Sep 15 2023
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Adugna Takele Joins Strong Ethiopian Team for TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon  

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by Paul Gains  

TORONTO, ON (August 31, 2023) – Ten years after his first appearance on Canadian soil Adugna Takele will chase victory at the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon October 15th.  

The Ethiopian won the 2013 Ottawa 10k and has since transformed into a world-class marathon runner with enormous experience across four continents. Now 34, he recorded a best time of 2:05:52 at the 2022 Seville Marathon and believes he can run even faster. 

“I am preparing myself very well for Toronto,” he says from his home in Ethiopia’s capital of Addis Ababa. “I’m trying to cover 170 kilometres per week as I am feeling better from my (Spring-time) hamstring injury. 

“I do have some information about Toronto from my friends and fellow athletes like Lemi Berhanu, and Gebretsadik Abraha who have been to race there and from my Coach Gemedu Dedefo. They say the course is good and challenging. If I feel healthy I will run faster (than 2:05:52)” 

Lemi Berrhanu was the 2016 Boston Marathon champion and finished 2nd in the 2019 Toronto Waterfront Marathon (2:05:09) while Gebretsadik Abraha has raced in Toronto twice finishing 6th in 2014 and 5th in 2017. The trio are part of a large and talented group coached by Gemedu Dedefo and managed by the Italian Demadonna Athletics Productions.  

On previous visits to Canada Adugna has run the Ottawa Marathon twice finishing 3rd in 2018. After running 2:10:12 in Barcelona this past March he was expecting to run again in Ottawa but didn’t receive his passport and Canadian visa in time. The disappointment was tangible. 

“Yes, I had been preparing for the race but didn’t go because of the visa problem,” he explains.  “You can imagine how it affects the mind because, as an athlete, I had been working the whole time in aiming to win that race. When I heard that the visa was not ready I was speechless.” 

Like his training partners he is dependent upon earning money from competitions to support his family – he and his wife have a young son Gadisa Adugna – so the financial impact was immense. 

“I was very much expecting to win the prize money as well, but it didn’t happen,” he says. The disappointment led him to a break in training. “Yes, {the break} was not actually the whole summer but just a few weeks and then I started to prepare myself for the next race.” 

Toronto Waterfront Marathon has $160,000 total prize money with $20,000 to the winner which is obviously of great interest to him. 

Adugna comes from the town of Huruta in central Ethiopia and like many Ethiopian runners was inspired by the achievements of the country’s Olympic runners especially Haile Gebrselassie. But it is his father’s brother whom he credits with being the biggest influence upon him. 

“When I was a student our school use to make us run during our sport period but of my uncle is the one to help me involve in running,” he adds. ”I began running in school then by the time I joined an athletic club I assured myself that I will become a world-class athlete.” 

That uncle, Worku Bikila, was a world-class 5,000m athlete who finished 6th at the 1992 Olympic 5,000m final and was 4th in the World Championships the following year.   Asked if he had seen videos of Worku in action when he was child he says not. 

“No, I was a kid at that time and there wasn’t television to watch or radios to listen to.  But after I became an athlete I have got a chance to see him on social media,” he reveals. 

“When I was a kid I grew up watching him having a good life and I just wanted to be just like him in every way. Then I realized that he was an athlete. So I wanted to become an athlete like him; to live just like him.” 

In 2008 Adugna moved to Addis Ababa and lived with Worku for a couple of months until he got established. When he received his first salary from his running club – Oromio Police Club – he went to live in a rented house with some of his friends. The influence and support he received from his uncle has continued and Adugna adds with pride: “In 2015 he watched me run the Great Ethiopian Run in Addis Ababa.” 

On that occasion Adugna finished 3rd in what is Africa’s biggest 10km race with more than 40,000 competitors. Founded by Haile Gebrselassie, it can be the pathway to greater things as many foreign managers as well as Ethiopian national and club coaches attend each year to spot the talent.  

These days his family is his main priority. 

“Every morning I do my exercise, and then I spend my time with my family and with my friends sometimes watching movies,” he reveals. “I visit my family in Huruta.  I go there very often to  visit my family and to share all the happy and sad moments.” 

Addis is a modern city with its own light rail system to serve its more than 3 million residents. Although he has lived there for many years he knows that when he retires he will not stay in the capital.  

“No, not at all. I want to live outside of Addis, I enjoy silence and an area full of nature,” he states. Again, his uncle’s success in business has proven inspiration. Worku Bikila has a hotel and water well-drilling business in Dukem, a town outside Addis. 

“He is a hard-working person and a successful person in the business he is involved in. We hope to be like him in the future.” 

Victory at the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon would be helpful in his athletic development as well as financially beneficial. But when he lines up his focus will be on winning and recording a fast time. He knows he is due for another sublime performance.  

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Sep 09 2023
0

Molly Bookmyer Overcame Cancer and Now Challenges TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon  

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by Paul Gains  

TORONTO, ON (September 7, 2023) – Marathoners endure much suffering in order to excel in their sport but few have struggled with brain cancer. 

American Molly Bookmyer underwent two surgeries eight years ago following diagnosis of a brain tumour while finishing up her degree at Ohio State University.  

With that awful period behind her now, as an elite marathoner, her path has led her to the 2023 TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon where she, and a growing number of American elites, will attempt to qualify for the 2024 US Olympic Trials, to be run in Orlando, Florida on February 3.   

Her current best is 2:31:39 and she sees Toronto Waterfront – her first international race – as an opportunity to knock off a significant chunk of time. 

“I want to run 2:27,” she reveals. “I feel I haven’t had a breakthrough in my marathon I have had some good races at shorter distances. I ran a 1:10:51 half marathon last fall. So I have had some success at the shorter distances and I haven’t quite figured out the full marathon distance yet.  

“My first goal is to get the world championship standard and the second goal is to get the Olympic standard.” 

Bookmyer graduated from Ohio State in 2013 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Management and Operations. While she was a member of the Buckeyes’ cross country and track teams she was not a scholarship athlete. Now she has a better understanding as to why she was limited. 

“I was a walk-on at OSU. I got better but I wasn’t a star in college,“ she explains. “When I look back at it, it was probably because I was sick at the time. I didn’t know I had a brain tumour. I competed on the team but my times weren’t spectacular. I lettered in cross country and track but I wasn’t All American and I didn’t make it to the NCAA’s.” 

A series of stress fractures also held her back and it was by a stroke of luck that the tumour was discovered. 

“In different blood tests to try to find why I got stress fractures they found one of my hormones prolactin was high,” Bookmyer says.  “This (hormone) is associated with tumours near your pituitary gland. They did a scan and they found the tumour in my ventricle. It was kind of luck. I probably had symptoms but thought it was normal.” 

Following the diagnosis she underwent a spinal tap to determine if the cancer cells were in her spinal column. Fortunately, it came back negative. But the surgery to remove the growing tumour was vital. 

Originally from Cleveland she moved to Columbus to study at OSU and remained there ever since. That’s also where she met her husband, Eric.   

Immediately after graduation she worked for the Abercrombie & Fitch company. Then, having dealt with her own serious illness, Eric was diagnosed with testicular cancer. Running was helpful in both relieving the stress of being a full-time caregiver to him as well as helping in her own recovery.  

“I am healthy now,” she says through a smile. “I get a brain scan every year. It used to be every six months. After the first surgery I had complications from the surgery. The tumour has not come back. 

“Eric just had his 5-year checkup, He had a couple of surgeries and ‘chemo’ so now he is healthy as well, I guess we are lucky we went through a lot and came out the other side healthy.” 

Two years ago she was recruited by one of her former contacts at Abercrombie & Fitch to work for Hawthorne Gardening Company which is involved in the hydroponics industry selling lights, pots, containers, benches and other gardening equipment in both the cannabis and general botany industry.  Most importantly, the job allows her to work remotely, something that helps while training full time. 

Down time is limited but she says she enjoys spending time with Eric and her dog Cooper. Listening to music is another relaxing pastime with Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty remaining a favourite. With the Toronto Waterfront Marathon rapidly approaching she is confident she will perform at her best on the big occasion. 

“Training is going really well,” Bookmyer declares. “I had a little setback in the spring. I tore my plantar fasciitis but that’s fully healed. My mileage has gone to 115 to 120 miles (185km – 193km) a week which is higher than I have been before; paces are good, I am feeling strong. I am excited for what that means.”  

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Sep 05 2023
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American Emily Durgin To Run TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon 

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by Paul Gains 

TORONTO, ON (September 5, 2023) – Despite some impressive podium finishes at the American national championships on roads and cross country, Emily Durgin has yet to record a marathon time. It’s a situation she intends to rectify at the 2023 TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon on October 15th. 

“I definitely think I am capable of running closer to 2:20 than 2:29,” she says of her target in Toronto. “But with that being said the biggest thing about the marathon is learning how to race it and get through the whole thing.” 

The 29-year-old from Portland, Maine has earned bronze medals at the 2023 USATF cross country championships, the 2023 USATF 20km championships, the 2022 USATF 10 mile championships and a silver at the USATF 15km championships. Most impressive though is her half marathon personal best of 67:54 which got her 6th place at the 2022 Houston Half Marathon.  

It is this credential which she believes is indication that her ambitious aim to run in the low 2:20’s is possible. It is a performance that has also qualified her for the 2024 USATF Olympic marathon trials. However, a solid race at Toronto Waterfront, a World Athletics Elite Label Race, would give her more confidence in those trials. 

Last November she made her marathon debut in New York but was gutted when she had to drop out at 30km. 

“Unfortunately, it was a super-hot day and that probably didn’t play in my favour,” she explains. “But there were a lot of other factors that went into it. Honestly, the entire buildup, it was in my head. I put way more pressure on it for what reason I don’t know. You learn a lot when you do your first buildup.” 

Although she is from the East coast of the US and attended the University of Connecticut – graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Communications and Journalism – she moved to Flagstaff, Arizona in 2018. 

“I love Arizona as a whole,” she admits. “Obviously Flagstaff is higher elevation (2,130m) which is why I like to live up here but in the winter months it’s easy to drop down to Phoenix or Sedona. Last winter we had a ton of snow so for us it is really easy to get out of the weather if we have to. 

“There is such a big running community here so we have that aspect of it. I will say that sometimes it is tough because, when you are up here, there is that mentality of training (mode) for me that’s why I tend to try to get out of Flagstaff when I am not in a big cycle. Sometimes when I am here it’s hard to break up like ‘oh this is fun time’ versus training time. That’s why it’s nice to have Phoenix close by.” 

While she and her boyfriend live in Flagstaff she is coached by San Diego based Terrence Mahon and has a contract with Adidas that allows her to train full time. It wasn’t always the case.  

Fresh out of college she moved to Boston to train under coach Mark Coogan but without a shoe contract she had to make ends meet in one of the most expensive American cities. For a year and half she worked as a nanny while training. 

Clearly, she loves being in Arizona and while Flagstaff is quickly becoming a desirable and therefore an expensive place to live, she enjoys the amenities close by such as the restaurants and movie theatres. The Sunday farmer’s market is also a frequent destination. 

“When ‘Barbie’ came out we went and saw ‘Barbie’. That was great,” she says laughing. “You have everything you need here. It has really grown but ‘Flag’ is turning into what Boulder (Colorado) is”.  

“After our long runs on Sunday we try to end up at the market and if we are not getting produce there they always have great breakfast stuff. So we will go and get avocado toast and those kind of goodies. It starts early spring and goes through the fall. It’s a lot of fun.” 

Durgin trains alone most of the time although she is able to meet up with any number of professional runners who also make Flagstaff their home. All this is helpful as she plots a successful marathon performance at Toronto Waterfront. Training is ramping up. 

“It’s going well. I am doing a different approach to this marathon. I have been travelling so I was doing a lot of work outside of altitude which was nice for the beginning of my build,” she reports. 

“My goal in Toronto is to see what the lead runners are doing. As long as they are not going out at 2:17 pace I should be able to stick my nose in it and compete. Hopefully that will help me to a fast time.” 

Along with Molly Bookmyer and Molly Grabill, the American women will be well represented at the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon.  And, since the event is again a World Athletics Elite Label race it is again attracting a contingent from East Africa who will surely make the race especially competitive. That’s something that thrills Durgin. 

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Aug 15 2023
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Ethiopia’s Waganesh Mekasha To Run TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon  

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by Paul Gains  

TORONTO, ON (August 15, 2023) – Ethiopian women have featured prominently at the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon winning eight of the past fifteen editions of this World Athletics Elite Label race. If Waganesh Mekasha has her way this dominance will continue. 

The 31-year-old mother of two brings extraordinary credentials to this year’s event on October 15th as well as some useful ‘intel’.

“I watched the Toronto [Waterfront] marathon many times on television and Yihunilign Adane, who won the 2022 TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon, told me more about it,” she reveals. The two not only share a manager – Britain’s Malcolm Anderson of Moyo Sports – but each won their respective divisions in the 2023 Ottawa Marathon.  

On that day Waganesh ran alone for most of the second half save for the assistance of celebrity pacemaker, Canadian marathon record holder Cam Levins, who graciously led her to a winning time of 2:24:48 under hot and muggy conditions.  

“I didn’t know (Levins) but my sub agent had told me after the race that he even ran the 10k race on Saturday,” she explains. “What a nice guy he is!” 

Asked if Levins, who used the pacesetting task as a long training run following his second place finish in the Canadian 10km championship, did a good job she responds with grace. 

“He did an amazing job until he dropped out. He was not only pacing me but motivating us all the way to 35km,” she remembers. 

Ironically, Waganesh nearly didn’t make it to the start line in the nation’s capital. Despite getting her visa well in advance of the race she was prevented from boarding her flight to Canada by airline officials.  

“Oh, yes that was frustrating,” she recalls. “I was shocked when the boarding person told me that I cannot fly to Canada. But many thanks to the race organizers and to my management I made it at last. But I stayed eight hours in Frankfurt airport. I hope that will not happen again.” 

Fifteen hours in the air followed by eight stuck in an airport terminal would unsettle most athletes but Waganesh has proven resilient time and time again. Although she ran extremely well at Ottawa, also a World Athletics Elite Label race, she can point to a credible 5th place finish at the 2022 Chicago Marathon in 2:23:41 as another career highlight.  

Chicago is one of only six World Athletics Major marathons and a place in the elite section is highly coveted.  A top five finish is, therefore, an extraordinary achievement.  

Waganesh has run faster than both of her aforementioned appearances in Ottawa and Chicago.  Her personal best is 2:22:45 which she recorded at the 2019 Dubai Marathon. She would like to go faster on Toronto’s course where the course record is 2:22:16 held by Kenya’s Magdalyne Masai from 2019. 

“My training is going very well. I am so excited to be back to Canada,” she says knowing she has a couple of months of intense work to complete before her journey to Canada. “If the conditions are good, and we have a good pacemaker, I will break the course record and win the race.” 

That’s a bold prediction. The record is a very good one. But her confidence comes from training under the guidance of famed coach Getamesay Molla alongside other great Ethiopian marathoners such as Yeshi Kalayu who has a personal best of 2:21:17, Azmera Gebru (2:20:48 PB) and Tigist Ambaychew (2:18:03 in Berlin 2022).  Their training is done outside Addis in the dusty hills of Sendafa and Sululta at 2750m altitude. 

Although she is a devoted mother and her children are still quite young at 7 and 4 years of age she has ambitions left to fulfill in the sport over the next few years.  

Several times she wore the Ethiopian vest as a junior winning a bronze medal in the 2011 African Under-20 Championships over 3,000m and finishing 4th at the World Cross Country Championships in Punta Arena, Spain the same year.  

The Ethiopian junior team earned the team gold medal that day.  Notably, she finished just six seconds behind the champion Faith Kipyegon of Kenya who has since gone on to become a twice crowned Olympic 1,500m champion.  

“Of course, I want to represent my country in the Olympics in the marathon,” Waganesh reveals. “But it is very, very competitive in Ethiopia.” 

Confident, ambitious and extremely talented, Waganesh might well contend for a place on Ethiopia’s Olympic team. A victory in Toronto would impress selectors. And the $20,000 first place prize money it must be said would be welcome in her household.  

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Aug 10 2023
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Dayna Pidhoresky Seeking Second Canadian Marathon Championship in Toronto  

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by Paul Gains  

TORONTO, ON (August 10, 2023) – Elite marathoners have many options to chase fast times each fall. Dayna Pidhoresky has chosen the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon on October 15th where she will seek her second Canadian Championship gold medal in four years. 

The 36-year-old Vancouver resident was the first Canadian finisher at this event in 2019, crossing the line in a personal best 2:29:03 and was rewarded with an automatic position on Canada’s Tokyo Olympics bound team.  

Although this year’s edition of Toronto Waterfront Marathon is not an Olympic Trials it is, for the fifth consecutive year, the National Championships – and it has a World Athletics Elite Label. A stellar cast is therefore guaranteed.  

“I think for me it’s helpful that it’s familiar. The travel is familiar, the course is familiar, so it sort of takes the guess work out of that part,” she explains. “If you are doing an overseas fall marathon that can be part of that stress which is from just not knowing what to expect.  

“In this case Toronto is a race I have lined up for many times in the past. And also, it’s not a slow course; I know I can run fast there. I have run fast before. I do hope to run faster than I have before.” 

Originally from Tecumseh, a town near Windsor, Ontario she and her husband Josh Seifarth have been living in Vancouver for ten years now. Although she has raced many times in the U.S. and represented Canada at the 2017 World Championships as well as at the Tokyo Olympics, domestic races have been a large part of her curriculum vitae. Indeed, she won both the 2022 and 2023 Vancouver Marathons, the latter in 2:34:27.  

Pidhoresky realises that winning a Canadian title earns an additional 45 World Athletics Ranking points on top of points awarded for a finishing time. Those extra points could be worth more than four minutes to her. In other words, if she equals her personal best in Toronto and wins the Canadian title she would earn 1187 WA points – the same as if she had run 2:24:35 at another race. 

That would put her in contention for a spot on Canada’s team for next year’s Paris Olympics. It would mean everything if she were successful. 

“Yeah, absolutely. I feel that is one of the reasons I am working so hard,” she says. “It’s really to try and get on another Olympic team. I feel I have unfinished business at the Olympics. It’s not about placing it’s about leaving there feeling I was able to do my best on the day.” 

On her flight to Tokyo for the Olympic Games two years ago she and Josh were seated near someone who tested positive for Covid. That resulted in an enforced confinement inside their Gifu hotel room for several days during which they were not allowed to leave the room. She endured a further isolation in Sapporo – not ideal preparation for the biggest race of her life. 

Team officials brought her a stationary bicycle intended to replace her running. Already nursing a tendon injury she was a shadow of herself when it came time to run the Olympic marathon in Sapporo. She struggled home in 73rd place. The memories are bitter. A good race in Toronto would go a long way to reducing the disappointment of two years ago. 

Recently, she began her buildup towards Toronto and in contrast to previous years she is in good health.  

“So far it is going well. We are doing a twelve week build so we have just begun,” Pidhoresky reveals.  “The first week of the build I ran 161km. For us it’s about week after week of solid mileage so if we can have several weeks in a row at 180km and, I can keep grinding through that kind of training, it really works well for me.” 

Most of her training is done alone with Seifarth accompanying her on the long 38-40km runs on a bicycle. He carries drinks for her so that they don’t need to put out tables during training. A mid-week interval or fartlek session is done with some of the other athletes he coaches.

Surprisingly the subject of Toronto’s prize money doesn’t come up in conversation. There is $130,000 prize money available with the winners each receiving $20,000. Included in this purse is $8,000 for the male and female Canadian champions as well as a share of the overall purse should they finish in the top 8 overall.  It’s only when the subject is raised that she comments. 

“I did go into this year thinking I didn’t want to be chasing prize money because I am really focused on running as fast as I can,” she allows, “and sometimes that means not worrying about making money.  

“Last year I was focused on trying to win money and this year I just need to run as fast as I can. Maybe that means going to races where there is no way I can make money and instead I am losing money to run a fast time. I think that it would be nice to come home with a little cheque though.” 

A year and a half ago the couple bought a condominium in Vancouver close to ideal training terrain at the University of British Columbia and Pacific Spirit Park. Seifarth started an automotive software company called Visifii working out of a home office. Pidhoresky contributes a few hours a week between training, physiotherapy, massage therapy and strength training sessions. And she has other interests which she finds soothing. 

“Sometimes I bake. I do enjoy baking these days,” she says laughing. “I have a friend who lives in the building right besides ours and we will bake.  Then our husbands will eat 95% of what we bake. So it’s sort of perfect.” 

Life is good for Pidhoresky and she hopes that a stellar performance in Toronto will seal a place on Canada’s team for next year’s Olympics in Paris. Then it will be redemption time. 

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Aug 03 2023
0

Tristan Woodfine Eyes Paris Berth at TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon  

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by Paul Gains 

 TORONTO, ON (August 3, 2023) – Tristan Woodfine’s pursuit of an Olympic Games berth resumes October 15th at the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon. 

The event is once again a World Athletics Elite Label race and will also serve as the 2023 Canadian marathon championship. This presents the 30 year old native of Cobden, Ontario with a splendid opportunity to earn enough valuable world ranking points to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.  

This is his second attempt at becoming a Canadian Olympian.  

In 2020 he ran a personal best of 2:10:51 at the London Marathon – well under the 2020 Olympic qualifying standard – and looked to have secured his place in the Canadian team bound for the Tokyo Games. But then Vancouver’s Ben Preisner ran 34 seconds faster to bump him from the third position. 

Despite an appeal he remained at home.  

For the past year he has been coached by Reid Coolsaet, himself a two time Canadian Olympic marathoner (2012 and 2016). The pair went about choosing Toronto for his Olympic attempt methodically. 

“It minimizes travel so I don’t have to worry about jet lag,” Woodfine explains. “Second, the Canada Running Series puts on a great series. They take care of the elites well and it’s well run. So that limits the unknown stress of doing a foreign race where you don’t know how things will go. I have complete trust in (race director) Alan (Brookes) and his team.” 

The 2024 Olympic automatic qualifying standard is 2:08:10, a time which has been bettered by only one Canadian in history, Cam Levins.  So the prospect of earning valuable points, which come with winning a national championships, on top of a fast time, was too much to resist. 

Coolsaet pointed out that winning a national championship is worth an additional 45 points, which on the World Athletics scoring tables, is equivalent to running 2 minutes 30 seconds faster. In other words, if Woodfine were to run a personal best and win in Toronto it would be like running 2:08:00 in a World Marathon Major like Berlin. 

“You can hit Olympic qualifying standard,” Woodfine continues, “but if you have to get through on points there are extra points available because it is the Canadian championships. So for those reasons it made sense. 

“We were trying to figure out how to maximize the points. You want to maximize time and you want to maximize points and you try and find the balance. If you maximize the points but run too slow then it doesn’t matter. It felt like Toronto was the best of both worlds.” 

Woodfine ran the 2019 Toronto Waterfront Marathon finishing 13th in 2:13:16 but since then has really gone from strength to strength.  

A year ago he won the TCS Toronto Waterfront Half Marathon in a personal best of 62:45. The race is run simultaneously with the marathon and since the emphasis is on the classic marathon distance there are some restrictions. 

“Alan has strict policy you (half marathoners) can’t go ahead of the marathoners because of TV coverage and all that,” he reveals. “So I felt in that half I could have gone faster.  I was thinking ‘this is actually too easy for a half,’ but obviously I couldn’t go and had to wait for the last kilometre. 

“At the same time I ran my 2:10:51 (in London) when my personal best in the half marathon was 63:30. I tend to do better the longer the distance gets. I don’t necessarily need a fast half marathon PB to run a good marathon. It’s nice to have the faster half marathon PB but mentally it doesn’t affect me quite as much.” 

Woodfine has had some impressive races over shorter distances already this year with a 10km personal best of 29:06. That came at the chaotic Valencia 10km where many of the elite racers collided at the start and fell to the ground. Although he wasn’t directly affected he was slow off the line in an attempt to avoid the mayhem. A sub 29 clocking was in his grasp that day. 

He won the Under Armour Toronto Waterfront 10km in 29:12 on June 17th running alone from 3 kilometres onward. All this has him in a positive mood as he begins his twelve week marathon buildup. 

“If the weather cooperates Toronto is a pretty fast course,” he says. “You can still run fast if you don’t hit some horrendous weather days. I think it’s the best blend of both worlds.” 

Not once during a telephone interview does Woodfine mention the $8,000 winner’s purse allocated for the Canadian champion, an amount that would surely come in handy for he and his wife Madeline in their home near Eganville, Ontario.  

Although he graduated from the Ontario College of Health and Technology he has put his career as a paramedic on hold to continue running. A three month clinical placement involving long exhausting shifts was enough to convince him that he could not combine serious running with that vocation. To make ends meet he has an online coaching service. 

“For right now it’s fine,” he says of his income. “In the future, looking at having kids, you know certainly that means you have to make more money supporting another human being. Down the road I will have to look at another career but right now it’s fine for the lifestyle I am currently living.” 

Woodfine will stand on the Toronto start line with high expectations but knowing he is chasing an Olympic dream that very few realize. 

“It would be great (to be Canadian champion),” he acknowledges. “I think I have won just one Canadian championship – the 2019 Canadian Half Marathon – so adding the marathon to that would be awesome. 

“Everything is just focused on the 2024 Olympic cycle and doing everything I can to maximize performance over the next year basically. That’s my priority – I haven’t thought too much beyond the next summer.” 

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Jun 21 2023
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TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon Celebrates Sustainability and Artistic Excellence With 2023 Medal Reveal Event

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TORONTO, ON (June 21, 2023) – Canada Running Series unveiled the highly anticipated 2023 TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon medal this evening at the iconic CN Tower. The reveal took place as part of a special Canada Running Series event, with participants running from Great Lakes Brewpub to the CN Tower to view the medal for the first time and then back in celebration of the new design and anticipation of the upcoming 2023 TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon. Attendees had the opportunity to witness the unveiling and learn about its design from the artist firsthand.

“We are thrilled to finally share the remarkable new medal design with our TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon community,” said Charlotte Brookes, Event Director of the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon. “The marathon is such a standout event for Toronto on both a local and global scale. What better way to recognize this than to showcase our city’s most iconic landmark, the CN Tower, on this year’s medals, and to have the tower itself as the backdrop to this exciting celebration.” 

The new medals will be awarded to all 25,000 race participants, with variations for distance. Designed by artist Inge Johnson, the medals are crafted from recycled zinc metal. This is a testament to the marathon’s commitment to be the most sustainable event in Canada, as highlighted through their recent Evergreen Certification from the Council for Responsible Sport. 

“By choosing to use recycled materials, we are not only recognizing the beauty of the design but also reinforcing our dedication to sustainability and environmental stewardship,” said Soumen Roy, Executive Director and Country Head, Tata Consultancy Services, Canada. “These medals represent the marathon’s ongoing efforts to make a positive impact through the work we do, both in the community and environmentally. We hope to inspire participants and supporters to adopt more eco-friendly practices.”

“I want to commend TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon for their commitment to sustainability when designing these new medals,” said David Piccini, Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. “Sustainability is a collective responsibility that requires leadership from across sectors. These actions align with Ontario’s commitment to protecting our land, air and water and ensuring a safe, healthy, and clean environment now and for future generations.”

The TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon is renowned for its scenic route, cheerful atmosphere, and commitment to charitable causes, attracting participants from across the world, including elite athletes, amateur runners, and avid enthusiasts. The event’s sustainability goals extend to all facets of the marathon, including the TCS Charity Challenge, with this year’s featured charities being Trees for Life and Trans Canada Trail. 

Join the tens of thousands who celebrate Toronto every year for the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon. #ChooseTORun by registering to participate, #ChooseTOGive through the TCS Charity Challenge or #ChooseTOCelebrate by lining the race route to support the participants on October 15, 2023. 

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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. 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. 

About Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)

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 614,000 of the world’s best-trained consultants in 55 countries. The company generated consolidated revenues of US $27.9 billion in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023, 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  

MEDIA CONTACT:

Emma Hunt, Sutherland Corporation

emma@sutherlandcorp.ca

May 23 2023
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Run and Raise Funds with the 2023 TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon Charity Challenge

By | Charity Challenge | No Comments

TCS Charity Challenge celebrates 20 years of running for a cause in Toronto; $50 million raised to date

TORONTO, ON (May 23, 2023) – The annual TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its Charity Challenge. Today marks the official launch of the 2023 season, and participants across Toronto and around the globe can sign up to run for a cause or donate to over 150 Charity Partners to help the TCS Charity Challenge hit its fundraising goal of $3 million.  

The TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon is a premier running event offering participants a unique race experience along Toronto’s beautiful waterfront and parts of the Trans Canada Trail. Runners and walkers alike can choose to partake in the marathon, half marathon, or 5K events. The race takes place in-person on October 15, 2023, with virtual options available throughout October and many ways to celebrate locally. 

“We are thrilled to be launching our 20th Charity Challenge,” said Charlotte Brookes, National Event Director at CRS. “Since its inception in 2003, together we’ve raised over $50 Million for incredible organizations making a difference right in our communities. It’s wonderful to see so many people come together to support them. We invite all Torontonians, Ontarians and Canadians to choose to run, or choose to give, for the cause that moves them this October.”

“TCS is so proud to host the Charity Challenge,” added Haley Price, Head of Sports Sponsorships, TCS North America. “Knowing that the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon Charity Challenge fundraising efforts have such a huge impact on local organizations is equally humbling and inspiring; Toronto’s running community is truly world-class!”

Last year the marathon raised over $20,000 for its sustainability Charity Partners alone, who are returning this year as the 2023 feature charities: Trans Canada Trail and Trees for Life. 

This announcement comes on the heels of the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon’s recent  Evergreen Certification by the Council for Responsible Sport. This award recognizes the Marathon’s commitment to environmental stewardship and showcases the efforts of the Marathon to make the event the most sustainable in Canada.

Registration and fundraising for the TCS Charity Challenge officially opens today. Here’s how to get involved:

  1. Register online for one of the Marathon, Half Marathon or 5K events.
  2. Fundraise by signing up for the TCS Charity Challenge and selecting the charity you’d like to raise funds for.
  3. Donate by visiting the TCS Charity Challenge website and select the Official Charity you’d like to donate to.
  4. Support the TCS Charity Challenge, our Charity Partners and participants by following along on social media and using the hashtags #chooseTOrun, #chooseTOgive and #TCSCharityChallenge, and come out on October 15 to cheer on your friends and family along the race route and at the finish line!

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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. 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. 

About Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)

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 614,000 of the world’s best-trained consultants in 55 countries. The company generated consolidated revenues of US $27.9 billion in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023, 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  

MEDIA CONTACT:

Emma Hunt, Sutherland Corporation

emma@sutherlandcorp.ca

Apr 10 2023
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TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon Earns Evergreen Certification for Commitment to Sustainability and Community Impact

By | Uncategorised | No Comments

The Council for Responsible Sport certified the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon with the highest distinction possible 

TORONTO April 10, 2023: The TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon (TWM), Canada’s premier running event, has been newly awarded with an Evergreen certification by the Council for Responsible Sport, earning the race the highest distinction possible for outstanding social, environmental, economic and community impact. 

TWM’s successful efforts to make the event as sustainable as possible included: diverting 85.9% of waste away from landfill, eliminating plastic bottles altogether at the event, using virtual event materials instead of paper wherever possible, collecting over 3,400 kg of used running clothing and shoe donations, and offsetting 100% of the race’s Scope 1 & 2 emissions. All these efforts were documented and diligently reported on in adherence to the Council for Responsible Sport’s rigorous certification standards.

Additionally, the marathon raised over $20,000 for its Sustainability Charity partners Trees for Life and Trans Canada Trail.

In its 2022 debut as the title sponsor of the marathon, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) — the global IT services, consulting, and business solutions company — used its tech expertise to boost the sustainable impact of the event, through sustainability education with the creation of its new official TWM app. 

Developed by TCS in collaboration with Canada Running Series (CRS) and Jen Cerullo, the project’s sustainability lead, the TCS TWM app promotes sustainability with the Sustainability Scorecard. Runners and spectators could use the app to measure a range of environmental factors, like travel choices and waste and plastics use, to learn more about the environmental impact of their race day. The app also empowered users to donate to Trans Canada Trail, a nonprofit invested in providing a more accessible experience across more than 28,000 km of national trails, or to Trees for Life’s tree-planting projects near the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon course.

In addition to the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon becoming more environmentally sustainable, it has also excelled at fundraising. In 2022, the TCS Charity Challenge raised $2.71 million for 150 charitable organizations.  Over $50 million total has been raised since the program began in 2003. 

Dian Vaugh, Council for Responsible Sport, Certification Verifier, Board Member commented: “The Green Team set a Strategic Sustainability Plan focusing on details as they considered policies for 

purchasing, logistics, energy, waste, community inclusion, and outreach. TCS, as the new title sponsor, brought their expertise to the TWM App with a Sustainability Scorecard and gave a glimpse into the future events with the STEM goIT Challenge at the Expo. TCS Charity Challenge raised over 2.71 million dollars, truly making a difference for each participating charity and the community at large. TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon earned the Evergreen Certification by executing their plan for a healthy community and planet.”  

The sustainability efforts made by TWM were measured by ReScore, a first-of-its-kind app (designed by TCS, and used by the Council for Responsible Sport) that enables sporting event organizers to measure, track, report, and verify their progress on a broad range of environmental and social indicators. ReScore simplifies the approach for organizers who want to meet the increasing expectations of fans, athletes, sponsors, and host communities that sporting events be more sustainable and socially inclusive.

Haley Price, Head of Sports Sponsorships, TCS North America commented: “In our partnership with Canada Running Series, TCS is committed to enhancing the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon through innovative technology like the sustainability app, to promoting awareness of sustainability education, to amplifying charity partners, and to maximizing the positive impact of the event on the local community here in Toronto. We applaud the TCS Toronto Waterfront for setting the sustainability standard for endurance running races.”

“As a landmark Toronto event, the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon is fully committed to doing more to embody the very spirit of marathons, bringing the community together to celebrate the sport of running, promote healthy, sustainable lifestyles, and to give back to the local communities we run through.” said Charlotte Brookes, National Event Director of CRS & the Toronto Waterfront Marathon.  

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 2022 event, participants raised over $2.71 million for 150 community charities. Using innovation and organization as guiding principles, CRS 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. 

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 616,000 of the world’s best-trained consultants in 55 countries. The company generated consolidated revenues of US $25.7 billion in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2022, 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 .

CRS interview requests:

Charlotte Brookes, National Event Director

Charlotte@canadarunningseries.com

647-830-7553

TCS interview requests:

Tiffany Fisher

Tiffany.Fisher@tcs.com

416-999-2140

Dec 13 2022
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A letter from Matt Kenny. On resilience.

By | Uncategorised | No Comments

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