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Kip Kangogo Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Canada Running Series

Jun 27 2016
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Kip Kangogo runs to victory, marking his fifth win at the Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon

By | Elite Athletes, Scotiabank Vancouver Half | No Comments
Over $860,000 raised at the 2016 Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon & 5k.

VANCOUVER June 26th 2016 – Over 6,500 people took part in the 18th annual Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon & 5k on Sunday, June 26. The event raised more than $860,000 and counting for 81 local charities through the Scotiabank Charity Challenge. This amount is a significant contribution to the $50 million raised nationally in the lifetime of the Scotiabank Charity Challenge since its inception in 2003.

Race day saw momentous victories on a sunny Vancouver morning as runners brought their best to the scenic course, stretching from UBC to Stanley Park. Kenyan-born Kip Kangogo of Lethbridge, Alberta owned today’s race, as he has since his Canadian debut in 2009, leading the men’s pack and winning his fifth Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon in eight years with a time of 01:07:03. Kenya’s Pius Kipsang Korir followed in second place, with Kangogo’s fellow Kenyan Canadian, Willy Kimosop in third for the men’s event.

KipKangogo

Romanian born American, Adriana Nelson came to Vancouver looking for a half-marathon win, and led the women’s pack from the beginning. She ran to victory three minutes clear of second place, Lindsay Tessier from Toronto.

“We would like to congratulate all of the runners in the 2016 Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon & 5k, especially those who participated in the Scotiabank Charity Challenge and ran for causes close to their hearts,” said Winnie Leong, Senior Vice President of the BC and Yukon Region at Scotiabank. “This marks a special year for the race here in Vancouver. With the support of the local community, the Scotiabank Charity Challenge reached a fundraising total of $860,000 and counting – helping to take our national fundraising even further past the $50 million national fundraising milestone achieved this past week.”

Charity

The race also saw record-breaking moments as Jason Cole and Rand Surbey broke the Guinness World Record for fastest half-marathon pushing a wheelchair. The powerhouse duo had a strong finish in the race and in their fundraising efforts, raising over $15,000 for the Cerebral Palsy Association of BC through the Scotiabank Charity Challenge. The Scotiabank Charity Challenge also saw a record broken as Cassie and Friends Society raised over $120,000 this year, surpassing the most a charity has raised through the Challenge in Vancouver, annually.

“Today we saw residents of Vancouver and surrounding areas unite in an inspiring way – from talented runners to dedicated supporters cheering on race participants, we witnessed a great deal of athleticism, philanthropy and community spirit,” said Clif Cunningham, Canada Running Series Western Race Director. “With the combination of outstanding running achievements and hundreds of thousands of dollars raised for local charities here in BC, we couldn’t have asked for a better day.” 

Spectators

Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon & 5k Results:

Half-Marathon Results   

Half-Marathon Male 

1. Kip Kangogo – Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada:  01:07:03

2. Pius Kipsang Korir–  Kenya: 01:07:29

3. Willy Kimosop – Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada: 01:08:11

Half-Marathon Female         

1. Adriana Nelson – Boulder, Colorado, USA: 01:14:35

2. Lyndsay Tessier – Toronto, Ontario, Canada: 01:17:30

3. Robyn Mildren – Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada: 01:18:55

5k Results

5k Male          

1. Alistair Kealty – Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada: 17:07

2. Dorian Baysset – Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, Canada: 17:56

3. Samuel Yeung – Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada: 19:28  

5k Female               

1. Olivia, Willett – Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada: 18:57

2. Carina Blafield – Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada: 20:12

3. Hannah Ye – Leesburg, Virginia, USA: 20:22

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 Hashtags: #ScotiaHalf and #runScotia

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/

Apr 24 2016
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Banque Scotia 21k de Montréal Post Race Report.

By | Banque Scotia 21k de Montreal et 5k | No Comments

MONTREAL April 24th 2016. The 14th annual Banque Scotia 21k de Montreal presented by Asics took place this morning under almost perfect weather conditions for fast times.  It was 4 degrees and the sun was shinning; the perfect combination to get a personal best!

The 21k men’s race took off at a rapid pace. Kip Kangogo and Sami Jibril broke away at the 3k mark, with Josh Bolton, Francois Jarry, Anthony Larouche and Baghahd Rachem following behind. Kangogo and Jibril battled hard, and were side by side for 19 kilometres. At the 19.5 kilometre mark,  Kangogo, originally from Kenya and now a Canadian , dropped the hammer and surged away from Jibril. Kangogo won in 1:06:49, with Jibril not far behind him securing second place with a time of 1:07:02.

Kip

On the women’s side, the stakes were high for Krista DuChene. Having achieved the qualifying standard a year ago to be part of Team Canada at the Rio 2016 Olympic games, Krista still had to prove her fitness. To secure her place on the team, she had to achieve a time of 1:13:00. She did just that and crossed the finish line in 1:12:30. Boom! Mission accomplished.

The Banque Scotia 21k de Montreal 2016 event brought back a lot of memories in her running career. She said, “While walking to the start line, I was calm and concentrated. I took my coach’s advice and I used this race as a solid workout.”

“When I crossed the finish line, the memories of the last time I participated in this race came soaring back. In 2014, with 500m to go, I broke my leg. I was limping along and in the crowd I heard someone shout “Crawl if you have to, but finish your race.” I knew at that moment the injury was serious, but had no idea how serious it was. The race organizers were fantastic. They are like my family. They helped me and supported me. The care I received at the hospital was also extraordinary. Two days after my surgery, I told myself that I could make the Olympic standard in one year and that’s what I did.”

tf_21kmtl16_a0969

Krista is a 39 year old athlete and a mother of 3, she finished today’s race on both feet, secured the time she needed to participate in the next Olympic games and was the winner of the women’s race.

“Even if it wasn’t my main objective to finish first, because I was concentrating on my time to achieve my proof of fitness standard, I am happy that I finished first, this is an added bonus. I came in 2nd  in the last 3 events I raced in. I admit, I was eager to break that finish tape once again!

“We will not officially know until late May which athletes will be on the Canadian team, but there is a good chance that my children, my husband, my sister and my brothers will be in the stands at Rio this summer. I will be going to the half-marathon championships in Calgary next month, but in a more relaxed manner. That’s good.”

Catherine Cormier and Bianca Prémont came in second and third in the women’s race with respective times of 1:20:17 and 1:21:21.

At press time, the Scotiabank Charity Challenge had raised more than $1.1 million for 66 charities in the Montreal area, including this year’s featured charities – The Diabetic Children’s Foundation, Share the Warmth and the Huntington Society of Quebec.

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% of the proceeds raised, as Scotiabank pays for all transaction and credit card fees.

Scotia21kMtlFrancois

 

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Ce matin, la 14e édition de la course Banque Scotia 21 km de Montréal présentée par Asics, s’est tenue sous un soleil radieux. Une température clémente quoiqu’un peu fraîche oscillant autour de 4 degrés a assuré pour les nombreux coureurs, une course sous d’excellentes conditions. Outre sur une certaine partie du parcours longeant le bassin olympique, les coureurs ont peu ressenti le vent durant l’épreuve.

Le profil de la course du 21km s’est dessiné rapidement chez les hommes. Kip Kangogo et Sami Jibril se sont détachés dès le 3e kilomètre du peloton formé des coureurs Josh Bolton, François Jarry,  Anthony Larouche et Baghdad Rachem. Kangogo et Jibril ont bataillé fort  et furent côte à côte durant près de 19,5km. C’est à ce moment que l’athlète originaire du Kenya et désormais canadien, a choisi pour larguer son vis-à-vis. Ils ont respectivement réalisé les temps de 1:06:49 et de 1:07:02 pour occuper la première et la deuxième place.

Les enjeux étaient grands pour la marathonienne Krista DuChene. En effet,  ayant réalisé le standard de qualification au marathon pour les Jeux olympique de Rio il y a quelques mois, Krista devait prouver qu’elle avait toujours la forme physique adéquate. Pour s’assurer une place dans la cohorte d’athlètes, elle devait réaliser aujourd’hui un temps de 1:13:00. Maintenant son allure durant tout le parcours, elle a franchi la ligne d’arrivée à 1:12:30. Voilà!  Mission accomplie!

L’édition 2016 de la course Banque Scotia 21k de Montréal se révèle assurément comme un baume dans son parcours sportif à plusieurs niveaux. « En marchant vers la ligne de départ, j’étais calme et concentrée. Je repassais les conseils de mon entraineur et j’ai pris cette course comme un solide entraînement. »

« En finissant la course, les souvenirs de ma dernière participation à la course Banque Scotia 21 km de Montréal me revenaient à la mémoire. En 2014, à 500 mètres de l’arrivée, je suis brisée la jambe. Je boitais énormément.  Dans la foule, j’ai entendu quelqu’un crier : « Rampe si tu dois, mais finis ta course! » À ce moment-là, je savais que la blessure était grave, mais pas à ce point. Les organisateurs ont été fantastiques : ils sont comme des membres de ma famille, ils m’ont aidé et m’ont supportée. Les soins que j’ai reçus à l’hôpital ont été extraordinaires. Deux jours après la chirurgie, je me suis dit : « Je peux faire les standards olympiques dans un 1 an. Et c’est ce que j’ai fait.»

Non seulement cette athlète de 39 ans, mère de trois enfants, a-t-elle terminé sur ses deux pieds le parcours, elle a du même coup réalisé le temps prescrit pour participer aux prochains Jeux olympiques dont l’ouverture officielle se tiendra le 5 août prochain, et a obtenu la première place.

« Même si ce n’était pas mon objectif premier, car je me concentrais sur mon temps, je suis heureuse d’être arrivée première. C’est une satisfaction supplémentaire. Je suis arrivée deuxième à mes trois dernières courses, j’avoue que j’avais hâte de sentir le ruban de la première place! »

« Nous ne saurons pas officiellement avant la fin mai quelles athlètes feront officiellement partie de l’équipe canadienne, mais il y a de bonnes chances que mes enfants, mon mari, ma sœur et mes frères soient dans les gradins de Rio cet été. »

« Je participerai au Championnat canadien du demi-marathon à Calgary le mois prochain, mais d’une façon plus détendue. Ça c’est bien. »

Catherine Cormier et Bianca Prémont se sont classées deuxième et troisième chez les femmes avec un temps respectif de 1:20:17 et 1:21:21.

Au moment de publication, le Défi Caritatif Banque Scotia avait amassé plus de 1,1 million de dollars pour 66 organismes caritatifs de la région montréalaise, incluant les trois organismes vedettes de cette année – la Fondation pour enfants diabétiques, Partageons l’espoir et Société Huntington du Québec.

Le Défi caritatif de la Banque Scotia est un programme de collecte de fonds simple et efficace, qui permet aux coureurs d’appuyer des initiatives locales faisant une grande différence dans la vie des gens. Les organismes de bienfaisance qui y participent conservent la totalité des fonds amassés, puisque la Banque Scotia paie tous les frais d’opération et de carte de crédit.

Apr 12 2016
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Kip Kangogo to Race Banque Scotia 21k de Montréal. By Paul Gains

By | Banque Scotia 21k de Montreal et 5k | No Comments

TORONTO April 12th 2016. Kip Kangogo will open his 2016 racing campaign at the prestigious Banque Scotia 21k de Montréal – a Canada Running Series event – on Sunday April 24th.

The Kenyan-born distance runner has become one of this country’s best. He is the reigning Canadian Half Marathon champion having won the title at the 2015 Scotiabank Calgary Half Marathon. He beat Canadian Olympian Reid Coolsaet by eleven seconds on that day.

Another winter has passed in Lethbridge, Alberta, where Kangogo has lived since graduating from the University of Lethbridge, and he looks forward to lining up in Montréal’s Parc Jean Drapeau. Being a favourite, the race will offer him the chance to score maximum points and chase the CRS overall title which he won in 2013. He was the 2014 CRS runner up finishing just 9 points behind two time Canadian Olympian Eric Gillis.

“I think my training is coming along nicely but you cannot say until you get in a competitive race,” says the 36 year old runner. “But it’s coming along.

“The winter this year wasn’t too bad. You couldn’t really call it winter because it wasn’t too bad. That was nice. I did most of my runs outside. I never went on my treadmill this winter. It gets windy in Lethbridge but, other than that, it was good.”

STWM 2015. Photo Credit: Photo Run

STWM 2015. Photo Credit: Photo Run

For the past two years he has been coached by Rick Mannen, who has been responsible for Krista DuChene’s success. DuChene is expected to represent Canada in the Rio Olympics marathon. A year ago Kangogo improved his marathon personal best time to 2:15:26 at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon and so has nothing but good things to say about his coach.

“Rick is very good,” Kangogo says. “He can get you into 10k shape, he can get you into half marathon shape and marathon shape.

“He is always studying you, he wants to know how you are feeling, how the body is responding. You will always get that feedback and then you will receive training according to how it fits you. It has always been a good relationship with him and I like it.”

At the moment Kangogo runs around 200 kilometres a week, sometimes as much as 240km, but will reduce that mileage for Montréal. Since his wife Florida is studying biochemistry at the University of Lethbridge and he is the primary caregiver during daytime, he must sometimes run at 5:30 a.m. or wait until she returns from classes. It’s all part of raising a family, he acknowledges.

Kangogo calls the Montréal race a ‘litmus test’ as he still harbours the intention of running a spring marathon. His best time for the half marathon distance is 1:03:22 from the 2011 Scotiabank Vancouver Half Marathon. That time doesn’t appear on Canadian rankings since he was not yet a Canadian citizen. That honour was bestowed upon him in April 2014 and ranks alongside the birth of his daughter Emma in his lifetime highlights.

“It’s meaningful to me. When I first came to Canada I wanted to be Canadian because I fell in love with the people of this land and their values and how they approach life,” he says quietly. “And it’s peaceful. I knew for sure I want to call this home.

“I wrote my citizenship test at 10:30 in the morning and then I was invited for the swearing in ceremony at 2 pm. My wife was writing an exam. So I called her and told her the ceremony has to be at 2 pm so all of us have to be there. Emma was there, my brother, my sister, it was special. It was like getting married again.”

Last summer Kangogo proudly represented Canada at the Pan American Games in Toronto finishing 9th in the oppressive heat.  Today his brother Edmond and sister Florence also live with him and his family which helps retain their Kenyan roots. It is an atmosphere they clearly enjoy.

“There is a special Kenyan dish called Chapati and we make Chapati and beef stew for special occasions,” he explains. “And Ugali is a more staple food in the evening. My daughter likes that. She is always saying ‘Daddy we have to cook Ugali.’

“We speak Swahili and we speak Kalenjin, which is my native language, and we speak English so nothing is lost. Emma she is different, she speaks English most of the time and some Swahili – a little bit.”

It has been nearly four years since Kangogo was last in Kenya. He would like to take Emma back for a visit in a few years, when she is older and will probably remember more about the trip. Until then Kangogo continues to seek personal best performances on the roads knowing he is nearing the end of his racing career.

As he prepares for the Banque Scotia 21k de Montréal he doesn’t know or, for that matter, care who else is in the field. The overriding goal will be to race to his full potential and if fast times and podium finishes are the result then so be it.

Leading the pack of podium contenders is Toronto’s Sami Jibril who notably chased Eric Gillis around this course in 2014 to claim the Canadian championship silver medal. Jibril ran a personal best of 1:04:30 in Houston on January 17th of this year.

Amongst the Quebec contingent is Anthony Larouche who sports a decent personal best for the distance of 1:07:47 which he ran at the Philadelphia Half Marathon last November.

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For more information and to register:
http://www.canadarunningseries.com/monthalf/index.htm

Jul 22 2015
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TO2015 Pan Am Men’s Marathon Start List (Unofficial)

By | Uncategorised | No Comments

TORONTO July 22nd 2015. 19 athletes are set to toe the Start Line for Saturday’s Men’s Marathon at Pan Am Toronto 2015. CRS stars Rob Watson and Kip Kangogo will face especially tough competition from Peru’s Raul Pacheco and Brazil’s Franck De Almeida. Beyond them, there are 5 other athletes who have run in the same time range (2:14 to 2:16) recently to qualify. The race promises a fair bit more depth than the women’s marathon. With the heat, humidity and hills, it will be a sizzler of a competition. Our boys NEED YOUR CHEERS!

All of you CRS regulars will know Kip Kangogo @KipKangogo, the Pride of Lethbridge, well. You will have seen him, the super nice guy he is, at many of our CRS races. He was our CRS Men’s Champion in 2013, and has been runner up in 2012 and 2014, so often battling away with Reid Coolsaet and Eric Gillis.

And I think it’s fair to say that the enigmatic, peripatetic Rob Watson @robbiedxc may just be EVERYONE’s favourite Canadian high-performance athlete on social media! He’s been a regular star at both Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon and Scotia Vancouver Half, stars in his own podcast, is a Manchester United fan, and loves cookies and beer post-race!

Here is the complete (unofficial) Start List for Saturday morning’s Pan Am Men’s Marathon.

Name Country PB Qualifying Time
Mariano Mastromarino ARG 2:15:28 2:15:28
Franck De Almeida BRA 2:12:03 2:12:04
Ubiratan Dos Santos BRA 2:16:22 2:16:22
Kip Kangogo CAN 2:15:35 2:17:12
Rob Watson CAN 2:13:29 2:16:38
Roberto Echeverria CHI 2:15:37 2:16:58
Christopher Guajardo CHI
Diego Colorado COL  2:17:09  2:17:09
Richer Perez CUB
Segundo Jami ECU 2:17:11 2:17:11
Jose Amado Garcia GUA 2:13:53  2:15:52
Alejandro Suarez MEX  2:13:33  2:17:21
Daniel Vargas MEX 2:13:06 2:16:32
Raul Machacuay PER 2:15:31 2:15:31
Raul Pacheco PER 2:11:01 2:11:01
Aguelmis Rojas URU 2:14:16 2:19:33
Craig Leon USA  2:13:52  2:14:13
Tim Young USA  2:14:40 2:14:40
Luis Alberto Orta VEN 2:19:59 2:19:59

While our CRS stars Rob and Kip have PBs of 2:13 and 2:15 respectively [Rob’s at STWM 2013], they’ve only run 2:16 and 2:17 most recently to qualify for the Games. That puts them in a tough spot against Raul Pacheco, who like Pan Am Women’s Champion Gladys Tajeda, trains with Mexican marathon legend Rodolfo Gomez in Huancayo, Peru. That’s 3,300m up in the Andes! In April he finished one place ahead of our current Canadian #1 ranked marathoner, Reid Coolsaet, at Rotterdam, with a 2:11:01 PB at age 36. Last Spring, Brazil’s De Almeida ran 2:12:04 in Padova, Italy, just 1 second shy of his 2012 PB.

But on race day, in a Championship, on a tactical, challenging course, ANYTHING can happen. And the pack chasing Pacheco and De Almeida should include our boys Rob and Kip, as well as Raul Machacuay, Pacheco’s teammate from Peru; Mexico’s Dani Vargas; the two Americans Tim Young (2:14) & Craig Leon; Masters’ athlete Diego Colorado from Colombia who was 2nd in Guadalajara at the last Pan Am Men’s Marathon; plus Brazil’s Ubiratan Dos Santos, Argentina’s Mariano Mastromarino (a steeplechaser turned marathoner), and Chile’s Roberto Echeverria. And I feel compeled to offer a special shout out to Segundo Jami (a 2:17:11 guy), who I’ve seen race a couple of times in the Ultimas Noticias 15k, in his native Quito, Ecuador. Both times he was runner-up, and one reporter with a sense of humour suggested his father should have named him “Primero” instead of “Segundo”!

YOU’RE INVITED to join Toronto’s Run Crew CHEER SITES this Saturday July 25th, 7am Start, to represent our city and cheer on all the athletes – but especially ROB and KIP!!! Your cheers could make the difference!  Full details here.

Jul 06 2015
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Alan’s Journal: One Series. One Country. One Community. One Family. One Love.

By | Alan's Journal | No Comments

TORONTO July 6th 2015.

Hey fellow runners;

4CatsA big THANKS to everyone who made the Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon & 5k weekend such a great experience! One of the most enjoyable things for me, was to see the way the race is building out into more of a long-weekend-experience, and bringing together our community from across Canada. Our #ScotiaHalf Digital Champions, our 83 official charities and SO many of you have been lighting up our CRS Social Hub, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for weeks, and it all reached a fine crescendo over the June 26th-28th weekend. Our 2-day mini-Expo was the best so far, and East Van Run Crew leader Ryan Chilibeck, aka @meatysauce, got us up and running in style on the Saturday morning with a Shake-Out Run and beer tasting at Red Truck Brewery. Check out the photos here.

The race itself was HOT, in all senses of the word. Under bright, sunny skies and 20 to 25c temperatures that felt HOT, 4,500 runners from 29 countries charged down from UBC to Stanley Park. Another 2,150 met them in the park and ran the 5K. The main bout was the #BettyandVeronica show in the 21K, Round 5, with Veronica [Lanni Marchant] taking an impressive “W” over hometown bestie Betty [Natasha Wodak], 71:08 to 72:31. Natasha also added to a great atmosphere by running to raise funds for VOKRA cat rescue, and toeing the line complete with cat-woman face paint! It was humorously billed as “Catfight in Vancouver”! The Men’s race also featured some of Canada’s very best, with Reid Coolsaet [65:40] putting on a show, to overpower dust Matt Loiselle and Sami Jibril in the heat. Read our full race report.

NickRyanBillThe weekend of Canadian running celebrations continued on Sunday and Monday evenings. On Sunday, Lanni, Natasha, Matt, Sami, and Kevin “SuperK” O’Connor were able to join our CRS crew in Gastown for a fabulous, post-race dinner. It was a great mix of athletes and organizers, and underscored how much we are all one big family, one community together. Then Monday night, Jenna, Inge and I, plus Toronto’s Bill Chaupiz from Night Terrors Run Crew and Nick Mizera from Pace and Mind, all joined Ryan and the East Van Run Crew for a beautiful recovery run in their ‘hood, including scenic Trout Lake. It was great to see the #ScotiaHalf bringing together our Toronto and Vancouver communities! Thanks for the bike loan John, and great to catch up with Leslie again – sorry I haven’t been out regularly!

It was also special to see JP Bedard among the hundreds of CRS visitors to #ScotiaHalf from across the country. If you haven’t read Paul Gains’ feature on JP, @runJPrun and his remarkable story, plus his crusade to build awareness for childhood sexual abuse, it’s a DON’T MISS! He’s now back in Toronto racking up 200 kilometres a week in preparation for his TRIPLE Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon! That’s right – not a miss-print! If we think 42.195 km is a challenge, JP will be doing the course 3 times, back-to-back-to-back on October 18th. 126.585 kilometres. One day. Indeed, we have such remarkable people in our community! Read the story, and make sure you join us in October.

As well as STWM preparations, July in Toronto 11694060_10102271365233241_153510771_nfor our CRS team is all about the Pan Am Games, where most of us will be involved in the Pan Am Marathons and Race Walks. We hope you’ll join in, especially for #PANAMARATHON on the 18th and 25th, to cheer on CRS stars Rachel Hannah and Catherine Watkins [ July 18th] and Kip Kangogo and Rob Watson [ July 25th]. On the track at York, there’ll be the #BettyandVeronica Show part 6, and SO many of our other CRS stars and friends. Four of our Toronto run crews – Parkdale Roadrunners (pictured at right), Tribe Fitness, Pace and Mind and Night Terrors Run Crew will be hosting CHEER SITES on the marathon course on both dates. I’ve written a separate blog on this with all the deets, schedules, including athletes’ Twitter and Instagram handles so we can stay connected and be part of a shared experience. I know there’s been lots of grumbling about the Games – mostly traffic related – but at the end of the day this is our city, our Games, and our friends racing for Canada. They deserve and NEED our cheers! Let’s show them how much we care; how rightly proud we are of them and of our great city, and make a home-turf difference. Go CANADA!

Gotta run! I’m doing a leg of the Pan Am Torch Relay tonight!

Looking forward to seeing 800 of you on Sunday at Beaches Jazz Training Run for STWM,

Alan

Ps. Let’s stay connected on social media! Twitter & Instagram @alnbrookes.

Jul 06 2015
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Let’s make the Pan Am marathons ROCK! Canada Running Series stars; Toronto Run Crew Cheer sites.

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TORONTO. July 6th 2015. We’re having not one but two once-in-lifetime run parties, on July 18th and July 25th and we’re ALL invited! The 2015 Pan Am Games is coming to OUR city: your Canada Running Series team will be working as key volunteers for the Women’s Marathon on Saturday 18th, and the Men’s Marathon the following Saturday the 25th. OK, so it’s early, both 7am starts, but we’re used to running early aren’t we?! AND the two Championship races feature 4 of our CRS stars that you all know so well!

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Our current CRS Women’s Champion @RachelHannahRD, Rachel Hannah and the fabulous @runmommaster, Catherine Watkins will be first up to rep the Maple Leaf; @KipKangogo, Kip Kangogo [4x winner of the Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon; winner of the Toronto Yonge Street 10k and CRS Men’s Overall Champion in 2013] and @robbiedxc, Rob Watson [2:13:29 PB at STWM 2013 ] will take on the best of the Americas men on the 25th. We run with these peeps almost every month in Canada Running Series races. They’re our running friends and family. Now they’re putting it all on the line for Canada. THEY NEED OUR CHEERS!

There are TWO great options for you to join the Pan Am Marathon action on July 18th and 25th: 

1. There are still some Grandstand seats available for purchase from Toronto 2015, to put you right at the Start & Finish line with us. Purchase tickets here. [See Marathons on July 18th and 25th].

2. FOUR of our awesome Toronto run crews have stepped up to host 4 on-course CHEER SITES. EVERYONE is invited! You can join them for free, and show Canada and the world how Toronto rocks! It’s a unique opportunity to get to know your fellow-Toronto runners; and your cheers, your signs, your energy WILL make a difference, especially to Rachel, Catherine, Kip and Robbie. Any more fun and it would be illegal – guaranteed! Here’s where you can CHEER:

Night Terrors Run Crew

Pan Am NTRC

 

 

 

 

 

Location: Lakeshore and Jameson (South side)
Connect: @nightterrorsrun, @nightterrorsrun

Pace and Mind

Pan Am P&M Cheer Site

 

 

 

 

 

 

Location: The Queensway and Parkside Drive (West side)
Connect: @paceandmind, @paceandmind

Parkdale Roadrunners

PanAM Parkdale Cheer Site

 

 

 

 

 

 

Location: Lakeshore, right in front of Palais Royale (North side)
Connect: @Parkdale_RR, @parkdaleroadrunners

Tribe Fitness

Pan Am Tribe Cheer Site

 

 

 

 

 

 

Location: High Park (South-West corner of Centre Rd. and Spring Rd.)
Connect: @Tribe_Fitness, @Tribe_Fitness

Here’s the link to the PanAm Marathon course

The marathon course starts and finishes at Ontario Place. 270_AC_TYS10K13_0162It’s a tough one! Run a 2.195km initial loop, then 4 x 10km loops along Lakeshore West [the western half of Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon course], into High Park and back, including the Centre Road Hill we all know and LOVE from the 3km mark of Harry’s Spring Run Off 8K.

This means that if you’re at one of the Crew Cheer Sites, you’ll see the runners 8 times.  Are you ready? While our CRS team are working furiously on the final details of water stations and drinks bottles, timing, bib number allocations, marshalling and anti-doping, YOU can start on your race-day signs, banners, balloons, costumes, drums, noise-makers, cow-bells, tunes and more!

Let’s get ready… set, GO CANADA GO! July 18th and 25th. We can do it, TOGETHER!

There are other great opportunities to cheer on our other Canada Running stars on the track at York University, in the week in between the two marathons.

“Running in my home city, it’s a dream come true. And something that most athletes never get to do…  Slowly but surely I’ve been sharing this awesome news with my friends and family. Thank you to everyone who has supported me along this journey. It is just starting and I am so excited for what is to come.” – Sasha Gollish, W1500m.

LANNI MARCHANT & NATASHA WODAK in the Women’s 10,000m final with very real podium chances if we cheer loud enough! It’s the 2015 #BettyandVeronica Show part 6!

ALEX GENEST, who comes to lots of our Toronto Yonge Street 10K and STWM Tune Up runs, representing Speed River TFC, will be in the 3000m steeplechase along with Oshawa’s Matt Hughes.

GEN LALONDE of Speed River, who we’ve also run with in the CRS Tune Up training runs, in the Women’s 3000m steeple.

LUCAS BRUCHET from the BC Endurance Project [like Natasha W and Catherine], who was 4th at MODO Vancouver Spring Run Off 8k in March, plus the awesome CAM LEVINS, pride of Black Creek, in the Men’s 5000m.

NATASHA LABEAUD [2014 Vancouver Eastside Champion] along with Winnipeg’s JESS O’CONNELL in the Women’s 5000m

AARON HENDRIKX, another of our friends from U of Guelph & Speed River TFC, plus MO AHMED, pride of St.Catharine’s, in the Men’s 10,000m

SASHA GOLLISH of University of Toronto Track Club and NICOLE SIFUENTES in the Women’s 1500m

There are just SOOOOO many of our running friends to cheer for, and they need our Canada Running Series family to provide a home-field advantage!

Click here for a complete list of our Athletics Canada’s TEAM CANADA. 

Click here for a complete SCHEDULE at the York University track. 

Click here to purchase tickets. 

If you’re not able to get to all the track events, our very own scribe, PAUL GAINS, will be part of the CBC team in their coverage, so no need to miss a step. See CBC Pan Am page http://panam.cbc.ca/

Share the Games, the journey and the races directly with our CRS STARS via social media:

Name Event Date (July) Twitter Instagram
Rachel Hannah Marathon 18th @rachelhannahRD x
Catherine Watkins Marathon 18th @runmommaster @runmommaster
Kip Kangogo Marathon 25th @kipkangogo x
Rob Watson Marathon 25th @robbiedxc @rwatson26point2
Lanni Marchant W10,000m 23rd @ljm5252 @lannimarchant
Natasha Wodak W10,000m 23rd @tasha_wodak @nwodakruns
Natasha LaBeaud W5000m 21st @tashyrunner @teamanzures
Jess O’Connell W5000m 21st @jess__oconnell @jessmoconnell
Aaron Hendrikx M10,000m 21st @aaronhendrikx @aaronhendrikx
Mo Ahmed M10,000m 21st @Moh_Speed X
Lucas Bruchet M5000m 25th @lucabruca @lucabruca
Cam Levins M5000m 25th @CamLevins @camlevins
Alex Genest M3000sc 21st @papaG_steeple @papag_steeple
Matt Hughes M3000sc 21st @HugheSteeple @hughesteeple
Gen Lalonde W3000sc 24th @lalongen
Sasha Gollish W1500m 25th @SGollishRuns @sgollishruns
Nicole Sifuentes W1500m 25th @ndsifuentes @ndsifuentes