This marks the first in-person Canada Running Series event since the start of the pandemic.
TORONTO, ONTARIO, October 13, 2021 — The Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon 10K (“STWM”) is taking place on October 17 and will be available to watch free of charge via livestream. The broadcast of the entire race will be available at stwm.ca, on Facebook, and on YouTube.
Held in partnership with Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend, the race will serve as the Athletics Canada 10K Championships and marks a welcomed return to in-person racing after the pandemic forced STWM to transition to a virtual race in 2020.
The broadcast will begin at 7:30 a.m. EDT. Viewers will be able to watch the women start at 8:00 a.m. EDT, followed by the men at 8:13 a.m. EDT. With 5,000 participants in total, 50 waves of 100 people each will follow the Championships fields.
“We’re thrilled to have this opportunity to collaborate with Run Ottawa and Athletics Canada to bring back a major in-person road race before the end of 2021,” said Alan Brookes, Race Director at Canada Running Series. “It is an important sign that we are on the way back. Whether you’re with us in person on Sunday, running STWM virtually in 29 countries around the world, or watching the livestream, we hope that the race will be an enormous inspiration for Canadian running.”
For the first time at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, a land acknowledgement will be given ahead of the race, presented by Krystal Abotossaway. An urban Ojibwe Anishinaabe Kwe and president of the Indigenous Professional Association of Canada (IPAC), Abotossaway is from Aundeck Omni-Kaning First Nations and Chippewas of Rama First Nations.
The race has attracted a great lineup of men’s and women’s Canadian distance stars from across the country with their eyes firmly set on the Canadian record of 28:17 set in 1987. Tokyo Olympian and 2021 5K Championship winner Luc Bruchet will be going head-to-head with fellow Olympian Ben Preisner, two-time Canadian Cross Country Champion Mike Tate, and Ben Flanagan, who narrowly missed a spot on the Tokyo 2020 team.
In the women’s race, Canadian 8K record holder Natasha Wodak will be hoping to continue on from her outstanding 13th place finish in the Tokyo Olympic marathon. Wodak’s personal best of 31:59 is only 15 seconds shy of the existing national record, set by her coach, Lynn Kanuka-Williams, in 1989. Vancouver’s Leslie Sexton is also in good form, having recently won the Canadian 5K Championship in 15:73.
“After being part of the broadcast team for the 2020 Olympic Games Marathon, I’m happy to be back again for the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront 10K,” said Krista DuChene, race commentator and 2016 Olympic marathoner. “Alan Brookes and Canada Running Series have been an integral part of my career and I’m excited to continue being involved as Michael Doyle and I provide live coverage of the race.”
The race will once again be produced by Astrodog Media, a Kitchener-based production company that has lent its talent to the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon since 2012. Leveraging their vast experience in and passion for the race, commentators will consist of Krista DuChene, who placed third at the 2018 Boston Marathon; Olympian Kate Van Buskirk, who competed in the 5,000m at Tokyo 2020; and Michael Doyle, a veteran journalist who has covered track and field for over a decade.
Media interested in covering the STWM 10K must 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 Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend.
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: torontowaterfrontmarathon.com
About Athletics Canada
Athletics Canada is the national sport governing body for track and field, para athletics, cross-country 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: athletics.ca
About the Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend
The Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend is Canada’s largest running and walking festival with six races, including the Ottawa Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K, 5K, 2K and Kids Marathon, as well as the Lumberjack, Voyageur or Bytown distance challenges. In 2021, runners and walkers in the virtual event raised a record-breaking $1,064,163.58 for local and national charities through the Charity Challenge. The 2022 Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend will take place May 28-29.
The Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend was named Event of the Year at the 2019 Canadian Tourism Awards, and in 2020, its title sponsor Tamarack Homes won the Sport Tourism Canada’s Canadian Sport Event Sponsorship Initiative of the Year Award. The event is one of only two running events in Canada to host a World Athletics (formerly IAAF) Gold Label Marathon, and is host to Athletics Canada’s Canadian 10K Championships. For more information or to register, visit: runottawa.ca
Media Contact:
Sam O’Neill
Marketing and Communications Coordinator
sam@canadarunningseries.com
