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

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

Any runner will tell you that keeping your body in optimal condition and having the right gear to do so can make all the difference. A proper training regime will inevitably help performance and bring success come race day. Whether you are a beginner or a marathon regular, putting in the required mileage to get your body trained to running distances can often lead to muscles getting overworked and less than ideal recovery periods.

It’s no secret that runners often find it hard to balance perfectly the constant oscillation between periods of strain and periods of recovery. For athletes on tight schedules this dynamic can prove challenging, but a new product from a Canadian upstart might just have the product to help you achieve the right balance.

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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/