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

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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.

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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

Oct 18 2022
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2022 TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon Race Report

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Records were not threatened today at the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon despite fast splits in the first 25km. But the racing was outstanding.

Once again world class fields were assembled for this World Athletics Elite Label race which also doubled as the Canadian marathon championships. The pacemakers for the elite men’s race took a pack of seven through the halfway point in an ambitious 62:27 and 30km in 1:29:40 and the Canadian All Comers’ record of 2:05:00 was still possible.

Once the pacers retired Kenya’s Felix Kandie assumed the lead and opened up a gap which split up the contenders into a single file procession. Over the final ten kilometres Yihunilign Adane ate up the gap and coasted to victory in 2:07:18. This was the second victory this year for the 26 year old Ethiopian as he also won Barcelona last April.

Kandie also submitted to the closing attack of his countryman Kiprono Kipkemoi (2:08:24) finishing 20 seconds later in third place.

“I knew I would catch him in the latter stages,” Yihunilign said afterwards. He was less pleased about the street car tracks and some potholes along one stretch. “I am happy I won but the roadway was a not as good as I expected I could have done better. When there was about 4km left I decided then to run the pace that I could make until the end.”

Kipkemoi would later explain he had tied his shoes too tight and twice had to stop during the race to repair the damage.

“I tied them too tight,” he revealed while rubbing his calves. “And then I used a lot of energy and my leg was paralysed. The course was good but it was a little windy. But the course is flat and good.”

Once again the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon served as the Canadian marathon championships and defending men’s champion, Trevor Hofbauer fought off a side stitch and the relentless pursuit of Rory Linkletter to finish 5th overall in 2:11:00. It was his third Canadian title. Linkletter came home for the silver medal in 2:13:32. Born in Calgary he lives in Flagstaff, Arizona with his wife and infant son who were in attendance at the finish.

The ‘running vet’ Lee Wesselius ran 2:16:51 to claim the bronze medal.

The women’s elite race was expected to be a battle between defending champion and record holder (2:22:16 Magdalyne Masai of Kenya and the Ethiopian woman whose All Comers record she had beaten by one second, Gelete Burka).

Burka had set her standard in Ottawa and was scheduled to race there again last May. But though she received a Canadian visa, her passport was not returned in time to travel. Consequently, she was highly motivated for this competition.

Like Kandie in the men’s race, Gelete took charge with about 10 kilometres remaining and looked as if the first place prize money of $25,000 was hers for the taking. The early pace, however, had taken its toll on the women’s field too. A pair of Kenyans, Antonina Kwambai and Ruth Chebitok went past her to fill the top two places in 2:23:20 and 2:23:58. The Ethiopian finished in 2:24:31. All three could hardly stand once they crossed the line.

“I passed her (Gelete) at 37km,” said the winner of her Ethiopian rival. “She was tiring. This is my first time here in Toronto. It was amazing for me. I am really excited and really happy.” She planned to go sightseeing before her Monday evening departure.

Gelete Burka was happy that she was able to finish. Although the $25,000 first place prize money evaded her, she will collect $10,000 for third.

“I was looking for the win, but I had a problem,” she said moments after exchanging high fives with Magdalyne Masai who had faded to 5th. “After 26km I was feeling my back and I was having a problem. Then I felt it in my hamstring so I could not push it anymore. I just controlled myself to finish in position three.”

Malindi Elmore won the Canadian title in 2:25:14. That was not far off her former Canadian record (2:24:50) set in Houston back in January of 2020. Most significantly she placed 4th overall ahead of Masai and Tseginesh Mekonnin of Ethiopia. It was another bold performance for the woman who finished a superb 9th in the 2021 Olympic marathon.

“That was the goal today,” Elmore said of her Canadian title. “That’s why I came here; I love winning Canadian Championships. It means a lot to me to win them and add that to my resume. It was so great having my family along the course. It made me smile inside every time I went by them.”

The Canadian Championship prize money earned her $8,000 and she also collects $5,000 for her overall fourth place finish.

Defending Canadian champion Dayna Pidhoresky finished second in the Canadian Championship race and seventh place overall. Her time was a commendable 2:30:58, her second best performance ever. Sasha Gollish claimed the bronze in a personal best of 2:31:40.

“It was wonderful to return to in-person racing and with a new sponsor TCS,” said race director Alan Brookes. “The athletes made it an exciting day. And with the attention on records, we often forget about racing. Who could have predicted the outcome during the last ten kilometres?”

-30-

 

About the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon 

One of only two World Athletics Elite Label races in Canada, 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 Canadian Marathon Championship and has doubled as the Olympic trials. During the 2021 event, participants raised over $3.08 million for 151 community charities. Using innovation and organization as guiding principles, Canada Running Series stages great experiences for runners of all levels, from Canadian Olympians to recreational and charity runners. With a mission of “building community through the sport of running,” CRS is committed to making sport part of sustainable communities and the city-building process. 

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

Oct 06 2022
0

TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon Women’s Race Preview

By | Athletes, Canadian Athlete Announcements | No Comments

Three years ago, on the last occasion, when thousands lined up in person for the Toronto Waterfront Marathon, Magdalyne Masai stopped the clock at 2:22:16.  

Not only was this a new personal best for the affable Kenyan but she had also shaved one second off the Canadian All-comers’ record.  

The former mark (2:22:17) had been set by Ethiopia’s Gelete Burka in Ottawa a year earlier and, in an exciting match-up which the organizers have arranged, both athletes will be on the starting line fit and ready to battle for the $25,000 first place prize money, October 16th. 

The global pandemic put most racing on hold. But Gelete squeezed in two marathons before everything shut down winning the 2019 Paris Marathon and finishing 3rd in Chicago six months later.  

The 36-year-old, who has a best time of 2:20:45 from the 2018 Dubai Marathon, was scheduled to return to Ottawa this past spring but her passport was not returned to her in time to travel. The disappointment of completing an extended marathon buildup and then being robbed of a competitive opportunity has left this three-time Olympian desperately starved for a race. Organizers hope her appetite is satiated in Toronto. 

Masai herself has not raced since winning the 2019 Toronto Waterfront. She and her husband, New Zealand international Jake Robertson, became parents of a baby boy, Jake Jr., in July 2021. Prior to his birth they spent several months in Mount Maunganui just outside Auckland. She has maintained fitness throughout but is anxious to test herself once more on the roads. 

While the focus has understandably been on these two record-setters it is easy to forget that both Ruth Chebitok of Kenya (2:21:03) and Ethiopia’s Bedatu Hirpa (2:21:32) have also run faster than the Toronto course record and come prepared to challenge for the top rung of the podium.  

This will not be Chebitok’s first time in Toronto. In 2018 she finished 3rd in 2:23:29 and was 6th in 2019 (2:24:13).  That experience could come in handy as she navigates her way along the streets of Toronto. Her personal best came in finishing 2nd in Vienna on April 24th of this year –  one place ahead of Gelete Burka. 

Hirpa, just 23 years old, was 3rd in the 2020 Dubai Marathon (2:21:55) while her personal best of 2:21:32 came in 2018 when she was 3rd in Frankfurt.  Not bad for the former world youth 1,500m champion. 

Canadian fortunes rest on the shoulders of 42-year-old Malindi Elmore whose 9th place finish in the 2021 Olympics was the best by a Canadian woman since Sylvia Ruegger’s 8th in the inaugural women’s Olympic marathon. That was all the way back in 1984. 

 After seeing her Canadian record (2:24:50) obliterated recently, Elmore will no doubt see Toronto Waterfront as the chance to regain the standard. Indeed, Natasha Wodak’s 2:23:12 in Berlin must be a prime motivator for a woman enjoying a second running career. Elmore, after all, ran the 1,500m for Canada at the 2004 Olympics.  

The pace in Toronto is likely to be more comfortable and more conducive for a 2:22 finish than what the Berlin front runners demanded. She proved in Sapporo that she can run with the world’s best. Now is her chance to go for broke. 

While Elmore would have to suffer an ‘off day’ to miss the top spot in the Canadian Championships which are held concurrently, Dayna Pidhoresky, the 2019 Canadian champion, will be watching her closely in case of signs of weakness.  

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About the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon 

One of only two World Athletics Elite Label races in Canada, 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 Canadian Marathon Championship and has doubled as the Olympic trials. During the 2021 event, participants raised over $3.08 million for 151 community charities. Using innovation and organization as guiding principles, Canada Running Series stages great experiences for runners of all levels, from Canadian Olympians to recreational and charity runners. With a mission of “building community through the sport of running,” CRS is committed to making sport part of sustainable communities and the city-building process. 

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

Media Contact  

Kate Van Buskirk, Marketing and Communications Coordinator   
kate@canadarunningseries.com   
905-867-1117  

Oct 06 2022
0

TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon Men’s Race Preview

By | Athletes, Canadian Athlete Announcements | No Comments

By: Paul Gains 

 Once again, the 2022 TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon will come down to an East African bust-up with Ethiopians Yihunilign Adane and Kebede Wami tackling a strong Kenyan squad led by Barselius Kipyego, Felix Kandie and Felix Kibitok. 

The Kenyan presence would have been even stronger were it not for the late withdrawal through injury of the man who set the Canadian All-comers record of 2:05:00 here in 2019, Philemon Rono. 

As it is, Kipyego’s focus is acutely set on that record, especially since his personal best is 2:04:48, a performance recorded at the 2021 Paris Marathon. Like many of his Kenyan compatriots, he has sacrificed time with his family by living in his ‘2Running Club’ training camp seven days a week in preparation for Toronto. While most athletes return home on weekends, Kipyego has gone that extra step. 

With a personal best of 2:06:03, Felix Kandie returns to Toronto after a 3rd place finish in the 2018 edition of the race. A seasoned veteran (now 35) he has proved his mettle by finishing 4th in Boston and 5th in Berlin in 2019 – both ‘Abbott World Marathon Majors’. Watching the 2019 Toronto livestream inspired him to think about breaking the course record if his fellow elite are up for the challenge. 

Earlier this year Kibitok finished 5th in the Barcelona Marathon running a personal best of 2:06:28. Having run under one hour for the half marathon on three occasions, including 59:33 in January this year, he is starting to realize his marathon potential.  

The Ethiopian pair, both 26 years of age, will line up hoping to end the Kenyan dominance of this race. The last time an Ethiopian emerged the victor was in 2013 when Derissa Chimsa ran 2:07:05. At the time, this was a Canadian All-comers’ record. 

Yihunilign Adane will be encouraged that his training partner, Leul Gebrsilase, finished 2nd in the recent London Marathon. With his personal best of 2:05:53 – a new Barcelona course record – he knows he can mix it up with the mighty Kenyans on the quick Toronto Waterfront course. He is hungry to explore his massive potential at the distance. 

The other Ethiopian who bears watching, Kebede Wami, was 3rd in Barcelona this past May – just ten seconds behind Yihunilign, recording a personal best of 2:06:03, and also appears on an upward trajectory. In 2021 he was 6th in Rotterdam (2:06:27) and 5th in Sienna, Italy (2:06:32) displaying great consistency in his last three marathon starts. A member of the Dutch based NN Running Team, he trains with coach Tessema Abshero making remarkable progress since taking up marathon running in 2020. 

Word spread across both Ethiopia and Kenya in 2019 when four men finished within 13 seconds of each other led by Philemon Rono’s Canadian All-comers’ record (2:05:00). The crew of world-class athletes are aware of what the streets of Toronto offer. 

The Athletics Canada National Championships are held concurrently with the World Athletics Elite Label race and the field is led by defending champion Trevor Hofbauer (2:09:51 in 2019) and Rory Linkletter who set a personal best of 2:10:24 while finishing a solid 20th place in the 2022 World Championships.  

Linkletter, born in Calgary but residing in Flagstaff, Arizona, will be looking for another personal best which could see him pick off any of the frontrunners who falter in the latter stages of the race. Meanwhile, Hofbauer who was so magnificent while finishing 7th in the 2019 edition of this race, becoming only the second Canadian to get under 2:10, struggled home in the Olympic Games. A good performance in Toronto will wipe the slate clean. 

Canadians will also be keen to see what result running veterinarian Lee Wesselius can muster on the day. He ran a personal best (2:16:41) to finish 2nd at the 2021 Indianapolis Marathon. Earlier this year he claimed the bronze medal at the NACAC Half Marathon Championships.  His day-to-day duties working with large animals in a rural county can sometimes be an obstacle most of his peers do not encounter. Nonetheless, he continues to improve. 

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About the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon 

One of only two World Athletics Elite Label races in Canada, 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 Canadian Marathon Championship and has doubled as the Olympic trials. During the 2021 event, participants raised over $3.08 million for 151 community charities. Using innovation and organization as guiding principles, Canada Running Series stages great experiences for runners of all levels, from Canadian Olympians to recreational and charity runners. With a mission of “building community through the sport of running,” CRS is committed to making sport part of sustainable communities and the city-building process. 

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

Media Contact  

Kate Van Buskirk, Marketing and Communications Coordinator    
kate@canadarunningseries.com    
905-867-1117   

Sep 29 2022
0

A Confident Felix Kandie Returns to TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon

By | Athletes, Canadian Athlete Announcements | No Comments

By: Paul Gains

A podium finish on his last visit to Toronto left such an impression on Felix Kandie that he eagerly accepted an invitation to return to the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon on October 16th. 

The Kenyan star finished third at the 2018 Toronto Waterfront Marathon in a time of 2:08:30, though he can point to a personal best of 2:06:03. Toronto Tourism would do well to hire the now 35-year-old to promote Canada’s biggest city as his review is simply glowing. 

“Back then when I was in Toronto I felt like I was at home,” he says during a video call from his home in Iten, Kenya.  

“It was nice for me. The city is so beautiful; the people are very friendly and the organization of the Toronto (Waterfront) Marathon is awesome. The town is indeed very good for competition. All the athletes love it and the course is very good. 

“I just walked about the place we were staying. I walked to the (Eaton Centre) mall and even when I was going for morning runs, evening runs, before the race, I used the opportunity to view Toronto and see how it is. It was amazing. Along the park down towards the lake it was very nice. I am looking forward to having another experience in Toronto.” 

Most athletes prefer to limit their excursions when they travel in order to preserve valuable energy for their competition. But the well-traveled Kandie knows his limits. And his wanderlust has not affected his racing by any means.  This past April he ran 2:07:18 to finish 7th in the Seoul Marathon.  

Following his initial Toronto appearance, he went on to finish 4th in the 2019 Boston Marathon and then 5th in Berlin – two of the Abbott Marathon Majors – and so missed the remarkable 2019 Toronto Waterfront Marathon. That’s where his compatriot, Philemon Rono, set a Canadian All-comers record of 2:05:00 with three more men coming home in the next thirteen seconds. News of the exceptional times that day reverberated around the running world. 

“When they ran the race in that time it was really good news for me because it proved Toronto is a fast course,” he declares, “and secondly it assured it’s possible for everybody to run good. When they run personal bests it is something good and this inspired me to realize I have the chance to improve my personal best in Toronto because they have proven it’s a fast course.” 

Rono returns to Toronto joining fellow Kenyan Barselius Kipyego and Ethiopia’s Yihunilign Adane as favourites, so the field is worthy of the World Athletics Elite Label designation it has earned. While the other Kenyans belong to groups that train together Monday to Friday at special training camps, Kandie stays at home in Iten. He and his wife Millicent have started a family. 

“Yeah I have a family,” he says with a smile. “After the Toronto [Waterfront] Marathon in 2018 that’s when I got married to my lovely wife and we have a son. His name is Adrian, he is around 5 months old now. 

“Right now I am staying at my home in Iten. It’s a training centre for many athletes in Kenya and even those who come from abroad. We usually meet for training sessions with all the other athletes. Currently I am training with Gilbert Kirwa and Albert Kangogo. Gilbert Kirwa I think ran there [Toronto] in 2015 and was in the second position.” 

Kandie reports his training is going according to plan and his hopes for a personal best remain intact. 

“I think I started my training early enough that I will be able do all the necessary sessions in order for me to perform well in Toronto,” he concludes. “I have completed about 95% of my training and now am finalizing the last part. I am looking for a fantastic result in Toronto.” 

Like many professional runners, Kandie is intent on earning money for his post athletics career. He has a farm and has made inroads into real estate, building rental properties. 

“Actually, in the future I am looking forward to [really] getting into the real estate business,” he reveals. “It is a nice investment in Kenya. Also our company does farming. You cannot put all your eggs in one basket. You have to diversify; at least two or three investments would be nice. We have to balance.” 

Once again, the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon has the potential to see records broken as the elites compete for prize money. The winner will receive CAD $25,000 with a new course record worth a bonus of CAD $15,000. Kandie of course could put some of that money to good use for his family’s future but he also has more tangible objectives for the race. 

“I am looking forward to running a fantastic race and improving my personal best,” he says.  “This is my aim.  Also, to get in a good position. This will help me to improve. I want to win or, if that is not possible, to get on the podium. Above that I want to run a personal best.” 

-30- 

 

About the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon 

One of only two World Athletics Elite Label races in Canada, 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 Canadian Marathon Championship and has doubled as the Olympic trials. During the 2021 event, participants raised over $3.08 million for 151 community charities. Using innovation and organization as guiding  

principles, Canada Running Series stages great experiences for runners of all levels, from Canadian Olympians to recreational and charity runners. With a mission of “building community through the sport of running,” CRS is committed to making sport part of sustainable communities and the city-building process. 

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

Media Contact  

Kate Van Buskirk, Marketing and Communications Coordinator 

kate@canadarunningseries.com 

905-867-1117

 

Sep 26 2022
0

Yihunilign Adane Carrying Ethiopian Hopes at TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon

By | Athletes, Canadian Athlete Announcements | One Comment

By: Paul Gains

When Yihunilign Adane lines up against some of the world’s best marathoners at the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon on October 16th, it will be with all the confidence of a man on a mission. He will also be carrying his country’s hopes on his shoulders. 

Taking top honours in the 2022 Barcelona Marathon in a personal best 2:05:53 has that effect on a runner. The 26-year-old Ethiopian is experienced at the distance despite his relatively young age, having turned to marathons shortly before he celebrated his 20th birthday.  

“Winning Barcelona gave me huge confidence and motivation that I can compete against world-class athletes,” he says from his home in Addis Ababa. 

“I watched the 2019 Toronto Waterfront Marathon when (fellow Ethiopian) Lemi Berhanu was second (in 2:05:09).  I found out that Toronto is a fast course and, when my management raised it and asked if I wanted to run the Toronto Waterfront Marathon, I did not think twice.” 

The Toronto Waterfront Marathon course record (2:05:00) was set by Philemon Rono of Kenya – who returns to defend his title and attempt his fourth Toronto victory. That is also the fastest time ever run on Canadian soil. Yihunilign has obviously been studying past results and feels he belongs at the front. 

“I know in 2019 four men ran sub 2:05:14. I ran sub 2:06 in Barcelona,” he declares. “If we push together we can run sub 2:05 and my goal is to win the race and break that course record.” 

Until his Barcelona victory he was known simply as another good athlete with untapped marathon potential.  He was 3rd in Lisbon a year ago (2:07:54) and in 2020 he placed 6th in the Dubai Marathon in what was then a personal best of 2:06:22. Before that, he succumbed to the lure of the money on offer running as many as four marathons in a year. Barcelona signalled a new level. 

That he turned to the marathon in the first place was unusual. Having been a member of Ethiopia’s gold medal winning Under 20 team at the 2013 World Cross Country Championships, he originally aimed to become a 5,000m runner like his friend, Muktar Edris. The latter went on to become a two-time world champion at the distance.  

“Once upon a time while we were running a cross country race at Jan Meda (site of the 2013 Ethiopian cross-country championships) I was running 5th and Muktar was 6th approaching the finish line,” Yihunilign remembers. “Then he suddenly fell down and another athlete was approaching to take over. I helped Muktar up then I let him finish ahead of me. Edris was 5th and I was 6th. Since then we have been really good friends.” 

Ironically, it was an injury that saw him give up on his dreams of racing shorter distances like his hero Kenenisa Bekele, the former world 5000m and 10,000m record holder and three-time Olympic champion.  

Finishing 7th in the 2015 World under-20 Cross Country Championships was a pivotal moment, and when he was informed he beat Joshua Cheptegei (Olympic 10,000m champion and world 5000m and 10,000m record holder) in that race, he was astonished. 

“Honestly speaking I do not remember I had finished ahead of Joshua Cheptegei as he was not famous then,” he laughs. “Unbelievable!  If I focused on track I would beat him even now. Thanks to the achilles injury which forced me to run marathon.” 

Confidence is surely not lacking here. A perusal of his personal best times reveals nothing extraordinary until one takes into account the limited competitive opportunities available to young African athletes.  

“I know I would do better in short distances and I had the potential to do so,” he offers. “But I was suffering from an achilles tendon injury whenever I trained in spikes. I was comfortable training in road racing shoes.  That was the time I decided to switch to the marathon as a result of the injury.”  

Now he is thriving in a marathon training group. 

“I was injured before,” he says, “but in the past few years my training has changed especially since I joined Moyo Sport and began training under coach Getamesay Molla. I train with world-class athletes like (2:04:02 marathoner) Leul Gebresilase and Jemal Yimer (Ethiopian Half Marathon record holder).” 

A personal best seems tangible and if he is going to win the race he might well need an extraordinary leap because the field includes Kenyans Philemon Rono and Barselius Kipyego (holder of a 2:04:48 personal best) amongst others. Somehow, that might be just the motivation he needs.

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About the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon 

One of only two World Athletics Elite Label races in Canada, 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 Canadian Marathon Championship and has doubled as the Olympic trials. During the 2021 event, participants raised over $3.08 million for 151 community charities. Using innovation and organization as guiding  

principles, Canada Running Series stages great experiences for runners of all levels, from Canadian Olympians to recreational and charity runners. With a mission of “building community through the sport of running,” CRS is committed to making sport part of sustainable communities and the city-building process. 

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

Media Contact  

Kate Van Buskirk, Marketing and Communications Coordinator 

kate@canadarunningseries.com 

905-867-1117

 

Sep 22 2022
0

Bedatu Hirpa To Challenge Superstars at the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon

By | Athletes, Canadian Athlete Announcements | No Comments

By: Paul Gains

Most athletes take up marathon running after exhausting their potential on the track, but not Ethiopia’s Bedatu Hirpa. Today she is a legitimate world-class marathoner taking aim at the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon, October 16th.  

The 23-year-old from Arsi earned the 1,500m gold medal at the 2015 World Youth (Under 18) championships in Cali, Colombia which was a strong indication she could achieve much at the senior level. But, after moving to Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, and changing coaches, she transitioned to the 42 km distance within two years.  

At the 2018 Frankfurt Marathon she recorded a stunning personal best time of 2:21:32. 

“Almost all the last four years I have been training with Coach Gemedu (Dedafo),” she explains. “It is amazing that the one who inspired me to become a marathoner is not even an athlete.  She is one of my friends who told me I have to run the marathon and she was right.” 

Of her change in athletics career path, she hints at having initial reluctance despite her friend’s advice. 

“I was not mature enough to decide,” Bedatu remembers, “and also I didn’t have a good manager to advise me and help me to upgrade my career at that time on the track. No, I don’t think I accomplished everything I could on the track.” 

Regardless, the move has not been without financial rewards. There is far more money to be earned on the roads than on the track when one is as consistent a performer as Bedatu. She has also benefited from being represented by seasoned Italian manager Gianni Demadonna. 

Last spring, she finished 4th in the Prague Marathon in 2:22:58. In January 2020 she was 3rd in Dubai with a time of 2:21:55 and in March 2019 she was 5th in Tokyo (2:23:43) – one of the Abbott World Marathon Majors. 

“I moved to Addis Ababa in 2015 after the Cali World Youth championships,” Bedatu says. “I have been living in Addis Ababa from 2015 and, up to June 2022, I lived in a rented house. Now I have moved to Legatafo near Addis Ababa and have my own house.” 

Her training group meets up with Coach Gemedu at least three times a week in such popular training sites as Sendefa, Sululta and Entoto. Bedatu bought herself a car to drive herself to and from training sessions.  

The field for the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon is once again stacked. It is after all a ‘World Elite Label’ race.  

She will line up against her compatriots Gelete Burka (personal best of 2:20:45), who won a senior world indoor 1500m title and represented Ethiopia at three Olympic Games before turning to the marathon, her training partner Netsanet Gudeta (a former world half marathon record holder) as well as Kenya’s Magdalyne Masai, who set a Canadian All Comers’ record of 2:22:16 when she won the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon in 2019.   

There are a host of other excellent runners ensuring a competitive race. When asked about the formidable opposition she shows maturity beyond her years. 

“I think it is good to give respect to experienced athletes but it doesn’t mean that they are the only athletes who make a difference in a race,” she responds. “Anyone who works hard can make a difference in any race and make the race harder than anyone expects. 

“I do training with Netsanet when we have program together maybe two days or three days in a week, as a team, and we all push each other. Netsanet is like family for me and she is my best friend.” 

Looking ahead to Toronto, Bedatu is clear in her objectives.  “I want to run my personal best and I want to win the race,” she declares. 

Like all young Ethiopians Bedatu grew up knowing the history of Ethiopian athletics and the success Ethiopians have had at the Olympics and World Championships. The two women she most admires are Derartu Tulu, who won the 1992 Olympic 10,000m gold and, in doing so, became the first female black African Olympic champion and Derartu’s cousin, Tirunesh Dibaba, a three-time Olympic gold medalist.  

“Both of them are icons for all Ethiopian athletes and my favourite is Tirunesh Dibaba,” she admits. “I grew up watching her. 

“It is every athlete’s dream to participate in both the Olympics and World Championships. At least I have one medal in World Youth Championship and now I really want to participate in the Olympic games and want to have a medal – if it is the will of Allah.” 

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About the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon 

One of only two World Athletics Elite Label races in Canada, 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 Canadian Marathon Championship and has doubled as the Olympic trials. During the 2021 event, participants raised over $3.08 million for 151 community charities. Using innovation and organization as guiding  

principles, Canada Running Series stages great experiences for runners of all levels, from Canadian Olympians to recreational and charity runners. With a mission of “building community through the sport of running,” CRS is committed to making sport part of sustainable communities and the city-building process. 

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

Media Contact  

Kate Van Buskirk, Marketing and Communications Coordinator 

kate@canadarunningseries.com 

905-867-1117

 

Sep 20 2022
0

Lee Wesselius ‘The Running Vet’ Takes Aim at TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon

By | Athletes, Canadian Athlete Announcements | No Comments

By: Paul Gains

When Lee Wesselius finished second in the 2021 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon, it came as little surprise to those who know the runner well. Still, the result left them wondering just how good a marathoner he could be with a little more time to train. 

The 28-year-old from River Glade, New Brunswick graduated from the University of Prince Edward Island Veterinary School two years ago and now practices in a region near Kemptville, Ontario, about thirty minutes’ drive south of Ottawa. Between the long hours which can be physically demanding – when delivering bovine calves for instance – he somehow fits in 170 and 180 kilometres a week.  

His Indianapolis result of 2:16:41 was a personal best, a time he hopes to crush when he competes in the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon October 16th. Using Canada Running Series as a focus this year, Lee placed second at the Under Armour Spring Run-Off 8K in early April, then followed up with a victory at the 21K de Montréal later that month in a PB of 64:48. That performance earned him a place on the Athletics Canada team to the NACAC Half Marathon Championships in Costa Rica in May, his first national team. There he took the individual bronze medal in 1:05:03, leading Canada to the team gold, as his progress continued on an upward trajectory. 

“Training has been going fairly well,” he reveals during a telephone chat carefully scheduled on a free morning while home in River Glade. He took the opportunity to visit family in New Brunswick following the recent Canadian 5K championships, where he finished 8th in 14:21. Despite being in the midst of a marathon buildup, this result was yet another personal best. 

“I have been putting in a lot of good weeks, I had some high mileage weeks. This week was the only low one, partially due to the race. And, I had a little bit of a GI bug which knocked me back a few days. Other than that, it’s been a pretty smooth build so far.” 

Since completing his undergraduate work at St. Francis Xavier University, he has been self-coached, although he admits to checking what accomplished marathoners do via Strava. Most of his training is done alone, however, he sometimes meets up with a group on Tuesday afternoons which includes 2012 Olympic marathoner Dylan Wykes.  

Rising sometimes at 5:00 a.m. for his first run of the day, he admits he must be flexible when it comes to planning his workouts.  

“The only issue is that I do every fourth weekend ‘on call’. Usually those weekends the Friday night is the quieter one, so I try to get the workout in then and just hope I don’t get a call,” he says. “On the weekends, I try to fit runs in the best I can. If I don’t get a call, I keep on going and try to get the long run in on that day. You get the odd time where you are five minutes out the door and you get a call.” 

Dealing with large animals is physically challenging, he admits.  

“Usually, any kind of calving those are usually tougher and little more strenuous,’ Wesselius explains. “The other thing is that some cows will prolapse their uterus and that is usually a physically exhausting one to fix; one of the harder ones to deal with. Sometimes you get to the next call and your arms are a little dead and stuff but that’s the nature of the job.” 

Wesselius knows he will be in a tough fight to get on the Canadian Championships medal podium – the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon, besides being a World Athletics Elite Label race, is also the 2022 Canadian Marathon Championship.  

“I guess that really depends on who is there. I know Rory (Linkletter) and Trevor (Hofbauer) are confirmed. It kind of depends on what the other big guys do. I have heard that a lot of others have plans. Certainly, if Cam (Levins) shows up that would rule out a podium spot I think.” 

The lessons learned from Indianapolis will certainly help when he lines up in Toronto.  

“In ‘Indy’ I definitely ran negative splits,” he remembers. “I think halfway I was 68:47. The last 15km of that I was running 3:10’s (kilometres) which would give you a 2:14 pace. So, this time I hope I can run that last 15 km and add the other 27 km on to that. 

“I am hoping to go through (half-way) in 67 (minutes), I am not sure if there is anybody else Canadian-wise who has that a same goal right now.  Rory and Trevor will probably go out in 64 or 65 or so. I am hoping some of the half marathon guys might be around for the first 20k which would help.” 

Clearly a personal best remains the target. A podium finish would be nice as well, whether he accomplishes either or not, Lee Wesselius will be pleased to test himself against a world-class field in Toronto knowing his best days lie ahead. 

 

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About the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon 

One of only two World Athletics Elite Label races in Canada, 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 Canadian Marathon Championship and has doubled as the Olympic trials. During the 2021 event, participants raised over $3.08 million for 151 community charities. Using innovation and organization as guiding principles, Canada Running Series stages great experiences for runners of all levels, from Canadian Olympians to recreational and charity runners. With a mission of “building community through the sport of running,” CRS is committed to making sport part of sustainable communities and the city-building process. 

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

Media Contact  

Kate Van Buskirk, Marketing and Communications Coordinator 

kate@canadarunningseries.com 

905-867-1117

 

Sep 13 2022
0

Leslie Sexton Chasing National Title at the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon

By | Athletes, Canadian Athlete Announcements | 3 Comments

By: Paul Gains

Amongst the encouraging performances Canadian athletes recorded at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene was the 13th place finish by Leslie Sexton in the women’s marathon.  

Considering it was her first major championship, the 35-year-old from Markham, Ontario ’crushed it’ to use modern vernacular.  

Sexton now turns her attention to the upcoming TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon, a race with which she is more than familiar. In 2017 she was crowned Canadian Marathon Champion in Toronto. She will face a world-class field as the event is once again classified as a World Athletics Elite Label race. It is also the official Athletics Canada 2022 Canadian Marathon Championship. 

“Oh, definitely with it being the Canadian championship, and, having the Canadian specific prize money, it’s a great opportunity to go for the glory of a Canadian championship medal,” she says from her home in Vancouver.  

“Hopefully, it’s a good pay day. It’s one of the reasons I have raced Toronto quite a bit over the past seven years. I first medaled there in 2016 I think it was. I made a point of including it in my schedule for that reason.” 

The Canadian champion will earn $8,000 CAD and of course be eligible for the open prize money which includes $25,000 to the winner.  

Sexton knows that very few Canadians have made it onto the ‘open’ podium owing to the strength of the field each year, and that she will also compete with national record-holder Malindi Elmore (2:24:50) and defending champion, Dayna Pidhoresky, for the Canadian prize purse.  But her time in Eugene (2:28:52) was not far off the personal best she set in winning the 2021 Philadelphia Marathon (2:28:35). Her Eugene performance gave her confidence. 

“I was really, really happy with how the (Eugene) race went,” she remembers. “I think my fitness was really good going in. I was definitely in the best shape of my life and had great preparation both with workouts and details like pacing but, in the marathon, you never know. I thought that on a good day a top 20 finish was possible. 

“Just with the way the race went it has given me confidence that I can trust my instincts in terms of racing and pacing myself, because in the marathon you can always go in with a plan and it doesn’t always work out that way. You make some decisions on the fly but I was able to race really well and beat a lot of women who had run either faster in the qualifying period or in lifetime.” 

While the prize money is a bonus, it is not the sole reason she competes in road racing. “I am definitely racing more for time (in Toronto) and placing versus the last race but mainly looking to run a personal best,” she explains. 

Sexton hopes that finishing 13th in the world will be enough to receive Sport Canada funding (also known as ‘carding’) going forward.  

“With my run in Philadelphia I ran fast enough to be eligible for carding and I applied and all that but Athletics Canada didn’t add me to the list. They said they would like to see me place well at a World Championships or World Marathon Major which was a little hard to do with a pandemic,” she reveals laughing.  

“So, at this point I should hopefully be on for the next cycle both with the time I ran in Eugene plus a top 15 or top half (of the field) should hopefully put me in a decent position for it. It would have been nice to have that funding six months ago and have a little more financial security going into worlds.” 

Despite growing up in Markham, she lived in Kingston while her partner and coach, Steve Weiler, coached at Queen’s University. When he accepted a position at the University of British Columbia – a little over a year ago – she took on a part time coaching position herself with the Vancouver Thunderbirds Club. These days she works with collegiate and post collegiate athletes and enjoys the flexibility to also get in her own marathon training. The move obviously agreed with her. 

“From racing on the roads, I am probably doing better financially than an equivalent athlete – a thrower or jumper or even a track distance runner,” she admits. “Road racing events like the Canada Running Series have helped me support myself all those years. And not every event group has that opportunity.” 

This past year has been one of her best in terms of athletic performance. Victories at the Vancouver Sun Run and the Canadian 10,000m track championships – her third in this event – all preceded her World Championships surprise. Next up is the Under Armour Eastside 10k on September 17th, an opportune fitness test for sure as she will face Elmore at the shorter distance.  

But it is a personal best in the marathon plus another national championship medal that would provide a fitting end to an already glorious year. 

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About the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon 

One of only two World Athletics Elite Label races in Canada, 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 Canadian Marathon Championship and has doubled as the Olympic trials. During the 2021 event, participants raised over $3.08 million for 151 community charities. Using innovation and organization as guiding  

principles, Canada Running Series stages great experiences for runners of all levels, from Canadian Olympians to recreational and charity runners. With a mission of “building community through the sport of running,” CRS is committed to making sport part of sustainable communities and the city-building process. 

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

Media Contact  

Kate Van Buskirk, Marketing and Communications Coordinator 

kate@canadarunningseries.com 

905-867-1117