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NEWS Aug 4 2005
Can Danny Kassap continue his Cinderella story?
One of the major stories at last year's Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, was the "Horatio Alger-like tale" of Danny Kassap's victory. Can he continue his Cinderella story in 2005; and will we see a new women's course record as well? These are the exciting prospects in this year's elite race, as Toronto Waterfront grows exponentially into an international marathon with a reputation for its flat course and fast times.
As thousands gathered at the Finish Line by Roy Thompson Hall last September, expectantly looking down Wellington Street for the leaders to make the final turn from Bay Street, it was not one of the highly-favoured Kenyans who first came into view, but local runner, 22-year old Danny Kassap. Danny broke the tape in the excellent time of 2:14:51, a new course record, and took home $12,000 for his run. In perspective, Bruce Deacon of Victoria is the only Canadian to have consistently matched this time over the past decade.
Danny was the most-unlikely of heroes in a truly Canadian, Cinderella saga. In 2001 he had fled the Democratic Republic of Congo. His mother had been a political activist in Lubumbashi, the country's second largest city. One day, a group of soldiers and "thugs" came to their house. Danny was beaten and bound, and his father taken away. Following the incident, Danny fled to the capital, Kinshasa, where he found refuge with the national athletics coach, and hid out in the stadium where he had previously raced and trained. The coach was subsequently able to get Danny out of the DRC on the Francophone Games Team that came to Canada that summer, where the young Kassap "defected".
Danny's first home in Toronto was Covenant House, a shelter for street youth, from where he was introduced to the University of Toronto Track Club—his new, Canadian family. His running steadily improved, giving him a number of victories and strong showings in the Canada Running Series, and a number of track events. Throughout 2004, Danny had some fine road-race duels, chasing Mustafa Bennacer, an Algerian Refugee living in Montreal. When Bennacer ran a marathon debut of 2:12:02 in Ottawa last Spring, it was all the confidence boost Danny needed to achieve his big breakthrough at the Waterfront. The $12,000 prize money was a king's ransom, not to mention the international recognition that followed for the ever-smiling and cheery Kassap.
His success was perhaps even more remarkable, given the backdrop of his daily-life experiences. He has heard nothing of his family since leaving the Congo, and can get no news on them from friends he has been able to contact. Here, despite strong support from UTTC and the running community, his becoming proficient in English and finding a regular job in a restaurant, Danny's initial application for Refugee Status (based on the political, physical abuse) was denied. In 2003, he applied for Permanent Residence again, this time to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, on humanitarian and compassionate grounds; only to be turned down again on July 18th this year.
Appeals will follow, but it does not make life easy for training, to be internationally competitive, as the fastest marathoner living in Canada. For now, Danny Kassap has no status, and cannot leave the country; yet he feels he has a home. Perhaps, he dreams, he can continue to improve his times, and run for Canada in the Olympics?
On September 25th, he'll be hoping for all the "hometown" advantage he can get. So come out and cheer him on as Canada's #1. He'll have his work cut out even more this year with the continued development of the Toronto Waterfront event. No longer the "unknown", he'll have to beat a dozen quality African runners from Kenya, Ethiopia and Tanzania, and a couple of Europeans—all with times as good as or better than Danny's.
Race Director Alan Brookes forecasts it will take 2:13 or better to win this year. As the race has exploded in size, so too has its reputation for fast times, attracting better-quality athletes, and more depth. Barnabas Koech won the Prague Marathon in 2004; Augustus Kavutu won Twin Cities last year; Nelson Lebo was victorious in Seville, Spain, in 2004; Zach Kihara and Kassahun Kabiso were also winners, in Edinburgh and Vancouver, earlier this year. (See Elite athletes to watch for.)
In the women's race, we could also see a new course record, Brookes predicts, with Kenyan Jennifer Chesinon, Russian Victoria Zueva, and Ethiopian Teringo Gelachew expected to push each other along to better Lyubov Morgunova's mark of 2:36:20, set in 2003 on the flat, fast, Waterfront course.
Regardless of who wins, Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon 2005 promises to be a competitive, exciting race. As runner or spectator, you're invited to be a part of it!