanted to run my best time,” she said after the race. Megra followed closely behind finishing second in 2:22:34, with Kenya’s Ruth Chebitok taking third in 2:23:28.

On the men’s side, amidst a stacked field, featuring two-time defending champion, Kenya’s Philemon Rono and Uganda’s Olympic and World Marathon Champion Stephen Kiprotich, Kenya’s Benson Kipruto emerged as this year’s Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon champion, winning in a time of 2:07:25. Finishing close behind was Tanzania’s Augustino Sulle in a time of 2:07:45 in second and Kenya’s Felix Kandie in third, running 2:08:29.

Photo Credit: Canada Running Series

In fourth place was top Canadian finisher Cameron Levins of Black Creek, B.C., breaking the 43-year-old Canadian marathon record in his debut marathon, running a time of 2:09:22. Levins broke away from the chase group around the 30km mark, reeling in the lead runners. Two-time Olympian Reid Coolsaet fell back from the chase group, finishing as the second Canadian and 10th overall in a time of 2:17:36. Aaron Cooper was the third Canadian in 2:17:59.

On the women’s side, in her debut race, Kinsey Middleton emerged as the Canadian champion, running a time of 2:32:09. She and defending Canadian champion Leslie Sexton worked together for much of the race with Middleton pulling away with just over 10km left. Sexton finished second in 2:36:02, followed by Krista DuChene in 2:36:46.

In the half-marathon, with 11,607 participants running, American Will Norris took the lead early on and didn’t let it go. Crossing the finish line in a time of 1:05:30, Norris would fend off Canadian Chris Balestrini to capture the half-marathon title. Balestrini closely shadowed Norris throughout the race, and would finish in a time of 1:05:46. Rounding out the top three was Lee Wesselius in a time of 1:07:20.

On the women’s side, Allie Kieffer added to her 2018 Doha half-marathon title, winning the Toronto title with a time of 1:12:43, followed by Reneta Plis and Claire Sumner, who finished with times of 1:13:57 and 1:14:21, respectively.

Across all the races, the event saw 25,000 participants compete from approximately 70 countries, with almost 200 charities taking part. The event raised $3.5 million through the Scotiabank Charity Challenge.

Oct 21 2018
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Cam Levins smashes the Canadian marathon record at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon

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The 43-year-old Canadian marathon record has finally been toppled. Cam Levins, a native of Black Creek, B.C., smashed the record in his debut race at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, running a time of 2:09:25 to finish fourth overall. The former record, 2:10:09, was set by Jerome Drayton in 1975 at the Fukuoka Marathon. As payment, Levins will receive $43,000—$1,000 for every year the record has stood.

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