Photo credit: Reebok

By Paul Gains

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

For more information:

Jenna Pettinato, Manager of Communications
jenna@canadarunningseries.com

About the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon

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

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

About Athletics Canada

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

About Run Ottawa

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

By Paul Gains

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

For more information:

Jenna Pettinato, Manager of Communications
jenna@canadarunningseries.com

About the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon

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

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

About Athletics Canada

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

About Run Ottawa

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

By Paul Gains

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

For more information:

Jenna Pettinato, Manager of Communications
jenna@canadarunningseries.com

About the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon

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

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

About Athletics Canada

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

About Run Ottawa

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

After 19 months, Canada Running Series will be celebrating a long-awaited return to in-person racing with the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon 10K on Sunday October 17th. Open to runners across the country, the 10K race will feature a scenic route along the shores of Lake Ontario, starting and ending near Exhibition Place.  

As one of the first in-person racing events in the greater Toronto area, organizers are eager to welcome the running community back:  

“The 10K is an important step forward for our run community and an opportunity to say ‘thank you’ to everyone who has stood behind us during the pandemic. We wouldn’t be able to even think of offering an in-person event if it wasn’t for the thousands of participants who chose to participate in our virtual events in 2020 and 2021” says Charlotte Brookes, National Event Director for Canada Running Series.  

Registration will open in two waves, with spots available to Canadian runners who deferred their 2020 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon in-person entries and Canadian runners currently registered for the 2021 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon Virtual Race first on Wednesday August 11th. Registration will then open to all other Canadian runners on Thursday August 12th. The event is limited to 5000 participants and spaces are expected to fill up quickly.  

Participants of the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon 10K will receive a race kit featuring a custom New Balance technical race shirt with design by local artist Mark Serrano, a finisher medal, running belt, Toronto landmark stickers, and other items from our partners including Larabar, Nuun, Biotrue and more.  

For those who prefer a virtual experience, registration remains open for the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon Virtual Race, with distance options ranging from the marathon to 5K at STWM.ca  

Hello fellow runners, CRS family and friends,

We’re writing you with some potentially exciting news. For the past few months, we have been working in close collaboration with the City of Toronto, on a plan to hold an in-person 10K race in Toronto on October 17th for 5000 people. The 10k distance is the only option we will be able to offer for STWM in-person in 2021.

We are not on the start line yet, we have not received approval for this event.

If we are able to move forward with an in-person event, we will launch registration by mid-August. Out of an abundance of caution, registration will be limited to Canadian residents only.

The STWM Virtual Race will continue as an option for international participants, those who prefer a virtual experience, or those who want to complete both the virtual and in-person races (if approved).

If you have further questions, please visit our FAQ section where we have answers about registration, race details and more, based on what we currently know.

To make sure you don’t miss out on our next update, you can subscribe to our newsletter here.

You can also visit RunCRS.ca for our full 2021 virtual race calendar.

Applications are now closed. 

Founded in 1990, the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon is the grand finale and signature event of the Canada Running Series. It is Canada’s #1 big-city, world marathon and holds a prestigious World Athletics Gold Label. The event attracts 25,000 people from across Canada and over 70 countries, and raises over $3.5 million annually for local charities through the Scotiabank Charity Challenge.

We are looking for a new artist/designer to work with us on the 2021 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon race shirt! This shirt will be worn by up to 10,000 participants around the world in our virtual race and will serve as a cherished momento of this year’s event.

Application:

Submit your work to be considered as our 2021 shirt artist.

We are not asking for spec work. Please submit work that has already been produced. We understand that concept work takes time, so we ask that you do not submit new race shirt concepts at this time.

Please provide a web link or a PDF with samples of existing work.

Greater consideration will be given to artists with experience in designing shirt graphics or screen prints.

Applications are now closed. 

Timeline:

The deadline for applications is May 17, 2021.

By May 21, 2021, Canada Running Series will select up to 3 artists to arrange a short video interview.

Following the interview process, one artist/designer will be selected to create the 2021 Race Shirt design. To be contacted the week of May 24, 2021.

The anticipated completion date will be June 25, 2021.

Compensation:

The chosen artist or designer will be paid $2,000.00 CAD for the project. You will be promoted through Canada Running Series/Toronto Waterfront Marathon’s website, social media and newsletter. You will be credited as the artist of this year’s shirt, with links to your website and/or social media where possible.

Artwork Usage:

The finished artwork will be screen printed on up to 10,000 technical race shirts and given to all event participants this coming fall.

We encourage applications from artists/designers in under-represented groups including women, Black and Indigenous People of Colour (BIPOC), other racialized persons and LGBTQ2+ persons.