The race serves as both a redemption run and a chance at the Canadian U20 10K record

TORONTO, ONTARIO, October 7, 2021 — Grade 12 phenom, Micaiah Ellis, is making moves from the track to the road, having confirmed his entry in the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon 10K in-person race on October 17. Hosted in partnership with Run Ottawa, the race will double as the Athletics Canada Canadian 10K Championships.

Like many other athletes, the Scarborough, Ontario student had to adjust his training when the pandemic struck. While training virtually with his coach at the height of the pandemic may not have had the same appeal as outdoor workouts with his club, Ellis has been pushing himself to improve his times and make a mark this season. The pandemic may have caused missed milestones and forced the cancellation of important athletic events, but Ellis has strived to overcome the disappointment that Covid-19 has brought — and his efforts have proven to be momentous.

In July, Ellis competed in the 400m at the NXTCHAMP Invitational in Toronto — an invite-only event for Ontario athletes — earning first place with a time of 49.02 seconds. Soon after, he won the 800m at the York University Track and Field Club Twilight Meet #1, clocking in at 1:51.37.

His winning streak did not stop there. Only five days later, he claimed first in the 800m at the Athletics Ontario U20 Championships, running a personal best of 1:50.47, a time that fell under the World Athletics standard of 1:50.80.

Despite the achievement, Ellis narrowly missed his chance at securing one of the two 800m spots for the 2021 U20 World Athletics Championships team for Canada, a missed opportunity that could have led him to compete in Kenya this past August. His efforts were thwarted when Kootenay Track Club’s Matti Erikson took the last spot later that evening at the BC Endurance Challenge with a time of 1:50.11.

While Ellis did go on to claim first at the Athletics Ontario U18 Championships in August, running the 800m in 1:51.25, the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon 10K presents an opportunity for the teenaged track star to showcase his range as an elite athlete. A predominantly 800m runner, the 10K Championships will give Ellis a shot at the Canadian U20 10K record, as well as a chance at redemption after the heartache of missing out on the U20 World Championships.

The current Canadian U20 10K record stands at 32:22, which has been held by Russell Pennock since 2014, when he claimed the title at the Times Colonist 10K in Victoria, British Columbia. The progression that Ellis has made this season puts him in a hopeful position to be crowned with a new title.

Ellis is not without competition, however. Another promising young athlete, 17-year-old Will Cowling, is in the running as well. Like Ellis, Cowling is a rising track athlete who typically sticks to shorter distances — the 1,500m and 3,000m distances in Cowling’s case. Hailing from Uxbridge, Ontario, Cowling took home first place in the 1,500m at the Edge Elite Distance in July, a race hosted by Runners’ Edge and Thorold Elite TC in Welland, Ontario. His time was 3:59:33.

Despite coming off several recent wins, the young athletes will need to dig deep to make their mark at the 10K Championships. Trading the track for a road race against a stacked lineup of seasoned athletes can be intimidating. Ellis’s and Cowling’s inclusion on the start line serves as a testament to their progression and talent, however, and provides them with an incredible opportunity to prove whether their range as young athletes extends off the track and onto the road.

Media interested in covering the STWM 10K can register for accreditation here. All media must receive advance accreditation to gain access to the in-person event on October 17.

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About the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon

The Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon is Canada’s premier running event and the grand finale of the Canada Running Series (CRS). Since 2017, the race has served as the Athletics Canada national marathon championship race and has doubled as the Olympic trials. During the 2020 event, participants raised over $2.96 million for 163 community charities through the
Scotiabank Charity Challenge. In 2021, the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon will host a 10K along Toronto’s scenic lakeshore, the first in-person race for Canada Running Series since the pandemic began, which will also double as the Athletics Canada 10K Championships in partnership with Run Ottawa.

Using innovation and organization as guiding principles, Canada Running Series stages great experiences for runners of all levels, from Canadian Olympians to recreational and charity runners. With a mission of “building community through the sport of running,” CRS is committed to making sport part of sustainable communities and the city-building process. For more information, visit: https://www.torontowaterfrontmarathon.com/

About Athletics Canada

Athletics Canada is the national sport governing body for track and field, para athletics, crosscountry running, and road running. Its purpose is to support high performance athletics excellence at the world level, and to provide leadership in developmental athletics. Athletics Canada is a not for profit, charitable organization operating under a board of directors elected by provincial / territorial members. For more information, visit: https://athletics.ca/

About Run Ottawa

Run Ottawa is the National Capital Region’s premiere running organization and the organizers of Canada’s most popular multi-day running event, The Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend. For more information, visit: https://www.runottawa.ca/

Media Contact:
Sam O’Neill, Marketing & Communications Coordinator
sam@canadarunningseries.com

Photo credit: Inge Johnson/CRS

By Paul Gains

On her one and only visit to Toronto, Scottish international Sarah Inglis came away with a splendid victory in the 2019 Race Roster Spring Run-Off 8K.

The 30-year-old from Falkirk is now set to return to challenge a top-class field in the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon 10K, which doubles as the Athletics Canada Canadian 10K Championships.

Though she has lived in Langley, British Columbia for the past eight years, her status in Canada is ‘permanent resident’ and so she will not be eligible for either championship medals or the substantial prize money on offer.

“Of course,” she said laughing heartily when asked if she would prefer to be in the hunt for prize money. “It’s always nice incentive in a race to have some prize money…Being a part time teacher and training, it would be nice, but I understand that’s just the way it is. I am grateful to be in the race in the first place.”

Guests have occasionally been allowed in Canadian Championships since the mid-1970s and Canadian athletes are normally most thankful for the enhanced competition. Along with teaching three days a week at a Langley elementary school and working with Streamline, a company which matches prospective student-athletes with university scholarships, Inglis has done the majority of her racing in Canada. This has not gone unnoticed by Canada Running Series Race Director, Alan Brookes.

“It is an Athletics Canada 10K Championships,” said Brookes of the October 17th race. “But it also a Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon 10K event and, first and foremost, we have always wanted to create a platform for Canadian athletes and athletes based in Canada.”

Inglis is a triplet who, along with her sister Mhairi and brother Robert, took up running as a youngster. She arrived in Canada to run for Trinity Western University in 2013. TWU head coach, Laurier Primeau, had spent two years as a Scottish Athletics employee and they knew one another. The offer to complete her Master’s in Education while running on scholarship was too much of an opportunity to pass up.

Since then, she has been working with former Canadian international cross-country runner Mark Bomba – remotely since he moved from Langley to become coach at Queen’s University – while retaining her affiliation to her home country.

She has continued to race for Great Britain, finishing 3rd in the 2019 European Team Championship over 5,000m, and adding to the British vest she earned as an 18-year-old at the 2010 IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland. A third opportunity to represent her country was offered last year.

After she ran a solid personal best of 1:10:24 in the 2020 Houston Half Marathon, she was given a place on the British team for the World Athletics World Half Marathon Championships in Gydnia, Poland. The event was postponed from March 2020 until October 2020 due to a severe Covid-19 outbreak in that city. In the end, she turned down the invitation.

“The British team actually went to the World Half Marathon Championships, but with travel restrictions in place when we would get back to Canada, I just couldn’t leave the country,” Inglis explained. “I was disappointed to miss those World Championships. They [the World Half Marathon Championships] are in China in 2022, that’s our target. I never got to go two years ago, and It would be nice to try and make the team again.”

There are other targets to reach in 2022. On her marathon debut last December, she ran 2:29:41 in Chandler, Arizona which led to her inclusion in the Scottish Marathon Project, an effort to raise the level of marathoning in time for the 2022 Commonwealth Games. For the Commonwealth Games, England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland enter their own independent teams.

Besides the Spring Run-Off victory before the loss of in-person racing, Inglis won the 2019 Times Colonist 10K in Victoria, British Columbia, in a personal best 32:24. Asked if she can be in that kind of shape when she marks her return to Toronto, she chose her words carefully.

“I am really just starting back to workouts with a solid month of decent training,” she reported. “I am back up to normal mileage. I feel like I am in similar shape to most of the girls in my group, who had a summer season, then took some time off, and we are all starting at the same point in September. I just started training when everyone else was coming off their break. I am not sure what kind of shape timewise, but I have been doing lots of tempo runs and hills and on the trails. I am just going to see what I have got. Every week I am getting fitter in workouts. And I still have another couple of weeks. I think I will be in a good place for the race, hopefully!”

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About the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon

The Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon is Canada’s premier running event and the grand finale of the Canada Running Series (CRS). Since 2017, the race has served as the Athletics Canada national marathon championship race and has doubled as the Olympic trials. During the 2020 event, participants raised over $2.96 million for 163 community charities through the
Scotiabank Charity Challenge. In 2021, the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon will host a 10K along Toronto’s scenic lakeshore, the first in-person race for Canada Running Series since the pandemic began, which will also double as the Athletics Canada 10K Championships in partnership with Run Ottawa.

Using innovation and organization as guiding principles, Canada Running Series stages great experiences for runners of all levels, from Canadian Olympians to recreational and charity runners. With a mission of “building community through the sport of running,” CRS is committed to making sport part of sustainable communities and the city-building process. For more information, visit: https://www.torontowaterfrontmarathon.com/

About Athletics Canada

Athletics Canada is the national sport governing body for track and field, para athletics, crosscountry running, and road running. Its purpose is to support high performance athletics excellence at the world level, and to provide leadership in developmental athletics. Athletics Canada is a not for profit, charitable organization operating under a board of directors elected by provincial / territorial members. For more information, visit: https://athletics.ca/

About Run Ottawa

Run Ottawa is the National Capital Region’s premiere running organization and the organizers of Canada’s most popular multi-day running event, The Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend. For more information, visit: https://www.runottawa.ca/

Media Contact:
Sam O’Neill, Marketing & Communications Coordinator
sam@canadarunningseries.com

Photo credit: Inge Johnson/CRS

The high-performance group’s unique, tight-knit dynamic has driven their success.

TORONTO, ON, September 30, 2021 — Bandits Elite, a high-performance track club based in London, Ontario, is gearing up to toe the start line at the in-person Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon 10K (“STWM”) on October 17. The group of Bandits heading to the race — held in partnership with Run Ottawa and doubling as the Athletics Canada 10K Championships — consists of two-time national cross country champion Mike Tate, as well as Phil Parrot-Migas, Connor Black, Jack Sheffar, Josh Lumani, Shawn Master, and Jeremy Coughler.

While the Bandits have raced individually throughout the pandemic, STWM will mark their first time competing together since February 2020, when Black placed second in the 5,000m at the BU David Hemery Valentine Invitational in Boston, MA. For those who joined the team during the pandemic, including Tate and Coughler, this will be their first time competing with the whole group.

The team has competed together virtually, however, winning the Athletics Canada 42K Relay Challenge in October 2020, a part of the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon Virtual Race, with a time of 2:09:01. The Bandits each ran roughly 10.55K, with Tate in 31:27, Parrot-Migas in 31:52, Chris Balestrini in 32:50, and Sheffar in 32:52. With the return of in-person racing, the group is eager to tackle the upcoming 10K.

“Always excited to race in person, especially now,” said Tate. “I’m excited to test ourselves against some of the best in Canada.”

The Bandits Elite train together three to five days per week, year-round, opting for indoor training throughout Ontario’s harsh winters. While Sheffar expressed some concern as he has not raced a 10K since 2019, and Black admitted to enjoying some downtime over the summer, Tate is confident that the team’s dedicated training will ensure their readiness heading into the 10K Championships.

More than just teammates and training partners, the post-collegiate athletes, ranging in age from mid- to late-twenties, are also a tight-knit group of friends. In fact, Tate, Black, and Parrot-Migas are currently roommates, while Tate, Sheffar, and Lumani had lived together until recently. But claiming kitchen space may be the biggest challenge for the group that spends a significant amount of time together, and this closeness has had a tremendous impact on building the group’s unique dynamic.

“It helps more than you’d think,” said Black. “If you have guys who are seeking high performance around you, living with you, it just makes it that much easier. And you’re reminded why you do it…I don’t think there’s anything like our group in Canada.”

“I think I could speak for all of us when we say our time when we’re working out and running together, that’s our escape from reality,” said Sheffar.

Whether working out, running, or just enjoying a beer together on the weekend, Parrot-Migas explained how the self-professed “blue collared athletes” have deeply benefitted from the group’s close bond: “We have two lives. We work, we run, we hang out, we do multiple things, and it’s very unique…I’m enjoying running more now than I did back in university.”

While the Bandits, who hold the 2019 Canadian Cross Country Championships title, push each other’s high performance through their dedicated training regime, they remain laser-focused on their own individual goals as they prepare for the 10K Championships.

“It’s going to be a deep field,” said Tate. “I’d like to compete for the win, personally. I have a title on the grass and a title on the track. I just need one on the road now, so I’ll try and go get that on October 17. And if not, it’s just a fitness test and getting ready for the big one on November 27.”

That race on November 27 is the Canadian Cross Country Championships, to be held in Ottawa, Ontario. After the pandemic forced the cancellation of the 2020 Championships, the Bandits Elite have their sights set on gold at this year’s race.

“I think we would all agree that’s the goal, to defend our title,” said Sheffar.” And it’s nice because we didn’t have Mike when [we won the title in 2019]. And Mike won the race that year. And then we’ve added Jeremy as well who ran [5,000m in] under 14 minutes for the first time this summer. So our team only got stronger and so hopefully, we can defend.”

As they consider the best timing for growing their Championships mustaches, the group admitted they are not looking far past the current race season.

“There’s still a lot of uncertainty with what’s going on right now, so it’s kind of hard to look beyond anything that’s guaranteed,” said Sheffar. “I think we’re all just happy that we get to do another nationals cross country after missing it last year and race on the road here in Canada. I think anything after that will be kind of the cherry on top.”

The team shares videos, edited by Parrot-Migas, on the Bandits Elite YouTube channel, where they document their race experiences. The group plans to share a video recap of their experience at the AC 10K Championships.
Media interested in covering the STWM 10K can register for accreditation here. All media must receive advance accreditation to gain access to the in-person event on October 17th.

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About the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon

The Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon is Canada’s premier running event and the grand finale of the Canada Running Series (CRS). Since 2017, the race has served as the Athletics Canada national marathon championship race and has doubled as the Olympic trials. During the 2020 event, participants raised over $2.96 million for 163 community charities through the
Scotiabank Charity Challenge. In 2021, the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon will host a 10K along Toronto’s scenic lakeshore, the first in-person race for Canada Running Series since the pandemic began, which will also double as the Athletics Canada 10K Championships in partnership with Run Ottawa.

Using innovation and organization as guiding principles, Canada Running Series stages great experiences for runners of all levels, from Canadian Olympians to recreational and charity runners. With a mission of “building community through the sport of running,” CRS is committed to making sport part of sustainable communities and the city-building process. For more information, visit: https://www.torontowaterfrontmarathon.com/

About Athletics Canada

Athletics Canada is the national sport governing body for track and field, para athletics, crosscountry running, and road running. Its purpose is to support high performance athletics excellence at the world level, and to provide leadership in developmental athletics. Athletics Canada is a not for profit, charitable organization operating under a board of directors elected by provincial / territorial members. For more information, visit: https://athletics.ca/

About Run Ottawa

Run Ottawa is the National Capital Region’s premiere running organization and the organizers of Canada’s most popular multi-day running event, The Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend. For more information, visit: https://www.runottawa.ca/

Media Contact:
Sam O’Neill, Marketing & Communications Coordinator
sam@canadarunningseries.com

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RUN HARD. RECOVER FASTER.

Photo credit: Todd Fraser/CRS

By Paul Gains

TORONTO, ON, September 28, 2021 — Following her move to Vancouver last month, Leslie Sexton has joined two-time Canadian Olympian Natasha Wodak on long training runs. Their companionship has been helpful in the settling process. But don’t expect the affability to be evident when the pair line up for the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon 10K October 17th.

The race course, which goes out and back along Toronto’s Lake Shore Boulevard, is also the Athletics Canada Canadian 10K Championships held concurrently through a partnership between Athletics Canada, Canada Running Series, and Run Ottawa. With championship medals and a great deal of prize money — $5,500 (1st), $3,000 (2nd), $1,500 (3rd), $1,000 (4th), $750 (5th), and $500 (6th) — it will be a full-on head-to-head battle. “I don’t know what the rest of the field is like yet, but training has been going well and I feel really fit,” Sexton declared. “It’s my intention to race well and compete for a medal and hopefully a PB in the 10K as well. I haven’t officially gone under 33 minutes yet, but, if training is going well over the next four weeks, I will try to run a fast time and compete with the best in Canada.”

Sexton earned the Canadian Marathon Championships title in 2017 but has excellent credentials at shorter distances too. At the moment, her best 10K time is 33:17.

“Just knowing that area and running on that STWM course, it looks like it should be fast,” she added. “I am excited to have a good setup to run a good 10K. I am doing that and then the Philadelphia Marathon on November 21st. I will be in marathon training but doing some 10K’s along the way. My best 10K’s on the roads have been run in marathon training blocks. I think I will be ready to run fast.”

Her move to Vancouver was the result of her partner and coach, Steve Weiler, being offered the job as endurance coach for the University of British Columbia. Sexton herself has also picked up a coaching position with the Vancouver Thunderbirds Track and Field Club. The pair had lived in Kingston, Ontario for much of the past two years.

“I have definitely been enjoying it,” she said, laughing. “It’s been milder weather than in Ontario which has been really nice and I am looking forward to the milder winter. I live close to UBC, which has the [University] Endowment Lands and Pacific Spirit Regional Park. I am running a lot of trails and soft surfaces, which has been really good. There’s a lot more elevation change than I am used to in Kingston, so more challenging runs. I love it out here so far.”

Like Wodak and fellow elites Luc Bruchet, Ben Preisner, and Canadian 10,000m track champion, Ben Flanagan, the lure of an actual in-person race is a tantalizing prospect.

“Overall, 2020 was tough,” Sexton said. “I had two major injuries that I had to take some time off and come back gradually from. I have been healthy since the summer of 2020 and have had a good consistent stretch of training. There weren’t that many race opportunities in Ontario compared to other provinces.

“I was able to get out to the Canadian 10,000m championships (in Vancouver). Other than that, I did a mix of time trials and virtual races to see where my fitness is at. That has been going really well,” she said. “I set personal bests at shorter distances. I’m looking forward to getting back to in-person races and being able to put down some official PBs that actually count.”

Before the pandemic hit and before her injuries she raced the 2019 Prague Marathon finishing 8th in 2:31:51 which lowered her personal best. Then, nothing. No competitive racing – apart from that 2021 Canadian 10,000m championships in which she took the bronze medal.

“I haven’t run a marathon yet in the new racing shoes,” she admitted, referring to the enormous technological advances shoe companies have made in the past three years. “I ran that race in flats, so with footwear alone there is definitely some room to improve there and dip under 2:30.” That would put in her the frame for a 2022 World Championships place. The importance of racing well in this Canadian 10K Championships is clear.

“I am really excited,” Sexton confirmed. “I ran well in those solo time trials. It has been a good skill to have to push myself when no one else is around. But to have other people to race with and racing the best in Canada, hopefully I can get more out of myself. I’m also looking forward to seeing people I haven’t raced again in two years.”

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Media interested in covering the STWM 10K can register for accreditation here. All media must receive advance accreditation to gain access to the in-person event on October 17th.

For more information:

Jenna Pettinato, Manager of Communications
jenna@canadarunningseries.com

About the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon

The Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon is Canada’s premier running event and the grand finale of the Canada Running Series (CRS). Since 2017, the race has served as the Athletics Canada national marathon championship race and has doubled as the Olympic trials. During the 2020 event, participants raised over $2.96 million for 163 community charities through the
Scotiabank Charity Challenge. In 2021, the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon will host a 10K along Toronto’s scenic lakeshore, the first in-person race for Canada Running Series since the pandemic began, which will also double as the Athletics Canada 10K Championships in partnership with Run Ottawa.

Using innovation and organization as guiding principles, Canada Running Series stages great experiences for runners of all levels, from Canadian Olympians to recreational and charity runners. With a mission of “building community through the sport of running,” CRS is committed to making sport part of sustainable communities and the city-building process. For more information, visit: https://www.torontowaterfrontmarathon.com/

About Athletics Canada

Athletics Canada is the national sport governing body for track and field, para athletics, crosscountry running, and road running. Its purpose is to support high performance athletics excellence at the world level, and to provide leadership in developmental athletics. Athletics Canada is a not for profit, charitable organization operating under a board of directors elected by provincial / territorial members. For more information, visit: https://athletics.ca/

About Run Ottawa

Run Ottawa is the National Capital Region’s premiere running organization and the organizers of Canada’s most popular multi-day running event, The Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend. For more information, visit: https://www.runottawa.ca/

Photo credit: Mark Bates

Canada’s fastest race walker challenges brother to race in October.

TORONTO, ON, September 23, 2021 — Olympic bronze medalist, Evan Dunfee, has confirmed his entry in the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon 10K on October 17, 2021, and has laid down a challenge with his brother, Adam Dunfee. The race, doubling as the Athletics Canada 10K Championships, will see the brothers compete for the first time since 2017.

Hailing from Richmond, British Columbia, the Dunfee brothers’ sibling rivalry began at a young age and has continued through to adulthood. After watching his older brother win a medal in his first race walking competition at age 13, 10-year-old Evan was inspired to take up the sport. He won his debut race and has not looked back since. Crediting Adam as the reason for getting into race walking, Evan is eager to fuel the competition that began in early childhood.

“We’ve always wanted to race each other,” Evan said. “This seemed like a fantastic opportunity where I think we’re pretty evenly matched, so it makes it kind of fun and adds an element that people can relate to.”

As a longtime sports-minded family, it is not unheard of to see the brothers at the same competition — albeit for different reasons. Adam, who works as a sports broadcaster, called the Harry Jerome Track Classic this past June when 30-year-old Evan Dunfee set the 10,000m Canadian national record at the race walk event with a time of 38 minutes 39.72 seconds.

Evan is slated to race walk the 10K course this October in Toronto while Adam runs. True to their competitive nature, the Olympian’s goal to cross the finish line in under 41 minutes may be second only to his primary focus of claiming victory over his brother. As the event draws near, the siblings remain in talks of how to make the event as much fun as possible, and what will be at stake for the competitive brothers.

“I think my biggest concern is just making the event fun, and providing that value back to the event,” said Dunfee. “I’m a little bit concerned about how my body’s going to be fit enough in four weeks to race 10km…but I’m confident that my body knows how to do that.”

Following a well-needed break after capturing the Olympic bronze in dramatic fashion in the 50km race walk at Tokyo 2020 with a time of 3:50:59, Evan is getting back to training. With the pandemic limiting travel and access to races, Dunfee has completed the majority of his training over the past two years at his home base in Richmond, British Columbia.

“I’m mostly on my own,” Dunfee said of his training method. Aside from his Sunday morning 40-45km training walks with his coach of 20 years, Gerry Dragomir, Evan typically logs his training solo, appreciating whenever he can convince a friend to run with him. “It’s a good chance to catch up with people…If you combine those things and find time where you can do that, it’s perfect.”

When he is not training, the athlete with a heart of gold is focused on his mission “to create value in [his] community.” As a longtime KidSport BC ambassador, Dunfee is working to wrap up his fundraiser in support of the organization, which raised money through the sales of a special edition box of Kraft Dinner featuring his image. Unsatisfied with settling on the $7,000 raised through the initial 150 signature boxes, Evan’s competitive nature triumphed, and he was able to help raise the full $10,000 that Kraft Heinz Canada agreed to match — resulting in a total donation of some $20,000 to the non-profit.

As far as his Kraft Dinner preference goes, Evan is a self-proclaimed traditionalist — adding only ketchup and hotdogs — and is confident that his cooking skills surpass his brother’s. While Evan has not confirmed any existing bets with Adam leading into the event, he is certain that this race is just “the next installment of probably what will end up being a lifelong competition.”

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Media interested in covering the STWM 10K can register for accreditation here. All media must receive advance accreditation to gain access to the in-person event on October 17th.

For more information:

Jenna Pettinato, Manager of Communications
jenna@canadarunningseries.com

About the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon

The Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon is Canada’s premier running event and the grand finale of the Canada Running Series (CRS). Since 2017, the race has served as the Athletics Canada national marathon championship race and has doubled as the Olympic trials. During the 2020 event, participants raised over $2.96 million for 163 community charities through the
Scotiabank Charity Challenge. In 2021, the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon will host a 10K along Toronto’s scenic lakeshore, the first in-person race for Canada Running Series since the pandemic began, which will also double as the Athletics Canada 10K Championships in partnership with Run Ottawa.

Using innovation and organization as guiding principles, Canada Running Series stages great experiences for runners of all levels, from Canadian Olympians to recreational and charity runners. With a mission of “building community through the sport of running,” CRS is committed to making sport part of sustainable communities and the city-building process. For more information, visit: https://www.torontowaterfrontmarathon.com/

About Athletics Canada

Athletics Canada is the national sport governing body for track and field, para athletics, crosscountry running, and road running. Its purpose is to support high performance athletics excellence at the world level, and to provide leadership in developmental athletics. Athletics Canada is a not for profit, charitable organization operating under a board of directors elected by provincial / territorial members. For more information, visit: https://athletics.ca/

About Run Ottawa

Run Ottawa is the National Capital Region’s premiere running organization and the organizers of Canada’s most popular multi-day running event, The Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend. For more information, visit: https://www.runottawa.ca/

Photo credit: Reebok

By Paul Gains

TORONTO, ON, September 21, 2021 — “It’s partly a no brainer,” Ben Flanagan said, confirming he will run the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon 10K on October 17th and thereby challenge for the concurrently held Canadian 10K title.

“I love the 10K, I love the roads, and I love running in Canada so it’s a beautiful trifecta for me. I am making sure I can get my body in the right place to set myself up for another really important season with the World [Athletic] Championships next summer.”

Since his inspiring 2018 NCAA 10,000m victory for the University of Michigan, Flanagan, 26, has competed professionally for the Reebok Boston Track Club, which, despite its name, is based in the hills of Charlottesville, Virginia.

Last month, he won the renowned seven-mile Falmouth Road Race for the second time in four years, which went a long way in reducing the disappointment of missing out on the Tokyo Olympics.

Training alongside fellow Canadian Justyn Knight, the second fastest North American of all time in the 5,000m, Flanagan searched for competitive races where he could tackle the Olympic qualifying standards. Despite running personal bests of 13:20.67 in the 5,000m and 27:49.09 in the 10,000m, he fell short.

“I had a hunch that I was going to be either just in or just out,” he declared with a smile. “So everything I did around the season was solely decided to give myself the best opportunity to represent Canada at the Olympics Games. I set a PB [personal best] in almost every event. I tried to not put too much pressure on myself and went into every race doing everything I could to get the best out of myself.”

He admitted, “Other guys really got the best of me, to be honest. Mohammed Ahmed and Justyn Knight — two of the best guys ever in North America — and Luc Bruchet had a clutch performance out in BC [to qualify for Tokyo 2020]. It’s tough competition and it’s exciting to be a part of one of the best eras in Canadian distance running.”

Flanagan will have the chance to test himself against Bruchet, a BC Endurance Project runner, alongside fellow Olympian Ben Preisner at the Canadian 10K Championships Recently, Flanagan started ramping up his training again after a brief rest.

“Any chance I get at setting myself up for a Canadian title is definitely what I am shooting for,” he explained. While early season races can be unpredictable, Flanagan is confident in his training progress. “With another month of training, I should be in a pretty good place. But it is so different compared to racing at the end of the season, where you have a strong understanding of where you are at.”

Despite mid-season uncertainties, Flanagan radiated optimism: “I am excited to go in and challenge for the win. There’s nothing to lose out there so I am going to put myself in it and try to have some fun. Canadian running is in a phenomenal place right now. I definitely expect some great athletes to show up and it’s going to be a hard-fought battle no matter what.”

Flanagan has adjusted to life as a professional runner with the support of his family in Kitchener, Ontario, alongside his teammates and coach, Chris Fox, at Reebok Boston TC. Armed with a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology/Exercise Science and a Master of Social Work he has always filled his days wisely.

“I always thought that once I dropped the classes and focused on running, it would ultimately make me a better athlete right away,” he revealed. “That wasn’t necessarily the case for me. I have a busy mind. I found it a little bit tough to have that much time in the day. After some time, I got a little bit bored. About a year ago, I started working part-time remotely for a Canadian company, ‘Streamline Athletes.’”

The company helps prospective student athletes find post-secondary opportunities, something that Flanagan has great experience with.

“Now I spend 20-30 hours a week dedicating my time towards my professional career,” he said, adding, “I also love spending time with my girlfriend, Hannah. We have a dog named Norman, who I do everything I can to take good care of.”

The partnership of Athletics Canada, Run Ottawa (which had initially planned to host the Canadian 10K Championships in May before the pandemic struck), and Canada Running Series is offering considerable prize money: 1st place $5,500, 2nd place $3,000, 3rd place $1,500, 4th place $1,000, 5th place $750 and 6th place $500. With Preisner, Bruchet, and now Flanagan as confirmed entries, the competition will be extraordinary.

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Media interested in covering the STWM 10K can register for accreditation here. All media must receive advance accreditation to gain access to the in-person event on October 17th.

For more information:

Jenna Pettinato, Manager of Communications
jenna@canadarunningseries.com

About the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon

The Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon is Canada’s premier running event and the grand finale of the Canada Running Series (CRS). Since 2017, the race has served as the Athletics Canada national marathon championship race and has doubled as the Olympic trials. During the 2020 event, participants raised over $2.96 million for 163 community charities through the
Scotiabank Charity Challenge. In 2021, the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon will host a 10K along Toronto’s scenic lakeshore, the first in-person race for Canada Running Series since the pandemic began, which will also double as the Athletics Canada 10K Championships in partnership with Run Ottawa.

Using innovation and organization as guiding principles, Canada Running Series stages great experiences for runners of all levels, from Canadian Olympians to recreational and charity runners. With a mission of “building community through the sport of running,” CRS is committed to making sport part of sustainable communities and the city-building process. For more information, visit: https://www.torontowaterfrontmarathon.com/

About Athletics Canada

Athletics Canada is the national sport governing body for track and field, para athletics, crosscountry running, and road running. Its purpose is to support high performance athletics excellence at the world level, and to provide leadership in developmental athletics. Athletics Canada is a not for profit, charitable organization operating under a board of directors elected by provincial / territorial members. For more information, visit: https://athletics.ca/

About Run Ottawa

Run Ottawa is the National Capital Region’s premiere running organization and the organizers of Canada’s most popular multi-day running event, The Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend. For more information, visit: https://www.runottawa.ca/

By Paul Gains

Toronto, ON, September 16, 2021 — As the excitement builds for head-to-head competition, two more Canadian Olympians have confirmed they will race in the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon 10K on Sunday, October 17th.

Luc Bruchet and Ben Preisner — both members of the BC Endurance Project — will be chasing more than one medal, as the race also serves as the official Athletics Canada Canadian 10K Championship. The race, which is limited to 5,000 runners and sold out in only eight days, signals a welcome return to in-person racing.

The 30-year-old Bruchet competed in both the Rio and Tokyo Olympic Games in his specialty, the men’s 5,000m. The 2021 season has been his best yet, and although he narrowly missed advancing to the 5,000m final at Tokyo 2020, he has improved his personal best times throughout the year in the 1,500m (3:37.79) and 5,000m (13:12.56), and captured the Canadian 10,000m title (28:40.66).

“I took eight days off after the Tokyo Olympics and I ran a little here and there,” he revealed. “In a time trial for the Canadian 5K Championships…I ran 13:49. That’s where the baseline fitness is.” Bruchet has his sights set on the Canadian 10km record, which is held by Paul McCloy and has stood at 28:17 since 1987. Despite the longstanding record, he feels encouraged by his recent Olympic experience.

“It was awesome,” he said. “For a few years I wasn’t sure it would happen. 2016 happened and I was on such a high because I was only two years out of university. Everything came together so quick. I was young and in my mind that was the start of something but I didn’t qualify for the World [Athletics] Championships [in either 2017 or2019] between the two Olympics.”

However, Bruchet was at the Olympics for a different reason this time around, and explained, “I was there to qualify for the final and not there as a bystander. I didn’t qualify for the final but I was proud of how I put myself in the race.”

In some ways, Bruchet is at a crossroads. Engaged to be married and cognizant of the need to earn a living, he realises he has the potential to accomplish greater things. He also hopes he has done enough to earn Athletics Canada funding next season while actively chasing sponsorship.

“I have some things in the works. I am not in a huge rush to sign anything before the end of the year,” he says candidly. “With the 10K Championships and the Canadian Cross Country Championships coming up, I am looking at them as kind of resume boosters. If I can win another national title or two then maybe I can approach some of these companies at the end of the year and see if there is something more substantial.”

Meanwhile Preisner and his partner have just moved out to Vancouver after spending two years in Kingston, Ontario. Since winning the half marathon race at the 2019 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon in an eye-catching 63:08, Preisner has been coached — at a distance — by BC Endurance Project coach Richard Lee. Now he is fully committed to training with the Vancouver based group.

Running 2:10:17 in his debut marathon in Chandler, Arizona back in December 2020 earned him a place on Canada’s Tokyo 2020 Olympic team. Unfortunately, his Olympic run in Sapporo, where organizers held the road races, was his only competition in 2021. The lack of in-person races has had a detrimental impact on his progress this year.

“It was all virtual races or time trials,” he recalled. “It was hard to find races in Canada and with the quarantine restrictions which went along with traveling across North America, it became too much of a hassle.”

Regarding his 46th place Olympic finish in 2:19:27, Preisner admitted, “I was happy but you always look for ways things could have gone better. You are looking for more no matter how you did — unless you win. Generally, I was happy. I placed higher than what I was ranked going in. I am taking from it what I can, learning from it, and thinking about how I can adapt as a marathon runner.”

Preisner, at 25 years of age, has many more years as a marathoner. Although he will focus on the marathon, the University of Tulsa graduate says he wants to explore his potential at shorter distances. His best official 10km is 30:10 but he has run 29:08.17 on the track.

“I really just want to be competitive,” he said of the Canadian 10K Championships. “Obviously the longer the better for me but I want to still develop some speed in my legs and not just become a straight marathoner for the rest of my life…It has been a while since I have done a Canadian national championship. I am definitely excited to see how competitive I am on the national stage with a distance I am a little less comfortable with.”

Like most of the Olympic distance runners, he has been cautious in his training load since returning from Japan. A recent workout with fellow BC Endurance athlete, Justin Kent, was a step in the right direction as Richard Lee monitored the pair.

“I have been building mileage,” he offered. “I am back up to 75 percent mileage but I started workouts just now. That gives me plenty of time to get ready for the Canadian 10K Championships and then I am planning to run the Valencia Marathon in December.”

Both Preisner and Bruchet are excited about flying back east to contest an in-person road race and to have the chance at winning some prize money.

“We haven’t had the opportunity to race any road races. Alan [Brookes, Race Director at Canada Running Series] and Run Ottawa are putting up some awesome prize money,” Bruchet said. “They treat the Canadian athletes really, really well. It is definitely something I will be focusing on this fall.”

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Media interested in covering the STWM 10K can register for accreditation here. All media must receive advance accreditation to gain access to the in-person event on October 17th.

For more information:

Jenna Pettinato, Manager of Communications
jenna@canadarunningseries.com

About the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon

The Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon is Canada’s premier running event and the grand finale of the Canada Running Series (CRS). Since 2017, the race has served as the Athletics Canada national marathon championship race and has doubled as the Olympic trials. During the 2020 event, participants raised over $2.96 million for 163 community charities through the
Scotiabank Charity Challenge. In 2021, the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon will host a 10K along Toronto’s scenic lakeshore, the first in-person race for Canada Running Series since the pandemic began, which will also double as the Athletics Canada 10K Championships in partnership with Run Ottawa.

Using innovation and organization as guiding principles, Canada Running Series stages great experiences for runners of all levels, from Canadian Olympians to recreational and charity runners. With a mission of “building community through the sport of running,” CRS is committed to making sport part of sustainable communities and the city-building process. For more information, visit: https://www.torontowaterfrontmarathon.com/

About Athletics Canada

Athletics Canada is the national sport governing body for track and field, para athletics, crosscountry running, and road running. Its purpose is to support high performance athletics excellence at the world level, and to provide leadership in developmental athletics. Athletics Canada is a not for profit, charitable organization operating under a board of directors elected by provincial / territorial members. For more information, visit: https://athletics.ca/

About Run Ottawa

Run Ottawa is the National Capital Region’s premiere running organization and the organizers of Canada’s most popular multi-day running event, The Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend. For more information, visit: https://www.runottawa.ca/

By Paul Gains

Toronto, ON, September 16, 2021 — Following her excellent Tokyo 2020 Olympic performance in the marathon, Vancouver’s Natasha Wodak has now set her sights on the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon 10K.

The race, which doubles as the Athletics Canada Canadian 10K Championships, is a collaborative effort between the national governing body, Canada Running Series, and Run Ottawa and is scheduled for Sunday, October 17th in Toronto.

Pandemic restrictions had forced the postponement of the Championships which had been scheduled for Ottawa in late May.

On a weekend which is normally reserved for the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, it signals a welcome return to in-person racing after a series of virtual competitions. The 39-year-old Wodak is delighted to embrace the opportunity.

“It’s really exciting,” Wodak, a two-time Olympian, declared. “It’s part of the reason I am going. I know I am not going to have as much preparation as I would like going into a national championship but I just couldn’t give up the opportunity to do an in-person race here in Canada.”

Wodak finished 13th in the Olympic marathon, a race that was held in Sapporo, Japan, battling the toughest field she had encountered since running the 2016 Rio Olympic 10,000m race, where she finished 22nd. The heat and humidity were another formidable obstacle but she came out unscathed.

“I was very happy, obviously,” she said of her performance in Sapporo. “I went in ranked, I think 26th. I wanted to go better than I was ranked and I knew I was in the best fitness I had ever been.”

As far as concerns going into the race, Wodak noted, “The weather obviously was something I was really worried about. I didn’t want to race stupid and go out too hard. I ran basically as I had planned to go out between 3:32 and 3:35 per kilometre. That’s pretty much what I did and I was able to pick off five people in the last 10km.”

Wodak, who ran 2:26:19 in Chandler, Arizona to qualify for Tokyo 2020, confirms, with a laugh, she is now a marathoner and isn’t sure she will ever run on the track again. Two years ago, she won the Pan Am Games 10,000m in Lima, Peru, setting a games record of 31:55.17. In 2015, she ran a Canadian 10,000m record of 31:41.59, which stood until this past summer when Andrea Seccafien beat it (31:13.94).

Prior to her Sapporo run, Wodak did some training sessions with Canadian marathon record holder Malindi Elmore (2:24:50) in Kelowna, B.C. under the watchful eye of Athletics Canada’s physiologist, Trent Stellingwerf.

Elmore went on to finish 9th in Sapporo. The pair, together with Olympic 50km bronze medalist Evan Dunfee, were examples of how well the Athletics Canada management supported the team.

“Trent and our whole support team were an integral part of our marathon success from the very beginning,” Wodak emphasized. “When I was named to the team, I got an email: ‘We are here for you. We are going to help put together a plan.’”

A testament to the importance of Stellingwerf’s presence during Wodak and Elmore’s training sessions in Kelowna, Wodak said, “Getting the hydration and the menthol drinks, and the cooling vests and ice towels, and just going over the race plan, we felt so prepared when we stood on the start line.”

How well prepared she is for the Canadian 10K Championship is another matter as she has been overly cautious in her post-marathon recovery.

“I have actually been recovering quite well. I started off with some easy running — 20 minutes here and there,” she revealed. “It’s been five weeks now and I still haven’t done any workouts — just easy running. But I am going to start this week in preparing for the Canadian Championships. Over the last three weeks I have been running easy every day getting up to almost 90 minutes of running. I am feeling ready for workouts and I am hoping the fitness will come back quickly.”

The Championship course — a straight out-and-back run along Toronto’s Lake Shore Boulevard — could provide an opportunity for some fast times. While she has a best 10km road time of 31:59, she is hoping to be able to run somewhere between 32 and 33 minutes. The Canadian 10km record of 31:44 has been held since 1989 by Wodak’s personal coach, Lynn Kanuka.

Clearly, she is not the only runner craving an in-person race. It took just eight days for the race to sell out its limit of 5,000 entrants. And, of course, there is considerable prize money on the line: 1st place $5,500, 2nd $3,000, 3rd $1,500, 4th $1,000, 5th $750, 6th $500.

“We are totally excited about the return to in-person racing,” Race director Alan Brookes declared. “Our team has been working for a year, not just on the virtual races, but on plans to get back to in-person racing. We are going to be ready for a wonderful but careful show to respect the regulations as outlined by the province, the City of Toronto, and Athletics Canada with everybody being fully vaccinated— both the participants and staff.”

Wodak is no stranger to the Canada Running Series and Brookes is especially pleased she has made time for this occasion. He remembers her running the Scotiabank Vancouver Half Marathon to raise funds for her beloved Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue Association while wearing whiskers and mixing with runners at a Toronto craft brewery following an 8km race victory.

“We are absolutely thrilled to have Natasha racing,” Brookes said. “I think we all feel how special the running community is and Natasha has been a marvellous ambassador — obviously a fantastic athlete but a wonderful person too.” How she performs is yet to be determined. But she has a positive outlook as she views her calendar.

“It’s not like I am coming back from an injury. I was healthy. I am healthy,” she confirmed. “I am hopeful that the fitness I that I gained in the marathon will take a month to get back instead of… two or three months. I did run a 32:30 [10km] in the middle of my marathon buildup. I know I was in very good 10km shape during my marathon training. If I can get there by the 17th, I don’t know.”

Focused on the road ahead, Wodak continued, “I am a marathoner now. I have joined the club and I am loving it. I want to go to the Olympics in 2024 in the marathon. That’s my focus now. I will dabble in some 10km road races but I want to get faster in the marathon and have some fun running the best ones.”

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Media interested in covering the STWM 10K can register for accreditation here. All media must receive advance accreditation to gain access to the in-person event on October 17th.

For more information:

Jenna Pettinato, Manager of Communications
jenna@canadarunningseries.com

About the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon

The Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon is Canada’s premier running event and the grand finale of the Canada Running Series (CRS). Since 2017, the race has served as the Athletics Canada national marathon championship race and has doubled as the Olympic trials. During the 2020 event, participants raised over $2.96 million for 163 community charities through the
Scotiabank Charity Challenge. In 2021, the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon will host a 10K along Toronto’s scenic lakeshore, the first in-person race for Canada Running Series since the pandemic began, which will also double as the Athletics Canada 10K Championships in partnership with Run Ottawa.

Using innovation and organization as guiding principles, Canada Running Series stages great experiences for runners of all levels, from Canadian Olympians to recreational and charity runners. With a mission of “building community through the sport of running,” CRS is committed to making sport part of sustainable communities and the city-building process. For more information, visit: https://www.torontowaterfrontmarathon.com/

About Athletics Canada

Athletics Canada is the national sport governing body for track and field, para athletics, crosscountry running, and road running. Its purpose is to support high performance athletics excellence at the world level, and to provide leadership in developmental athletics. Athletics Canada is a not for profit, charitable organization operating under a board of directors elected by provincial / territorial members. For more information, visit: https://athletics.ca/

About Run Ottawa

Run Ottawa is the National Capital Region’s premiere running organization and the organizers of Canada’s most popular multi-day running event, The Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend. For more information, visit: https://www.runottawa.ca/