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Tarah Korir Archives - Canada Running Series

Oct 06 2016
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Competitive Fields Set for Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon

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October 6th 2016 – By Paul Gains

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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Jul 26 2016
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Tarah Korir Running For World Championship Berth and For Kenyan Kids

By | Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon | No Comments
July 26th, 2016 – By Paul Gains 
STWM15_TarahKorir

Tarah Korir, STWM 2015

Any marathoner would be delighted with a personal best time, but Tarah Korir wants this and more when she lines up for the 2016 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon on October 16.

A berth on the Canadian team to the 2017 IAAF World Championships Marathon in London is in the offing should she run fast enough in this IAAF Gold Label race. And, because Toronto is also the Canadian National Championship, there are other considerations and rewards to be considered.

The Kenya-based mother of two was paced to a 2:35:46 time at the Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon last May by an exclusive pacemaker, her husband and Kenyan Member of Parliament, Wesley Korir. That was a personal best by some fourteen minutes and opened her mind to greater prospects.

Wesley, the 2012 Boston Marathon champion, will represent Kenya at the 2016 Olympics and the couple had hopes of being the first husband wife duo to compete in the Olympic marathons. But Ottawa was unseasonably warm and Tarah fell short of the Olympic qualifying standard of 2:29:50.

“I am very happy with how that race went,” she says from her home in Cherangany, Kenya. “I think that I ran a smart race given the conditions. I hydrated well before and during the race which helped me to run well despite the heat. I do not usually run well in the heat so running a ‘PB’ in hot weather was great.

“Unlike my first marathon I still was able to maintain a decent pace right up to the end. I knew my chances of getting an Olympic qualifier on my second chance at the marathon was quite a long shot and that everything would have had to come together on race day including the weather. Finishing fifth overall – and first Canadian – also helped to make the Ottawa Marathon a special experience for me. I love racing in Canada where I can get support along the course from family and friends.”

Korir who is from St Clement, Ontario, just north of Waterloo, met Wesley when the two attended the University of Louisville. She has had an impressive year thus far. In addition to that enormous personal best, she represented Canada at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in Cardiff March 26, finishing 23rd in a very good 1:12:04. Considering that day was marred by cold rain and wind her confidence has grown immensely.

“I think I will decide (my Toronto goal) once I’m further along in my training,” Korir adds. “Of course a personal best would be nice and I wonder what could have been possible on a cooler day in Ottawa.

“I don’t think I will change a whole lot (in training) except maybe trying to do a bit more mileage in workouts and long runs. My second marathon buildup had more mileage that the first but was still relatively conservative. I will see how my body responds to training.”

At this point the couple can’t say for certain whether Wesley will pace his wife, but he would like to. If he runs well in Rio, no doubt he will earn invitations to race a fall marathon. Regardless, Korir expects to have a good run in Toronto. “Wesley has told me he really enjoyed pacing me in Ottawa,” she reveals, “and I enjoyed having him pace me, especially because there ended up not being many other people around us. Wesley would love to pace me again if it works out.”

“I will definitely go in to Toronto with more confidence than the first one because of having now covered the distance twice. My confidence going into Ottawa was based on having good training leading up to Ottawa so my training prior to Toronto will also factor into my confidence level.”

In Kenya she has no shortage of training partners. Occasionally she runs with Wesley on his easy days and with a group of elite Kenyan women on other days. Given the conditions in Ottawa she knows she can run much faster.

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The IAAF announced the London 2017 qualifying standards in March. Women running 2:45:00 or better during the qualifying window, which began in January 1st of this year, are eligible for the race. At this point, Athletics Canada has not released their standards although Head Coach Peter Eriksson has indicated his standards will be superior to the IAAF’s. He says the National Team Committee will announce them “prior to the marathon in October.” That doesn’t sit well with athletes and coaches.

“Of course knowing the standard is nice so that you don’t end up finding out after the fact you were a few seconds off of a particular standard and you have a target to go off of for training,” Korir responds.

“That being said, I think most athletes are always trying to better their own personal times and, sometimes, chasing a particular standard can force people to run at a particular pace that may be too fast. (They do it) just to try to make the standard and then blow up in the second half of the race. But that is part of what happens with racing.”

Korir says she enjoys every opportunity to come back to Canada. Besides being the official Canadian Championship, Toronto represents a chance to further the objectives of the charitable organization she and husband Wesley set up a few years ago called the Kenyan Kids Foundation.

The foundation is one of 185 official charities that are part future-STWMrunnerof the Scotiabank Charity Challenge at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon, and is operated by Tarah’s father Blair McKay. Among the initiatives they have undertaken are improvement in dairy farming techniques, clean water and health education as well as general education from pre-school age children and up.

Their fundraising target at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon is $15,000. This money will provide scholarships to twenty impoverished high school students as well as fund a pre-school program in Cherangany. Korir is encouraging runners to sign up to run Toronto Waterfront with her and raise money for the team or to make a one-time charitable donation.

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For more information and to join Tarah’s team:

http://www.torontowaterfrontmarathon.com/en/charity/kkfc.htm

Photo Credits:
1. Header Image: PHOTO RUN

Apr 08 2015
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Gillis And Marchant Face Strong Challenges at Toronto Yonge Street 10K. By Paul Gains

By | Toronto Yonge Street 10K | No Comments
TYS10K Blog Eric Gills

Eric breaks the tape at Toronto Yonge Street 10k, 2014. His first win on Yonge Street and third try!

TORONTO April 8th 2015. Two time Canadian Olympian Eric Gillis heads up a strong men’s field while Canadian marathon record holder Lanni Marchant is the women’s favourite in the 2015 Yonge Street 10km race April 19th.

Gillis, a 35 year old Guelph, Ontario resident won this race last year with a time of 28:32 and went on to capture 2014 Canadian National titles in both the 10k and the Half-Marathon. He finished off the calendar year with a new personal best at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon (2:11:21). It was no surprise that he was also the Canada Running Series overall champion.

He had intended to run the Rotterdam marathon this spring but a nagging case of tendonitis in his shin interrupted his marathon training and he was forced to change direction.

A spring road race season is now in the cards. A victory at the Harry’s Spring Run-Off 8k (24:18) last Saturday, April 4th amply demonstrated that he is in good shape.

“Yes I was pleased with (my performance) at Harry’s Spring Run-Off,” Gillis says. “It’s always nice getting a win and I felt in control at the end of a big week of training.

“It was nice getting a race in before the Toronto Yonge Street 10k.  I haven’t raced since the 2014 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon last October. So the Harry’s run is bound to help with confidence for (the race in) two weeks’ time. I’ll bring down my training more before Toronto Yonge Street 10k to make sure I’m fresh and read to go.”

Toronto Yonge Street 10k attracts a huge field and, like the Harry’s Spring Run-Off 8k and the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, is part of the Canada Running Series. Gillis faces a formidable challenge in Toronto from Athletics Toronto Track Club teammates Matt Loiselle and Sami Jibril.

Loiselle is returning from two years of injuries and chased Gillis around High Park to finish 2nd at Harry’s Spring Run Off in a time of 24:40 twenty-two seconds behind Gillis.

“Training is going well now,” Loiselle says. “I feel like I’m starting to turn a corner.  It was tough getting through the cold winter in Toronto, as anyone who was training here knows, but now spring is here and I’m looking forward to it.

“I’m excited for this year’s Toronto Yonge Street 10k.  For whatever reason, it’s really never fit into my plans since I’ve been living in Toronto.  It will be another stepping stone as I try to get back to the level I was once at. I know it’s a fast course and the competition is always great so I’m really looking forward to it.”

For the past four years Loiselle has provided accounting services for a large health food and supplement store in Markham called Nature’s Emporium.

“They are very understanding of my training and racing schedule so it’s a great place for me to work,” he adds. “I’m also in the process of obtaining my Certified Public Accountant license, so I’m in the middle of taking courses for that.  I’ve also been coaching the distance team at York University for about a year and a half, and I do some online coaching as well on the side.”

Equally busy and determined to perform well is training partner Sami Jibril. The 26 year old works the 3pm – 11pm shift as a streetcar maintenance repairman at the Toronto Transit Commission and fits in training before and after work. Twice he has run 29:16 at the Toronto Yonge Street 10k finishing as high as 3rd in the race’s 2013 edition.

“My fitness is better than last year,” Jibril insists. “I have had a great winter training without warm weather training camp this year. My main goal is to ‘PB’; I have run identical times back to back years of 29:15.5.

“Eric Gillis is a great Canadian champion and is, by far, the favourite to win. I will be focusing on myself and am preparing to finish in the top three and challenge the top guys for the 2015 Yonge street 10k title.”

Jibril tried his hand at the longer distance in March finishing 3rd at last month’s Around The Bay 30k Road Race in Hamilton with a time of 1:35:48. Consequently, he rested through this weekend’s Harry’s Spring Run-Off 8k a race he won two years ago.

Marchant, who ran 31:58 on this course to take the 2013 race, will be challenged by Tarah Korir,  the 2012 race champion. Both have recently spent time training in Kenya.

Korir, is married to 2012 Boston Marathon champion, Wesley Korir, and spends several months a year in the country as Wesley is the Member of Parliament for Cherangany district.

Lanni on her way to victory at Modo Spring Run Off Vancouver 8k on March 22nd.

Lanni on her way to victory at Modo Spring Run Off Vancouver 8k on March 22nd.

Marchant recently won the Modo Spring Run-Off Vancouver 8k in 26:43. That race kicked off the 2015 Canada Running Series.  She then finished 4th in the 10,000m at the Stanford Invitational. Her time there (32:11.06) was a new personal best and the second fastest time ever recorded by a Canadian.

The 31 year old from London, Ontario is best known for setting a Canadian marathon record of 2:28:00 at the 2013 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon.

“I will be doing the Payton Jordan 10000m in May,” she reveals. “I love the longer stuff. I can run marathon pace until the cats come home but getting me to run quicker is proving to be a bit of a task! So, I was happy to get out and race Modo 8k as a rust buster.

“I am doing the Pan Am Games Marathon definitely, so (I will) play around with the shorter stuff then by May I will do my last 10k and turn our heads back to the longer stuff and what I am more comfortable with anyways.”

Another runner to watch at this year’s Toronto Yonge Street 10k is Flotrack World Beer Mile champion Corey Gallagher from Winnipeg. A year ago he ran a personal best time of 30:32 at this race to finish a credible 10th overall.

“For Toronto Yonge street 10k I’m really looking to set a ‘PB’ and aim for top 10 overall,” he says. “To ‘PB’ I think I need to be a little more aggressive at the start and not sit back or be scared to go for it.”

Since winning the beer mile championship the Canada Post worker has been in the news constantly.

“It’s crazy how much attention I have got since I won Flotrack Beer Mile World Championships,” he says laughing. “I figured it would be like most things – fifteen minutes of fame – but here we are going on five months later and I’m still getting attention.

“The response at the Modo 8k was amazing. People were nice and curious about what a beer mile was. I think people like hearing about the Beer mile, everyone understands a mile and most people have had a beer. So mixing the two and hearing how fast I do both (5:00.23) seems to catch people’s attention. I’m enjoying chatting with people about the Beer Mile, and getting everyone’s take on it, positive or negative.”

As part of the nationwide Canada Running Series, the Toronto Yonge Street 10k maintains the high standard set by a full time professional management team. The downhill point to point course offers runners the chance to lower their personal best times and have an enjoyable time doing it. It is also an important fundraiser for Red Door Family Shelter.

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For More Information and registration: www.toronto10k.ca