The 2018 Under Armour Eastside 10k is sure to impress any fan of Canadian Road Racing! With so many storylines to choose from within the elite field, it is anyone’s guess who will prevail in both the Men’s & Women’s race.
If you are planning to cheer on the runners at the Edmonton 10k race on July 22nd, here are some of the names and bib numbers to watch out for! Toronto’s Sasha Gollish and Hamilton’s Reid Coolsaet will be looking to defend their 10K titles earned in the Toronto 10K on June 16th.
More than 6,700 people took part in the Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon and 5k, raising an estimated $970,000 for 70 local charities through the Scotiabank Charity Challenge. This brings the grand total since 2007 to over $8 million.
Photo credit: Inge Johnson/Canada Running Series
by Paul Gains
Injury free for nearly two years now, Dayna Pidhoresky has been enjoying an unprecedented block of consistent training and is raring to go at the Scotiabank Vancouver Half Marathon & 5k on June 24th, a Canada Running Series event.
“I want to win for sure,” the 31 year-old Vancouver resident says of her goals. “Time-wise it depends on the day. If I am feeling good then maybe I can really push it a little bit more. I think the main thing is to get some Canada Running Series (CRS) points and try to win.
“Last year I ran really slow there because I was in my marathon recovery phase, so I am in need of a little bit of redemption. I am familiar with the course now and I know the second half can be harder coming off a pretty long downhill section. I think Natasha (Wodak) is doing it so it will be good if she ends up racing – I am ready to put up a fight.”
She laughs at her last comment knowing that Wodak registered a fine 5th place finish at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and remains the Canadian 10,000m record holder at 31:41.59.
At the same time Pidhoresky has enjoyed an impressive start to the 2018 season. In March she won the Around The Bay 30k Road Race in Hamilton, scored a personal best 10k when she finished 5th in the Vancouver Sun Run and then claimed the silver medal at the Canadian Half Marathon Championships in Calgary. Toronto’s Sasha Gollish was the victor that day.
“So far I have been very consistent,” Pidhoresky declares. “I haven’t had that special race that I have been wanting where everything kind of shines, but I have put in a lot of solid races. The main thing is I have been healthy – no injuries at all for going on two years.”
During the 2016 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon she suffered a painful sacral fracture that crushed her physically and emotionally. Yet she battled back seven months later to run a personal best marathon of 2:36:08 in Ottawa. That performance has led to selection for the Canadian team at the 2017 World Championships marathon in London, and suggestions that she is destined to follow Lanni Marchant and Krista DuChene into the ranks of top international class marathoning.
The men’s field features Lethbridge’s Kip Kangogo who last year won this race for the sixth time, and former Canadian international Rob Watson, of Vancouver. To view the complete elite field for the 2018 Scotiabank Half Marathon & 5k, please click here.
Kangogo was 4th in the half marathon at the Vancouver Marathon festival in early May, then three weeks later, finished 2nd at the Canadian Half Marathon Championships in Calgary. Despite his advanced years – he will be 39 next month – the Kenyan born Canadian citizen never fails to turn up ready to do battle, and perhaps feels he owns this race.
Watson ran 2:13:29 at the 2013 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon and once claimed to have retired. Yet his ‘fun running’ has left him in fairly good condition. Despite extensive coaching duties with the Mile2Marathon group, he has returned to serious training to win the Vancouver Marathon last month. He also finished 5th in the Vancouver Sun Run in a very good 30:01. On such evidence this certainly promises to be a competitive race.
The picturesque course starts on the grounds of the University of British Columbia and traces the Pacific Ocean shoreline through Point Grey and Kitsilano to Stanley Park. With turns, some hills and the challenging climb over Burrard Bridge at 18km the event records are quite extraordinary. Lioudmila Kortchaguina set the women’s record of 70:50 in 2003 while Kenya’s Patrick Nthwia ran 63:10 in 2007 to establish the men’s standard.
The top Canadian man and woman will each receive $1,500 as well as 45 CRS points which count toward the overall title and the accompanying $3,000 awarded to title winners.
For further information and last-minute entries, see www.scotiahalf.ca.
presented by:
Introducing our Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon & 5k Elite Field.
| Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon Male Elite Athletes | |||||
| Bib # | Last Name | First Name | City | Prov. | |
| 1 | Kangogo | Kip | Lethbridge | AB | |
| 3 | Tomsich | Anthony | Vancouver | BC | |
| 8 | Setlack | Matt | Cold Lake | AB | |
| 9 | Onsare | Benard | Calgary | AB | |
| 10 | Mutai | David | Etobicoke | ON | |
| 11 | Voth | Chris | Vancouver | BC | |
| 12 | Derr | Tom | Eugene | OR | |
| 13 | Manning | Aaron | Mississauga | ON | |
| 14 | Nicholson | Drew | Surrey | BC | |
| 15 | McNamara | Paul | Vancouver | BC | |
| 16 | Gomez | Inaki | Vancouver | BC | |
| 17 | Dunfee | Evan | Richmond | BC | |
| 20 | Finlayson | Jim | Victoria | BC | |
| 21 | Ziak | Jeremiah | Vancouver | BC | |
| 22 | McMillan | Craig | North Vancouver | BC | |
| Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon Female Elite Athletes | |||||
| Bib # | Last Name | First Name | City | Prov. | |
| F3 | Gollish | Sasha | Toronto | ON | |
| F4 | Pidhoresky | Dayna | Vancouver | BC | |
| F5 | Setlack | Emily | Cold Lake | AB | |
| F8 | Olsen | Courtney | Bellingham | WA | |
| F10 | Morrison | Amber | Bellingham | WA | |
| F11 | Hungerford | Briana | Vancouver | BC | |
| F12 | Pepin | Cheryl | North Vancouver | BC | |
| F13 | Lee | Andrea | Vancouver | BC | |
| F15 | Moore | Katherine | Vancouver | BC | |
| F16 | Kassel | Melanie | Chilliwack | BC | |
| F19 | Slaughter | Gemma | Vancouver | BC | |
presented by:
Introducing our Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon & 5k Elite Field.
| Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon Male Elite Athletes | |||||
| Bib # | Last Name | First Name | City | Prov. | |
| 1 | Kangogo | Kip | Lethbridge | AB | |
| 2 | Toth | Thomas | Plaistow | NH | |
| 3 | Wykes | Dylan | Vancouver | BC | |
| 4 | Martinson | Geoffrey | Vancouver | BC | |
| 5 | Woodfine | Tristan | Guelph | ON | |
| 6 | Kimosop | Willy | Lethbridge | AB | |
| 7 | Kasia | Dancan | Toronto | ON | |
| 11 | Bascal | Shoayb | Victoria | BC | |
| 12 | Gomez | Inaki | Vancouver | BC | |
| 13 | Browne | Nicholas | Vancouver | BC | |
| 14 | Blazey | Paul | Norwich | UK | |
| 15 | Mulverhill | Chris | Vancouver | BC | |
| 16 | Dunfee | Evan | Richmond | BC | |
| 17 | Nicholson | Drew | Surrey | BC | |
| 21 | Ziak | Jeremiah | Vancouver | BC | |
| 22 | McMillan | Craig | North Vancouver | BC | |
| 23 | Hatachi | Tatsuya | Coquitlam | BC | |
| 24 | Fieldwalker | Matt | Vancouver | BC | |
| 25 | Newby | James | Squamish | BC | |
| 26 | Portman | Bryan | Nanaimo | BC | |
| Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon Female Elite Athletes | |||||
| Bib # | Last Name | First Name | City | Prov. | |
| F2 | Pidhoresky | Dayna | Vancouver | BC | |
| F4 | Tessier | Lyndsay | Toronto | ON | |
| F5 | Wilkie | Sabrina | Vancouver | BC | |
| F6 | Olsen | Courtney | Bellingham | WA | |
| F7 | Coll | Neasa | Vancouver | BC | |
| F11 | Moroz | Jen | Vancouver | BC | |
| F13 | Lewis-Schneider | Meg | Vancouver | BC | |
| F14 | Smart | Kristin | Cobble Hill | BC | |
| F15 | Pepin | Cheryl | North Vancouver | BC | |
| F16 | Dale | Shannon | North Vancouver | BC | |
| F17 | Longridge | Corri | Vancouver | BC | |
| F18 | Moore | Katherine | Vancouver | BC | |
| F22 | Kassel | Melanie | Chilliwack | BC | |
| F23 | Montgomery | Darcie | North Vancouver | BC | |
| Scotiabank Vancouver 5km Elite Athletes | |||||
| Bib # | Last Name | First Name | City | Prov. | |
| 5002 | Wilkie | Mark | Vancouver | BC | |
| 5003 | Watkins | Catherine | Vancouver | BC | |
| 5004 | Gustafson | Kate | Vancouver | BC | |
Some of the top athletes share their insider info on the Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon course.
Scotia Half is a fun scenic net downhill run but don’t let that deceive you into thinking it’s an easy course. You can definitely have a fast time on the course but it is important that you remain patient for the first 15k and don’t get carried away. The long downhill from UBC can take it’s toll on your legs if you go out too fast and that can make the final climb up Burrard Bridge a long slog if your legs aren’t feeling good. This is a course where you want to be able to pick things up after the Burrard climb and feel strong on the downhill towards the finish.
I always warn first timers not to get sucked into hammering down that lovely hill early on in the race in order to bank a few seconds – whatever time gains are made at that point are invariably lost (plus some!) when your quads go on strike in the latter stages of the race. Enjoy a nice downhill coast but don’t shoot yourself in the foot!
I have run a negative split on this course and my PB. With the downhills in the first half, on this course it is easy to get caught up with running too fast in the beginning. If you hold back a bit in the beginning you hopefully feel good at 10k to feel strong for the second half which has some uphill, the Burrard Bridge, and at this time of year it can start getting hot.
So this will be my first time running Scotia Half, hence, I am looking forward to reading the tips of others! In the past I know it has been quite hot so I think taking full advantage of the water stations from the get-go would be advantageous in the latter stages of the race.
I try to break down 21.097km to several ‘sections’. When I actually run the race, I try to clear them one by one, so that I won’t feel the entire course is too long.
The best course with wonderful volunteers and great cheering crowds and don’t underestimate Burrard Bridge as things can get interesting there.
10-15k is the toughest part of this course in my mind. Everyone expects to come off the big hill from UBC to Spanish banks and just be able to keep rolling. It hasn’t worked that way for me. Expect to need a kilometre to get your groove again after the downhill. Don’t underestimate the hill around Jericho Park. It stings big time. If you can stay mentally strong through this part of the course, you’ll set yourself up for a good last 6k.
If you have time, I recommend running or walking parts of the course that you aren’t familiar with or that you are curious about. It’s better to know how steep a hill is or how far it seems between points before you’re many kilometers deep on the pain train.
Whether it’s your first half or your 50th, have fun. There are very few opportunities where you get to take to the streets of a beautiful part of a beautiful city with thousands of people without being considered a riot. Make the most of it.
I have run this quite a few times before. My main point about this course would be that most people forget how much uphill / rollers there are. 3-7km are all slightly uphill and the rolling terrain after Spanish banks to Burrard Bridge can take it out of you if you went too hard in the first half. Overall, a fast and great race.
A full course description can be found here or check out the course preview video. See you on June 25 at #ScotiaHalf!
Dayna Pidhoresky hopes third time will prove lucky when she contests the Banque Scotia 21k de Montreal on Sunday April 23rd.
On two previous occasions the now 30-year old Tecumseh, Ontario native has finished second in the race – a Canada Running Series event. This time she has additional motivation as she approaches the day: a victory would take her 2017 season record to a perfect 3-0.
Pidhoresky moved west to Vancouver a little over two years ago with her boyfriend/coach Josh Seifarth. They were married in August 2015. The change has proven advantageous.
On March 18th of this year she won the St. Patrick’s Day 5km Run in her new hometown before earning an impressive win at the Around the Bay 30km race in Hamilton, her third at this prestigious race. There she recorded a personal best time of 1:47:27. That’s three and a half minutes faster than she has ever run on that hilly course – a fair indication she has made significant progress.
Familiarity with the Montreal 21km course, which traverses Parc Jean Drapeau on scenic Ile Notre Dame and Ile Sainte-Helene, should also count for something.
Athletics Canada has graciously altered the qualifying period for the 2018 World Half Marathon Championships to include Banque Scotia 21k de Montreal. A trip to Valencia, Spain next March would be another fine international competition for Pidhoresky.
But it is a berth on Canada’s 2017 IAAF World Championship marathon team which remains the year’s primary goal and she is focusing on achieving this at the Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon (May 28th). Hence she is looking for a quick time in Montreal to confirm she is on the right track.
“I definitely don’t think I would be happy with anything other than under 1 hour 14 minutes,” she reveals. “I would be satisfied but I want more than that. It is so hard to know. Everything has to align on the day. I hope that happens.”
Early on, Pidhoresky showed impressive marathon potential before she encountered injury and other health problems. At the 2011 Niagara Falls Half Marathon she ran 1:11:46 making her the fourth fastest Canadian woman ever. But then she suffered a couple of stress fractures of the sacrum, the most recent last autumn.
She finally made her marathon debut at the 2016 Houston Marathon but dropped out after suffering gastrointestinal problems. Then came the 2016 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, but in the buildup to the race she felt something wasn’t quite right. Under duress she finished in 2:40:38 receiving a Canadian Championship bronze medal. Afterwards, she was diagnosed with her second sacral fracture. Her fortunes appear on the rise now.
Although she has represented Canada in the 2011 Chiba Ekiden, a team road race event, earning a place on her first major championship team would be a major step.
“I am definitely going into it trying to make that world team,” she says of the Ottawa Marathon. “I think that is the last day you can qualify. So going into it I will know exactly what I have to do. A part of me wants to run really fast, but I think the decision will be to run safely to get that qualifying time. That’s the goal. Then hopefully I will be able to test my fitness later in the year.”
Which brings her back to the importance of the Montreal 21k. Predictably she is cautious about her intentions knowing that she will, in all likelihood, continue training through the race to ensure peak fitness for the marathon.
“It is still over a month out from Ottawa so I don’t think I will be running on ‘tapered’ legs,” she explains. “Hopefully, I feel good because it’s not fun to run to feel really fatigued. I definitely want to run fast. I would love to PB.
“I know that course is fast, if the weather conditions are quite right. It can get windy and I have experienced that course when it’s windy. I want to run fast but I know it’s possible that I won’t be feeling super peppy. I will know in the first five or ten km if it’s going to be a good day or not.”
Should Pidhoresky falter, there are several Quebecers only too happy to give chase. They include Arianne Raby who ran the 5k distance at the event a year ago but has also run the marathon in 2:48:54, Bianca Premont who won Montreal 21k in 2015, and Sandra McLean. Premont also finished 3rd in the Banque Scotia 21k de Montreal a year ago and has a best marathon time of 2:48:29.
Pidhoresky’s confidence has been boosted lately with some exceptional training weeks where she has gone over 150 kilometres in training volume. That includes a weekly rest day during which she might swim or bike to keep stress off her legs. During one of her intervals sessions (repeated hard one kilometre runs) two weeks ago she was joined by Canadian Olympian Natasha Wodak for part of her workout.
The ultimate proof of fitness, however, will come April 23rd in Parc Jean Drapeau.
The men’s race will be a tight one with half a dozen men owning 10k bests of around 30:30 which bodes well for a good battle. No doubt someone will emerge and draw the spotlight upon himself.
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For More Information and to Register for Banque Scotia 21k de Montreal:
Par Paul Gains
Dayna Pidhoresky espère que la troisième fois sera la bonne au Banque Scotia 21k de Montréal, le dimanche 23 avril prochain.
En effet, l’athlète de 30 ans native de Tecumseh, en Ontario, a déjà obtenu deux secondes places lors de cette course du Circuit du Canada. Cette fois, elle a une source de motivation additionnelle à l’approche du jour J : la victoire lui donnerait une fiche parfaite de 3-0 pour la saison 2017.
Il y a un peu plus de deux ans, Pidhoresky déménage à Vancouver avec son conjoint et entraîneur, Josh Seifarth, qu’elle épouse en août 2015. Ce déménagement s’avère profitable.
Le 18 mars dernier, Pidhoresky remporte le 5 km de la Saint-Patrick dans sa ville d’adoption. Elle signe ensuite une victoire impressionnante pour décrocher un troisième titre au prestigieux 30 km Around the Bay, à Hamilton. Elle enregistre alors un record personnel de 1:47:27 – abaissant de trois minutes et demie son meilleur temps sur ce parcours vallonné –, signe qu’elle a fait des progrès appréciables.
À Montréal, sa connaissance du parcours de 21 km, qui traverse le parc Jean-Drapeau sur les magnifiques îles Notre-Dame et Sainte-Hélène, devrait également l’avantager.
Athlétisme Canada a gentiment accepté de modifier la période de qualification aux Championnats du monde de demi-marathon 2018 pour inclure le Banque Scotia 21k de Montréal. Un voyage à Valence, en Espagne, en mars prochain serait une autre belle occasion pour Pidhoresky de compétitionner à l’étranger.
Or le but ultime de l’athlète demeure l’obtention d’une place dans l’équipe canadienne de marathon en vue des Championnats du monde 2017 de l’IAAF, place que Pidhoresky compte obtenir au Marathon d’Ottawa Banque Scotia (28 mai). Elle veut donc réaliser un bon chrono à Montréal pour confirmer qu’elle est sur la bonne voie.
« C’est sûr que je veux terminer en moins de 1 heure 14 minutes, révèle l’athlète. Ce serait un chrono satisfaisant, mais j’aimerais courir encore plus vite. Sauf qu’on ne sait jamais d’avance; il faut que tout se passe bien ce jour-là. Je croise les doigts. »
Dès ses débuts, Pidhoresky présente un potentiel impressionnant pour le marathon avant d’être ralentie par des blessures et d’autres problèmes de santé. En 2011, elle court le demi-marathon de Niagara Falls en 1:11:46, le quatrième meilleur temps par une coureuse canadienne. Or elle subit par la suite deux fractures de fatigue au sacrum, dont une pas plus tard que l’automne dernier.
Elle court finalement son premier marathon à Houston, en 2016, mais doit abandonner en raison de problèmes gastrointestinaux. Puis, lors de sa préparation au Marathon Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront 2016, elle sent que quelque chose ne va pas. Elle réussit de peine et de misère à terminer la course en 2:40:38, temps qui lui vaut une médaille de bronze aux Championnats canadiens. C’est alors qu’on lui diagnostique une deuxième fracture du sacrum. Aujourd’hui, on dirait que la vie lui sourit enfin.
Bien que Pidhoresky ait représenté le Canada au Chiba Ekiden 2011, une course sur route par équipe, participer à un premier championnat majeur serait pour elle un jalon important.
« C’est certain que mon but sera d’obtenir une place aux mondiaux, dit-elle à propos du Marathon d’Ottawa. Je pense que c’est le dernier jour pour se qualifier; je vais donc savoir exactement ce que je dois faire. Une partie de moi voudra courir vraiment vite, mais je crois que le plus sage serait d’être prudente pour obtenir le temps de qualification. C’est ça l’objectif. Avec un peu de chance, je pourrai tester ma condition physique plus tard cette année. »
D’où l’importance du 21k de Montréal. Sans surprise, Pidhoresky se montre prudente quant à ses intentions : selon toute probabilité, cette course fait partie de son entraînement pour arriver à Ottawa au sommet de sa forme.
« Comme nous serons à plus d’un mois d’Ottawa, je ne crois pas que je vais devoir ménager mes jambes, explique-t-elle. J’espère me sentir bien, car ce n’est pas agréable de courir en étant très fatiguée. C’est sûr que je veux courir vite; j’aimerais beaucoup battre mon record personnel. »
« Je sais que c’est un parcours rapide quand la météo est favorable. Ça peut devenir venteux; je l’ai déjà vécu. Je veux courir vite, mais je sais que c’est possible que je ne sois pas en super forme. Je saurai après cinq ou dix kilomètres si c’est une bonne journée ou non. »
Si les choses tournent mal pour Pidhoresky, plusieurs Québécoises pourraient bien la rattraper. On n’a qu’à penser à Arianne Raby, qui a fait le 5k l’an dernier mais a déjà couru un marathon en 2:48:54; Bianca Prémont, gagnante du 21k de Montréal en 2015; et Sandra McLean. Prémont, qui a terminé troisième au Banque Scotia 21k de Montréal l’an dernier, a couru son meilleur marathon en 2:48:29.
Pidhoresky est particulièrement confiante ces jours-ci, elle qui vient de connaître des semaines d’entraînement exceptionnelles où elle a couru plus de 150 kilomètres. Elle se garde toutefois un jour de repos hebdomadaire où elle fait parfois de la natation ou du vélo pour moins solliciter ses jambes. Lors d’une séance d’entraînement par intervalles (série de courses d’un kilomètre très intenses) il y a deux semaines, l’athlète olympique canadienne Natasha Wodak s’est même jointe à elle pendant quelque temps.
Mais le moment de vérité sera le 23 avril au parc Jean-Drapeau.
Chez les hommes, on peut s’attendre à une course serrée : une demi-douzaine de concurrents ont un record personnel sur 10 km d’environ 30:30. Ce sera chaudement disputé, mais quelqu’un réussira sans doute à se détacher du lot pour remporter les grands honneurs.
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Pour en savoir plus ou s’inscrire au Banque Scotia 21k de Montréal :
Kenya’s Ishhimael Chemtan returns to the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon in defence of the title he won a year ago. On that occasion his margin of victory was merely a stride length as the race came down to a final sprint.
Chemtan’s compatriot Gilbert Kirwa was on the receiving end of this desperate finish, a deficit that cost him $10,000 in prize money. In Toronto the winner receives $25,000 while the runner up earns $15,000.
The pair will reenact their rivalry at this IAAF Gold Label race October 16th. By no means are they assured of occupying the top podium places either.
Seboka Dibaba carries Ethiopian hopes with the 28 year old possessing a 2:06:17 personal best. Only Kirwa (2:06:14) has run faster. And, Philemon Rono, who trains in a group led by Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge and 2014 Toronto champion, Laban Korir, is another potential winner. Rono has a best of 2:07:07.
The race will also feature several talented East African runners marking their marathon debut chief among them Aziz Lahbabi. This 25 year old Moroccan won the 2014 Rome Ostia Lido Half Marathon in Rome with a superb 59:25 and, if he has prepared adequately, his performance shall be memorable.
Abraham Habte is the first Eritrean elite to compete in Toronto. Although he has completed a marathon he was not supposed to. The 20 year old had been hired to pace the leaders through 30km at January’s Xiamen (China) marathon and felt so good he kept going. This time he has done the work to make an impact in Toronto.
Canadian hopes rest on the 36 year old Eric Gillis who ran the race of his life to finish 10th at the Rio Olympic marathon just six weeks ago. Gillis has recovered well and with three Olympic Games to his credit has announced he will throw caution to the wind and go for a fast time in Toronto. Could Jerome Drayton’s 41 year old Canadian record of 2:10:09 finally be beaten?
Race Director Alan Brookes has done well to have both defending champions back. Shure Demise, 20, ran 2:23:37 a year ago and will be heavily favoured to win again. In January 2015 she ran an unofficial world ‘under 20’ record in Dubai (2:20:59), unofficial because the IAAF does not maintain junior records in the marathon. She will face the 2015 runner-up Fatuma Sado and also Tadelech Bekele providing a 1-2-3 punch for Ethiopia.
A Kenyan challenge will be mounted by 24 year old Rebeca Chesir who finished 2nd at the 2015 Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon. Her personal best of 2:25:22 came at the 2015 Dubai Marathon.
Once again Toronto Waterfront will serve as the Canadian Marathon Championship and the women’s field, especially, is a competitive one.
Canadian Olympian Krista DuChene (2:28:32 personal best), Rachel Hannah, the Pan Am Games bronze medalist, Tarah Korir of St Clement, Ontario who ran a personal best of 2:35:46 in Ottawa, Leslie Sexton (2:33:23), Erin Burrett (2:37:50) and debutante Dayna Pidhoresky all have their sights set on a berth on Canada’s 2017 IAAF World Championship team. It is very possible all three places could come from this race.
At this point Athletics Canada has not announced the qualifying time standards. The IAAF standards are 2:19:00 for men and 2:45:00 for women. The athletes know full well that the standards will be much, much tougher and, no doubt, will request pacemakers to ensure they are nearer to 2:29 than to 2:39.
For a complete Start List, click here.
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TORONTO. April 9th. Robert Winslow and Rachel Hannah cruised to comfortable victories at today’s 38th Annual Race Roster Spring Run-Off 8K in High Park, in 24:42 and 27:51, respectively. It was race # 2 in the 2016 Canada Running Series, the country’s premier running circuit. Steeped in tradition as Toronto’s oldest continuously-held road race, the Spring Run Off is famous for its scenery, its challenging hills and weather, and its “Opening Day” position in the city’s running calendar. Today did not disappoint, with bright blue skies and a crisp -4 degrees for the almost 3,500 runners in the 8K, and the 5K and 800m Kids Run that followed.
This year’s main bill was a re-match between U of T Track Club’s Rachel Hannah and Vancouver’s Dayna Pidhoresky in the 8k. Hannah, who won the bronze medal in the Pan Am Games marathon in Toronto last July, and Pidhoresky raced together at the Houston Marathon in January, chasing the Canadian marathon standard for the Rio Olympics (2:29:50). They went through 25k with Dayna slightly ahead, 1:29:24 to 1:29:32, before she was forced to drop out with stomach problems. Rachel went onto set a new PB of 2:32:09, just shy of the standard. Today they again started out together, with Hannah just a step or two ahead:
Pan Am Games Bronze medallist Rachel Hannah, women’s champion in 27:51.
“I felt quite good, and comfortable throughout the race. It was really good to be out racing again,” said Rachel. “I tried to be pretty conservative the first kilometre or two. Felt really smooth. Then I started to pick it up a little bit. I felt good on the first hill (at 3k) and that gave me good confidence. I really got away from Dayna around 5k, 6k. I was feeling really strong and I didn’t want to save it ‘til that last hill!” By the time they crossed the line at the top of Spring Road hill the gap was 14 seconds. The ageless Lioudmila Kortchaguina was third in 28:35. The 44 year-old from Markham also claimed first Master’s honours. Part of the tradition of the Spring Run Off, Lioudmila was overall Women’s Champion in 2002 and 2003.
Although it was his first time racing Spring Run Off, Robert Winslow continued the strong Speed River Track Club tradition at the Spring Run Off. With teammate and defending champion Eric Gillis racing the Berlin Half-marathon last weekend as “proof of fitness” for Rio, the challenge fell to Winslow to uphold the Guelph club’s reputation – and he did so convincingly. It was the 27 year-old Winslow’s first podium finish with Canada Running Series and he couldn’t have been happier.
Robert Winslow upholds Speed River winning tradition, 24:42.
“I cruised through the first couple of K, then hit the first hill around 3k, and that’s when things started to open up. I opened the gap more on the big downhill at 5k, then just tried to maintain ‘til I got to the last hill as I knew it was going to be a tough one. I just tried to work that last hill hard – it’s easier to do when you know the Finish is right there. I’ve been getting some good workouts in with Eric and Reid [Coolsaet] and the rest of the Speed River gang. I was hungry to get going today and get some good racing in.”
A new, up and coming CRS star, 19 year-old Ehab El-Sandali of Toronto West Athletics, took second in 25:12, holding off Paris’ Josh Bolton (25:20). Ehab is the current Canadian Junior Cross Country Champion, and represented Canada at the Pan Am XC Championships in Caracas, Venezuela last month.
Canadian Running and Runner’s World magazine sport-science columnist Alex Hutchinson took the Men’s Master’s title in 27:22.
The accompanying 5K was won by Miles Avalos in 16:20 and Jenni Dwyer in 20:09.
The Kings and Queens of The Hill.
One of the highlights of the morning was a new “Kill The Hill Challenge” (#killthehill) that timed all participants up the final 365 metres of the infamous Spring Road hill. Invited, elite athletes were timed but not eligible for “King and Queen of The Hill” awards. The titles, complete with cloaks, crowns and tiaras, PowerBar and maple syrup prizing, went to Luka Senk (79.7 seconds) and Pascale Gendron (1:34.9) in the 8k; to Avalos (79.0) and Dwyer (1:40.2) in the 5k. Interestingly, both runners-up in the 8k posted the best elite times, with Ehab El-Sandali “killing the hill” in 73.0 and Dayna Pidhoresky in 1:34.
Despite the chilly temperatures there was a festive, “Opening Day” atmosphere. It was a day of family fitness, fundraising and fun in Toronto’s grandest park. More than $55,000 was raised for the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation. Councillor Sarah Doucette flipped pancakes in support of High Park Nature Centre. And she was joined by MP Arif Virani and MPP Cheri DiNovo to help hand out awards. Councillor Mike Layton let his feet do the talking, running the 8k and “killing the hill” in 2:36.
Complete results for the 8k and 5k, including the Kill The Hill Challenge at http://www.canadarunningseries.com/springrunoff/csroRESULT.htm
Next races in the Canada Running Series are Banque Scotia 21k et 5k de Montréal, April 24th; and Toronto Waterfront 10k, June 25th. http://www.canadarunningseries.com/crs/index.htm
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