Content advisory: suicidal thoughts 

The following is a letter from Matt Kenny to the Toronto Waterfront Marathon team: 

My name is Matt, and I kept my story secret out of shame and fear but thought perhaps it was worthy of recognition. I have realized through recent conversations that it could help someone who may be silently suffering with their own battles. 

My dream had always been to run the Boston Marathon. As a casual runner who had completed only one marathon in the past, I was hooked. I had a two-year plan and was ready to set my sights on getting my Boston qualifying time. However, fate had different plans for me. A phone call would forever change my life in August 2021 – 30 mins into my 40th birthday party. After months of medical testing, they found lesions on my spinal cord, and I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS).

The doctors did not sugarcoat it – “MS will almost always end in disability, and can include cognitive decline, blindness, and early death.” I was told to pick one of three treatments (chemotherapy being one), and I would start immediately. I stared blankly at the wall. 

Things quickly got worse. What started as numbness in the back of my right arm traveled to my feet. Every step was uncomfortable, and I felt like I was walking on marbles. Soon after, it affected my left leg. While jogging, electric shocks went through my legs, and I tripped and fell. I was at the track, surrounded by strangers. I hobbled to the infield and had a full-blown anxiety attack. Gasping for breath, tears mixed with sweat behind my sunglasses, as it hit me that I would never run the Boston Marathon. My body was giving up. 

Soon after my feet, the nerves in my legs had tremors 24/7 (a symptom of MS and Parkinson’s), my fingers became stiff, I started dropping things as I lost dexterity in my hands, and I had pains shooting down both arms. I lost feeling in my chest and could not tell when I was peeing, as all the feeling in my lower abdomen and groin was gone. I did not rise to this occasion like a character in some great novel; I buckled under the weight and spiralled into darkness.

As more symptoms appeared, I fell deeper into depression. My world experience had taught me that asking for help was a weakness, so I didn’t. The darkness continued to creep in, like cold hands around my throat, and one day, with my face pressed against the hard concrete floor, with all the blinds closed and very few options, I decided to take my own life. 

The future I was told I would be facing was not something I knew how to handle, and the thought of taking my life brought a sense of relief. It was an option not to suffer, to not become a burden to those I loved, and to take back control where I seemingly had none.

I began to find comfort in my weeks of depression when I picked up a book by Matt Haig – a best-selling author and known depressive. I opened a random page, and it had one single line of text:

“The answer is that you stay alive for other versions of you. For the people you will meet, yes, sure, but also the people you will be.”

I stared at the page. The very next day, I saw a handwritten note taped to a lamp post that said:

“One day, you will tell your story about how you overcame what you went through, and it will be someone else’s survival guide.”

And I cried, knowing that something in me had died and life could never be the same. I didn’t know how, but I knew I had to fight. And my new journey began. I refused all medical treatments and focused 24 hours a day on healing my body and mind naturally – I changed every aspect of my life – diet, sleeping patterns, stress reduction, stretching, strength and balance training, and movement.  

Before my diagnosis, I had signed up for the 2022 Miami Half Marathon, but two weeks out, I could only walk for 15 mins at a time, with special inserts in my shoes to feel my feet. I decided not to do it, terrified of making my symptoms worse, but on race day, I packed my race kit at 4 am and headed to the start line. If I was going down, I was going down swinging. 

I finished with a very slow ¼ mile walk, ¼ mile jog strategy, and when I saw the finish line, my mind shifted again. Maybe I could finish a full marathon despite everyone (and the internet) telling me this is the worst thing I could do in my condition. I refined my goals and turned 15 mins of walking into jogging, running, sprinting, and 15+ mile long distances. It took six months to fully “run” again, but I put one foot in front of the other and never looked back. 

And then, I set my sights on the 2022 Toronto Waterfront Marathon with the lofty goal of setting a personal best record. This was my sole focus for five months – no matter how bad my symptoms got, I got up on Sundays between 3:30–5 am and laced up my shoes to hit the pavement for my long runs. And on October 16, 2022, I crossed the finish line with a personal best time of 03:58:53, with friends and family lining the course, cheering my every stride. The race that quite legitimately saved me. 

A race that is likely painstaking to organize and coordinate and set up, but a race that, for some of us, is so much more than just a race – it was the focus that kept me going on the bad days and the goal that lit the fire in my guts to defy medical odds. Since crossing that finish line, I have now set my sights on being the first person with MS to complete all six World Marathon Majors, and last week, I was thrilled to find out that I had been accepted to run the Chicago Marathon in 2023, so yet another journey now begins. 

So, perhaps it’s time to write a new chapter about someone like me – an extraordinarily ordinary human diagnosed with MS who was shamed into accepting his fate. Someone who refused and instead clawed back from the edge, fought his demons, altered almost every facet of his life, threw on his running shoes, and rebuilt himself into running a personal best marathon time in his hometown because that’s my story. It has worth; it was what someone like me needed to hear to give me hope. To keep me alive.

To those who are struggling – stay with me. It is completely fine to fall apart. It is completely fine to be lost, to visit the darkness, and to cry, but please get back up and swing again and again, no matter how many times you miss. You have people in your corner, and we need you.

You are never alone. It gets better. You matter. You have worth. Take care of yourselves, and please look after each other.

Written by Matt Kenny

Follow Matt’s journey on Instagram @my_mssy_life

Tata Consultancy Services and Canada Running Series to Transform In-person and Virtual Runner Experience with New Official Hybrid Race App and Boost Sustainability Efforts

TORONTO | MUMBAI, January 18, 2022: Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) (BSE: 532540, NSE: TCS) has partnered with Canada Running Series (CRS) to become the new title sponsor and official IT services and technology consulting partner of the Toronto Waterfront Marathon and Virtual Race through November 2026.

This news follows TCS’ renewal of its title and technology sponsorship of the TCS New York City Marathon, as well as becoming the new title and technology sponsor of the TCS London Marathon this year.

Soumen Roy, Executive Director and Country Head, TCS Canada, said, “Running a marathon makes you believe that you can accomplish anything. We can’t wait to channel the spirit of building on belief by enhancing the Toronto Waterfront Marathon experience with innovative technology and trailblazing sustainability initiatives in our local communities.”

TCS and CRS aim to modernize marathon running in Canada through a new official race app. It will offer a first-of-its-kind environmental impact calculator that will enable runners and spectators to track and offset their environmental impact. TCS will also work with CRS to create a hybrid and immersive race experience for all runners and spectators around the globe.

The official race app will offer unlimited tracking of both in-person and virtual runners on the same racecourse map and let spectators create digital cheer cards to share messages of encouragement on social media. Runners will be able to share a link to friends and family that automatically initiates the app download with them already selected to be tracked. In addition, the app will incorporate augmented reality features that became popular during the pandemic to support both in-person and virtual runners, along with offering surprise-and-delight experiences.

“We’re excited to begin our partnership with TCS and join a family of global, leading-edge marathons,” said Charlotte Brookes, National Event Director of CRS & the Toronto Waterfront Marathon. “It’s a unique opportunity to take our World Athletics Gold Label event to the next level and beyond, to greatly enhance the runner experience through innovative technology, to showcase athletic excellence, and to have a broader impact in building a healthy, caring, and sustainable Toronto. The new TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon race app will be a symbol of our collaboration that will connect, sustain and inspire us all whether we are participating in-person or virtually, from anywhere around the globe.” 

TCS will also donate 32,000 person-hours toward helping the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon become the most sustainable race in Canada. CRS’ goal is to achieve Evergreen Certification by 2022. When achieved, it will be the only race in Canada to attain this level of environmental certification from the Council of Responsible Sport.

Expanding on this commitment to technology and sustainability, TCS and CRS will be adding two new Charity Partners: Trans Canada Trail and Trees for Life Canada. Runners will have the opportunity to donate money towards Trans Canada Trails’ new AccessNow partnership that is creating accessibility mapping across its more than 28,000 km of National Trails, or Trees for Life’s tree planting projects along the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon racecourse.

“It is great news that the Toronto Waterfront Marathon will be greener next year,” said David Piccini, Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. “New tools will help participants to quantify and reduce their environmental impact while getting outside and enjoying the shores of Lake Ontario, and I commend TCS for their commitment to reducing the footprint of this flagship event.”

Registration for the 2022 TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon will open January 25, 2022.

About Tata Consultancy Services

Tata Consultancy Services is an IT services, consulting and business solutions organization that has been partnering with many of the world’s largest businesses in their transformation journeys for over 50 years. TCS offers a consulting-led, cognitive powered, integrated portfolio of business, technology and engineering services and solutions. This is delivered through its unique Location Independent Agile™ delivery model, recognized as a benchmark of excellence in software development.

A part of the Tata group, India’s largest multinational business group, TCS has over 556,000 of the world’s best-trained consultants in 46 countries. The company generated consolidated revenues of US $22.2 billion in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2021 and is listed on the BSE (formerly Bombay Stock Exchange) and the NSE (National Stock Exchange) in India. TCS’ proactive stance on climate change and award-winning work with communities across the world have earned it a place in leading sustainability indices such as the MSCI Global Sustainability Index and the FTSE4Good Emerging Index. For more information, visit www.tcs.com.

About the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon

The TCS 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 2021 event, participants raised over $3.08 million for 151 community charities. 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.

To learn more about the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon, visit www.torontowaterfrontmarathon.com.

For media inquiries:
Sam O’Neill, Marketing and Communications Coordinator
sam@canadarunningseries.com 

Leslie Sexton and Ben Flanagan win Canadian 10K Championships at Canada Running Series’ first race since the start of the pandemic.

TORONTO, ONTARIO, October 18, 2021 — The Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon 10K (STWM) took place on Sunday with a sold-out field of 5,000 participants, marking a welcomed return to in-person racing with Canada Running Series’ first in-person race since the beginning of the pandemic.

“We’re absolutely thrilled to be returning to in-person racing with the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon 10K, and to be partnering with Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend to host the Athletics Canada 10K Championships,” said Charlotte Brookes, National Event Director at Canada Running Series. “Even more, we’re honoured to be running for a cause, raising nearly $2 million so far for 151 local charities through the Scotiabank Charity Challenge, putting us on track to raise $3 million this year.”

While Scottish star Sarah Inglis is the official winner of the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront 10K with a time of 31:59, Vancouver’s Leslie Sexton claimed the Canadian 10K Championships title in 32:04, taking 1:13 off her personal best. Sexton was followed by Cleo Boyd (33:21) and Natasha Wodak (33:33). Ben Flanagan impressed in his 10K debut, finishing in 28:42, and was closely followed by Olympians Lucas Bruchet (28:49) and Benjamin Preisner (28:53). Three-time Paralympian, Josh Cassidy, took first place in the wheelchair race in 21:50, an incredible redemption after being left off the Tokyo 2020 team.

“I’m super happy Sarah [Inglis] was in the race even though she wasn’t eligible for the Championship,” said Sexton of chasing Inglis throughout the race. “She was always close enough that I could see her and feel like I was chasing her, or at least just trying to hang on and keep the gap about the same. Having her pull me along was awesome. I ran a PB by like a minute and I’ve got her to thank in part for that.”

After spending some time racing in the US, securing the 10K Championships title on Canadian soil was incredibly special for Kitchener-native Flanagan, but it was not without a challenge. Bruchet and Preisner stayed close behind throughout, ensuring a competitive race for Flanagan’s 10K debut as they chased down the title.

“I’ve got a lot of experience with the 10K on the track, but I’ve never run a 10K on the road, so it’s nice to have an official PR and to dip under 29 minutes,” said Flanagan. “It was a very elite field, and everyone wanted it today so I knew it was going to be a pretty hard fight to the line. And that’s what ended up happening.”

Since 2003, $45 million has been raised as part of STWM’s Scotiabank Charity Challenge. STWM’s 2021 Scotiabank Charity Challenge is accepting donations as part of the challenge until November 15, 2021. Scotiabank pays for all related transaction and credit card fees, allowing participating charities to keep 100 percent of the proceeds raised.

To ensure the health and safety of participants, staff, volunteers, vendors, and media, verification of full vaccination was required to gain access to the race area. Staggered start times funnelled 50 waves of 100 people each across the start line to ensure social distancing on the course.

2021 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon 10K Results

10K Wheelchair

1. Josh Cassidy, 21:50

10K Women

1. Sarah Inglis, 31:59
2. Leslie Sexton [top Canadian], 32:04
3. Cleo Boyd, 33:21
4. Natasha Wodak, 33:33
5. Alexandra Lucki, 33:57

10K Men

1. Ben Flanagan, 28:42
2. Lucas Bruchet, 28:49
3. Benjamin Preisner, 28:53
4. Justin Kent, 29:03
5. Jeremy Coughler, 29:04

To see a list of charities involved in the Scotiabank Charity Challenge and to donate, please visit the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon website.

For additional highlights and race results, please visit www.stwm.ca.

Twitter and Instagram hashtags: #TOwaterfront42K, #MoveForwardTO, #runCRS

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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: www.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: www.runottawa.ca.

Media Contact:

Sam O’Neill
Marketing and Communications Coordinator
sam@canadarunningseries.com

By Paul Gains

With an abundance of Covid pandemic caution, the 2021 Athletics Canada 10K Championships signalled a return to in-person racing this morning on Toronto’s Lake Shore Boulevard. When it was over, Ben Flanagan and Leslie Sexton were crowned national champions.

Flanagan, who narrowly missed a Tokyo 2020 Olympic berth, returned from his training base in Charlottesville, Virginia, to capture the gold and the accompanying $5,500 first place prize money but he had to battle hard for the victory.

His 28:42 on the out-and-back course represented a splendid debut at the distance but he was chased to the finish by Vancouver’s Luc Bruchet, a two-time Canadian Olympian at 5,000m. Flanagan and Bruchet fought tooth and nail over the final kilometre, and the latter was forced to settle for second place in a personal best of 28:49. He earned $3,000 for second.

“It feels great,” said Flanagan, who visited family in Kitchener, Ontario earlier in the week. “I am a happy guy. I knew coming in it was going to be a pretty good race and with ten or twelve guys at 6km, it was a race all the way to the line. I kind of had a hunch it was going to be me, Luc, Ben and [Justin] Kent in the last few kilometres, and that is how it worked out. I just gave everything I had over the last 2km to bring it home.

“The plan is only to get better from here. If this is the starting point and we build off of this, this could be a good year. I am really happy to be starting here. I have to make sure I stay healthy and as long as I do, we should be set up for a good summer.”

The bronze medal and $1,500 prize money went to Ben Preisner, who represented Canada at the Tokyo Olympics in the marathon. He finished in 28:53. The native of Milton, Ontario recently moved to Vancouver to join Bruchet with the BC Endurance Project under the guidance of coach Richard Lee. His time represented a personal best by more than a minute. The field benefited from cool 10C temperatures and a flat course.

The women’s division was no less interesting as Sarah Inglis, a Sottish international and permanent resident of British Columbia, forced the pace from the start. The women’s elite race started fifteen minutes ahead of the elite men’s, so she found herself pushing hard into a head wind over the first half of the race before the course turned 180 degrees for the return leg.

Over the final three kilometres, it was the Scot with only Leslie Sexton, another recently arrived Vancouver resident, for company. Cleo Boyd and Natasha Wodak were the nearest pursuers. Inglis and Sexton pushed each other hard and were rewarded with PBs of 31:59 (Inglis) and 32:04 (Sexton). As she crossed the line, Sexton pumped her fist hard realising she was Canadian champion.

“It was a happy fist bump. I was hurting pretty bad but I couldn’t be any happier,” said Sexton, the 2017 Canadian Marathon Champion. “I made a little move on the hill around 7km and tried to catch Sarah, but it turns out she had more to give and she surged again.

“No regrets. She is just super fit. It felt like it was Sarah’s race and there happened to be a Canadian Championship behind her, to be honest, but chasing her pulled me to a fast time.”

The $5,500 first place prize money will come in handy for Sexton who pointed out, “Living in Vancouver is expensive, man!”

The effervescent Inglis was delighted with her performance today and had been favoured by her competitors earlier in the week. Clearly, she is in the shape of her life and being ineligible for the prize money and medals didn’t reduce her enjoyment of the day at all.

“It was great,” she said through a face mask. “I kind of planned to go hard. I knew I was in PB shape and even with the wind I was like, ‘I am going to go out hard and if they come with me great.’ Leslie and I had a great battle. It helped me get to a faster time.

“I led the whole way but then she drew up next to me and that gave me a kick in the bum to get back towards the finish. I never looked behind me, but people were saying, ‘C’mon girls’ plural. That means she is close by. Honestly, I didn’t know until the last 100m I was clear.”

The silver medal went to Cleo Boyd (33:21) with Wodak taking the bronze.

The race was limited to 5,000 entrants due to Covid restrictions and runners had to wear a mask until they crossed the start line. First to go out and return was Paralympian star, Josh Cassidy, who soloed in the wheelchair race to a time for 21:50.

“I used to live near Lake Shore Boulevard near High Park and never raced any STWM weekend events, so this was really fun to do,” Cassidy declared. “They just made this [wheelchair] event a couple of weeks ago, so it worked out with my schedule. It was a demonstration. Hopefully it is something to build on for the future with prize money and a bigger field. It’s funny, whenever I am driving roads, I am always eyeing them up for training. And on Lake Shore, you can never do that unless it’s shut. It was fun to get out there, a fun course.”

A more personal competition played out near the back of the field as Olympic 50K race walker, Evan Dunfee, fought his brother Adam for family bragging rights. Dunfee, who is planning to race next year’s World Team Race Walking Championships, Commonwealth Games (10km on the track) and World Championships (35km). Dunfee finished in 41:38.

“He was running while I was walking,” Dunfee revealed. “We thought would be evenly matched. He has been running regularly to get in shape, but I don’t think he has put on a race bib in 20 years. He kicked my butt today. It was really awesome. I am really happy with what I did today. Dealing with a bit of [a] hamstring [injury] and to walk 41 and a half coming off Tokyo with a torn hamstring I will take that.”

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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: www.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

Photo credit: Run Ottawa

By Paul Gains

WOMEN

Natasha Wodak, 39
Vancouver, BC
PB 31:59

Wodak is a two-time Olympian, having represented Canada at both the 2016 Rio and Tokyo 2020 Olympics, where she finished a splendid 13th in the marathon. Only three Canadian women have had better finishes at the Olympics. Under the guidance of Lynn Kanuka (since 1989 the Canadian 10k record holder at 31:44), she has slowly resumed training with an eye on competing for gold and the $5,500 first place prize on offer in Toronto.

Leslie Sexton, 34
London, Ontario
PB 33:17

Sexton recently moved to Vancouver, where her coach and partner Steve Weiler, has taken up coaching duties at UBC. She has been coaching the Vancouver Thunderbirds running group. The 2017 Canadian marathon champion has put in some strong performances at 10k over the years too. This past summer, she took the bronze medal at the Canadian 10,000m Championships held in Vancouver. Settled into her new home in Vancouver, she has been out on several training sessions with Wodak.

Sarah Inglis, 30
Falkirk, Scotland
PB 32:24

Inglis moved to Canada in 2013 to compete for Trinity Western University while working on her Master’s in Education. She has remained in Langley, B.C. as a ‘permanent resident’ of Canada. Twice she has represented her native Great Britain: at the European Team Championships in 2019 and as a junior in the 2010 IAAF World Cross Country Championships. With her marathon debut in 2020 (2:29:41), she is aiming to represent Scotland at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. She is not eligible for medals or prize money in Toronto, but relishes the opportunity to race in this championship.

Erin Teschuk, 26
Winnipeg, MB
PB: Debut at 10k

Teschuk won numerous Manitoba high school championships before competing at North Dakota State University. It was while she was a student at NDSU that she represented Canada at the 2015 IAAF World Championships in the 3,000m steeplechase. She ran a PB of 9:40.07 in Beijing. The following year, she ran for Canada at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Although STWM 10K will mark her debut at the distance, she has run an excellent 26:28 for 8km and has been piling in the miles. Last month she moved to Kingston to coach at the Royal Military College.

Rachel Hannah, 35
Toronto, Ontario
PB: 33:08

In 2015 Hannah took the bronze medal in the Pan Am Games marathon on an extremely tough course. This is indicative of her resilience and versatility as a distance runner. She represented Canada at both the 2013 and 2015 World Cross Country Championships and won the 2014 Canadian 10K title in 33:08. She has also run 32:33 for the 10k distance though on a non-sanctioned course. These days, she is focusing on her career as a dietician at the University of Guelph’s Student Wellness department.

MEN

Ben Flanagan, 26
Kitchener, Ontario
PB: 27:49.09 10,000m
10k road debut

After graduating from the University of Michigan, where he ended his career with the 2018 NCAA 10,000m title, Flanagan turned pro with Reebok Boston Track Club. His impact on road racing was immediate. He won the 2018 Falmouth Road Race, one of North America’s most prestigious races. He took his second Falmouth title this past August. The 2021 track season saw him run PBs of 13:20.67 (5,000m) and 27:49.09 (10,000m). He must be considered the favourite in what will be his 10k road debut.

Lucas Bruchet, 30
White Rock, B.C.
PB: 29:13

Twice, Bruchet has represented Canada at the Olympics, in Rio (2016) and again in Tokyo (2021). To qualify for Tokyo, he improved his 5,000m PB to 13:12.56. He also showed an improvement in speed by running 1,500m in 3:37.79. Although his 10k PB is 29:13, he has run 28:17.33 on the track. In a sprint finish he could be deadly.

Ben Preisner, 25
Milton, Ontario
PB: 30:10

Preisner signalled his progress to international class when he won the 2019 STWM Half Marathon in 63:08. He also won the Scotiabank Vancouver Half Marathon earlier the same year. In December 2020, he ran 2:10:17 at The Marathon Project in Chandler, Arizona to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics. Prior to the Olympics he made his international debut for Canada at the 2019 World Cross Country Championships. His personal best at the 10k is 30:10, which he recorded while finishing third at the 2019 Under Armour Vancouver Eastside 10K. Clearly, he can run faster. He recently moved to Vancouver to train with the BC Endurance Project full time.

Justin Kent, 29
Surrey, B.C.
PB: 29:54

Kent won the 2019 Vancouver Sun Run in 29:30 on a point-to-point course, but his PB on a legal course is the 29:54 he ran at the 2019 Cardiff Kook Run in Encinitas, California. He took the silver medal at the 2019 Canadian 10K Championships and at the 2021 Canadian 10,000m Championships (a personal best of 29:14.60). Kent represented Canada at the 2019 World Cross Country Championships as a member of the mixed relay team.

Evan Dunfee, 31
Richmond, B.C.
PB: 40:19

Evan Dunfee has been ranked amongst the world’s top race walkers since the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi where he finished 6th in the 20km event. He went on to win the 2015 Pan Am Games 20km gold medal and, having moved up to the 50km distance, earned bronze medals at both the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and the 2019 World Championships. His best 10km time of 40:19 was achieved en route to a 20km national championships. However, last summer he walked to a national 10,000m (track) record with a time of 38:39.72. He will be chasing a personal best road time in Toronto.

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.

For the full start list, please visit: 2021 Canadian 10K Championships Elite Fields.

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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: www.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: www.runottawa.ca.

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

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

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