Marathon Canada

Marathon Canada - News

Natasha Wodak broke Rachel Cliff’s Canadian half-marathon record on Sunday morning in Houston, running a 1:09:41 to finish the race. Wodak becomes the first Canadian woman to run under the 70-minute mark for the half.

-full story is on Canadian Running at runningmagazine.ca

Top Canadian results

Natasha Wodak – 1:09:41
Rachel Cliff – 1:10:13
Sarah Inglis – 1:10:24 (PB)
Emily Setlack – 1:11:40 (PB)
Dayna Pidhoresky – DNF

Malindi Elmore shatters Canadian marathon record in 2:24:50 - 2020-01-19

The Kelowna, B.C. native was a talented high school runner who attended Stanford University before returning to Canada to do a masters degree at the University of Calgary. She competed for Canada at the 2004 Olympic Games, the 2006 Commonwealth Games and the 2011 Pan Am Games as a 1,500m specialist who ran one of the fastest times ever by a Canadian woman, at 4:02.64. Check out the rest of the story at runningmagazine.ca

80 plus is now in the mix!! - 2019-06-19

Race results are now more detailed and I feel confident that we can now properly recognize 80 plus runners in the Marathon Canada rankings. I hope everyone understands that past results were often 60 plus. 70 plus then became common and now 80 plus categories are becoming the norm. If anyone spots a runner now who is incorrectly included in the 70-79 category when they are above 80, please let me know.

Rachel Cliff!! - 2019-03-13

The 30-year-old from Vancouver crossed in two hours 26 minutes 56 seconds to finish 15th, breaking the previous record of 2:28:00 set by Lanni Marchant in 2013. Sylvia Ruegger's Canadian mark of 2:28:36 had stood for 28 years before Marchant finally smashed it. https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/trackandfield/canada-marathon-record-rachel-cliff-1.5050479

Canadians rock in Houston!! - 2019-01-20

		Malindi Elmore and Sasha Gollish also ran huge marathon debuts this morning in Houston. Elmore finished seventh in 2:32:11 and Gollish finished eighth in 2:32:52. Please see Canadian Running Magazine for the following links: https://runningmagazine.ca/sections/runs-races/elmore-and-gollish-run-232-marathon-debuts-at-houston/ https://runningmagazine.ca/sections/runs-races/woodfine-top-canadian-at-houston-marathon/ (Photo taken by Alan Brookes)

Check the Calendar!! - 2017-12-25

I have the calendar updated for 2018. Please check to see if I am missing a marathon distance event in your area.

I am posting my archived articles to my blog Don't Fear the Jogger - 2017-07-30

Sample Article:

Personal Best

When you tell your friends about a run you did, they may relate to your position but they rarely clue in to the true meaning of your finishing time. The best case scenario for a runner is often a better finishing time over a top placing at the finish line. Of course, we would all like to receive a top 3 medal. Nirvana is when you get both a medal and a personal best! At the recent North American Indigenous Games in Toronto, we had several athletes from New Brunswick achieve the ultimate experience.

Madison Wilson had a performance of 4.43 meters in the long jump before going to NAIG. She not only won the gold medal but matched her personal best of 4.43. She then broke her personal best of 10.93 in the 80 meters with a time of 10.87 in the semifinal. In the final, she ran 10.94 to win the silver after a long delay due to heat. She also won a medal in the 4*400.

Jacob Tenass and Keith Dennis won two individual medals as well. Jacob won a silver medal in the 1200 meters which was his first experience at the distance. In the 800, he went from running 2:23.70 at the East Coast Games to running 2:15.57 at NAIG to win the bronze. Keith went from throwing 10.19 meters in the shot put at the East Coast Games to throwing 11.66 meters at NAIG to win bronze. Keith went from throwing 25.57 meters in the discus at the East Coast Games to throwing 37.41 meters at NAIG to win silver.

Jacob Labillois was also lucky to have a personal best in the high jump result in a bronze medal. But I know from experience that a race can be a highlight even when you do not win a medal. Sometimes your competition dictates that a high placing will not be possible but your response to that challenge can result in an incredible performance. Emily McCafferty was unlucky in that she had three girls finish ahead of her in the 800 meters. However, Emily ran an amazing race and finished in 2:41.73. Her best time from the high school season was 2:48.95! Thankfully, she already had a medal from the 4*400 with help from Madison.

I think we can all relate to a performance that does not seem impressive to others but we know different. We know that we trained hard and the training combined with our mental toughness resulted in an improved performance. I think all of our kids on Team New Brunswick experienced a personal record. Hopefully you do as well at the upcoming Marathon by the Sea weekend. And, if you do not, hopefully you have a Brandon Robichaud experience. Brandon sized up his competition in the javelin at NAIG and made sure he had the gold medal throw even if he didn’t throw a personal best. With the finishing medals at the Marathon by the Sea events, you just have to finish no matter your time!

The River and Trail Runners hosts a beginner’s trail group in Rothesay that meet at the store on Wednesdays at 5:30pm and their regular group meets Mondays at 6:30pm at various locations. The KV Road Runners meet at the Clark Road Java Moose on Sundays at 9:30am. As well, Rothesay resident and legendary running guru Daryl Steeves has started “THIS” training on Tuesday nights at 6:30pm at various locations.

In Sussex, runners are meeting on Tuesdays at 6:30pm through Outdoor Elements! Please consider joining the facebook groups Go Outdoors Sussex and The Sussex Running Club. Alex recently finished his bachelor of arts in sports psychology at the University of New Brunswick- Saint John and completed his master of arts in physical education at the University of Victoria. Alex is the general manager of the PotashCorp Civic Centre in Sussex.

Lovig and Watson top Canadians at London!! - 2016-04-24

Christy Lovig of Kelowna was 19th for the women with a time of 2:48:55. Rob Watson of Vancouver was 21st for the men with a time of 2:18:45.

5 Year Progression of Canadian Marathon Rankings - 2015-01-04

Reid Coolsaet and Eric Gillis have had a fantastic rivalry in the Canadian marathon best time rankings the last five years. After Reid finished second in the rankings in 2009 to Andrew Smith, Reid has finished #1 in 2010 and 2011, #6 in 2012, #1 in 2013, and #2 in 2014. Over the same time period, Eric finished #2 in 2010 and 2011, #4 in 2012, #2 in 2013 and #1 in 2014. Another fantastic progression is that after Andrew’s fastest time in 2009 of 2:16:14, the fastest annual time in Canada has never been slower than 2:11:22. The only year that Eric and Reid did not have the fastest time, Dylan Wykes ran 2:10:47.

On the women’s side, it could be argued that the rivalry between Lanni Marchant and Krista Duchene may turn out to be even better. After Lioudmila Kortchaguina ended her dominance at the top in 2009, Krista had the top position in 2010 followed by Lanni’s top times in 2012 to 2014. Emily Kroshus had the top Canadian women’s time in 2011. Lanni did not have a time in the top 20 in 2010 and finished #5 in 2011 before her win streak. This year, she had the top 3 times for the year! Krista was #1 in 2010, did not have a time in the top 20 in 2011, was #2 in 2012, was #2 in 2013 and was hampered by injury in 2014.

The depth of the overall marathon times has settled under 2:40 the past two years for men. On the men’s side, the 100^th time in 2010 was 2:40:57, 2:41:53 in 2011, 2:40:56 in 2012, 2:39:24 in 2013, and 2:39:27 in 2014. The women also seem to be trending downwards. On the women’s side, the 100^th time in 2010 was 3:08:02, 3:08:37 in 2011, 3:06:51 in 2012, 3:04:25 in 2013, and 3:06:27 in 2014. When I first started the rankings, I used to cut off the men’s rankings at 2:40 which gave me 59 men’s finishes in 2001. Now there are over 100! Cutting off at 3:10 in 2001 gave me 64 women’s finishes in 2001. I would estimate the women’s times under 3:10 in 2014 is a much greater difference!

For the age groups, the past five years has featured the expected flow through of developing or aging runners.

For the 20-29 men, Dylan Wykes progressed through first followed by Rob Watson and Lucas McAneney. For the 30-39 men, it was the Reid Coolsaet- Eric Gillis rivalry. For the 40-49 men, it was Pepi Peterson from 2010 to 2012 but then giving way to Ian Forsyth and Christian Mercier. For the 50-59 men, Clyde VanCaeyzeele was followed by Michel Lavoie and Mark Bennett who now has a current two year streak. For the 60-69 men, Les Disher now has a current four year streak after taking over from Herb Phillips and Chris Morrison. Les has never been ranked lower than #3 since 2009. For the 70-79 men, Milos Kostic entered the category in 2011 and finished #2 to Ed Whitlock that year. He had the #4 time in 2012 behind John Zawada’s two performances and Ed Whitlock. Milos has now taken over the category and has had the top two times for both 2013 and 2014. It should be noted that Ed Whitlock is now over 80 and was still the #2 ranked 70-79 runner in 2013.

For the 20-29 women, Jennifer Feenstra progressed through first followed by Emily Kroshus and Lanni Marchant. In 2014, Natasha Lebeaud and Kimberley Doerksen both showed similar potential to Lanni with solid mid 2:30s performances. For the 30-39 women, it was the expected dominance of Krista Duchene before Lanni Marchant turned 30. For the 40-49 women, Lioudmila Kortchaguina has taken over after Denise Robson, Jen Nicholson and Marilyn Arsenault took turns at the top. For the 50-59 women, it has been a fantastic rivalry between Lynda Desmeules and Agathe Nicholson. Lynda has won the category 4 times out of the last 5 years but Agathe was #1 in 2011, #2 in 2012, #4 in 2013, and #2 in 2014. For the 60-69 women, Louise Voghel has just turned the category upside down. Her time of 3:17:17 was 12 minutes faster than Helene Grenon’s #2 time and 10 minutes faster than Helene’s #1 time from 2013. Helene’s time in 2013 was the fastest time in the category in the past 5 years! For the 70-79 women, Jean Marmoreo has a two year streak going at the top after taking over from Gwen McFarlan. Jean is infamous from her role in the Marine Corps Marathon shortcut controversy. However, Jean’s personal performances have never been in doubt to my knowledge.

The regional rankings are always the biggest interest to me. For the atlantic region, Greg Wieczorek had a brief reign at the top from 2011 to 2012 but Daniel McNeil responded and has been #1 for both 2013 and 2014. With the women, the masters category women was dominating through Paula Keating, Jen Nicholson and Denise Robson. In 2014 however, young gun Kate Bazeley ran 2:40:49 in Houston for a 10 minute cushion on Denise. For Quebec, David LePorho has moved to the top with a current two year streak. Bianca Premont took over the women’s title for the first time in 2014 with a solid time from the spring and then added the #3 time in the fall. For Ontario, it is the expected storyline from the overall titles between Eric Gillis and Reid Coolsaet. Krista Duchene enjoys the reprieve from Lanni here as Lanni is based in the United States. However with Krista injured this year, Lioudmila Kortchaguina was able to take the region for 2014. For the prairie region, Kip Kangogo has become a citizen while living in Lethbridge and is pushing the local athletes from the top. Kip had the top 2 times in 2014. Caitlin Schindel is another 20-29 runner showing promise. She was #3 for the prairies in 2013 but improved her time by over 4 minutes to take # 1in 2014. For the BC and north region, Dylan Wykes seems to have taken a marathoning break and Rob Watson has enjoyed the top position for both 2013 and 2014. For the women, it has been a different winner each year but Kimberley Doerksen may start a streak as she is very young for a marathoner and had the top two times in 2014.

Marchant Interview from Commonwealth Games - 2014-08-08

By Lori Ewing, Canadian Press GLASGOW – Come Monday morning when her running rivals are still focused on rest and recovery, Lanni Marchant will pull out her laptop and begin researching her latest case. The 30-year-old from London, Ont., is both Canada’s greatest female marathoner and a practising criminal lawyer. And work doesn’t stop for the Commonwealth Games where Marchant raced to fourth place in the marathon Sunday. “I actually picked up a case when I was here, I got an email about an appellate case that another law firm wants me to write for them. Hopefully I’ll get the trial transcript Monday,” Marchant said, moments after crossing the finish line. Marchant completed the two-loop course that started and ended at Glasgow Green, a 15th-century park on the bank of the River Clyde, in two hours 31 minutes 14 seconds. Kenyans finished 1-2. Flomena Daniel crossed in 2:26.45 for gold, and Kenyan teammate Caroline Kilel was second in 2:17.10. Australia’s Jess Trengrove won the bronze in 2:30.12. Australia’s Michael Shelley won the men’s race in 2:11.15. Marchant, whose law firm is in Chattanooga, Tenn., is a big believer in balance. She unwinds after a hard run with a beer. And even though her racing schedule has her criss-crossing the globe, she’s mastered the ability to combine work and running. “I just do my work from abroad,” said Marchant. “A lot of what I do is appellate cases (court appeals), so I can do the research and write the brief from anywhere in the world. As long as I have an email connection, I can mail it back to them.” Marchant was the only Canadian racing the marathon, which kicked off the track and field competition in Glasgow. She could have passed on Scotland and picked a race with better weather, a better field and better prize money (read: any prize money), but believed that soaking up the experience of her first multi-sport Games was important. “I want as much experience lining up, with the pressure, wearing the Team Canada bib, being ranked fairly well, so that when I line up hopefully in Rio (2016 Olympics) it’s not going to be a shock to the system. “And at the end of the day, I’m doing this because I want to represent Canada and I want as many opportunities as I can, especially with the times I’ve not been able to, I’m not going to turn down the chances again.” Marchant, a former steeplechaser at Michigan State and one of seven kids in her family, made a major breakthrough when she broke Sylvia Ruegger’s 28-year-old Canadian women’s marathon record last year in Toronto, running 2:28.00. She said life changed for her after that day. “I’m not used to people really caring what I do in my day to day life and wanting me to blog more. I’m not used to that. And lot of the races I do back in Canada, it seems everybody will recognize me. “It’s a little bit surreal, but I enjoy it and I’m happy to be out there to help garner attention for our sport.” Her mom Mary Lou, a figure skating coach and choreographer, has even shared a bit of her celebrity spotlight. “She joined the London Pacers, a local masters running group and they’re sending the e-mail out about how to join, and were like ‘Wait, are you Lanni’s mom?’ So she feels kind of important which is fun,” Marchant said. She also relishes being a role model, saying a big motivating factor is inspiring young women to run. “We had a dry spell for a while for long distance running for women in Canada, so I’m trying to show them that if you stick with it, you get out there, you can run,” she said. “There are probably a million people out there who could run faster than me.” There were only three on Sunday in a race that was all about placing rather than time. Marchant, her brown hair pulled back in a ponytail under a red cap, ran a tactically smart race that for a while had her within striking distance of a bronze medal. Namibia’s Helalia Johannes was running in third but fading badly. Trengrove would pass both and Marchant and Johannes around the 35-kilometre mark for bronze. “I was trying to (catch third), but just around 37-K my calf started to cramp up on me a little, so I had to make sure and run it smart so I didn’t completely cramp up,” Marchant said. “So when the Aussie caught me, I kind of figured the medal was out of contention.” “But I wasn’t going to give up. And I ended up catching fourth.” The calf cramp wasn’t nearly so severe as the debilitating leg cramp that saw her famously stab herself in the leg with a safety pin while running the world championship marathon in 2013 – another runner insisted it would relieve her severe cramp; it didn’t. “It was just bad enough that I couldn’t get on my toe,” she said of Sunday’s leg issue. “So you can’t really respond to someone (Trengrove) surging past you. But other than that, I was happy with it. I can’t really complain.” Marchant ran most of the race alone after a lead pack of eight runners broke apart between 15 and 20 kilometres. “Lanni had the composure to just lay back and hold on to a rhythm. Played it pretty well,” said Canadian distance coach Dave Scott-Thomas. “Lanni’s got the temperament and bravery to just go for it, and get the most out of what she’s got, and then the intelligence to play it well tactically.” Crowds, in some places a dozen deep, cheered on the athletes, creating a racket by banging on the signage that lined the fences along the route. The runners crossed the River Clyde four times and also negotiated their way through cobbestoned city streets that were made slick by the light rain that fell for much of the morning.

Gwen McFarlan and Ed Whitlock still ranking in 70-79 despite being over 80!! - 2014-06-08

Gwen McFarlan is currently #2 in the national 70-79 age group marathon rankings despite turning 80 recently. Due to many events not reporting 80+ results, Gwen is listed in the 70-79 category but her time not only ranks for the marathon but her half marathon split of 2:00:06 at the Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon would also rank #2 in the 70-79 category if splits were used. Ed Whitlock who was 83 when he toed the line at the recent Goodlife Toronto Half Marathon is ranked #5 in the 70-79 age category for men in the half marathon.

Out of the fog and into the record books - 2014-03-28

Source: Gord Holder, Ottawa Citizen Out of the fog and into the record books. Yemane Tsegay completed the fastest marathon ever on Canadian soil on Sunday, running away from the field and running to victory in the Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon. “I would like to thank the Canadian (spectators) because I saw them all over, and that was a big encouragement,” the 29-year-old Tsegay said after crossing the finish line in two hours six minutes 54 seconds, which not only sliced 31 seconds off the national all-comers record that Deressa Chimsa established last fall in Toronto, but also obliterated the year-old Ottawa standard (2:08:04.8) set by a third Ethiopian, Tariku Jufar. “This was the first time that I’ve (competed) in Canada, and, when I get the record, it is a really nice surprise for me, and I’m really delighted,” Tsegay added through a translator. Tigist Tufa completed an Ethiopian sweep of the marathon titles for the second consecutive year, claiming the women’s title with a time of 2:24:31, which was not only a personal best by more than 3 1/2 minutes, but also nearly a minute better than the year-old event record of Yeshi Esayias. “I was really very much prepared to win,” said Tufa, who crossed the line nearly three minutes ahead of Ethiopia’s Meseret Tolwak (2:27:26). Kenya’s Agnes Kiprop (2:28:05) was third. The Ottawa marathon also served as the Canadian championship for the 42.195-kilometre distance, and the crowns were claimed by Eric Gillis (2:13:47) of Guelph, Ont., and Rhiannon Johns (2:47:11) of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. Tsegay was among the leaders from the very start of the race in moderately thick fog, which proved to be a plus for the elite athletes since it kept the temperature from rising until they had nearly completed the course. That pack of 10 runners dwindled to about half that size by the race’s mid-point, and by 30 kilometres Tsegay had dropped the last pacesetter and set out on his own. He was then 15 seconds ahead of Wami and Kenya’s Milton Rotich, but he put the hammer down as he raced along the Rockcliffe Parkway and built his advantage to more than 90 seconds by the time the runners reached 40 kilometres. “The last 10 kilometres was really difficult for me,” said Tsegay, who last fall won another marathon at Eindhoven, Netherlands, and in early April also triumphed at Daegu, South Korea. “I had pain in my legs, and it was really foggy, and, at the same time, I was so tired. But, I was doing my best, which was just to keep the record of Canada so that I could make it. “I made it.” Even if he did experience some physical discomfort, it didn’t show in Tsegay’s on-course performance. He could also comfort himself with an impressive array of prizes for his record-setting race: $20,000 US as winner; $10,000 US for setting the Ottawa marathon record; $10,000 Cdn and a new automobile for the fastest time on Canadian soil. Yes, he holds a valid driver’s licence. Rotich fell back into fifth place in 2:10:48 behind Wesley Korir (2:09:17), the 2012 Boston Marathon champion who is now also a member of Kenya’s parliament. Tufa also received $20,000 US as winner and $10,000 US for her course record. Following her in second and third place were Mulugeta Wami (2:08:18) of Ethiopia and Ishhimael Bushendich Chemtan (2:08:35) of Kenya. “After this race, I will improve my time,” Tufa said through the interpreter. “That is my target. I will improve the time more than this.” Gillis, who added the national marathon title to the half-marathon championship he captured four weeks ago at Montreal, said he wasn’t surprised at Tsegay’s record time. “Absolutely the deepest field in Canadian history, all-around, and I’m not surprised the Canadian-soil record went down. Really world-class guys up there,” said Gillis, who was eighth overall, two placings and a little less than three minutes faster than the second-ranked Canadian, Vancouver’s Rob Watson (2:16:38). It was another two spots back to Montreal’s Philippe Viau-Dupuis (2:23:22), who was running his first marathon ever. Johns was only in her second, so, even if she only placed ninth overall, becoming national champion was worth the effort. “It hasn’t quite sunk in yet,” she said. “It was my goal coming in, but to actually do it is fantastic.” Montreal’s Eric Noel was first among men’s half-marathon participants in 1:14:16, followed by Dany Croteau of Mont St-Hilaire, Que., and Ottawa’s Patrick Kong, both in 1:14:43. Toronto’s Angela Switt placed first in women’s half-marathon in 1:22:06. Jenny Drabble (1:23:41) of Winston-Salem, N.C., was second, and Véronique Cloutier (1:24:02) of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que, was third. Total participation in the Saturday and Sunday events was 46,666, including more women (25,934) than men (20,732).

Reid Coolsaet runs 2:11:24 at Fukuoka - 2013-12-04

First off I’m happy with 6th place at the Fukuoka marathon. Also, I have no regrets going with the lead pack even if it wasn’t the best move (in hindsight). I better say those things off the bat because the rest of this post might not have the same tone. (I started playing music, Anyone Seen My Baby randomly came on and that lyric stood out. I don’t think it was really impossible to hold on, but I couldn’t resist using it.) I think I just ran 2:11:23 (saw the official result, 2:11:24). What I can’t comprehend right now is that my training and preparation this time was much, much better than ever. When I was warming up I was very confident in my condition and I don’t think I was over-confident because I knew I was going to have to work really hard and was prepared to do so. As we warmed up the rain stopped and I thought, this is it, this is the day. I decided to go with the leaders as they were planning on 3:01/km and I was planning on 3:04/km. I figured that 3:01 with a group is easier than 3:04 solo. In fact, I know it is. The problem was a lot of my km splits were 2:59. After 15km a lead group separated and I found myself running with Fujiwara (2:07 pb), Lamdassen (2:09 pb) and some other guy. It made sense to peel off with these guys as I was tired of seeing 2:59′s every once in a while. This seemed to be a reasonable group to run with. However this pack slowed down a ton and after a 3:08 and 3:10 I left those guys behind me and got back into a 3:04 rhythm. From about 18km I ran solo until the very end picking off 4 runners, who didn’t give up a fight. I hit halfway in 1:04:11. At 25km I was still well on Canadian record pace. When I got to the 25.8km bottle table my bottle wasn’t first on the table as it had been on all the others and I grabbed the wrong bottle and tossed it immediately. I took some of the generic sports drink right after but didn’t take too much in case it didn’t agree. Missing one bottle is not the end of the world. After that I was dialled in on Matsumiya who was in 7th. I came to the 180 turn around, naturally slowed down a bit and found I was now fighting an annoying headwind. I had Matsumiya in my cross hairs and all of a sudden I saw my bottle to the left, made a sharp turn went to grab it but it slipped out of my hands. I stopped, turned around (I heard the crowd gasp) and decided to run on without it because I would have had to go back. This time I had to take in at least 150ml of the generic drink. That 5km split was slow (15:51) but with the 180 turn-around and the complete stop I figured I could get it back to 15:30′s. I was wrong, very, very wrong. After 35km it got really tough and I was losing it a little mentally. A voice in my head kept saying that the record had slipped, it was gone, you’re done. And then I would tell myself that I could still get to 40k in 2:03 and be in the running for it. There were times when my pace got really slow and then I would pick it up. But those efforts didn’t last that long. I hit 40km in 2:03:58 and was now focused on a PB. But I was suffering, bad. I passed a Kenyan around 41km and I found myself passing him with gusto and feeling pretty good. I thought to myself at that point that there is more in me but I couldn’t access it alone. 20 seconds later I knew I had buried him and settled back into a slow pace. With 400 to go on the track I looked at my watch and saw 2:10:00. I knew I wasn’t going to run a 55 second lap for a PB and cruised it in. I was deflated. Other than asking myself “what the hell just happened?” I was at a loss for words. It scares me a little that my preperation could good so well and I still didn’t have it. I’ve gone out faster than today through halfway (63:58) and held on better (2:10:55). I held on better in Toronto because I was running with guys until 37km or so. That is where I can make improvement, with better pacing and running in a pack longer. I guess my training, theoretically, could improve too. I’m frustrated because today was such a good opportunity and I came up short. Like every race, I learned a lot and I hope to build from here. The journey continues… Here are my splits from my watch: 15:08 30:13 (15:07) 45:16 (15:03) 1:00:44 (15:28) 1:16:05 (15:20) 1:31:32 (15:27) (Unofficial Canadian 30km record) 1:47:24 (15:51) 2:03:58 (16:34) 2:11:24 (7:25)

Grand Bay- Westfield Canada Day Run History - 2013-07-26

The Marathon by the Sea was the major catalyst for a wave of road races in the Saint John area that quickly took advantage of the localized running boom. Many of these events continue to this day including the Catch the Bug Road Race, the Hampton 5 Miler, and the Grand Bay Westfield Canada Day Run. Our committee always felt a bond with the Hampton event as they started just the year before and we usually had similar attendance.

The Canada Day Half Marathon event was a creation from a very dynamic group of people. The original committee consisted of Earle Burrows, Alex Coffin, Keith Doiron, Ethel Harrison, Dennis Hickey, Jack Keir, Paul Looker, Martina MacDougall, and Gary Mittelholtz. RCMP Officer Paul Looker had organized running events in Grand Bay- Westfield prior to 2002 but everyone involved hoped to create something on a larger scale for the community going forward.

The first year in 2002 was very exciting! It was the one and only year that we ran past and behind Scholtens before heading back towards Westfield. Local Legend Chris Brake won the half marathon in 1:18:25 with top triathletes Stephen Vienneau and Earle Burrows in 2nd and 3rd. Kelly Tolentino (who has since moved to the US with her husband Rodney) won the women’s title in 1:36:14 with top triathletes Gina Spear-Burrows and Shelly Gauthier in 2nd and 3rd. Alex Coffin won the 10K in 35:33 while 13 year old Spencer Mason won the 5K in 19:25. Everyone loved finishing at the rink and the parade afterwards was a nice touch. We also had a beer garden in the finish area! We had 73 in the half, 55 in the 10K, and 24 in the 5K.

2003 brought our first taste of controversy. Everyone liked our new turnaround at the post office but the decision to not recognize the 5kers was not popular. Our numbers increased to 93 in the half marathon and 81 in the 10K. Chris Brake broke his record in the half with a 1:17:28 beating military runner Dave Shirley while former University star Heather Goodfellow won the women’s title in 1:28:26 beating Gina Spear-Burrows. Todd Price won the 10K while 2002 Half Winner Kelly Tolentino won the women’s 10K title in a new course record of 42:25.

2004 was our “hot” year. Our water stations were severely tested and the times were much slower due to the heat. Chris Brake took his third consecutive half title in 1:22:18 followed by Bruce Rosvall and Glenn Trites. Elita Rahn ran an incredible 1:30:03 considering the conditions with Gina Spear-Burrows second. Joe Oliver who later spearheaded the new track at River Valley Middle School won the 10K by 12 seconds over Todd Lambert. This prevented a husband wife sweep as April Lambert won the women’s title in the 10K in 45:25. David Tree and Monica Vautour established new records in the 5K with times of 19:14 and 23:32. We had 88 in the half, 112 in the 10K and 63 in the 5K.

Ironically, 2005 was our biggest year but this was also the year that the Miramichi Rock’Run was created giving us a competitor for our Fredericton area runners. John Herron took the title in the half beating Todd Price and Glenn Trites. On the women’s side, Krista McCluskey won a tight battle against future committee member Trina Goguen with only 16 seconds separating them at the finish. Dean Strowbridge became a major player in the local scene by beating 50-59 age group star Michael Coyne by only 2 seconds in the 10K. Oromocto’s Francine LaVallee won the women’s title. Satish Punna narrowly defeated Stephen Mundle in the 5K. There were 112 in the half, 145 in the 10K and 54 in the 5K.

2006 had an interesting story in local legend Gilles Gautreau taking an ill-fated attempt at Chris Brake’s record in the half. Gilles won the half in 1:18:45 followed by Todd Price and John Herron. 50-59 Age Group Star Michael Coyne ran 1:21:14!! Local runner Arlene Harrigan defeated defending champion Krista McCluskey by 30 seconds in 1:36:24. Maggie Johnson took her second straight third place finish. The 5K was almost as exciting however as Chris Brake decided to take the 5K record down a notch by winning in 17:22. Another 50-59 Age Group Star pushed him though as Derek Fisher finished second in 17:55. Brent McCullum finished third in 18:10 which would have also broken the course record. The women’s race in the 5K was a highly dramatic finish. Monica Vautour once again won the 5K but by only 1 second over Vicki Woods. Merina Farrell was only 3 seconds behind Vicki!! In the 10K, Dean Strowbridge continued his progression to faster times with a 35:53 while local runner Donna McCullum won the women’s title in 45:10. 50-59 Age Group Star and Run NB Hall of Famer Eunice Phillips ran a 47:08!! There were 102 in the half, 117 in the 10K, and 68 in the 5K.

2007 returned Chris Brake back to the half where he ran a new course record of 1:16:56. We had a great battle between 50-59 age group stars in the half with Michael Coyne running 1:22:21 and Robert Jackson 1:25:13. April Lambert took the women’s title in 1:34:15 with a very exciting battle over Maggie Johnson 1:35:12 and Trina Goguen 1:35:50. Evan Arsenault 36:36 and Krista McCluskey 43:39 were the champions in the 10K. The 5K featured two winners under 19 with Brent McCullum running 17:56 and Rebecca Barton running 20:34. At this point, we had moved from shorts to singlets and our singlets featured the artwork of local artist Elizabeth Donnelly-Nelson who now also served on our committee. We had 105 in the half, 95 in the 10K and 72 in the 5K.

2008 was both a year for excitement but also some challenges. The half marathon and 10K were combined to create a 10 miler to address traffic issues and parade conflict.. We also had a lot of excitement over the new track that had been created near the start/finish area. Both the half marathon and the 5K would now start on the track with the finish remaining the same. The turnaround was now at the town hall which was a big improvement over having to use the post office hill. Unfortunately, the start line was moved incorrectly and both races ended up being 500 meters long. Alex Coffin narrowly edged Chris Brake in the 10 Miler 57:28 to 57:57. Newcomer Suzanne Doucet won the women’s title in 1:10:12 over Gina Spear-Burrows and Arlene Harrigan. Brent McCullum defended his 5K title while Marla Sachilone edged Monica Vautour. There were 99 in the 10 Miler and 70 in the 5K.

2009 was a return to stability with the 10K added back by using a double loop of the 5K course. We also paid to get all three distances certified for Run NB sanctioning. Alex Coffin set the new course record in the 10Miler with a 56:18 followed by John Herron and Todd Power. Newcomer Brenda Guitard ran a great race to defeat defending champion Suzanne Doucet 1:10:03 to 1:10:47. Arlene Harrigan was third. Dean Mercer won the 10K title in 39:40 while Ontario runner Lisa Little edged Patti Doyle 48:07 to 48:32. Matt McNeil just missed Chris Brake’s 5K record with a 17:39. Kari Pettinger won the women’s title in the 5K with a 12 second victory over Heather Wood. We had 98 in the 10 Miler, 49 in the 10K and 78 in the 5K.

2010 became a memorial year as we celebrated the life of Gary Mittelholtz. Gary was there right from the start and he promoted activity in our area like few others had or could.. We renamed the 10 Mile event after Gary and were very lucky to have members of Gary’s family at the race. Both champions broke the course record as Alex Coffin won the 10 Miler in 54:18 and Elita Rahn won for the women in 1:09:22. April Lambert was less than a minute behind. Defending champion Brenda Guitard was 3rd. In the men’s race, John Herron added to his record top 3 performances by accomplishing that feat a 6th time. Bruce Rosvall was third. Albertan 50-59 runner Ed Bickley ran 38:49 to win the 10K but this missed the 50-59 best mark of 36:37 that Michael Coyne ran in 2005. Michael Coyne finished second this year but was 60 so he established a new 60-69 record of 39:13. Colleen McQuaid took the women’s 10K title in 44:23 and finished 3rd overall!! Gabriela Tymowski was second for the women and Anne Wall was third. Andrew Vail won the 5K in 18:36 while former University star Renee Embree narrowly missed the 5K women’s course record with a 21:09. We had 92 in the 10 Miler, 50 in the 10K and 97 in the 5K.

2011 was our 10th event and a beautiful technical shirt was produced to celebrate. Dean Strowbridge became a master in 2011 but still won the 10 Miler outright in 59:16 over John Herron. In third, Rob Jackson smashed the 50-59 record lowering it from 1:05:38 to 1:03:04. 2009 Champion Brenda Guitard won the women’s title in the 10 Miler with a 1:12:35 ahead of Sylvie Landry and Trina Goguen. Rachael Lunn set the under 20 age group course record in 1:35:41. Dean Mercer won the 10K in 40:18 ahead of Randy Davis and Gary Ogden. Lisa Little returned from Singapore to take the women’s title in 48:53 ahead of Erin Dixon and Claire Ryan. In the 5K, Andrew Vail was the overall champion in 18:17. Michael Coyne demolished the 60-69 age category taking it from 27:03 to 19:00!! 50 year old Cyril Johnston was third. On the women’s side, Marta Kelly narrowly missed the 40-49 age category record winning the overall women’s title in 23:15. Sherry Dumont and Angie MacNeil were 2nd and 3rd. We had 73 in the 10 Miler, 56 in the 10K and 53 in the 5K.

2012 was the first year of Coach Coffin taking over as event organizer from Earle Burrows. The 10 Miler was a fantastic battle between up and coming road racer Lee Roy, up and comer track/cross country athlete Matt McNeil and nationally ranked 1500 meter runner Adam Kellar. Matt McNeil prevailed on a hot day with a new under 20 record of 57:36. Lee Roy was second and Adam Kellar was third. 50-59 age grouper Rob Jackson smashed the 50-59 age group record again with a 1:01:28. He finished less than a minute behind Adam!! For the women, race record holder Elita Rahn and Elizabeth Seiffert had a great battle with Elita winning in 1:15:47 with Elizabeth finishing in 1:16:26. Suzanne Doucet was third and defending champion Brenda Guitard was fourth. Korey Nixon won the 10K in 41:01 ahead of Arnaldo Sepulveda and Randy Davis. April Lambert ran an impressive 43:48 to win the women’s title. Dianne Sharpe was second in 47:19 and just missed Eunice Phillips’ 50-59 record. Jessica Wilson was third and Eunice Phillips was fourth taking over the 60-69 age record with a 48:12. In the 5K, young star Josh Shanks erased two legends from the books as he took out Chris Brake for the course record and Matt McNeil for the under 20 record. His time was 17:01!! Todd Power was second with an 18:48 and took over the 40-49 record! Glenn Trites was third. Sherry Dumont edged out junior runner Maggie Oliver for the women’s title with Leanne Sherwood finishing third. Elizabeth Donnelly-Nelson set a new 60-69 age record with a 29:10!! We had 83 in the 10 Miler, 58 in the 10K, and 59 in the 5K.

2013 was the year of the ASICS bag and a long course!! All early registrants received an amazing running bag but unfortunately we had to change the 10 mile course late in the game because of the RCMP being unable to cover the Milligan Brook intersection. The 10 mile course ended up being 320 meters long which will be fixed in 2014. Lee Roy of Beresford ran an amazing 56:41 to take the 10 mile title ahead of Paul Gallant and Dean Strowbridge. Somehow, Joe Burke ignored the long course and still set a 10 mile record of 1:16:24 for 70-79 taking over the record from Frank Kelly. Even more amazing, Brenda Guitard narrowly missed the overall women’s record and still set a new 40-49 record with a winning time of 1:09:59!! Allyson MacDonald was second and Louise Chiasson was third for the women!! Gail Teed was our first ever 70-79 female competitor in the 10 Miler finishing with a 2:16:12. Visiting runner Dagen Bendixen from Guatemala City won the 10K in 41:17 with Shane Farnham second and Shawn McGrath third. It was Bonga time for the women as teenage phenoms Charly and Laura Bonga finished first and second. Charly set a new under 20 record of 47:05 with Laura only 36 seconds behind. The old record by Erin Shaw (now Dr. Shaw) had stood for 10 years! In third was Eunice Phillips who barely missed improving on her 60-69 record set in 2012. In the 5K, it was a STU sweep for the men. Paul Nozicka ran a new course record in 16:47 erasing Josh Shanks’ record after only 1 year. Brandon Leblanc was second and Andrew Vail was third. The top 5 runners were all under the age of 20!! For the women, rowing legend Stacey (Norwood) Briggs took first place in 22:26 erasing Monica Vautour’s 40-49 record. In second for the women was Corinne Fournier followed in third by Maryro Mendez. Mary Brosnan broke the 50-59 record with a 25:22!!

Our event has left a great legacy for our town with both participants and volunteers coming from the town or nearby West Saint John. The event has donated many dollars including funds for the new community track. We also continue to attract visitors from far away like our 2013 10K winner from Guatemala City.

We hope that you come join us to celebrate our 13th year. It is a great way to start your Canada Day activities and the festivities continue after our race at the beautiful new Brundage Point Centre.

Highest Finisher Count- 2005 (311 finishers)

2013 Finisher Count- 220 finishers

Half Marathon Records

Overall Men Chris Brake, Saint John, 1:16:56 (2007)

Overall Women Heather Goodfellow, Halifax, 1:28:26 (2003)

Under 20 Men Michael Stockford, 1:46:30 (2003)

Under 20 Women Cara Duffy, 2:16:04 (2003)

40-49 Men Gilles Gautreau, Rothesay, 1:18:45 (2006)

40-49 Women Arlene Harrigan, Grand Bay-Westfield, 1:36:24 (2006)

50-59 Men Michael Coyne, St Stephen, 1:21:14 (2006)

50-59 Women Marlene Henry, 1:55:34 (2003)

60-69 Men, Phil Booker, Fredericton, 1:40:25 (2007)

60-69 Women, no racers

10 Miler Records

Overall Men Alex Coffin, Saint John, 54:18 (2010)

Overall Women Elita Rahn, Carter’s Point, 1:09:22 (2010)

Under 20 Men Matt McNeil, Saint John, 57:36 (2012)

Under 20 Women, Rachael Lunn, Grand Bay- Westfield, 1:35:41 (2011)

40-49 Men Alex Coffin, Saint John, 54:18 (2010)

40-49 Women Brenda Guitard, Saint John, 1:09:59 (2013)

50-59 Men Robert Jackson, Fredericton, 1:01:28 (2012)

50-59 Women Arlene Harrigan, Grand-Bay Westfield, 1:14:24 (2009)

60-69 Men Joe Burke,Saint John, 1:10:39 (2010)

60-69 Women Annabelle McRae, Hampton, 1:28:37 (2009)

70-79 Men Joe Burke, Saint John, 1:16:24 (2013)

70-79 Women Gail Teed, Saint John, 2:16:12 (2013)

10K Records

Overall Men Alex Coffin, Saint John, 35:33 (2002)

Overall Women Kelly Tolentino, Saint John, 42:25 (2003)

Under 20 Men Evan Arsenault, Saint John, 36:36 (2007)

Under 20 Women Charly Bonga, Saint John, 47:05 (2013)

40-49 Men Tony Robinson-Smith, Fredericton, 38:54 (2005)

40-49 Women Arlene Harrigan,Grand-Bay Westfield, 44:56 (2007)

50-59 Men Michael Coyne, St Stephen, 36:37 (2005)

50-59 Women Eunice Phillips, Fredericton, 47:08 (2006)

60-69 Men Michael Coyne, St Stephen, 39:13 (2010)

60-69 Women Eunice Phillips, Fredericton, 48:12(2012)

5K Records

Overall Men Paul Nozicka, Newbridge, 16:47 (2013)

Overall Women Rebecca Barton, Fredericton, 20:34 (2007)

Under 20 Men Paul Nozicka, Newbridge, 16:47 (2013)

Under 20 Women Rebecca Barton, Fredericton, 20:34 (2007)

40-49 Men Todd Power, Salisbury, 18:48 (2012)

40-49 Women Stacey Briggs, Saint John, 22:26 (2013)

50-59 Men Derek Fisher, Saint John, 17:55 (2006)

50-59 Women Mary Brosnan, Saint John, 25:22 (2013)

60-69 Men Michael Coyne, St Stephen, 19:00 (2011)

60-69 Women Elizabeth Donnelly-Nelson, Grand Bay- Westfield, 29:10 (2012)

Michasiw takes out defending champ Lunty - 2013-05-28

By Kevin Menz, The StarPhoenix Dylan Wykes may have let James Funk win the half marathon. Wykes was one of two Canadian Olympic marathoners in Saskatoon on Sunday for the Saskatchewan Marathon. Wykes competed in the half-marathon, narrowly losing to the event's defending champion, Funk. Both Funk and Wykes finished the 26-kilometre course in 1: 18: 04, but Funk crossed the line a few 10ths of a second ahead of Wykes. "Dylan was gracious when we were coming to the finish," Funk joked, noting the two runners stayed together most of the race until he asked Wykes near the finish line if he could sprint ahead. Wykes was the top Canadian marathoner at the London Olympics last summer, finishing 20th in the full marathon event. Sunday's run in Saskatoon was a training exercise for him and fellow Olympic marathoner Reid Coolsaet, who won the 10-kilometre event. It was both Ontario athletes first time in Saskatoon. "It wasn't a full-on race effort for me today," Wykes said, joking he probably could have beat Funk if he wanted. "I'm recovering from some injuries, so I'm not in racing shape yet, but it's still nice to get out there and see the course; to have all the people cheering along the way," Wykes said. "This is a fun thing for him," added Funk, an organizer of the marathon. "He wanted to be a little bit cautious. When it's your lifestyle and your career you take that probably a little bit more seriously and you don't want to jeopardize things by doing some-thing stupid." Funk was just happy to see the two Olympic athletes running in Saskatoon. "These are guys you hear about and read about. To have them here is just a tremendous boost for those of us in the running community," Funk said. Sunday's full marathon event, while perhaps lacking the photo finish of the half marathon, featured its own rivalry and a familiar winner. Saskatoon runner Brian Michasiw ran for his sixth title in the race. Michasiw ran the 42-kilometre course in 2: 48: 23. His time beat out second-place finisher and three-time defending champion Brendan Lunty's 2: 50: 09. Michasiw and Lunty are the only two men to win the event in the last seven years. Lunty, who first won the Saskatchewan Marathon in 2006, won the last three races while Michasiw won the event each year from 2007 to 2009. Michasiw's first two wins came in 1992 and 2000. The pair ran side-by-side in this year's competition until they reached the Broadway Bridge. "We came up Broadway and he took off on me. I couldn't keep up," Lunty said. "He had a good day. I'm happy for him." Michasiw owns the Brain-sport running shoe store in Saskatoon, while Lunty is an X-ray lab technician from Camrose, Alta. The pair have been friends for years and had nothing but good words for each other. "Brendan has beaten me quite handily the last few times we raced. If I was to bet I would have bet he was going to win today," Michasiw said after the race, noting Lunty's personal best time of 2: 33 is three minutes faster than his own personal best. This year's women's marathon title was won by last year's runner-up Erin Humphreys of Saskatoon. Her run of 3: 03: 33 beat second-place winner Marcia Richards' time by 59 seconds. Amanda Froehlich Chow of Clavet, Sask. crushed the competition in the women's half marathon with a run of 1: 26: 08 - a time seven minutes faster than the next top female runner - while Saskatoon's Courtney Sjodin won the women's 10-kilometre race. kmenz@thestarphoenix.com

Ethopians dominate National Capital Marathon - 2013-05-28

CBC On-LIne Ethiopians dominated the Ottawa Race Weekend marathon on Sunday morning, with Tariku Jufar and Yeshi Esayias claiming the top spots for men and women. Jufar clocked in at 2:08:04, shaving 67 seconds off the record established last year by Kenyan Laban Moiben, who came in sixth place this year with a time of 2:11:44. Esayias clocked in at 2:25:30. The first Canadian man to cross the line was Vancouver's Rob Watson, 29, in 10th place with a time of 2:18:33, and the first Canadian woman was 41-year-old Lioudmila Kortchaguina of Thornhill, Ont., in eighth place at 2:33:10. The first man from the National Capital Region to cross the finish line was Gatineau's Maxime Leboeuf, 26, in 15th place at 2:27:08, and the first woman was Ottawa's Kerri Labrecque, 28, in 14th place with 2:52:14. In the half marathon, Ottawa's Josh Karanja, 28, placed first with a time of 1:07:47. Ottawa's Laura Durno, 41, led the women at 1:24:56.

Wieczorek and NIcholson take titles at the Bluenose Marathon!! - 2013-05-21

CBC On-Line Thousands of people in Nova Scotia are resting after competing in the 10th Annual Blue Nose Marathon on Sunday. Just under 14,000 people participated in the three-day long event, a new record. Greg Wieczorek won the full marathon for the third time in a row. In 2011, the 31-year-old set a Blue Nose record with a time of two hours and 28 minutes. This time he was a little slower, finishing in two hours and 39 minutes. Jen Nicholson of P.E.I., won the women’s race with a time just over three hours.

Omwenga and Njuri take titles in Vancouver - 2013-05-06

		VANCOUVER SUN — By way of Canadian norms, little holds in comparison to the climactic conditioning that raises a marathoner under the searing rays of the east African sun. Growing up in the small town of Kisii in southeast Kenya, the rural roads that gave ground to Thomas Omwenga’s start as an elite runner scarcely entertained the chilly conditions the now 33-year-old has grown accustomed to in Canada. It would be almost like home then when Vancouver’s rendition of a well-weathered race would see the three-time BMO Vancouver Marathon champion break away from his competition in the final 1,500 metres to grab his fourth title — and under the sun. Some 60,000 spectators looked on as Omwenga sprinted to the finish line, pulling away from fellow Kenyan Benard Onsare to win the marathon in two hours, 24 minutes and nine seconds. "I feel great. I feel honoured to be a part of this in Vancouver," said Omwenga, who’s been living in Hamilton since last May. Omwenga collected $3,500 for the win. Organizers expected the day’s high of 24 C to break the 21-C record set in 1972. "This is the best weather. I have run in Vancouver in the past competitions (and) it was raining a lot and sometimes, in 2010, it was freezing," said Omwenga, having won the race in 2010, 2008 and 2007. The sentiment also held true for Onsare — who finished the race two seconds behind Omwenga at 2:24.11 — and 2012 champion Gezahgn Eshetu of Ethiopia, who finished third at 2:23.23. Omwenga and Onsare broke away from the pack at the 39-kilometre mark, taking turns pulling into the lead. "The last two [kilometres] we didn’t know who was going to win. In the last km, I knew Thomas was going to go," said Onsare, who won the race in 2011. "The last one kilometre," said Omwenga, "I knew I’ve got it now." Taking kindly to the day’s conditions, Lucy Njeri took the lead comfortably throughout the 42.2-km race of the women’s marathon. She won the race with 2:40.34. "This is the best weather in Canada right now … I was so happy this morning when I saw that it’s warm," said Njeri, a native of Kenya who has lived in Toronto for two years. Alice Ndirangu Waraguru finished second in 2:47.20. First Canadian finisher Catrin Jones of Victoria took third in 2:48.19. In the half-marathon, 2013 Sun Run winner Paul Kimaiyo Kimugui created a gap in the last 50 seconds to take the title from 2012 defender and fellow Kenyan Kip Kangogo, with a time of 1:04.18. Kimugui beat second-place finisher Kangogo’s record by half a second. Following up on her own 2013 Sun Run win, Vancouverite Natasha Wodak-Fraser also defended her title in the women’s half with a comfortable win in 1:15.19. Ontario native Dayna Pidhoresky followed minutes later, taking second in 1:17.45. About 17,000 runners took part in marathon, half-marathon and this year’s eight-kilometre event. Read more: http://www.theprovince.com/Thomas+Omwenga+Kenya+wins+Vancouver+Marathon+fourth+time/8340077/story.html#ixzz2SWhUNK4f

Terry Gehl and Mylene Soucy take top titles at Goodlife Toronto Marathon - 2013-04-18

Source: CBC On-Line A young woman has died at the Toronto GoodLife Marathon, police said Sunday. Police said an 18-year-old runner suffered an unspecified medical problem while taking part in the race, but would not release other details. Emergency medical personnel told CBC they responded to a call at about 11:08 a.m. near Lakeshore Boulevard and Dowling Avenue, where they found an 18-year-old woman without any vital signs. People on the scene were performing CPR and she was rushed to hospital, they said. The Cape Breton Post identified the runner as Emma von Nostrand, and said her parents, Steve and Katherine van Nostrand of Coxheath, N.S., were also in Toronto competing. Steve von Nostrand had recently returned from the Boston Marathon, where he had completed the race for the seventh time in a row. Van Nostrand was a Grade 12 honour student at Riverview High School, where principal Joe Chisolm said a crisis intervention team would help students deal with her death, the Post reported. The marathon steered thousands of runners through the city’s downtown core, though not everyone was running the full 42-kilometre course. More than 1,600 people finished the full marathon on Sunday, with runners from Quebec winning both the men’s and women’s races. Mylene Sansoucy of Montreal finished the marathon in two hours and 58 minutes. Sansoucy told CBC News that she was "very happy" with her result. "I won the marathon and I’ve done my best time," she said Sunday. Terry Gehl of St Charles-Sur-Richelieu, Que., was the first man to cross the finish line. He finished in about two hours and 37 minutes. Gehl, who was coincidentally wearing bib No. 1, said he was coming back from an injury that prevented him from running the marathon last year. Results posted online showed that another 4,400 people ran the half-marathon and more than 1,400 did a five-kilometre run. The people participating in the full marathon started their run at Mel Lastman Square in North York and followed a course that took them along Yonge Street, through part of mid-town Toronto, along Rosedale Valley Road, down Bayview Avenue, through the downtown and along Lake Shore Boulevard looping back to Exhibition Place.

The Half and Full Marathon Rankings are now comprehensive!! - 2012-12-28

		Our #1 age group athletes are for marathon: Lanni Marchant (F20-29), Krista DuChene (F30-39), Marilyn Arsenault (F40-49), Linda Desmeules (F50-59), Florence Gillis (F60-69), Gwen McFarlan (F70-79), Dylan Wykes (M20-29), Eric Gillis (M30-39), Pepi Peterson (M40-49), Michel Lavoie (M50-59), Les Disher (M60-69), John Zawada (M70-79). Our #1 age group athletes are for half marathon: Lanni Marchant (F20-29), Lucy Njeri (F30-39), Lioudmila Kortvhaguina (F40-49), Elizabeth Primrose (F50-59), Verna Conrad (F60-69), Liz Borrett (F70-79), Dylan Wykes (M20-29), Reid Coolsaet (M30-39), Jim Finlayson (M40-49), Mark Bennett (M50-59), John Tranter (M60-69), Keijo Taivassalo (M70-79).

Message of Gratitude for Assistance with the 2012 KV Challenge Marathon - 2012-10-17

		I would like to extend my gratitude to the following people for assistance in organizing the Kennebecasis Valley Challenge Marathon Event. John Kelley is the original race director and I am very lucky to help keep the dream alive. John’s second in command this year was Brent Sherwood who along with his wife Leanne were an amazing help again. We had many sign sponsors so please visit the race website www.kvchallengemarathon.com for the full list. Vitos subsidized our lasagna dinner. We were pleased to have Rorrie Currie as a guest speaker this year. Frank Roberts allowed us to use his building for the start. Jeremy Fry and the Hampton River Runners were in charge of the volunteers right up to the golf course. Doug Scott and Mr. Rice’s group of students from Kennebecasis Valley High School were in charge of the marshaling up to Meehan’s Cove Road. Maureen O’Hara and her Priorities in Focus group were at the finish line. Denise Dow and Patricia Gallagher provided shelter at the half marathon finish on behalf of Strong & Free. Major Sponsor Java Moose provided hot coffee and water at the half marathon finish. Bruce Rosval coordinated the Gondola Point Arterial Intersection. Ed Lutes and Barb O’Brien marshaled at the Gondola Point Ferry Landing. Mike Robinson coordinated the Gondola Point Road water stop. The Kennebecasis Valley Fire Department was in charge of the water stop at the bottom of Clark Road. Major Sponsor Culligan’s provided all of the water on the course. Mr Vienneau and his group of students from Rothesay Netherwood School were in charge of the water stop at the Riverside Golf Course. Carolyn Prebble, Katie Rogers and Christian Gallant coordinated the marathon finish line. The Town of Rothesay provided use of the Bill McGuire Centre. Major Sponsor SubWay subsidized our post race subs. The Potting Shed provided the half marathon finish area. Doug Guthrie is our bus driver for transportation. The Rothesay Regional Police provided coverage for the lead runner and a stationed car at the Gondola Point Arterial Intersection. Finally, my daughter Lily made this year’s package pickup the easiest ever and provided assistance at both the half marathon finish and at the awards ceremony. Thank you for supporting this event and I hope you consider next year even if it rains again and we finally admit that we have the toughest marathon course in New Brunswick!

Lunty surprises himself with victory at Queen City Marathon - 2012-09-11

		By Craig Slater, Leader Post Despite straying from his usual course of action, Brendan Lunty still put his best foot forward. The product of Camrose, Alta., captured his second consecutive Queen City Marathon full-marathon title on Sunday. The 34-year old, who crossed the finish line in two hours 38 minutes 39 seconds, won his fifth QCM race in the past eight years. However, winning it this year came as a slight surprise. "I have always won on odd-numbered years, so I really wasn’t supposed to win this year," Lunty said jokingly. That and Sunday’s weather forecast could have psyched out Lunty before he donned his race bib. "I was having nightmares (Saturday) night after I saw it was supposed to be 30-above today," he said. "I wasn’t a big fan of that temperature at all. But it wasn’t too bad. "What really hit me was that second loop and you were running into the stiff wind for the final stretch. That made it a little tougher on you toward the end." But Lunty pushed through and finished first, nearly a full 14 minutes ahead of Regina’s Ted Jaleta, who crossed the line in 2: 52.02. Saskatoon’s Neal Zalusky was a minute later (2: 53.01) and placed third. It has been a solid year for Lunty . He has competed in several marathons, including runs in Vancouver, Edmonton and San Francisco. He placed in the top 10 in each of those races, but admitted he always looks forward to competing in Regina. "I ran in Vancouver and most of that course was right next to the seawall, so you’re beside the ocean with the mountains in the background," he explained. "The scenery was absolutely beautiful. Same with the race in San Fran. "But I always circle the QCM on my calendar. I always love coming to this race. There’s something about the organizing, the people, the buzz and the excitement. People are cheering you on all throughout the race ... you meet some great people during the race and see some old friends here, too. This is one of my favourites, for sure." Despite adding more entrants to the half-and full-marathons this year, the QCM sold out for the fourth straight year. Registration applications were first accepted in late February. Nearly one month later, the team relay was full. The half-marathon sold out in early April, and by the middle of that month the mini-marathon had been filled. Approximately 4,300 participants were expected to run on Sunday. Some 4.709 people registered. "We were lucky to have started this race right when the boom in marathons started," said volunteer race director Doug Russell. "As that boom continued, we just kind of grew along with it." cslater @leaderpost.com Read more: http://www.leaderpost.com/Latest+news+updates+homepage/960812/story.html#ixzz26ADgCwcT

Interview with women's marathon record holder Sylvia Ruegger - 2012-08-25

(Source: Athletics via Runner's Web) By Paul Gains As an impressionable fourteen year old Silvia Ruegger was so inspired by the athleticism at the Montreal Olympics that she secretly wrote down her dream of becoming an Olympian herself, then slipped the piece of paper beneath the floor boards of her bedroom. Not only did she achieve her objective - she finished 8th in the 1984 Olympic marathon with a Canadian record of 2:29:08 - she set the still standing record of 2:28:36 at the 1985 Houston Marathon Now she believes that her twenty-seven year old record might finally be beaten - possibly at this year's Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon. A keen observer of the sport she watched the results from the 2011 Rotterdam marathon where Canadians Lanni Marchant (2:31:51) and Krista DuChene (2:32:06) edged closer. Both are aiming to beat the 2:30 barrier in Toronto, which is an IAAF Silver Label race, and view Ruegger's standard as a conceivable target. Ruegger met DuChene at a recent banquet where she offered encouragement "I don't need a record," Ruegger declares with a smile. "t's not my identity. I am grateful for it and that it has withstood time because it means something to our society. It has allowed me to be a voice for children in the nation who don't have a voice. It has given me a platform and has allowed me to do things on behalf of the children in Canada who live in poverty Ruegger is the National Director of Start2Finish Running and Reading Clubs and will be once again running for the charity at this year's Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon. Though she is proud of the record her career was shortened before she reached her full potential. "I believed I had more in me and I would run faster than that," the 51 year old reveals. " had a car accident and a number of things that changed the direction of my career. I believed I could go faster so I thought that other women would come along and say 'if Silvia Ruegger ran that I can run that.'" "We were running over 200 kilometres a week in training. We were running over the marathon distance in training so that when we came to the race itself we would be prepared mentally and physically for everything." The accident of which she speaks was an horrific ordeal. It happened in January 1985, two weeks following her Canadian record run. After hitting an icy patch on a rural road outside Guelph, Ontario she spun out of control and was hit head on by a car travelling the opposite direction. The impact was enough to eject her through the driver side window and sent her soaring through the air and into a snow covered ditch. According to a witness her body bounced twice on the pavement before coming to a stop. It was a miracle that she lived. She was living and studying in Guelph, Ontario at the time and was returning from a workout with her coach, Hugh Cameron, in Toronto. Besides a concussion and soft tissue injuries she did untold damage to muscles in her thigh which limited her running for the next two years. Not for the first time in her life, she persevered. When she was unable to run she continued cardiovascular training on a bicycle or in a pool. In 1987 Ruegger ran the Pittsburgh Marathon finishing in a time of 2:31:53. Although it was the slowest of her four marathons, and qualified her for the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, injuries again prevented her from advancing any further. She traces the injuries back to the accident. "In retrospect you never fully understand the extent of the accident. I had a major haematoma, I had a concussion and a lot of stitches, just soft tissue things, from the impact," she recounts. "The major injury was to the rectus femoris, which is your major quad muscle it was either torn or severely impacted. That's what kept me out of running. "When I tried to come back, it was a struggle to get back to that level of intensity without breaking down. There were just a lot of injuries after that. I was able to train but would often get ready to compete then break down with injuries." Ruegger grew up in rural Newtonville, Ontario just east of Toronto and began her Olympic pursuit running high school cross country and track. With her mother driving behind with the car headlights on Ruegger would train after school, always keeping in mind her secret goal. She ran well enough to earn U.S. university scholarship offers but chose the University of Guelph for its academic programs. In 1980 she won the Canadian cross country championships. Then she heard that the International Olympic Committee had approved the first ever women's marathon at the Olympics and thought it was her best chance to become an Olympian. "I heard about Hugh Cameron," she recalls, " saw his name in a magazine. I called him up in January 1984 never having met him and said â€˜share my dream I want to try and make the Olympic team in the marathon in May - four months away.' "Hugh was very gracious. He said â€˜Silvia it's going to be hard.' Not once did he discount that it could be a reality even though I was coming back from two and a half years of injury. He had a group in the Etobicoke Huskies it was fantastic: Dave Edge, Dave Reid, Mike Dyon and thirty others. He thought it was important for me to come to Toronto." In preparation for the 1984 Ottawa Marathon, which served as the Olympic trials, twice a week she would catch a Greyhound bus outside the Guelph campus, which dropped her in downtown Toronto. From there she rode the subway and a bus to join Cameron and the group for workouts. "After the workout I would do the same thing," she recalls, laughing. "t was a ten hour round trip (back to Guelph). But you know what, I had such a passion to realise my dream to be an Olympian. As a woman I was so excited that the doors opened up (with the marathon) so I never considered it a sacrifice. Never thought it was a sacrifice." Today Ruegger delights in getting out for a run. As often as possible she joins the kids in the Start2Finish program at locations throughout the Greater Toronto Area and in Guelph or Waterloo running and playing games with them. Perhaps there is a future Olympian amongst them, she muses "When I wrote that dream I never thought about the cost," she declares. " never thought whether I had the ability. I really hadn't shown any unusual talent. I thought the only thing that would keep me from achieving the dream would be my own unwillingness to work hard enough and give enough. So that was always my mindset. If I work hard enough and am willing to make those sacrifices I would see that dream realised. "I have a strong faith in God too and I believe that He gives dreams. That for me that was the root of my pursuit. When people would say what did you give I would say, what did I not give?"

Canadian runners in good spirits after tough Olympic Marathon - 2012-08-13

		Source: National Post Photo: Reuters (Warmuth) LONDON — One by one they walked through the interview area, looking drawn and haggard and beaten and a little like they’d seen something truly wretched much more closely than they’d have liked. The physical demands of the Olympic men’s marathon will do that to the fittest runners even in perfect conditions. But Sunday morning into early afternoon was hardly ideal for marathoning. Under a relentless sun with temperatures in the mid-20s and humidity nearly 80%, 105 runners set off down The Mall, their backs to Buckingham Palace. Only 85 returned on foot, others ferried back aboard the harshly named meat wagon that claims marathoners who decide discretion is the better part of collapse. One competitor who did finish was taken away in a wheelchair, barely conscious. Then there was finisher No. 85, Tsepo Ramonene of Lesotho, who stopped several times en route, finally buoyed by an urging crowd to the clock, where he slumped to The Mall and was very slowly revived by medics. He was timed in two hours, 55.54 seconds. That was 47:53 behind the gold-medal time of shocking upset winner Stephen Kiprotich, the Ugandan who barely worked up a good sweat over 2:08.01. The winner was well clear of the pre-race favourites: 26 seconds on Kenya’s Abel Kirui, the two-time world champion, and 1:36 ahead of another Kenyan, Wilson Kipsang, whose triumphant 2:04.44 London Marathon in April is regarded as one of the legendary performances in the event. Nowhere in the London Games previews will you find the name of Kiprotich. The winner practically breezed around a magnificent — if at times treacherously narrow — cobblestoned course, a three-lap layout that took runners past some of the world’s most historic buildings and venues, cheered on by hundreds of thousands of roaring spectators. Kiprotich was never farther back than seventh and surged into the lead only around the 40th kilometre. The new champion will be hailed back home, having won Uganda’s first Olympic gold since John Akii-Bua captured the men’s 400-metre hurdles at Munich in 1972. It is Uganda’s first Olympic medal of any colour since Atlanta in 1996. “The pace was too fast and I knew I could run away from [the Kenyans], so I just had to keep up with them,” said Kiprotich, whose saved energy gave him the boost for his late pass. Canada hadn’t had a participant in this Olympic race since Sydney a dozen years ago. But on Sunday, three competitors not only covered the full distance of 42.2 kilometres, they ran smart, strong races in gruesome conditions to earn strong finishes of 20th, 22nd and 27th. “It was brutal,” said 29-year-old Dylan Wykes of Kingston, Ont., whose 2:15.26 made him the quickest Canadian. “I tried to run conservatively because I didn’t think other people would respect the weather. “But I didn’t end up running conservatively and I blew up a lot myself. I think only one or two guys passed me in the last half, where I probably passed a good 15 and another five or 10 dropped out. “Nineteenth would have been nice, to get in the teens, but I put every ounce into it. I tried to kick in the last 400 metres but it was like I was going in slow motion. I had nothing from about 22 miles (of 26 miles, 385 yards). I just couldn’t move at all.” Eric Gillis of Antigonish, N.S., was Canada’s next quickest at 2:16. He stopped to talk with his wet singlet falling off his left shoulder, the strap snapped. “At 25 miles, I was just running so fast,” he joked. Gillis was aiming for a top 16 but could well live with his placement. “I was happy with how I moved up through the field in the second half,” he said. “I was significantly slower in the second but I picked off a lot of bodies.” The 32-year-old took on plenty of fluid to ward off dehydration — he figured he drank most of the contents of nine 200mL bottles of his own replenishment cocktail and more straight water. But a better gauge of his race, he said, was how the field was coming back to him. “They were hurting and slowing down or dropping out, so I kept telling myself, ‘They’re hurting worse than you are,” said Gillis, who had enough to sprint the final 500 metres and pull away from a Russian for 22nd place. And enough, he expected, to walk in Sunday’s closing ceremony. It was a messier race for Reid Coolsaet of Hamilton, Ont., who said an inability to ingest all of his carbs and perhaps a hard early pace upset his digestion at the 23-mile mark. “I’ve never bonked before,” the 33-year-old creatively said. “Once it starts coming up, it’s hard to put it down. If I could have taken the drinks I wanted to, maybe it would have been better. But I don’t regret going out as fast as I did, and the race was an amazing experience.” There was talk coming to London that, finally, Jerome Drayton’s Canadian marathon record of 2:10.09 set in 1975 would be toppled. This Olympic trio had a good shot, had the weather been friendlier, and with a growing elite marathon depth in Canada it’s going down sooner than later. “I think it’s in jeopardy,” Gillis said of Drayton’s nearly 37-year-old record. “It’s fun that we have that to chase as an extra bonus.” He and Coolsaet and Wykes will cherish their London experience and build on it. “It was unbelievable, the most amazing experience in terms of spectators I’ve ever had,” Wykes said. “It was incredible. Just awesome.” That would be the sites, the crowd and a strong performance that gave Canadian marathoning a huge boost. And not one elite runner to cheer on, but a team.

How Did You Celebrate Your Birthday? - 2012-06-21

Toronto, ON – Peter Donato and David Hiddleston enjoy racing so much they didn’t know how to stop. The duo from MyNextRace.com just finished completing a year-long birthday celebration in a rather unique, but fitting manner. Peter Donato, owner of MyNextRace.com and David Hiddleston, Brand Manager, raced collectively over 1400 km’s covering running, cycling, triathlons and adventure races from June, 2011 to June, 2012. The birthday milestone challenge has inspired other runners and endurance athletes to consider the same accomplishment when they share a milestone birthday. “Our advantage was living in a market area second-to-none in North America for access to races, plus we ended up only paying for less than 15% of our entries”…says Donato, who actually ended up “officially” finishing 48 events. The fun part became seeing who could find the most unique races, so the duo ended up at events in Miami, New York, Montreal, London and Newcastle England, Edinburgh, Scotland, Paris, and small towns in their own Ontario backyard they had never heard of like Apsley, Bayfield and Kilbride. David even won his first race, a Church to Church 9 mile off-road race in a small village called Heriots, Scotland (appropriately he won wooly socks for the effort). Peter completed two adventure races, two triathlons, two Century bike rides and 14 races with the MyNextRace.com famous mascot, Jefferson, the collie mix dog. Says David, "Having been running for over 10 years and rarely having run more than 10 races a year the idea of running 45 in a year was a unique challenge and one that I ended up really enjoying." Quotes Peter Donato, “Since turning 30 I never really looked forward to a birthday so at least this time I have a long-lasting memory. And a sore knee, aching back and worn out mini van”. The two athletes also enjoyed a few races on teams such as the Surf and Turf Relay at the Military Base in Trenton, Ontario and David on a 2nd place team at the scenic and historic Cabot Relay in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. Both David and Peter are also Guinness World Record holders, taking turns wearing the MyNextRace mascot outfit (Jefferson) in marathons and half-marathons. David is now pondering the next challenge, qualifying for the prestigious Boston Marathon wearing the 15-lb furry outfit! You can read several blogs on the web-site highlighting specific adventures. http://www.mynextrace.com/blogs/ MyNextRace.com started in Canada but has since grown and expanded internationally. The website and member communication informs athletes about races in key markets around the world. It has recently undergone a major revamp and relaunch including the addition of a unique Banana Review feature. The primarily North American audience is facilitated through the MyNextRace.com website, providing information about markets such as Florida, Chicago, New York, Boston and all of Canada.

Manitoba Marathon gets more than 13,000 runners!! - 2012-06-21

		Courtesy of CBC News (photo by Kiran Dhillon) More than 13,000 runners in Winnipeg are recovering after they ran in the 34th annual Manitoba Marathon on Sunday. Thomas Omwenga of Kenya was the first to cross the finish line in the men’s full marathon, with a time of two hours, 25 minutes and 13 seconds. "I was excited and happy, [it] being the first time to come to Winnipeg," Omwenga told reporters. "I’ve enjoyed staying here, I’ve enjoyed running the race and hanging around with people." Anna Kibor, also from Kenya, won the women’s full marathon with a time of two hours, 49 minutes and 45 seconds. Kibor, 38, said her victory was especially special because a knee injury had kept her from running in marathons for the past two years. "I feel so good, I feel great, yeah, to be a champion," she said. Corey Gallagher of Winnipeg won the men’s half-marathon, completing the race in one hour, 10 minutes and 14 seconds, while Kate Gustafson of Toronto won the women’s half-marathon with a time of one hour, 23 minutes and 22 seconds. The marathon relay was won by a team from Stride Ahead Sports in Winnipeg, which had a time of two hours, 33 minutes and two seconds. More than 13,000 runners took part this year in the Manitoba Marathon, which raises money to support those who live with intellectual disabilities. The marathon participants received vocal support by thousands of spectators who cheered from the sidelines along the marathon route. Among those who took part in Sunday’s marathon was a group of high school students from Garden Hill First Nation, located 475 kilometres north of Winnipeg. The 18 students, who are between 12 and 20 years old, had been training for the half-marathon since February, said gym teacher Wayne McLeod. McLeod said the students had also raised money to cover the costs of their flights to Winnipeg, hotel accommodations, transportation and marathon registration fees. "This might be the only time that they could actually do this," McLeod said before the race. "I’m trying to show them that if they work hard and if they are committed … they could succeed in doing this."

Kenyan runner sets new Ottawa marathon record - 2012-05-29

		Kenya’s Laban Moiben set a new record Sunday for the Ottawa race weekend marathon with a time of 2:09:12. "I was very happy because community was very, very strong, cheering me," the 28-year-old told reporters after the race. His result shaved 19 seconds off the previous record set in 2009. In 2011, Moiben’s time was 2:10:17. In 2010, he placed second with 2:09:43. Two other Kenyans took the second and third spots, and about 10 minutes later Canada’s first runner passed the finish line in 12th place. Rejean Chiasson, 28, from Toronto, told CBC News he had hoped to finish the race a lot faster, but added he was happy to be the first Canadian to finish. Ethiopian women, meanwhile, finished first and second. Yeshi Esayias, 26, and Biruktrawit Degefa, 21, finished in 2:28:45 and 2:33:12, respectively. Fifteen minutes later, and in sixth place, 35-year-old Lisa Avery of Orillia, Ont., crossed the line with a strong personal best time of 2:42:52. Michel Filteau of St-Jean Baptiste, Que., won Sunday’s wheelchair marathon in 1:37:16.

Gillis and Bazeley Win National Championship at Banque Scotia 21K - 2012-04-30

		Montreal, QC — (04/29/2012) — For the third year, the Banque Scotia 21k de Montréal served as the Athletics Canada National Half-Marathon Championships and helped kick off the 2012 Canadian Championship Series. The 4,700 runners who took to the scenic route of Parc-Jean Drapeau today raised over $525,000 for 31 local charities. While the beautiful sunny skies were perfect for today’s Banque Scotia 21K and 5K de Montréal, the cool temperatures and brisk northerly winds made for a tactical race. London Olympic Marathon bound Eric Gillis of Guelph surged away from Athletic Toronto’s Matt Loiselle over the final 800m to take the 2012 Athletics Canada National Half-Marathon Championships for a time of 64:38. Loiselle was eight seconds back and a valiant Rejean Chiasson of New Brunswick hung on for 3rd at 64:54. Newfoundland’s Kate Bazeley ran a strong solo effort, leading from start to finish taking the women’s title in 1:16:34. London Ontario’s Leslie Sexton was 2nd at 1:16:54 and Nova Scotia’s Erin Maclean was 3rd at 1:17:02. “It was tough out there on my own in the wind,” said Bazeley. “But I’m really happy, this is my first major victory.” Gillis will take a break for the next two weeks before beginning his training for the London Olympic Marathon which takes place on August 12th. “We had some of Canada’s elite runners vying for the Athletics Canada National Half-Marathon Championships this year, and today’s race was an inspiration for marathon enthusiasts across the board,” said Francois Lecot, Race Director, Banque Scotia 21k de Montréal et 5k. “All participants today should be extremely proud of their achievements, both through the sport of running and for raising much-needed funds for worthy causes in the community.” The Scotiabank Charity Challenge raised more than $525,000 as of press time, surpassing its $450,000 target goal. This remarkable achievement exceeds last year’s total of $395,000. Today’s race was truly a success as runners and supporters alike demonstrated an outstanding combination of athleticism and community spirit, while raising $525,000 through the Scotiabank Charity Challenge,” said Carole Chapdelaine, Scotiabank Senior Vice-President, Quebec and Eastern Ontario Region. “Participants in this year’s Banque Scotia 21k de Montreal share Scotiabank’s commitment to supporting charitable organizations in the community, and it’s inspiring to see that more than $1.3 million has been raised through the Scotiabank Charity Challenge since it was introduced to the race four years ago.”

What a weekend for Canadian marathoning!! - 2012-04-18

		First of all, Dylan Wykes performance in Rotterdam was absolutely incredible. After a couple of failed attempts at making standard, Dylan made a last attempt at Rotterdam along with Rob Watson, Krista DuChene and Lanni Marchant. He grabbed an Olympic berth with a 2:10:47. Rob made a valiant attempt with a 2:13:37.Krista and Lanni ran 2:32:06 and 2:31:51. It doesn’t look like the girls made Canada’s standard but I hope they both receive spots regardless. We currently do not have any women qualified for the Olympic marathon. I have pasted their splits below. At Boston, Canadian Josh Cassidy won the men’s wheelchair division in a new record time of 1:18:25!! Diane Roy was third in the women’s wheelchair in 1:42:37. Four women finished in the top 10 for 40+ with Paula Keating, Jen Nicholson, Denise Robson and Suzanne Evans finishing 4,5,7 and 8. Louis Voghel was third in 50-59. Barbara Freedman and Christine Dirks were 3rd and 6th in 60+. Guy Dorval was 7th in 50-59 men. Andy Hayes was 7th in 60+.

Three more Canadians going for standard at Rotterdam - 2012-04-11

Three more Canadians set their sights on Olympic marathon standard April 3rd, 2012 Three more Canadians will be chasing the Olympic Standard at the Rotterdam Marathon. Coming off of her 1:47:03 win at Around the Bay, Krista DuChene announced on her blog that she was able to secure a space in the April 15 race and will be making a run at the 2:29:55 needed to hit the A-Standard. In that same blog post, DuChene stated that Lanni Marchant will also be running for the standard, so we got in touch with her to confirm. Marchant said,“Yes, I am running Rotterdam and hope to be in the mix to run the Canadian standard. Fingers crossed Krista and I can make some magic happen!” Rob Watson also announced on his blog that he will be attempting to hit the men’s A-Standard of 2:11:29 the Rotterdam Marathon, saying, “Some people are going to criticize and call me stupid and delusional. And I agree, I am stupid and somewhat delusional, but s— man, I’ve always been told to dream big, and it doesn’t get any bigger that the Olympics.” The race takes place at 10:30 am local time, so most of us here in Canada will be able to find results by the time we’re getting up for our own long run.

Graydon Snider looks at trending in running distances!! - 2012-02-26

The link is http://gsnider.blogspot.com/2012/02/worldwide-trends-for-various-racing.html

Great new website from Athletics Canada for Road Racers!! - 2012-01-18

The website address is http://www.road.athletics.ca/

Valiant Effort at Chevron Houston Marathon by Simon Bairu - 2012-01-16

From the Halifax Chronicle Herald Halifax’s Greg Wieczorek placed 11th overall and was the second Canadian across the finish line at the 40th annual Chevron Houston Marathon. The reigning two-time Blue Nose Marathon champion ran a personal-best 2:25:56. He was fourth for men 30-34. It beats his previous best of 2:26:33 set last October in Chicago. Regina’s Simon Bairu was the top Canadian in 2:19:52. He was sixth overall. Halifax’s Rodney MacIntosh ran a 3:00:05 and Dartmouth’s Dave Nevitt a 3:04:48. MacIntosh was 39th for men 40-44 and Nevitt 18th for men 50-54. Ethiopia’s Tariku Jufar won in 2:06:51. Bairu’s time failed to meet the Olympic qualifying standard of 2:11:30. It leaves Antigonish’s Eric Gillis as the second of as many as three Canadian marathoners for the London Olympics this summer. Halifax’s Leah Jabbour, another former Blue Nose champion, was the top Canadian female in 2:56:24. She ranked 16th among the women and third in her 35-39 age class. Maura Wieczorek, Greg’s wife, was second among the Canadian women in 2:58:49. She was 21st overall in the women’s division. Dartmouth’s Stacey Juckett Chesnutt placed directly behind Maura Wieczorek in 2:59:05. She was second among women aged 40-44. Ethiopia’s Abera Alemitu won the women’s event in 2:23:14. Nova Scotia’s Doug Hayami (1:14:22) and Caroline McInnes (1:17:53) competed in the half marathon. Hayami was 47th among the men and McInnes 274th among the women.

Scotiabank Toronto is catching up to Ottawa..... - 2011-12-24

Early stats are finished for total number of half marathon and above finishers in an event for 2011 and the top 10 is.....Ottawa Race Weekend 13863 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront 12676 BMO Vancouver 9761 Marathon Oasis de Montreal 9632 Goodlife Royal Victoria 6761 Ottawa Army Run 6423 Around the Bay 5814 Goodlife Toronto 5510 Canon Mississauga 4634 Manitoba Lotteries 4518...

Toronto to host Midnite New Year's Eve Run - 2011-11-24

Toronto to host Midnite New Year’s Eve Run

Toronto, Canada – All Sports Marketing Inc. and MyNextRace.com have announced another fun sports property for runners and athletes. Save the date, and BOOK your trip to Toronto, North America’s fastest-growing running market.

The inaugural New Year’s Eve Midnite Run and Party will take place in Hip, Cool Liberty Village, a vibrant and growing community adjacent to Lake Ontario and steps from Queen West, King Street and the Entertainment District. Currently home to several thousand condo dwellers, Liberty Village has more Cranes and Construction sites than anywhere else in Great Toronto, which is still North America’s hottest Real Estate market. Peter Donato, owner of MyNextRace.com, is excited to bring the first organized run to the community. “I used to have an office 100 yards from the Start and Finish line, and always wanted to bring a race to this funky, film-savvy collection of entrepreneurs, artists and independent creative minds. With over 30 restaurants and bars within a 3 square mile radius, a run that served alcohol at the finish line was a no brainer”.

The run is also supporting a good cause, the Fort York Food Bank, which Peter also raised money for years earlier running on behalf of Liberty Village in the 2007 Scotia Bank Toronto Waterfront Marathon. The inaugural 5km run, walk and party will also have live music, entertainment, a video review of the year’s running highlights and of course fireworks at Midnite when the gun goes off. The first run is capped at1,000 runners and for the party1,000 revelers.

MyNextRace.com / All Sports Marketing Inc. started in Canada but has since grown and expanded internationally. The website and member communication informs athletes about races in key markets around the world. The web-site has just re-launched this fall. The primarily North American audience is facilitated through the MyNextRace.com website, providing information for members of Generation Active, including runners, cyclists, adventure racers and triathletes.

The company currently organizes the 11^th Annual Boston Tea Party, Team Canada Brunch held at the Boston Marathon. The only Brunch in the world with a web-site, an annual tradition for Canadians running Boston. www.bostonteaparty.ca

~~-30-~~

MEDIA CONTACT:

Chelsea Vanderkamp Merritt

416-441-1492 c 647-927-4255 info@allsportsmarketing.ca

Peter Donato

901-297-9264 (USA) or 416-707-5944 (Canada)

peter@mynextrace.com

Check the Rankings for me!! - 2011-10-21

I have help with the rankings but sometimes we make mistakes so please help me check the rankings. I hope everyone exceeds their expectations in 2012!!

Coolsaet and Gillis going to the Olympics!! - 2011-10-18

		Source: www.tsn.ca The Canadian Press TORONTO -- Reid Coolsaet and Eric Gillis are London bound. The Canadian duo booked their tickets to the 2012 Summer Games after bettering the Olympic standard of two hours 11 minutes 29 seconds Sunday at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon. Coolsaet finished third in the race with a personal-best time of 2:10.55 while Gillis was fourth, just finishing under the qualification mark with a time of 2:11.28. Canada hasn’t had a participant in an Olympic marathon since Bruce Deacon in Sydney in 2000. "I can’t believe it was by a second," Gillis said afterwards. "A marathon and one second? "I could’ve just as easily been one second over. I feel really, really lucky to get that standard. I couldn’t have done it this time last year, I just wasn’t in the right frame of mind to go after that. Things are working out well now, things are clicking." Coolsaet posted his time despite having to take a washroom break at about the 25-kilometre mark. "It didn’t take too much time but obviously I lost contact with the front pack," he said. "Luckily I had a pacer and clawed my way up the next three kilometres and got myself up with that front pack again." Kenya’s Kenneth Mungara won the race for the fourth straight year, posting a time of 2:09.51. Ethiopia’s Shami Abdulahi Dawit was second. "This was a very good day for me but it was very tough because it was very windy and cold," Mungara said. Ethiopia’s Koren Yal was the top female finisher in 2:22.43, with compatriot Mare Dibaba second in 2:23.25. Vancouver’s Katherine Moore was eighth in 2:48.48. Meanwhile, police said a 27-year-old man died after collapsing while running in the event. He was taken to St. Michael’s Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Coolsaet narrowly missed the Canadian record en route to finishing third. The 32-year-old from Hamilton’s time was just off the mark of 2:10.09 set by Jerome Drayton in 1975. Drayton’s 36-year-old record is the oldest on the Canadian track and field record books. "I’m really happy to have run a PB in these conditions," Coolsaet said. "I was fortunate enough to have a good pack that I was able to use to block the wind and that really helped me for the first 35-36 kilometres and then I lost it. "I didn’t think I was running fast anymore and was just happy to be in third overall at that point. Then I came around the corner and saw the clock and was pleasantly surprised to have run a PB." Gillis said achieving the Olympic standard was foremost in his mind Sunday, but admitted the cool, blustery conditions created doubt in his pre-race thoughts. "Yeah, there were so I had to work on those and get them out as soon as they came in," said Gillis, of Antigonish, N.S. "I kept pushing them out. "I had roomed with Reid the last couple of days and he’s a real positive guy to be around and always looks to the bright side ... it wasn’t an ideal anything out there and it’s just a good feeling to get that under my belt." Gillis said despite the weather conditions, he felt very good physically through the first 34 kilometres of the race and was on pace to qualify for London comfortably. But that all changed near the end. "With 300 metres to go, I wasn’t sure," he said. "I just knew I had to put my head down and get up on my toes as much as I could. "I saw 27 (2:11.27) when I went under the clock but I don’t trust that clock at all and I waited to hear the official time. It took about 10-15 minutes before anyone was able to say it definitively and that was a nice feeling when I did finally hear that." Coolsaet said also having Reid qualify for London will prove beneficial to both runners. "Just the fact that now we can work together for the same marathon again is a huge benefit for both of us," he said. "It works both ways and we’re really excited to be able to focus on London from here on in."

Report from the Cape Breton Roadrunners on the Fiddler's Marathon!! - 2011-09-22

Under sunny skies, 15 degree temperatures with a light breeze, 631 runners and walkers took part in this years Fiddlers Race Weekend. Leo McCosham of Charlottetown, P.E.I. was the first of 46 runners to cross the finish line in the Boston Marathon-qualifying full marathon, in a time of two hours, 43 minutes and 20 seconds, setting a personal best and a course record in the process. I spoke to Leo after the race and he was so impressed with the day, course, the fans and volunteers, he'll definitely be back next year to do it all over again. McCosham also won last years marathon with a time of 2:47:39. Can he do it a third time...we shall see!! Scott Clark of Summerside, P.E.I. finished in second with a time of 2:48:43, while Sydney’s own Donald Macintyre grabbed 3rd place with a 2:53:31, missing a PB by only 13 seconds.Although happy with his time Donnie was hoping for something a few minutes quicker and intends to run the PEI marathon in mid-October. Top spot in the ladies division went to Sydney’s Erin Forsey finishing in a time of 3:19:13 which was also a personal best. In the half, Glace Bay’s Daniel McNeil ran an amazing 1:10:56, while Sydney’s Ian James Doyle grabbed second place with a 1:18:20 and Glenn Myers took third place in 1:21:34.. The top female in the half was Brenda Benson of Summerside, P.E.I. with a time of 1:34:34, close on her heels was Florence Gillis of Mira with a 1:35:23 which was also a personal best. In the 10 K, Chris Milburn, A.K.A.Bighead, set a course record with a time of 35:44,hot on Chris's heels was James Forsey with a 36:09 A PB for James . Third place went to Ian Henman of Dartmouth in a time of 36:15. In the ladies division top spot went to Julie Curwin with a smokin time of 41:19. Will Allan of Sydney finished first in the 5K in a time of 17:43 , followed by Justin Lalanne of Coxheath in 18:06 and running sensation "Rachyl MacPhail" of Sydney River grabbed 3rd place overall and 1st in the ladies division, with an impressive time of 19:20. Kudos going out to Glen Smith, a native of Sydney now living in Ottawa, Glen completed the marathon on Sunday in a time of 4:23:55. A great effort and even more impressive is that Glen has not missed a Fiddlers marathon since the late Lydia Dickson started the whole thing way back in 2005. Good to see Karen MacDonald back at running marathons, Karen ran the first Fiddlers in a time of 3:42:09 and this year completed the classic distance in a time of 3:47:01. And last but not least, a big salute to one of the most enthusiastic runners out there.Ryan "The deerman"MacDonald completed the marathon with a PB of 3:24:34, last year he ran a solid 3:44:24, close to a 20 minute improvement way to go Ryan!!!

Eric Gillis approaching Olympic Trial cautiously!! - 2011-09-19

Methodical is perhaps the best way to describe Eric Gillis’s approach to the 2011 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon. The 31 year old from Antigonish, Nova Scotia is not one to take risks especially with a place on Canada’s 2012 Olympic team within reach. Three years ago Gillis represented his country at the Beijing Olympics after running a personal best 10,000m time of 28:07.19. The experience of lining up in front of 90,000 spectators alongside Ethiopian superstar Kenenisa Bekele contributed to his wanting to make the team for London. But it also gave him a lesson in what is important to him in his remaining years as a competitive distance runner. “It took me a while to figure this out but the year after the Olympics I continued on the same path I was on for the weeks leading up to the Oympics,” he reveals, “and I wasn’t really running for myself and enjoying it as much as I could be. “So I took a step back after the 2009 season and re-evaluated my running and what I wanted from it. I realised that the Olympics is very important but it’s not the most important thing. It only comes around every four years and I have to enjoy the other three years. And good things will come from that.” A year ago he made his marathon debut with an 8th place finish at the Houston marathon in a fine time of 2:13:52. Nine months later he improved upon that at the STWM with a time of 2:12:08. Now he has one goal in mind. “The Olympic ‘A’ standard which is 2:11:29,” he declares without hesitation. “That will be my main focus. I will put all my energies into running under that standard. Anything faster than that is bonus. At the end of the day I will be shooting for that standard no matter what. “My training going is well. I am getting my mileage up and my workouts are better than last year. That’s encouraging, My highest week so far has been 208 kilometres. I have this kind of mileage before all three marathons so there’s nothing new there. My first marathon I wasn’t sure how the body was going to respond to that high mileage but, after doing it a couple of times, and now going into my third one, I am comfortable I can handle that kind of mileage and still do a quality workout.” Gillis studied at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia and started spending summers in Guelph. He moved permanently to “The Royal City” five years ago to join the expanding group of distance runners tutored by Dave Scott-Thomas. Among his current training partners are Reid Coolsaet, who has achieved the Olympic ‘A’ standard a year ago in Toronto with 2:11:23, Rob Watson, the former Canadian international steeplechaser (4th at the 2011 Houston marathon in 2:16:17) and John Mason. The fact he is competing against his teammates for an Olympic spot is not lost in his mind. “Reid comes down on mondays and thursdays when we do workouts and meets Rob Watson, John and I,” Coolsaet says. “The four of us are pounding the pavements on the back roads of Guelph. “But my training partners aren’t the only guys I am competing against for a spot to go to the Olympics. I will get more I will enjoy the process more, which inevitably is what it’s all about, if I am training with the guys like Reid and Rob, than if I was training on my own. It’s going to lead to better results down the road. It really works on a number of fronts to benefit me. I am not worried about side effects of helping them out. I am quite happy to do that.” Although the Toronto race is very much a ‘do or die’ event for those Canadians wanting to race in London next summer Gillis is adamant that he has concerns for his teammates’ welfare. “There's three spots so I would definitely want those other spots to be filled by my training partners,” he declares. Unlike his rivals Gillis has a young family. He and his wife, Emily, are the parents of a seventeen month old daughter, Heidi and the runner has had to learn to balance parenthood with his professional approach to marathoning. Two training sessions a day and an afternoon nap are fit around Heidi’s needs. “Since Emily went back to work, five months ago, that was the biggest adjustment having to take on more responsibility,” Gillis admits. “I was getting off the hook easy when Emily was on maternity leave. “Our first nanny wasn’t working out that well. She was maybe a little young for the job and she wasn’t showing up. So that was tough and there were few times I had to miss a run because we didn't have child care. It was a learning experience. We thought we had put sufficient time into planning that but it was more work than we thought. So now things are better on that front.” Gillis has often benefited from Athletics Canada funding but because of the constant requirements to meet standards has occasionally lost the support he has needed. Because of his 2:12:08 performance a year ago he is currently carded. But he has also been working part time at a group home in the Guelph area. “Yes it’s the Community Living Group Home,” he says. “I am still doing that as relief staff so I work a few sleepover shifts. That’s on the back burner now since I got back from the road racing season in May. Since June I have been 95% focused on training for the marathon. “Every year we have to run times to qualify for Athletics Canada funding over the past seven years I have been carded every other year on average. So it goes from having support, to not having support, to having support and not having support. But I am at a position with road racing and marathoning I am not as concerned about that. It’s a huge help when I do get support but if it’s not there it’s not the be all and end all. Maybe it was when I was running track when I wasn’t getting money for racing on the track. Now I can get a little bit of money marathoning and road racing.” While the marathon training volume remains high Gillis looks forward to competing two, perhaps three times, prior to Toronto. The Rock and Roll Half Marathon in Viriginia Beach, Virginia is confirmed on September 4th. He is also contemplating racing the Canadian Championships 10km in Toronto September 24th. Its all step by step in this runner’s methodical preparation for that coveted Olympic place.

Coolsaet Close to Olympic Berth by Paul Gains - 2011-08-24

Reid Coolsaet never imagined he’d be on the brink of an Olympic Games berth when he ran cross country for Hamilton’s Westdale Secondary School back two decades ago.

A mediocre athlete, whose goal was nothing more than joining his girlfriend in qualifying for the provincial high school cross country championships, Coolsaet finished 18th in the 1997 race. In the absence of scholarship offers he joined coach Dave Scott-Thomas at the University of Guelph. The partnership has certainly paid off.

A year ago he dipped under Athletics Canada’s Olympic qualifying standard with a time of 2:11:23 to finish 10th in the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon. At this point he is the only Canadian to have achieved the standard but there’s a catch. The IAAF announced after the race the qualifying period wouldn’t start to January 2011.

Now all he needs is a strong effort at this year’s Toronto race October 16th - anything under the IAAF standard of 2:15 will do - to earn his place at the London 2012 Olympics. And, he must ensure he is amongst the first three Canadians capable of achieving the standard. The competition for the three Olympic spots with Simon Bairu, Dylan Wykes and his Speed River Track Club teammates Eric Gillis and Rob Watson is something he welcomes.

“It definitely motivates me and keeps me on top of it because I have goals to run faster this fall,” he reveals, “I want to improve upon 2:11:23 like anybody would want to get a p.b. But having guys to keep me in check definitely raises the bar a little bit and gives me incentive and motivation.”

With the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfrot Marathon scheduled three weeks later than in previous years Coolsaet is in the midst of a fourteen week block of training which has seen him put in 210 kilometres a week. It hasn’t all been smooth sailing though.

In July as he began the buildup for Toronto he caught a cold, experienced a flare up in a shin problem then had to have a broken tooth extracted. A course of antibiotics also wore him down. Now he says training is going well. He drives up to Guelph twice a week to run with Gillis and Watson. The remainder of the time he runs alone near his parents’ home in Hamilton or with Kenyans Josephat Ongeri and David Karanja who are also Hamilton residents.

Despite Coolsaet’s success last year he admits his decision to run in Toronto was by no means automatic. He was expecting to go for a faster time at the London marathon last spring but he stepped on a rock during a training run last fall and the resulting injury caused a lengthy interruption. Last March he went through with a month of high altitude training in Kenya although he spent the first weeks running alone until he could get fit enough to join the Kenyans. Nevertheless the experience was enough for him to plan a return trip.

Coolsaet also considered running at the IAAF World Championships in Daegu, Korea (the men’s marathon is scheduled for September 4th) but decided against it because of the expected heat and humidity. He does have experience in hot weather championships having represented Canada in the 2009 IAAF World Championships in Berlin where he ran a then personal best of 2:16:53 for 25th place. All things considered he believes the decision to run in Toronto was his best option.

“Its really nice to run a marathon where people are cheering for you and you hear your name and you don’t have to travel far,” he explains. “The big advantage for us in Toronto is that (race director) Alan (Brookes) will cater to our pace and he’ll listen to how fast we want to run and provide rabbits at that pace. If we went to another North American marathon we probably wouldn’t get that sort of attention from that marathon.

“If we went to New York or Chicago we would probably be asking other people what they were doing and trying to figure out what pacemakers to go with versus here where, if you want to run 2:09:45, you can get someone running that.”

Coolsaet is not one who is easily distracted from his goals. Minor injuries that would send other straight to the tipping point are glossed over. He cycles or swims when necessary and gets his physiotherapy between workouts. Indeed, his good nature has come in handy during a career that has seen him win nine Canadian titles from 5,000m to the marathon - including, most impressively, the 2009 marathon and 10000m championships with six weeks between them. Sometimes he has been involved in practical jokes.

As a student he walked in to the University of Guelph athletics centre to discover a Hall of Fame portrait of him had been doctored to enhance the size of his ears, lips and nose then hung back on the wall. Hundreds of students writing exams in the centre enjoyed a laugh at his expense. But Coolsaet says it goes with the territory.

“It was actually in retaliation for a joke I had played,” he says laughing. “ A girl had left her number on my roommate’s desk. I called her and pretended to be him. So she approached him in class the next day thinking she had talked to him. It was a really awkward conversation. At that point he got me back.”

On another occasion he passed through customs with an electronic device which gave unwitting victims a shock when they shook hands with him. Fortunately the customs agent had a sense of humour and he wasn’t arrested.

When he lines up in Toronto the Olympic qualifying will be first and foremost in his mind. Achieving a personal best is also a goal. And he is fully aware that Scotiabank and Alan Brookes, in their unlimited attempts to raise the standard of Canadian marathoning, have put up $36,000 in bonus money ($1,000 for every year) for any Canadian who can break Jerome Drayton’s longstanding national record of 2:10:09.

“Obviously we are trying to make a living out of the sport and that would be a huge pay day for a Canadian marathon,” he admits, “But it’s not something I think about. As much as I want to run fast you can’t focus on it. So it’s definitely an added bonus but it’s not a day to day thing I think about.

“I actually don’t have a time goal this time. Last time I trained for a marathon I had a time goal in my head but as my training progressed it kept on changing. I don’t think you can force your thresholds to get down there so much. I am going to try and maximise my training. Last year I went into marathon training thinking sub 2:13 then on race day I wanted to run 2:10. I really thought I was going to run 2:10 high. Obviously I missed it. So I would like to say I can run a 2:10 flat. Maybe it goes down. Maybe I feel like going for a 2:10 high again.”

On his schedule is the Rock and Roll Half Marathon in Virginia Beach, Virginia on September 4th. A victory in the Acura Toronto 10 mile race (August 14th) in 48:34 is a good indication he is ready. These two races will give him a better idea of his fitness level. Then he will advise Alan Brookes of the pace he’d like a pacemaker to take him along the streets of Toronto.

Coolsaet is in the enviable position of having satisfied Athletics Canada’s high performance standard. But he can’t afford to run a mediocre race on October 16th. With an Olympic Games place on the line the stakes are just too high.

Confident Bairu Chasing Olympic Standard by Paul Gains - 2011-08-24

Despite collapsing three miles from the finish in his debut marathon Simon Bairu is approaching the 2011 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon October 16th with tremendous optimism.

The 28 year old went into the 2010 ING New York Marathon intent on racing the world class field rather than with a time in mind but found that the erratic pace was not to his liking. An ambulance ride to hospital was the last thing expected for the Canadian distance running star, who had finished an incredible 12th in the 2010 IAAF World Cross Country Championships then smashed the national 10,000m record with a time of 27:23.63.

Along with the humiliation, he spent the next three months dealing with nagging injuries which might well be traced to the marathon. Of particular concern was an inflammation of a sciatic nerve. But those are a distant memory now. With a solid block of training behind him Bairu and his coach Jerry Schumacher come to Toronto with one objective - to make the Olympic standard of 2:11:29.

“Jerry always talks about ‘defining moments,’” Bairu says shortly after receiving his weekly massage. “A lot of people kind of thought that maybe the marathon just wasn’t my event. Our motivation is that Toronto is a ‘defining moment’ which is my chance to come back stronger and better because of New York.

“There’s a lot of motivation. I know if I can get fired up and do all the right things in training there's no other Canadian who can stop me from making the team.”

Bairu’s confidence could be mistaken for arrogance but he has nothing but respect for a trio of Canadian runners who are also in contention for an Olympic place - Reid Coolsaet (10th in 2010 STWM 2:11:23), Eric Gillis (11th 2:12:07) and Dylan Wykes (2:12:39 at Sacramento). Only three can run in London.

“Honestly, look at it on paper,” he declares. “Those guys are, above and beyond, more accomplished than me in the marathon. They have all done some great things in the marathon. The only thing I have next to my name right now is a DNF. I am confident that if I can put in my training and bring my ‘A ‘game I am going to make the team no matter how well those guys run.”

Bairu spent eight weeks of the summer at high altitude training camps in Flagstaff, Arizona and then St. Moritz, Switzerland recording 130 miles (210km) a week. A year ago the most he reached was 120 a couple of times (190km). The plan is to slowly reduce the mileage and increase the quality of his workouts. A final test will be September 5th when he races the New Haven 20km.

Bairu was born in Ryadh, Saudi Arabia to Ethiopian-Eritrean parents who had fled the war in the East African region. Being Christians they sought refuge, first in Greece, before finally settling in Regina, Saskatchewan. A trouble maker who seemed headed down the wrong path Bairu was led to track and field by a caring teacher in his early teens. He went on to win the provincial high school cross country championships earning a scholarship to the University of Wisconsin. He would win two NCAA cross country titles for the Badgers and a record seven - so far - Canadian cross country championships.

Based in Portland, Oregon the world headquarters of his sponsor Nike Bairu has the benefits of a training group which includes Olympic bronze medalist Shalane Flanagan and former Wisconsin Badger Chris Solinsky, the US 10,000m record holder. With his track credentials and connections to Nike he could surely have chosen any number of fall marathons in which to attack the Olympic standard. Why then did he choose Toronto?

“I have been in contact with (race director) Alan (Brookes) for a while now,” he explains. “I think Toronto gives me and other Canadians the best opportunity to qualify for the Olympics. I know he is going to do everything he can to help us out in terms of rabbits and things.

“The course itself is nice and fast and, just being in Canada, it gives me that extra incentive having my family there watching. And the crowds have always been great watching in Canada. I think all that put together makes for a real special day and hopefully I can do some special things.”

As a full time athlete Bairu can afford little distraction. Each day begins at 8:00 a.m. with a drive out to the Nike campus where he runs with the group. Ninety minutes of strength conditioning, under the direction of former US Olympic steeplechaser Pascal Dobert, follows. Then it’s a healthy lunch either at the Nike cafeteria or at home before an afternoon nap. A second run precedes dinner and an early night.

One thing that Bairu makes time for is an association with the Portland Big Brothers organisation spending time with an 11 year old boy named Marcus.

“We usually hang out once a week,” says Bairu. “We will go watch movies to watch, There’s a lot of good kid movies out there. We might eat pizza and watch a movie at my place. Sometimes we go to arcades. He is really big into video games and he helps polish up on my skills on video games.”

He also reads when he has a spare moment admittedly jumping from book to book. On his coffee table currently are "Our Kind Of People" a history of elite African Americans by Otis Graham and “Night” a story on a holocaust survivor.

“It was a gift from an ex-girlfriend,” he says of the latter. ”It is heavy reading and very dark but what I like about it is that it's a story of overcoming great odds. This man has experienced unspeakable horrors in his early life and yet he stands in triumph having beaten the odds. It kind of puts life and running into perspective for me.”

Although the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon has put up a Canadian Record bonus of $36,000 - $1,000 for every year that Jerome Drayton’s formidable time of 2:10:09 has stood - Bairu doesn’t see this as a motivator.

“My attitude with the record has always been the same- you can’t force the issue. It just comes to you,” he declares. “My goal right now is to make the Olympics. Nobody cares if I am on Canadian Record pace with a mile to go and then blow up and don’t make the team. My number one priority, not to sound cliche, is to make the team. But If I am feeling good in the race I am going to go after that record.”

Bairu is likely to ask for a pacemaker capable of taking him through the half way point in 65 minutes even. Then he will keep an eye on the clock as he chases the Olympic standard.

“I had a lot of problems after New York,” he admits, and I wanted to refresh mentally and physically and kind of put my eggs all in one basket and honestly if I can’t do it in Toronto well it wasn’t going to happen this year.”

Brake wins Marathon by the Sea - 2011-08-15

SAINT JOHN - A little more than two-and-a-half hours into the Ben’s Smart Marathon By Sea, the crowd gathered around the start/finish line erupted as just over the hill a bright orange visor came bobbing into view.

The rest of Chris Brake appeared in an instant as he finished the race with a quickened pace - less out of strength than sheer force of will.

He was the first of the 75 runners to finish the 26.2 miles, and he did it in 2:37:19.

"I feel horrible. It beat me up a little bit more than I thought it would," he said, pausing every few syllables to catch a breath.

He stood crooked, clutching his side.

"It feels the same way as it always feels, it always feels good when I finish the marathon," he said. "I’m used to winning."

Sunday’s marathon was his 30th and his 17th win. The 29-year-old Saint John man ran his first marathon when he was 17, the Harvest Valley Marathon in Nova Scotia.

He trains, he said, "too much."

"It seems to do something for my self-esteem - it gives me something to live for," he said.

Brake still holds the record he set in 2010 in the Fredericton Marathon with a time of 02:34:46.

But the 24-degree day took its toll on him throughout the race.

"It’s impossible," he said. "It doesn’t matter how hard I train, it’s impossible to prepare for a warm weather marathon. I would have done horrible if I only trained half as hard as I did, I would have done really horrible. It’s really tough to prepare for a marathon in warm weather."

Thirteen minutes later Alex Coffin of Saint John crossed the finish line in second place with a time of 2:50:29 followed closely by Leo McCosham of Charlottetown in third with a time of 2:50:38.

"It feels great," said Coffin. "It really does. I mean, Chris, I tried to give him a race and he busted me pretty early...it meant a lot to hang on to second."

Coffin has won the Ben’s Smart Marathon By the Sea seven times. McCosham has also taken the race’s title.

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SAINT JOHN - Confetti flew into the air and spectators cheered as Cara Allaway ran through the blowup archway marking the end of the 26.2-mile run through Saint John.

With a time of 3:27:14, Allaway was the first female to cross the line at the Ben’s Smart Marathon By the Sea at the Lily Lake Pavilion Sunday and 14th overall.

"I’m exhausted, it was good," she said, although she showed little sign of fatigue.

The 35-year-old Halifax native living in Toronto made a special trip to the Port City to visit friends and family and to run the marathon.

Her mother and father went with her part of the way - both ran the 5-mile race finishing 107th and 263rd, respectively. They greeted her at the finish line with hugs and praises.

"It was a really difficult course," Allaway said between breaths.

"The hills, a lot of hills right at the end."

She started running seriously about six years ago and in the time since, she’s run six marathons, including the Ben’s Smart Marathon By the Sea, which was her first win.

To take the title, she ran at a pace of less than five minutes per kilometre, of which there were 42.

"I started training for my first marathon and I kind of got hooked after that," she said. "I’d finish one and then I just kept wanting to get better and better."

To do that, she’s dedicated serious time to the sport.

"I run about five days a week and I run all year, but before a race like this I’ll train about four months. I’ll do one or two (marathons) a year," she said.

Although it was a difficult morning, Allaway said she enjoyed the race.

"It’s a really nice marathon, it’s a good size," she said. "Nice scenery."

Maggie Johnson of Quispamsis came in after Allaway in second place at 3:33:56 while Sarah MacKinnon of St. Peters Bay, P.E.I., took third with a time of 3:45:25.

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Cara Allaway, Toronto,Ont., 3:27:14
Maggie Johnson Quispamsis, 3:33:56
Sarah MacKinnon, St. Peters Bay, P.E.I., 3:45:25
Dawn Price, Hampton, 3:57:17
Bev Walsh, Charlottetown, P.E.I, 3:58:26
Claire Cram, Toronto, Ont., 3:59:13
Marlene Henry, Moncton, 3:59:13
Lin Ivany, Moncton, 3:59:12
Brenda Guitard, Saint John, 4:04:36
Elaine Cook, Mohrsville, Pn., 4:04:48
Jenny Murphy, Saint John, 4:06:08

Chris Brake, Saint John, 2:37:19
Alex Coffin, Saint John, 2:50:29
Leo McCosham, Charlottetown, P.E.I., 2:50:38
Tyler Welch, Fort Collins, Co., 3:07:06
Lauchie McKinnon, Sydney, N.S., 3:09:42
Kelvin Marshall, Australia, 3:11:09
George Daniel, Quispamsis, 3:18:14
Brad Kirkpatrick, Saint John, 3:19:57
Jeff Queen, Saint John, 3:20:04
Brent McCumber, Rothesay, 3:19:55

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Matthew McNeil, Saint John,, 1:16:11
Dean Strowbridge, Willow Grove, 1:17:44
Bill Steinburg, Barrie, Ont., 1:23:38
Ronald Blanchard, Oromocto, 1:25:04
Nathan Johnson, Saint John, 1:26:14
Dean Mercer, Rothesay, 1:26:54
Don Murray, Saint John, 1:30:22
Paul Travis, Moncton, 1:31:03
Gary Ogden, Quispamsis, 1:34:42
Michael Breen, Saint John, 1:34:42

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Ali Kilis, Saint John, 29:29
Paul Nozicka, Newbridge, 31:10
Andrew Vail, Saint John, 31:47
Elita Rahn, Carter’s Point, 32:08
Randy Davis, Saint John, 32:52
Michael Zimmerman, Fredericton, 36:15
Cindy Scott, Ottawa, 36:27
Andrew Johnston, Saint John, 37:05
Meddley Deschenes, Quispamsis, 36:07
Bruce Collin, Dieppe, 37:36

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Paula Keating, Miramichi, 1:21:37
Celine Best, Oromocto, 1:36:42
Jessica Steed, Fredericton, 1:37:41
Hannah Arseneault, West Quaco, 1:38:06
Keely Campbell, Fredericton, 1:40:50
Suzanne Doucet, Quispamsis, 1:41:47
Florence Gillis, Sydney, N.S., 1:43:00
Joy Dionne, Quispamsis, 1:44:52
Lucia Marchelli, Italy, 1:45:21
Jacquelyn Levangie, Halifax, 1:45:22

----

Bruce Savoie Saint John, 2:30:31
Cassandra O’Neill, Saint John, 2:43:14
Dave Morris, Rothesay, 2:44:20
John O’Neill, Saint John, 2:50:56
Judy O’Neill, Saint John, 2:52:23
Diana Fowler, Saint John, 2:59:48
Sherry Bagnell, Old Road, 3:02:03
Kathy Dumouchel, Saint John, 3:06:36
Selena Fournier, Saint John, 3:07:26
Chelsey Cleghorn, McAdam, 3:08:53

Marathon Interest Story from www.mynextrace.com - 2011-08-03

Source: Monterey Herald

Referred by www.mynextrace.com

By LANE WALLACE
Herald Staff Writer

Sur International Marathon participants brought the family and opened their wallets when they came to Monterey County in May, spending more than $10 million.

More than 9,000 people participated in this year's race, stayed an average of nearly three nights in a hotel, and brought 1.36 non-participants with them, said an economic impact report prepared for the marathon by Scott Minto, who heads the sports MBA program at San Diego State University.

Organizers were pleased, but not surprised, by the figures, said Julie Armstrong, a spokeswoman for the marathon.

"We really draw a lot of people who make a destination of the marathon. It's a 'bucket list' item for many," she said.

It was the first such report done on the Big Sur event.

The report found 85 percent of participants have a bachelor's degree and their average household income is $156,000.

Minto prepared his report from surveys of 28 percent of race participants. That is a high percentage that makes the report "extraordinarily accurate," he said. A response of 15 percent is considered comfortable, he said.

When Minto adds what he calls "indirect economic impact" to the $10.2 million in direct spending, the total impact is $18.1 million. That includes the value of goods and services that support tourism-related businesses, and labor income generated by event-related spending.

Race visitors spent an average of $142 person on food, shopping and transportation, and that doesn't include spending at the marathon's Health and Fitness Expo, held in downtown Monterey before the race. Spending at that event was $481,000, but Minto doesn't count a lot of that as local impact.
Most of the vendors were from out of the county — local vendors brought in $120,000.

Local governments are the beneficiaries of sales taxes and hotel taxes generated by the marathon. Minto estimated $603,000 from sales tax, including the expo, and $259,000 in hotel taxes.

Some participants flew in — 20 percent each to San Jose and San Francisco, 8 percent to Monterey — and 49 percent drove.

Jenna Palacio, spokeswoman for the Monterey County Convention and Visitors Bureau, said events such as the marathon "bring a passionate group" and help promote the county.

"It supports our brand," she said.

Armstrong said there was consideration of not having the report done this year, because the marathon route had to be changed because of a slide on Highway 1, but the decision was made to go ahead.

Minto prepared a report on the Big Sur Half Marathon, held every November. The report calculated $5.1 million in direct spending and $422,000 in taxes generated.

Both are about half what the full marathon brings in.

Lane Wallace can be reached at 646-4478 or mhbusiness@montereyherald.com.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Marathon's million-dollar impact

$10.2M — Direct spending

12,146 — Hotel room nights

$142 — Average daily spent per person (excluding lodging)

$156K — Average household income

Start thinking about the North American Caribbean Track and Field Championships!! - 2011-07-31

NCCWMA Masters Track & Field Champs Date: August 9-12, 2012 Location: Saint John, NB, Canada Event Web site: www.NCCWMA2012.com Contact person: Bill MacMackin, Phone: 506-647-4931 Email: SaintJohnTrack@Yahoo.ca

Kangogo, Perkins take Scotia Vancouver Half marathon titles with canny performances. - 2011-07-12

		Source: www.canadarunningseries.com Alan Brookes June 26th. Lethbridge’s resident Kenyan, Kip Kangogo, and Washington State’s Ruth Perkins both ran canny, intelligent races this morning to claim victory at the 13th annual Scotiabank Vancouver Half marathon in front of a record field of 4,815 . Another 1,396 ran the companion 5K for a grand total of over 6,200 participants. Equally impressive, more than $600,000 was raised for some 40 — mostly local — charities in the Scotiabank Group Charity Challenge. Weather conditions were also ideal for the runners, as they took off at 7am from UBC on one of the world’s most-scenic courses down to Stanley Park: 12 degrees, a little cloud, and hardly a breath of wind. For Kangogo, it was his third win in a row at SVHM; and he displayed a lot of his racing experience and familiarity with the course, as good competition pushed him to his best time in the 3 victories, of 63:22. From the start, Kanagogo was at the front of a pack of 8 who went through 1km in 3 minutes even, and began to open up an appreciable gap over the rest of the runners. (see VIDEO clip). They settled into a rhythm and passed 2k in 6:03 and 3k in 9:00, around the UBC Campus. By the time they reached 5k in a very even 14:58, then 6k in 18:00, attrition had whittled the pack down to the 5 main contenders: Kanagogo, Athletics Toronto’s Matt Loiselle, Speed River TFCs Rob Watson, Vancouver’s Dylan Wykes, and Lethbridge’s Kenyan student, Willy Kimosop. With the exception of Kimosop, all four are planning to begin training in the next two weeks for Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon on October 16th, when they’ll be racing for the Olympic qualifying standard of 2:11:30 and a trip to London 2012 — so today’s race was a great opportunity to see where current fitness levels are, and to kick-start their Olympic bids. Just after 7k [21:03] Loiselle started to push the pace and in fairly short order the group was down to three. Despite his internationally competitive 62:14 PR at the New York City Half on March 20th, Wykes is coming off a month’s vacation back home with family in Kingston, and he and young Kimosop could not hold on. Loiselle continued to boss the pace down the major hill from UBC onto Spanish Banks, and he, Kanagogo and Watson cruised through 10K in 29:37. Then, as Loiselle kept the pressure on with two more sub 3-minute kilometres [11k in 32:33 & 12k in 35:31] Watson gradually slipped back. As Loiselle and Kangogo continued to turn the screw up the first major rise from Jericho Beach to 4th Avenve, the break became complete and the race was down to two (13k in 38:38 with hill). “I wanted to come here and give it my best shot,” said a satisfied Watson after the race. “There was no point in coming here to run for 3rd or 4th, so I wanted to get up there and give it a shot.” Kangogo strategically tucked in behind Loiselle through Point Grey, allowing his younger adversary to do the lifting until the pace began to slip between 14k & 15k [41:46 & 44:55]. He moved out to take charge. After softening up Loiselle through Kits Beach, Kangogo dropped the hammer going up the kilometre-long rise on Burrard Bridge between 18k and 19k. The move was swift and decisive. Kangogo then covered the 20th kilometre coming down off the bridge in a spritely 2:34 and it was all over. Matt Loiselle hung on for a strong 2nd place in 63:47 [a new PR], and Rob Watson stayed tough to hold off a late move from Dylan Wykes for 3rd and 4th places [64:20 and 64:35]. As @robbiedxc tweeted, “that bridge sucked. I wanted to jump off”. Kimosop took 5th in 66:04, and Loiselle’s improving training partner, Rejean Chiasson, was 6th in 66:15. The Women’s race was no less intriguing in it’s outcome, featuring some veterans and some exciting new, up-and-coming talent. As I asked in yesterday’s Preview Blog, would this be Keddi-Anne Sherbino’s “Coming out party or her come-uppance?” The 21 year-old student from Tsawwassen has burst onto the scene with two marathon runs and two victories: 2:53 in Okanagan last Fall and then a 10-minute improvement to 2:43 in Vancouver on May 1st. In the end it was neither. Keddi -Anne showed there is definitely a talent to be developed with some more-structured training, clocking a solid 1:18:09 for 6th, and less than 2 minutes back of winner Ruth Perkins (1:16:14). Like Kip Kangogo, the 32 year-old mother of two, Perkins, showed her guiles in getting today’s victory. Two other new Canadian talents on the road — Port Moody’s Natasha Wodak and St. John’s, Newfoundland’s Kate Vaughan — pushed the early pace and created some considerable excitement. Both ran the 5,000m on the track at the Canadian Nationals in Calgary on Friday night, where the rivals from opposite ends of the country actually roomed together. Much more of a 5,000m and 10,000m track runner, Wodak said she went out “much too fast. I was 34:34 at 10k. I was faster for my 5k split this morning than I was on the track for 5,0000m Friday night! The last 5k were painful, but I’m glad I hung on and finished strong. My 1:17:14 today was 5 minutes faster than the only other half marathon I’ve run, about 4 years ago. I enjoyed the roads this morning much more than the track on Friday! But I’m going to have to do more training if I’m going to race this far again.” The more-experienced American, who is working on her speed in early build up to the US Olympic Marathon Trials in Houston in January, bided her time. Perkins ran behind Vaughan and Wodak until Natasha injudiciously surged ahead after 5k. The American then ran with Vaughan until around 10k, when she moved out in pursuit of the speedy Wodak. “Around 13 or 14k I just went BAM and everything just seized up,” said Wodak. Perkins caught her at that key point around 18k going onto the uphill of the Burrard Bridge. “I tried to fight her off,” said Wodak, “but she just went by me. All I could do was watch her!” A very satisfied Perkins said that she also wanted to “practice racing today, not just going for a time. I wanted to race the other girls.” The 26-year-old Vaughan then passed Wodak to take 2nd in 1:16:24 — just 10 seconds behind Perkins and closing. “I was pleased with today. It was ok,” said the Newfoundlander. “I would have liked to run a bit faster, but the legs just weren’t as peppy as I’d like after Friday night.” She will go onto defend her title and shoot for a course record (55:47) at her hometown “Telly Ten” next month, arguably the best race in Atlantic Canada. Last year she ran 56:36 there, the 3rd fastest women’s time at the race, and the fastest time there in almost 20 years. After the Telly Ten, Vaughan will aim for a breakthrough performance at the Scotia Toronto Waterfront Half. We’ll see Natasha Wodak next in the CRS’ OASIS ZooRun 10K on September 24th — again the Athletics Canada National 10K Road Championships. Vancouver’s Gillian Gook had a quietly impressive run for 4th in 1:17:33, and Calgary’s Emily Kroshus, who was crowned National Marathon Champion after her win in Ottawa a month ago, began her comeback with a 1:18:58 for 7th, one place behind Keddi-Anne Sherbino. Fellow Calgarian and defending Champion, Lisa Harvey, had a tough day with some new orthotics and struggled home 9th in 1:20:11. Toronto’s Jane Cullis perhaps had the toughest day, clocking a disappointing 1:20:18 for 10th — 4 minutes off the breakthrough time she ran in Toronto 5 weeks ago. Harvey’s run was still good enough to earn her top Women’s Masters Honours. The Men’s Masters crown went to Vancouver’s Kevin O’Connor who came home in an impressive 70:18, 8th overall. Stanley Park, with the snow-capped North Shore Mountains and the Pacific Ocean as a backdrop, provided an appropriately inspirational Finish Line for an exciting morning of racing, running and fundrasing. Runner’s World’s Coach Jenny Hadfield gave the event “Two thumbs up! Beautiful course. Great crowd support. And a very cool finisher’s medal.” And David Porte closed out the day for me with an enormous smile. He personally raised $44,000 for Juvenile Arthritis, as the captain of “Cassie and Friends” team, AND was kind enough to share the team’s celebratory chocolate cake with us!

Weekly bulletin from www.alexcoffin.com - 2011-06-27

Inspiration for this week!! The Sea Dogs getting drafted to the NHL of course! A big thanks to Yvon Vautour for bringing the “cups” to work!! “Snookie” won the recent waist measurement challenge with the Weight Loss Group. This employee lost 1.5 inches!! Real names are kept secret for the challenge but this is still very inspirational for the rest of our employees!! E-mail me if you are interested in taking part in our summer challenge!! Coach Maureen, who helps coordinate the weight loss group, is offering a free boot camp on Thursdays at 12:10pm from the Golden Ball. Each participant receives a gift certificate from Alex!! Important News THE HEART AND STROKE FOUNDATION 2011 STROKE MONTH REPORT WARNS: Low stroke awareness puts women at risk of cutting their lives short Read the HSF Stroke Month Report 2011, watch the video, and learn the stroke warning signs here: http://smr.newswire.ca/en/heart-and-stroke-foundation/stroke-is-urgent Strength Tip Don’t forget about your legs and knee stability!! A great addition to squats is side steps on to a step. As you get stronger, you can start holding weights. A nice routine is 10 reps each leg. This is a fantastic way to enhance your lateral stability!! Swimming/ Water Running Tip Wetsuits last forever so they are a great investment. Not only do they help you swim with proper form but they also act like a life jacket if you start to struggle. The buoyancy of the suit keeps your hips and legs high so you don’t drag your body through the water. Most wetsuits are so buoyant that you can sit in the water with your head above the surface without using your arms or legs to scull!! A big tip for open water is to always wear a bright swim cap so that you are visible to boats!! Flexibility/ Stretching/ Core Tip Before I did “bam stretching”. This week is isometric stretching and two crucial stretches for runners and walkers are featured. Isometric stretching involves adding resistance to a stretch without the changing the muscle length. This is a very aggressive technique and is often done in a partner situation. However, there are two fairly easy stretches that can help walkers/runners in two major trouble areas; the hamstrings and the ilio-tibial band. For the hamstrings, you situate yourself by a door so that one leg is on the floor through the door and the other leg rests straight up against the wall frame beside the door. Once you get yourself in a position where you feel a stretch in your hamstrings, you apply gentle pressure against the wall frame with your leg. It is great to do this in grades where you slide yourself three times further through the door increasing the angle of your leg up pausing for a full minute each time for the stretch! For the IT band stretch, you merely lay on your back and cross one leg over your body. With your opposite arm’s hand on the side of your upper leg above the knee, apply gentle pressure downwards as you attempt to lift your leg upwards. Do the 3 grades for each side and you have just done an incredible stretching session. The caution here is this is meant as a session on it’s own so you warm up first with a jog or a walk, do this stretching session which takes about 10 minutes and then warm down with a jog or a walk. This is the perfect workout to support your other walk/runs!!! And you can still say “bam” after each stretch!! Walking Tip These are the longest days of the summer so try an early morning walk to start your day off right!! It is bright like the middle of the day but you don’t have to worry about the traffic as much. When you walk in the morning, try to split your breakfast in two so that you have a something before for energy but not so much that you feel uncomfortable. My choice this morning was a yogurt and fruit beforehand. Then I had a bowl of cereal afterwards!! Running Tip I talked about tempo runs last week. This week, I’ll mention a great option for ensuring you get an effective tempo run which is using a race!! If you enter some races as training, this takes a lot of pressure off and helps you gain experience for your goal event later. Most events are fundraisers so you are helping out a cause and it is a nice way to push the pace a little bit. The effort will feel a lot easier with other people than it will when by yourself individually!! Two excellent options coming up are the Lacrosse Fundraiser 5K Run this Sunday at 10am from Barnhill School and then on Canada Day, there is an event in Grand Bay- Westfield that includes a 10 miler, 10K and a 5K!! Article of the Week This is a very interesting article on the possible effects of exercising too much. This study was specific to cyclists… http://runningmagazine.ca/2011/06/sections/training/blogs/how-much-exercise-is-too-much/ Healthy BBQ Ideas- Prepared by Registered Dietitian Karen Simon It is barbeque season. Why not pick up fresh whole wheat hamburger and hot dog buns at the bakery. Sobeys also carries gluten free hamburger and hot dog buns in the natural source department. Topping for that burger? Did you know Heinz now makes low sodium ketchup? It has 60 mg of sodium per tablespoon, compared to 140 mg per tablespoon in regular ketchup. Contest of the Week Last week’s answer was Jamie McSkimming - Toronto, ON - 25:33 (1981) and Michelle Cormier - Fredericton, NB - 29:59 (1999). Carolyn Prebble wins!! This week’s contest is a real eye opener. Vegetables can help hydrate you but I was shocked at how much water is found in vegetables that I would have considered “dry”. What % of broccoli is usually made up of water and what is the main anti-oxidant that you find in broccoli?

New champion dedicates Manitoba Marathon win to people with disabilities - 2011-06-24

CTV News

A new champion took the Manitoba Marathon crown Sunday morning, finishing almost nine minutes ahead of his closest competitor as last year's winner fell back to 4th place.

"I'm so excited…I'm so happy" said Philip Samoei shortly after crossing the finish line in first place. "It was tough for me. I wanted to run in front so that if someone caught up it would be ok, so I really pushed myself the whole race."

Samoei finished with a time of 2:35:45.6, followed by Adam Aleshka at 2:44:09.8. Last year's winner, Mike Booth, finished in 4th place with a time of 2:44:54.3.

"I didn't run for money, I ran for support of those with disabilities," said Samoei who is native to Kenya. "It's good to support them."

He wasn't the only runner hitting the pavement for a cause.

"I work with adults and children with physical and intellectual disabilities," said the top female, Gina Tessman. "So what better race to run than the Manitoba Marathon?"

Tessman finished with a time of 2:58:04.4, improving vastly on her 19th place finish last year.

"It's a long three hours," said the 25-year-old who just returned to Winnipeg after her honeymoon in Cuba. "Just making sure you don't start off too hard, I think that's everybody's goal. Just keeping the pace and then trying to pick it up the last mile, if that's possible. I'm pretty excited and I couldn't have done it without my team."

The Manitoba Marathon is a fundraiser for people with disabilities. Since the race began in 1979, runners have raised more than $4 million and helped kick start more than 300 projects across the province. As a result, hundreds of Manitobans have been moved from institutionalized care and welcomed back into their communities.

MacLennan, Brown capture Miles Marathon titles - 2011-06-24

Chronicle Herald

NEW GLASGOW — David MacLennan crossed the finish line and entered the record books at the 36th annual Johnny Miles Marathon in New Glasgow on Sunday.

The Scotsburn resident won for the eighth time, breaking the tape at 2:48:23. The win ties him with Bob Russell for the all-time lead.

"It’s great to have done it, now I can forget about doing it," the four-time Blue Nose Marathon winner said with a smile moments after crossing the finish line.

Scott Clark of Summerside, P.E.I. (2:53:46) and Sydney’s Donald Macintyre (2:55:30) rounded out the top three.

The weather on Sunday was ideal for distance running. Mainly overcast skies gave way to the occasional patch of sun with a light breeze. Rain started to fall just as the marathoners started crossing the finish line.

MacLennan said that although he hoped to be a little faster, he was thrilled with the win and tying the record. He admitted his legs were heavy the whole way but his main focus was on being first to the line. Being able to race at home and do well is important to MacLennan, he said.

"This is my marathon," said MacLennan. "You really want to do well. Your family is here and stuff so it’s great to do well."

Beth Ellen Brown also did well on Sunday, perhaps starting a streak of her own.

The Charlottetown resident, running in just her second marathon and her first Johnny Miles, came away with the win, crossing the line in 3:30:08. It was a best time by eight minutes and Brown said she couldn’t be happier.

"It was a great result," she said. "For me it’s pretty good."

Brown made the trip to New Glasgow last year to run in the half marathon before taking on her first marathon last October. She said the quality of the event makes the trip well worth it.

"The race is excellent. It’s flat and it’s just beautiful."

Alexandra Maher of St. John’s (3:40:01) and Lyse Leblanc of Belle Cote (3:40:30) completed the women’s podium.

Almost 2,000 people participated in Sunday’s event, which included the marathon, a half marathon, 10k and 5k races.

Besides Brown and MacLennan, other winners on Sunday included Matthew White of Dartmouth (1:20:36) and Manda Watt of Truro (1:35:27) in the half marathon, Brent Addison of Hammonds Plains (33:10) and Emily Hamilton of Dartmouth (39:32) in the 10k and South River’s Patrick Marlow (17:35) and Rayleen Hill of Dartmouth (18:05) in the 5k.

As for whether or not MacLennan will take a stab at win No. 9 next year, he said it’s a little early to think about but he’ll likely be at the start line.

"We’ll be here next year, that’s all I can tell you for sure."

Saskatchewan Marathon runners feed off competition - 2011-06-19

By Taylor Lambert, The StarPhoenix

After finishing second last year, Saskatoon’s Brian Michasiw was hoping for — but not expecting — a better result this time around at the Saskatchewan Marathon.

And while the five-time winner finished as the runner-up once again to Brendan Lunty of Camrose, Alta., the day was a victory nonetheless.

Michasiw’s time of two hours, 36 minutes and 55 seconds was a personal best, edging his previous top time by nearly three minutes.

“I’m 42 and I’ve been running marathons for 20 years,” said Michasiw, the owner of Brainsport running shop.

“I owe a lot to Brendan for that because he just pushed me along.”

Lunty’s time of 2:35:08 shaved two minutes and 34 seconds off his winning time last year.

“I feel fantastic. I feel great,” said Lunty. “I feel like I could run five more (kilometres).”

Lunty lingered after crossing the finish line along Pinehouse Drive, waiting for Michasiw to cross. The two runners embraced and congratulated each other after running nearly the entire 42 km race side by side and ahead of the pack.

“If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t have been nearly as fast as I was,” said Lunty. “We were pushing each other for 34 km. If he wasn’t there, maybe I still win, but I wouldn’t have had nearly the time that I did.”

Michasiw also enjoyed the competitive companionship along the route.

“I feel so lucky to have had him to run with for so far,” Michasiw said. “It just makes the kilometres melt away like nothing.

“It was obvious that I wasn’t able to keep his tempo up and he just slowly pulled away from me. I don’t think I slowed down very much, he just sped up.”

Jamesy Patrick of Saskatoon was the top women’s finisher in the marathon with a time of 3:20:25. The men’s half-marathon was won by Jamie Epp of Saskatoon in 1:16:57, while Erin Humphreys and Marcia Richards of Saskatoon tied for the victory in the women’s half-marathon in 1:27:57.

The day also featured a 10 km race, and a two km Marafun event featuring 390 elementary school students.

The sky threatened rain and the slight wind made things a bit nippy for the organizers and spectators, but gave the participants a perfect running day.

“It’s cool, there’s a breeze, it’s perfect,” said Lunty.

Added Michasiw: “I don’t know how many times I’ve run this race and it’s a little cold or a little snowy. But today was just unbelievable.”

The win is Lunty’s first back-to-back victory in any marathon. Asked what is next on his to-do list, he didn’t hesitate.

“A shower and a beer.”

Patrick gets first top finish

As Jamesy Patrick crossed the finish line at the Saskatchewan Marathon Sunday morning, she followed the ritual of pretty much every other runner.

She accepted her medal from a volunteer. She took the cup of water and plastic shawl offered. She caught her breath and high-fived whomever was in close proximity.

Then she pulled out her phone.

The Saskatoon resident grew up on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast, where her parents live, and she had to call them to tell them she had just won the women’s marathon — her first victory ever.

“It felt pretty good,” said Patrick. “I have to say, it’s like the most organized race. The people on the course are amazing and it makes a huge difference.”

Patrick ran the 42-kilometre course in three hours, 20 minutes and 25 seconds, a significant improvement over her time of 3:34:42 from last year’s event, when she finished fourth in the women’s class.

A University of Saskatchewan law student, she joined other runners in praising the cool and cloudy conditions as helpful for endurance.

“This is perfect,” said Patrick, 27. “No one wants hot sun on a marathon day.”

Celeste Crosschild placed second in 3:21:21, while Kristy Husulak, in 3:30:30, rounded out the all-Saskatoon podium with a third-place finish.

All three of the women had significant improvements over their times from last year: Crosschild shaved nearly six minutes off her second-place time from 2010, while Husulak improved by 39 minutes after an eighth-place finish last time.

As hometown athletes, all three women received cheers from the crowd at the start/finish line along Pinehouse Drive.

For Patrick, running is something she took up early in her undergraduate career, and she has come a long way since then.

“(My first marathon) was awful,” she said. “It took me four hours and 17 minutes. But I just got hooked.”

For this, her sixth marathon, Patrick continued her usual training, though she made it sound like no big deal, saying she runs only “for fun.”

That fun includes running about 10 to 15 km per day, as well as a biweekly excursion of 20 to 30 km.

While the average person might balk at such impressive dedication, it paid off for Patrick as she accepted a gold medal in her hometown race.

“It’s an honour."

Humidity was tough at the National Capital Marathon - 2011-05-31

Source: Ottawa Citizen

If Laban Moiben of Kenya and Kebebush Haile Lema of Ethiopia had a chance to sit down over a cup of coffee after the wet and warm 37th Ottawa Marathon, they would have discovered they had a lot in common when it comes to Canada's most successful race over 42.195 kilometres.

They could open the conversation by talking about their past Ottawa Race Weekend experiences, where neither of them had reached the top step of the medal podium, but had come extremely close in their previous two attempts over the past four years. In 2007, Lema was second in two hours 35 minutes 41 seconds and third in 2008 in 2: 33: 48, while Moiben also was a runner-up in 2010 in 2: 09: 43 and fourth in 2009 in 2: 14: 17.

But all of that changed Sunday, when Moiben and Lema discovered what it felt like to be crowned the Ottawa Marathon champion and they're $20,000 U.S. richer each for it. Their fast times also earned them bonuses of $5,000 for Moiben and $1,500 for Lema.

Moiben, who ran strongly in a dwindling pack for most of the race before asserting himself over the final 400 metres, took the men's title in 2: 10: 17.9, while Lema was the women's champion in 2: 32: 14.0

If they talked about their races, they would have learned the humidity affected both of their performances, slowed their times and seriously prevented them from challenging the race records.

"The rain was the difference, the humidity. I tried my best," said Laban, who felt cooler temperatures and no rain would have allowed him to beat Arata Fujiwara's race record of 2: 09: 34. "The humidity was very high.

"The time is nice as I was under 2: 11. But my goal was to run 2: 08 to 2: 09. It was the humidity I didn't like."

When Lema, 25, stood at the start line, she wasn't confident she would have a memorable race, even though she was the top-ranked runner in the field based on a oneyear-old personal best time of 2: 25: 31.

"I didn't think I would do well," she said through a translator. "The air was not good. It was difficult. It was very difficult to breathe."

Manny Rodrigues, the Ottawa Race Weekend elite athletes' co-ordinator, agreed with Moiben and Lema.

"If we didn't have the humidity, we would have seen a 2: 08. The pacesetters (six for men, two for women) did a great job," he said.

As their conversation moved along, Lema and Moiben would discover that they both were coming off injuries that interrupted their training schedules. Lema had to deal with a hip issue, while Moiben pulled a muscle in his right leg two weeks ago.

"I am much better now," Lema said.

Moiben wasn't 100 per cent healthy for his run on the new marathon course, which snaked through Chinatown, Little Italy, Westboro, Gatineau and downtown Ottawa, and attracted a record entry of 5,024 runners.

"I'm not in good shape," he said. "I'm in average shape, about 80 to 90 per cent."

While Moiben was happy overall with the final result, runner-up Dereje Abera Ali of Ethiopia would have been happier if he hadn't miscalculated the location of the finish line. He was running with Moiben and countryman Dino Sefir Kemal, when he pulled up with 100 metres remaining, thinking he had reached the finish.

OTTAWA MARATHON RESULTS

See the Top 10 list of finishers for both the men's and women's marathon and half-marathon on the scoreboard page, B4.

Ali eventually crossed the finish line in 2: 10: 18.8 and earned $12,000 for second place and a $5,000 time bonus. Kemal, competing in his marathon debut, was third in 2: 10: 32.4 for $10,000 and a $5,000 time bonus.

Ethiopia's Biruktawit Eshetu Degefa was second in the women's marathon in 2: 33: 14.7 for $12,000 and a $1,500 time bonus. Radiya Adilo Roba completed the Ethiopian medal sweep with a third-place finish in 2: 36: 58.1 for a $10,000 pay cheque and a $750 time bonus.

A little further back in each of the men's and women's fields were Canadian champions Lucas McAneney of Toronto and Calgary-born Emily Kroshus, who lives in Boston while pursuing her doctoral studies in public health at Harvard University.

McAneney, who was hit by cramps at the 35-kilometre mark but worked his way through it, won his first national men's championship and $5,000 in 2: 19: 51.8. He finished 11th overall.

"The crowds were a major help over the last five to six kilometres," he said"It's great to be the Canadian champion. My goal was to win the championship. I did what I had to do."

Kroshus, who was thrilled to see her husband Matt Hawrilenko finish his first marathon in 4: 14: 01.3, had trained to run a faster time and wasn't pleased with her winning performance of 2: 42: 26.2, which was a personal-best time.

"I went for it early, but the pace was too aggressive for the day. I backed off," said Kroshus, who was hoping to run about 2: 38.

"Today was not necessarily my best day, but I stayed tough. I kept telling myself not to give up."

Quebec City runners dominated the half-marathons, winning both the men's and women's titles and taking four of the six medals.

Stanislas Papadimitiou won the men's race in 1: 12: 49.1, while Johann Salazar was second in 1: 13: 59.1.

Third place went to Charles Nedeau of Ottawa in 1: 14: 32.8.

In the women's race, Melissa Chenard of Quebec placed first in 1: 22: 54.4, while Kerri Cook of Ottawa was second in 1: 25: 34.2, and Marianne Pelchat of Quebec was third in 1: 27: 24.2.

The only major health incident in Sunday's races involved a man who suffered a heart attack Sunday morning near the starting line for the half-marathon, said race director John Halvorsen.

Runners nearby administered CPR before medics arrived, and the man was later taken to hospital.

Marlene Orton, a spokeswoman for the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, declined to provide any details on the man's status, citing patient confidentiality.

Wieczorek continues hot streak from Boston - 2011-05-23

Source: Chronicle Herald

Greg Wieczorek was widely expected to win Sunday’s Scotiabank Blue Nose Marathon, but not necessarily in a romp.

The Halifax resident originally from Ontario won his second straight Blue Nose title, smashing the course record by more than seven minutes in 2:28:53. He broke the standard of 2:35:35 set by Scotsburn’s David MacLennan in the inaugural Blue Nose in 2004.

He won by more than half an hour over Summerside’s Scott Clark, who placed second in 2:59:14. Clark, now with three second-place finishes and three thirds in the last six years, and two runners along side him took a wrong turn at the 22-kilometre mark and ran at least four additional kilometres.

Under grey skies with a cool breeze and occasional mist, Wieczorek ran even splits of 1:14, saving fuel early for the second half and the hills of Dartmouth. The 29-year-old chartered accountant for the Homburg Group said running conditions were ideal.

"You couldn’t ask for a better day," said Wieczorek, wrapped in a thermal blanket near the finish line in the moments after the race. "The temperature was perfect and there was a negligible breeze. All in all the marathon gods were smiling down upon us today."

All Blue Nose events on the weekend combined attracted more than 10,400 registered runners, up from 9,500 last year. Saturday’s youth run drew 3,100.

Wieczorek nearly matched his career-best of 2:28:08 from a marathon in Washington, D.C., in March. He was second overall in that event and top Canadian.

Last October in New York, he ran a 2:30:43 and was also top Canadian. He’ll run the Chicago Marathon in October.

Wieczorek and MacLennan, a four-time Blue Nose winner, are the only back-to-back champions. MacLennan opted out of the full marathon this year and placed second in the half-marathon.

"Two in a row — it’s nice to keep the streak going," said Wieczorek, whose wife Maura was second in the women’s marathon in 3:18:21. "I hope to be a fixture at this race for years to come. We’ll see if I’ve got more in me in future years."

Wieczorek and his wife only moved to Halifax three weeks before last year’s marathon.

He knew of MacLennan by reputation before embarking on his first Blue Nose run.

He tipped his cap to MacLennan Sunday as he took the course record.

"To eclipse the mark set by a Nova Scotia marathon legend like David is a real honour," said Wieczorek, who ran a 2:39:03 to win in 2010. "It’s very humbling. He’s got an amazing track record and I feel very fortunate to have followed in his shoes."

It was a solitary jaunt through Halifax and Dartmouth for the champion.

A training partner paced him for the first 45 minutes, but he didn’t see anybody after that. He came through the midway mark a full four minutes ahead of Mike MacKinnon of Miscouche, P.E.I.

Clark decided to complete the race despite his disappointment at the events on the course. He was nearly six minutes behind Wieczorek at the half.

He stopped short of blaming organizers for the miscue, but said there was ample confusion on the course, which has plagued the Blue Nose in the past, with so many runners in various events on the roads.

He added it’s not the first time he’s taken a wrong turn in Halifax and that’s it’s deflating after spending so much time in training.

"Three of us got misdirected …right after the half and we ended up running an extra four to four and a half kilometres before we got back on course. So it was hard to keep my heart in it after that.

"It’s confusing out there," he added. "There are so many people out and so many different directions. It’s unfortunate. I’m not complaining about it. It’s our responsibility to know the way and we got lost. It happens. I tried to make a positive out of it."

Clark said Wieczorek’s time is extraordinary given the roller-coaster ride that is the Blue Nose layout.

"I’ve run a lot of courses in North America and this is by far one of the toughest. Good for Greg. He deserves the course record here. On this course, that’s unbelievable."

New Glasgow’s Kevin Tulloch was third in 2:59:31. Ryan Nutbrown of London, Ont., was fourth in 3:00:01 and MacKinnon fifth in 3:01:15.

A month after an ailing Mylene Sansoucy trudged through the Boston Marathon, the Halifax resident ran the Scotiabank Blue Nose Marathon healthier and in near record time.

Competing in her first Blue Nose marathon, the 29-year-old — originally from Montreal but now living in Halifax — crossed the finish in three hours 56 seconds, less than a minute off the record pace of 3:00:07.8 set by 2009 women’s champion Jen Nicholson.

It was the second straight victory in the women’s full marathon for a Montreal-raised runner. Kinue Taga won the 2010 Blue Nose event.

The victory helped ease the raw memories of last month’s Boston Marathon. Battling a nasty cold and flu-like symptoms, Sansoucy was 44 minutes slower in Boston than she was on Sunday.

"I was very sick," recalled Sansoucy, who’s been living in Nova Scotia since October.

"That marathon would have been really easy but I was in bad shape. I did 3:44 because I was so sick. I was just happy to finish it. I was completely dehydrated and sick for days after it. I certainly didn’t perform as I wanted so now I am very satisfied to post a really good one.

"I was looking for 3:10, my best time before was 3:11 in Montreal, so I am completely satisfied."

Maura Wieczorek of Halifax was second with a time of 3:18:21.

Sansoucy said the cool, overcast conditions were "perfect for running."

Once she put Giv’er Hill, the steep incline on Maple Street in Dartmouth, behind her, it was smooth sailing for Sansoucy.

"The hills in Dartmouth were quite rough with the wind," Sansoucy said. "But I’m used to hills, having run in Quebec City.

"But after those hills, it was really nice around the lake (Lake Micmac and Lake Banook)."

All was not lost for Wieczorek, whose husband Greg captured the men’s marathon in record time.

Still, her pace was well off the 3:05:44 she posted at the Washington SunTrust Marathon in Washington, D.C., in late March. Wieczorek was sixth among the women in the U.S. capital.

With that result, excitement had built leading up to Sunday’s races that the Wieczoreks could be joining each other in the winner’s circle in Halifax.

"It would have been nice to join Greg," said Wieczorek, who was otherwise pleased with her performance.

"Last year, I had to walk quite a bit so what I wanted to do this year was improve on my time. I worked hard out there and I got sick three times so I’m happy I finished. It was a solid effort."

Margot Doucet of St. John’s, N.L. (3:21:36) was third followed by Halifax’s Suzanne Ferrier (3:26:57) and Kim MacAskill of Kanata, Ont. (3:29:28).

Check out race photos at:
http://thechronicleherald.ca/ch_includes/newslideshow.php?gallery=230363

Mississauga Marathoners battle the rain!! - 2011-05-16

Source: The Toronto Star Despite rainy conditions, thousands of runners trekked onward to the finish line at Lakefront Promenade Park in Port Credit during the eighth annual Mississauga Marathon this morning. The 42-kilometre race began just east of Square One at City Centre Dr. and Robert Speck Pkwy before concluding in front of hundreds of cheering fans greeting the runners at the finish line. Josphat Nzinga of Toronto took this year’s title completing course in 2 hours, 27 minutes and 50 seconds. Jacob Mengich of Brampton was second at 2:31.44 while John Dow of Barrie was the bronze medalist, finishing at 2:47.25 The top Mississauga finisher was Sean Kriby, who finished sixth in 2:50.57. Tracy Wollschlager of Novi, Michigan was the top female with a mark of 3:01.15 to finish 27th overall. The top female from Mississauga was Kerry Walker, who finished 43rd overall (fifth among women) at 3:09.55. Lionel Sanders of Windsor won the half-marathon with a time of 1:07.41, 12 seconds ahead of the closest competitor, last year’s winner Jhon Quispe-Sanchez of Milton. Kevin Smith was the first Mississaugan to cross the line at 1:14.51 to finish fourth overall while Toronto’s Lucy Njeri was the top woman in the race, finishing sixth with a mark of 1:16.06. "We’re very happy with the turnout," said Ben McCarty of Landmark Sport Group’s event division, who organized this year’s marathon. "It hasn’t been spectacular with sunshine but the rain has held off for both starts on Saturday night and Sunday morning." This year’s Marathon featured over 10,000 runners competing in seven different events over two days. It fell below last year’s record setting 14,000 mark partly because of the Good Life Fitness Toronto Marathon, also taking place today. "With Toronto unfortunately being on our date, it looks like our numbers are going down," Mississauga run spokeswoman Sharon Podatt told the Toronto Star earlier this week. "And they should be going up. The number (of runners) typically has increased year over year." Despite the decrease in participants, it didn’t deter many international competitors from attending the Marathon, now a certified Boston Marathon qualifier. "I have some elite athletes that have applied for visas and they’ve come from Kenya and Ethiopia," said McCarty. "There’s a couple from Brazil as well so a really strong international field this year." Aside from the full and half marathon, the day also featured a Corporate/Team Relay race and a 2K Family Fun Run. Campbell & Lee Investment Management from Oakville were the top dogs in their first year running the Corporate/Team Relay race. "It was nice to win because its good sort of team building for the firm," said president Bruce Campbell. "(The Marathon) is well organized and there was a lot of support. I was running the anchor leg so I got the benefit of everybody cheering." This year’s Mississauga Marathon helped raise funds for numerous charities including the Colorectal Cancer Association of Canada, Trillium Health Centre oncology Unit, Credit Valley Hospital Foundation, United Way of Peel Region, MS Society Mississauga Chapter, Jerry Love Children’s Fund and the YMCA.

Goodlife Toronto was wet too!! - 2011-05-16

Source: Globe and Mail

There was no word more fitting to describe the day of the 2011 GoodLife Toronto Marathon than “raw”.

It was a chill spring Sunday morning, with a drizzle that turned to icy snow showers from time to time. A blustery wind whipped in from everywhere.

And so did 25-year-old Brendan Kenny of Dundas, Ont., who won the 35th running of the GoodLife Toronto marathon race. It was not a world-beating time -- 2 hours 27 minutes 20 seconds -- but it was a foul-weather wonder, nonetheless.

The time qualified Kenny for next April’s Boston Marathon classic. And it beat back the long font-running lead of Kenyan-born Josphat Ongeri, a stablemate of London Olympic prospect Reid Coolsaet. Ongeri, who now lives in Hamilton, Ont., led from the fifth kilometre to the 40th of the 42.2 km race. But Ongeri is basically a half-manathoner and he faded in the stretch. He was timed almost a minute slower at 2:29.19.

Kenny, a 25-year-old high school teacher who trains on his own, was second in the last Toronto Marathon.

He was pulling for his 50-year-old mother Sally to make the Boston qualifying standard with him (she was 190th in 4:10, missing out by 5 minutes).

“It’s only the second time I’ve run this marathon,” he said. “The first half of the course is definitely faster than the second. It was definitely good, tough conditions with the rain and the wind... And you’ve always got to respect the distance, 42 kilometres. In the end, the leader came back to me.”

Nashville, Ontario’s’s Melissa Begin posted the fastest time among women in the marathon, finishing in 2:54:51, the 34 year-old’s first ever marathon win. Second was Nathalie Goyer of St. Bruno, Que.., at 2:58:20.

Eliud Lagat, from the running hotbed of Eldoret, Kenya, won the half-marathon at 1:10:39 with former Olympic silver medalist and world champ Douglas Wakihuri a respectful distance behind at 1:14:09. Toronto’s Jane Cullis won the women’s half-marathon in 1:16.44.

With the race moved to a spring slot for the first time this season, after Toronto motorists whined about two fall marathons clogging Sunday streets, the field for the GoodLife Toronto marathon fell just short of the 10,000 who participated in the past. Some 2,00 participated in the full marathon event, which started at Mel Lastman Square on Yonge Street in North York.

The race couldn’t offer the prize money to attract big name runners but took on the air of a social-cause rallying point. Big-time charities took up the slack, with the Japan Relief Fund -- still billions of dollars shy for reconstruction after the earthquake and tsunami -- being prominent. So also were Princess Margaret Hospital, pancreatic and other cancers, diabetes treatment and bone-marrow registration sponsored by Air Canada pilots.

“It’s rough out there,” said race director Jay Glassman referring to more than race conditions. “People are running for all kinds of causes.”

“Running is always more than running,” said track road legend Roger Robinson, who has represented both Britain and New Zealand in international races. “It’s a sport that has causes.”

Atsushi Kawazu, the event coordinator in Canada for the Japanese charitable body, said there were about 150 runners coming to the tape in “Canada runs for Japan” tee-shirts, worth between $30 and $60. Some 300 were sold for the relief effort.

“It’s helpful, of course,”said Kawazu. “It’s small compared to what people must do in Japan, but it’s our opportunity to do something for the people. We can raise awareness.”

When race Glassman heard that at least 150 Japanese charity workers were either being recruited from Japan or coming from recent immigrants, he dropped the entry registration fee by about 30 per cent.

On March 11, when the magnitude 9 earthquake hit, almost 25,000 people went missing or lost. More than 83,000 households were destroyed. Less than $2-billion in donations have been given; some 99 per cent still needs to be found.

Another major change in the race has come with the strong influx of women runners. About 52 per cent of yesterday’s running field was made up of women.

“When I was starting the lead in the push for women’s running, I saw the difference,” says women’s running pioneer Kathrine Switzer.

“In 1967, a race director tried to get me out of his race just because I’m a woman. Now, who’d have believed the change that has happened in my time?”

Actor gets the press at Vancouver Marathon - 2011-05-16

Source: Vancouver Sun

VANCOUVER -- Actor Charlie Bewley, who raised $20,000 by running in the Bank of Montreal Vancouver marathon Sunday morning, had tears in his eyes as he crossed the finish line, a marathon spokeswoman said.

Deirdre Rowland said the funds raised by Bewley will go to the hospital that helped care for his friend Jocelyn Clarke, a local stunt double, who died of cancer in February.

The money raised by Bewley, who plays the vampire Demetri in the Twilight movie series, will go to the Lions Gate Hospital Foundation.

The marathon raises an estimated $40,000 a year for five different charities.

Organizers say the event drew an estimated 15,000 runners this year; when it began in 1972, there were only 46.

The Vancouver marathon is a scenic course that takes runners along a 42.2-kilometre route through False Creek, Gastown, Stanley Park, English Bay, over the Burrard Bridge, through Point Grey and ending at Concord Place.

This year’s winner was Benard Onsare of Calgary, who came in at 2:19, with Gilbert Kiptoo of Kenya a close second at 2:23.

Last year’s winner, Thomas Omwenga of Kenya, did not return to defend his 2010 title.

Keddi-Anne Sherbino of Kelowna was the first woman to cross the finish line at 2:43, followed by Allison Macsas of Austin, Texas at 2:44.

Sherbino is a member of BC Athletics and last raced the BMO Okanagan marathon in October.

She placed first overall female with a time of 2:53.

The record for the Vancouver marathon was set by Garry Henry of Australia in 1980 with a time of 2:13.

The fastest female time was set by Claudia Camargo in 2007 at 2:35.

ticrawford@vancouversun.com

Top Results included from Boston and Montreal Half!! - 2011-04-19

It's a great start to the year!!

Canadian Half Marathon Championships in Montreal - 2011-04-18

Source: Canadian Runner Magazine On-Line

by Robert Kitz

It was a cold, rainy morning in Montreal for the Canadian half-marathon championships on April 17. But the weather couldn’t dampen the excitement surrounding the highly anticipated match-ups in both the men’s and women’s races.

With an aggressive early pace, Reid Coolsaet and Matt Loiselle quickly broke away from the rest of the field to turn the men’s race into a two-man duel. Loiselle, the underdog, boldly pushed the pace early on. But by halfway, Coolsaet’s pedigree showed as Canada’s top marathoner pulled away to add an eighth Canadian title to his resume. Fighting the wind and rain, Coolsaet crossed the line in 1:04:54, with Loiselle following in 1:05:28.

The women’s race featured established talent Megan Brown, facing off against rising star Dayna Pidhoresky. As in the men’s race, the top two women wasted no time in separating themselves from the rest of the field. After a fast start, Pidhoresky cracked around the half way mark, falling off of the pace and leaving Brown to power home to a 1:14:08 win. Pidhoresky was second in 1:15:03.

Along with the championships, the race featured a field of 3,500 runners, who raised $355,000 for local charities. Full results link is below:

http://www.sportstats.ca/display-results.php?lang=eng&racecode=47812

Ed Whitlock breaks 80+ record!! - 2011-04-11

M80 Ed Whitlock ON finished Sunday’s Rotterdam Marathon in 3:25:43 – breaking Robert Horman’s (AUS) World Record of 3:39:18 (1998) by over 13 minutes! Ed was suffering from the flu in the weeks before the race, so he may lower the record even further at this Fall’s Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon – which is hosting the Ontario Masters Championship.

Comox and First Half Results are in!! - 2011-04-02

The recent top half results from BC are now in! We'll scan for the Ontario results next:)

Two 1:02 finishes at the NYC Half!! - 2011-03-20

Be sure to check out the latest update in the rankings as Dylan Wykes and Reid Coolsaet both run under 1:03 in New York!

Canada's top marathoners will announce their fall marathon plans this evening at the Feet and Fuel event!! - 2011-03-01

Canada's top marathoners Reid Coolsaet, Eric Gillis and Rob Watson will announce their fall 
marathon plans this evening at the Feet and Fuel event in Guelph, Ontario.  Gillis and Watson 
will be using the competition in the hopes of achieving the Olympic Standard of 2:11:30. While 
Coolsaet, the only Canadian to have achieved the standard thus far will look to improve on his 
personal best time of 2:11:23 and has designs of taking aim at Jerome Drayton's Canadian Record 
of 2:10:09.  The Feet and Fuel event, will include presentations by renowned coach Dave Scott-Thomas, 
who coaches the trio and the team's exercise physiologist Dr. Trent Stellingwerff. Scott-Thomas 
and Stellingwerff will discuss training and nutrition for athletes of all abilities. The event will 
take place at the Best Western Royal Brock Hotel in Guelph and will begin at 7 pm.

Dylan Wykes takes First Half - 2011-02-15

		Check out the updated rankings for the top finishers! Congratulations to Dylan Wykes for a new course record and Ellie Greenwood for winning the women's race. This race featured an unusually fast field of 50-59 men and 40-49 women??

Top 20 Marathons of 2010 - 2011-02-14

1. Ottawa Race Weekend (May) Full Run/Walk 4055 Half Run/Walk 9757

2. Scotia Bank Toronto Waterfront (Sep) Full 2718 Half 7893

3. BMO Vancouver Marathon (May) Full 3546 Half 6592

4. Goodlife Royal Victoria Marathon (Oct) Full 2640 Half 5713

5. Marathon Oasis de Montreal (Sep) Full 2116 Half 5956

6. Goodlife Toronto Marathon (Oct) Full 1994 Half 5480

7. Canon Mississauga Marathon (May) Full 1711 Half 5210

8. Manitoba Lotteries Marathon (Jun) Full 682 Half 3889

9. Scotiabank Calgary (May) Full 858 Half 2786

10. Niagara Falls International Marathon (Oct) Full 1067 Half 2398

11. Marathon des Deux-Rives Levis/Quebec (Aug) Full 974 Half 2345

12.     Road2Hope Hamilton (Nov)     Full 1120 Half 1419

13.    Halifax Scotia Bank Bluenose Marathon    (May)            Full 288        Half 1824

14.    Okanagan Marathon (Oct)    Full 482 Half 1515

15.    Regina Credit Union Queen City Marathon   (Sep)        Full 494        Half 1364

16.    Canadian Derby Edmonton Marathon    (Aug)        Full 543        Half 1302

17.    Saskatchewan Marathon (May)                                                       Full 197   Half 1070

18.    Woody’s RV Red Deer Marathon (May)    Full 178     Half 933

19.    PEC The Country Marathon    (Oct)                Full 232        Half 688

20.    Wolfville Valley Harvest Marathon (Oct)                Full 123        Half 671

20.    PEI Marathon Charletown (Oct)            Full 265
        Half 528

Karen Harvey runs 2:43:33 to win Tallahassee - 2011-02-10

		Source: Trouble Afoot Coming from behind, master runner Esteban Vanegas blew by Jerome Recker in the closing miles of the 37th annual Tallahassee Marathon, winning the event in 2:28:38. In her first marathon, Florida State University track coach Karen Harvey debuted with a 2:43:33 win in the women’s division, the fastest time ever run by a woman in the Tallahassee Marathon. The first master woman was women’s runner up Nina Kraft of Braunschweig, Germany, the 2009 Tallahassee Marathon women’s champ who finished seventh overall in 2:51:43. Karen Harvey, after successes as an athlete in the middle distances and cross-country at both the collegiate and international levels, had decided to try the marathon. As the race left the Florida State campus, Harvey slipped by Nina Craft and to the front of the women’s field. Harvey would never relinquish that lead. Even though she was fading in the closing miles, Harvey had opened such a wide gap on her competition that she finished nearly two kilometers ahead of the runner-up, Craft. Karen is the wife of Olympian 1500 meter runner Kevin Sullivan.

Rob Watson gets a 2:16 - 2011-01-30

Source: Canadian Runner Magazine On-Line

January 30, 2011
By Robert Kitz

Canadian steeplechase champion Rob Watson made his debut at the marathon on Sunday morning in Houston. Watson set a fearless early pace, attacking the first half in a blazing 1:05:28. This ambitious start made for a tough second half, as Watson struggled over the final 10km. But he hung on bravely to finish fourth in 2:16:17 — still an impressive time for his first crack at the distance.

(Photo is from Suza20TOs blog and is from Rob running with Eric Gillis in the Toronto Marathon)

Emily Kroshus runs two early fast half marathons - 2011-01-19

		Emily Kroshus who trains out of Boston just won the half marathon title at an event in Irvine, California and then proceeded to run a faster time to finish 3rd at the PF Chang Rock’nRoll Event in Arizona!

Canadian's marathon victory is a wire-to-wire upset! - 2010-12-05

		Debbie Arrington, Sacramento Bee In a stunning wire-to-wire upset, Canadian Dylan Wykes won the 28th California International Marathon on Sunday. Overlooked by his opposition, the 27-year-old runner from Vancouver led virtually the entire 26.2-mile course from Folsom to the state Capitol to finish in 2:12:39, 11 seconds ahead of Audriy Toptun of the Ukraine. Tesfaye Alemayehu of Ethiopia was third, more than a minute behind the top two at 2:13.59. "I just put my head down and kept going," Wykes said shortly after crossing the finish line at 9th Street and Capitol Mall. "The course was unbelievable. The weather was great. I just had to stay within myself. I just stayed focused." This was only Wykes’ fourth marathon - his first in Sacramento and his first victory. His previous personal record was 2:15:15. "They didn’t expect anything of me," said Wykes, who led by more than 300 yards through most of the race. "But this was exactly what I was looking for." A former cross country runner at Providence College in Rhode Island, he hopes to represent Canada in the 2012 London Olympics. On the women’s side, defending champion Buzunesh Deba, 23, of Ethiopia won easily in 2:32:13. She finished 5 minutes 20 seconds ahead of runner-up Erin Moeller, 33, of Mt. Vernon, Iowa. Poland’s Wioletta Kryza, the 2007 CIM women’s champion, finished third in 2:38.19. "It’s a good course," said Deba, who now makes her home in the Bronx borough of New York City. "It was a little wet, but not bad. ... I like Sacramento." Despite the weekend’s rainy forecast, race conditions for the 8,000 runners were ideal with sunny, clear skies and temperatures hovering in the low 50s. Patchy fog on Capitol Mall greeted the pack that finished after the 3-hour mark, but the expected storms held off. Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2010/12/05/3234545/cim-race-begins-in-folsom.html#ixzz17HKaxCnG

Chris Brake completes rare sweep!! - 2009-10-26

		Chris Brake of Saint John completed a rare sweep of the three major fall marathons in New Brunswick. Chris first won the Marathon by the Sea in late September in 2:40. Then 3 weeks later, he ran a course record 2:32 at the KV Challenge Marathon. Just a week after that, Chris ran another course record at the Legs for Literacy Marathon in Moncton finishing in 2:42. Chris's time at the KV Challenge Marathon presently ranks him as the #2 marathoner in Atlantic Canada behind Rami Bardeesy of Halifax and in the top 30 nationally!!

4000 runners took on Edmonton marathon - 2009-09-03

By Chris O'Leary, Edmonton Journal

Photograph by: Walter Tychnowicz, Edmonton Journal

EDMONTON - Under perfect racing conditions, the Intact Insurance Edmonton Marathon housed a handful of new records on Sunday morning.

More than 4,000 runners participated in Saturday’s men’s and women’s 10-kilometre races and today’s half- and full-marathons.

Kenyan-born Calgarian runner Hilary Cheruiyot set a new record in the 42.2-kilometre men’s marathon, crossing the line in 2:23:37. Philip Kipchum Samoei, also of Calgary, finished second at 2:25:35. Winnipeg’s Mike Booth placed third at 2:29:56.

Edmonton’s Karine Betts surprised in the women’s full-marathon, leading the pack with a 3:09:05 finish. Tara Risling (3:13:17) of Calgary and Wendi Campbell of Vancouver (3:13:24) were just seconds apart to claim second and third place, respectively.

Mohamed Trafeh made the trip from Flagstaff, Ariz., worth his while by winning the men’s 21.2-kilometere half-marathon, finishing in 1:02:51. Waterloo’s Kibet Rutto (1:02:56), Lethbridge runners Kip Kangogo (1:04:52) and Willy Kimosop (1:05:26) followed. All four competitors broke the course record of 1:05:41, which was held previously by Kangogo.

New York City’s Alemtsehay Misganaw took the women’s half-marathon with a scorching 1:17:19 finish. Lisa Harvey of Calgary was second at 1:21:26 and Brandi Pozniak of Saskatoon placed third, running at 1:23:47.

“It’s been five years since we’ve taken (this event) over in its new format,” said event director Tom Keogh. “It’s grown considerably from 2,000 (participants) to almost 4,000 this year.”

Champions return to face strong competition at Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon ?09 - 2009-09-01

		TORONTO. September 1^st. Both defending champions, Ethiopia’s Mulu Seboka and Kenya’s Kenneth Mungara, are confirmed to return to the 20^th Anniversary Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon on September 27^th. Seboka had a particularly strong performance last Fall when she ran a new PR and set a course record with her convincing 2:29:06 victory. Mungara triumphed in a much closer sprint to the line over fellow countryman Peter Kiprotich, 2:11:01 to 2:11:03. “We’re very pleased to have both Mulu and Kenneth back,” said Race Director Alan Brookes. To have both champions return is a reflection on our event, and will definitely add to the excitement.” Since Toronto Waterfront ’08, Seboka has continued to show consistent form, with a 2:30:10 in Dubai in January and a 2:30:39, good for 2^nd in Prague in May. Mungara continued his winning ways with a victory in the heat of Mumbai in January [2:11:51] and then took 3^rd in Prague in 2:10:29. Both champions can expect to face strong competition, however, in their attempts to defend their crowns. “Both the Men’s and Women’s fields are the best we’ve had,” said Brookes. “Over the past 5 years, our event has improved dramatically -- in both quantity and quality. And this year’s fields are our deepest and best yet.” Seboka’s strongest challenge is likely to come from Kenyan Lydia Cheromei and fellow-Ethiopian Amane Gobena. A winner of the World Junior Cross Country back in 1991, the 32 year old Cheromei made her marathon debut in Amsterdam last October, where she won in 2:25:57. She followed that up with a sizzling 68:14 at the Ras Al Khaimah Half in February, a 2^nd place finish in the prestigious Rotterdam Marathon in April [2:28:09], and another victory at the Bogota Half [72:29] at altitude on August 2nd. Gobena is a great example of the exciting, young, new talent that Toronto Waterfront has built a reputation for attracting. The 23 year-old began 2009 with a learning experience in Houston in January. After sticking with eventual winner Teyba Erkesso until almost 30k she faded to finish 5^th in 2:32:07, while Erkesso raced onto victory in 2:24:18. Amane then came back with a cracking 68:16 half in Ras Al Khaimah in February [2 seconds back of Cheromei], followed by a strong, 2^nd place marathon finish in Los Angeles in late May in 2:26:53, where she held onto winner Tatiana Petrova until the closing stages. Cognizant of the fact that the fastest women’s time ever run on Canadian soil is Lidia Simon’s 2:26:01 from the 2001 IAAF World Championships in Edmonton, Scotiabank is again offering an additional C$25,000 bonus if this year’s winner can better that mark and set a new All-Comers record. Mungara’s challenge will also come from a combination of experience and youth. Ethiopian Gashaw Melese Asfaw and Kenyans Philip Manyim and Daniel Kiprugut Too, provide the experience. Melese, who turns 31 years old on the Friday of Race Weekend, was 6^th at Boston this year and 4^th last year. Inbetween, he placed 7^th in the Beijing Olympic Marathon, won Shanghai in a Course Record 2:09:28, and was 4^th in Dubai in 2:10:59. His best is a 2:08:03 that he recorded in winning Paris in 2006. Similarly, Manyim knows what it’s like to run in and win big races. His PR of 2:07:41 comes from his Berlin victory in 2005. More recently, the 31 year old Manyim was 2^nd in Eindhoven last Fall in 2”09:31 and 9^th in Rome in 2:11 this Spring, after sticking with the 2:07 winner, Benjamin Kiptoo, until 35km. After several seasons of running in the 2:13/2:15 range, the 31-year-old Too took his PR down to 2:10 last Fall in Koln, and then to an impressive 2:08:38 in Paris in April. Surrounding Mungara, Melese, Manyim and Too on this year’s Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Start Line will be a pack of hungry new marathoners and debutants, led by Joseph Maregu and Sammy Mwangi. After running 6 sub-61 minute half marathons, Maregu made his 42km debut in Vienna in April -- a 2:09:25, good for third. On debut in Toronto, the 26-year-old Mwangi showed what he’s capable of with an impressive 59:55 at the Berlin Half on April 5th. Together, veterans and debutants will be chasing John Kelai’s Canadian All-comers mark of 2:09:30 from Waterfront ‘07; a new mark and a sub 2:09:00 will earn the Men’s winner an additional $25,000 bonus from Scotiabank. The Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront will be celebrating it’s 20^th year as an event on September 27^th . It began as a Half marathon in 1990, with Joan Benoit Samuelson as women’s winner of the first edition. The full marathon is 10 years old, beginning in the year 2000. Since then it has grown rapidly. A total of 20,000 participants, who will raise more than $1.5 million for 99 local charities, are expected in the event as a whole this year; a record entry of almost 4,000 are expected in the marathon, an IAAF Silver Label event for the second year. “We’re just hoping for a good day,” said Brookes. “The prospect of new Course and All-comers records for both men and women is very real. It would make the anniversary extra special, and when you put together athletes of the caliber we have this year, a lot of good things can happen!” Complete Start Lists will be announced September 8^th. Further information and last-minute registration still available at www.torontowaterfrontmarathon.com

Marathon Results from the World Championships in Berlin - 2009-08-25

2009 IAAF World Championships Women's Marathon 36, Tara Quinn-Smith, 2:39:19 Men's Marathon 25, Reid Coolsaet, 2:16:53 33, Dylan Wykes, 2:18:00 53, Andrew Smith, 2:24:48 56, Giitah MacHaria, 2:25:40

Saint John Half Marathon Results - 2009-08-23

The Saint John Half Marathon

August 23, 2009

Top 10 Overall

1, Denise Robson, Dartmouth, 1:20:17

2, Justin Young, Saint John, 1:24:00

3, Evan Arsenault, Saint John, 1:25:32

4, Bruce Rosvall, Rothesay, 1:27:01

5, Glenn Trites, Rothesay, 1:29:48

6, Don Murray. Saint John, 1:30:39

7, Geoff Matthews, Quispamsis, 1:31:22

8, Kelly Burke, Summerville, 1:32:22

9, Steve Lohnes, Hampton, 1:32:56

10, Tony Wright, Saint John, 1:33:21

Top 10 Women

1, Denise Robson, Dartmouth (Nova Scotia), 1:20:17

2, Suzanne Doucet, Quispamsis, 1:39:02

3, Alexis Juurlink, Oakfield (Nova Scotia), 1:40:49

4, Lisa Little, St Thomas (Ontario), 1:42:27

5, Michelle Roy, Frenchville (Maine), 1:46:05

6, Tracey Price-Emerson, Quispamsis, 1:47:14

7, Vicki Woods, Quispamsis, 1:48:57

8, Leah Smith, Long Reach, 1:49:32

9, Sharon Manson, Saint John, 1:51:02

10, Marta Kelly, Saint John, 1:56:08

1, Denise Robson, 41, F, Dartmouth (Nova Scotia), 1:20:17

2, Justin Young, 27, M, Saint John, 1:24:00

3, Evan Arsenault, 20, M, Saint John, 1:25:32

4, Bruce Rosvall, 46, M, Rothesay, 1:27:01

5, Glenn Trites, 43, M, Rothesay, 1:29:48

6, Don Murray, 54, M, Saint John, 1:30:39

7, Geoff Matthews, 41, M, Quispamsis, 1:31:22

8, Kelly Burke, 42, M, Summerville, 1:32:22

9, Steve Lohnes, 49, M, Hampton, 1:32:56

10, Tony Wright, 50, M, Saint John, 1:33:21

11, Tom McLellan, 31, M, Halifax, 1:33:35

12, Joe Burke, 67, M, Saint John, 1:36:21

13, Dean Mercer, 37, M, Rothesay, 1:37:43

14, Mike Juurlink, 31, M, Oakfield (Nova Scotia), 1:38:16

15, Shawn Beaton, 32, M, Oromocto, 1:38:41

16, Suzanne Doucet, 47, F, Quispamsis, 1:39:02

17, Jim Miller, 49, M, Saint John, 1:39:24

18, Bradley Wood, 45, M, Ludlow, 1:39:35

19, Jeremy Fry, 53, M, Bloomfield, 1:39:58

20, Jason Thorne, 35, M, Rothesay, 1:40:29

21, Alexis Juurlink, 30, F, Oakfield (Nova Scotia), 1:40:49

22, Darrell Wilkins, 52, M, Moncton, 1:41:05

23, Lisa Little, 40, M, St Thomas (Ontario), 1:42:27

24, Dave Horgan, 41, M, Saint John, 1:42:58

25, Vince Vautour, 52, M, Saint John, 1:43:19

26, Bill MacMackin, 45, M, Quispamsis, 1:43:35

27, Kevin Sears, 46, M, Quispamsis, 1:44:45

28, Jeremy Steeves, 32, M, Rothesay, 1:45:56

29, Blair Northcott, 40, M, Quispamsis, 1:46:03

30, Michelle Roy, 34, F, Frenchville (Maine), 1:46:05

31, Tracey Price-Emerson, 34, F, Quispamsis, 1:47:14

32, Sean Kelley, 37, M, Rothesay, 1:47:33

33, Mark Magleave, 52, Grand Bay Westfield, 1:47:35

34, John Woods, 45, M, Quispamsis, 1:47:36

35, Chris Creamer, 52, M, Saint John, 1:47:56

36, Peter Coakley, 53, M, Minto, 1:48:05

37, Bruce Webb, 42, New Maryland, 1:48:27

38, Boon Kek, 31, M, Saint John, 1:48:43

39, Vicki Woods, 43, F, Quispamsis, 1:48:57

40, Leah Smith, 28, F, Long Reach, 1:49:32

41, Shane Tremblay, 34, M, Quispamsis, 1:49:42

42, David Barter, 35, M, Nauwigewauk, 1:49:54

43, Al Reardon, 61, M, Saint John, 1:50:31

44, Sharon Manson, 36, M, Saint John, 1:51:02

45, Tony Wright, 50, M, Saint John, 1:52:12

46, Stephane Dupont, 30, M, Saint John, 1:52:57

47, Lloyd English, 56, M, Hampton, 1:53:10

48, John Kelley, 62, M, Quispamsis, 1:53:26

49, Brent Bethune, 45, M, Hampton, 1:53:43

50, Leslie Connolly, 51, M, Fredericton, 1:53:55

51, Andrew Vail, 15, M, Saint John, 1:53:58

52, Gary Keating, 48, M, Saint John, 1:54:06

53, Brock Reid, 49, M, Hampton, 1:54:36

54, Patrick Grannan, 45, M, Saint John, 1:55:16

55, Frank Kelly, 70, M, Saint John, 1:55:50

56, Peter Peters, 53, M, Saint John, 1:56:07

57, Marta Kelly, 41, F, Saint John, 1:56:08

58, Connie Coffin, 41, F, Saint John, 1:56:09

59, Scott Crossan, 45, M, Riverview, 1:56:32

60, Robert Harrison, 51, M, New Maryland, 1:57:16

61, Aisha Khedheri, 44, F, Saint John, 1:57:30

62, Michael Lynch, 43, M, Saint John, 1:58:05

63, Mark Magennis, 33, M, Saint John, 1:58:42

64, Tony Hayes, 43, M, Hampton, 1:58:51

65, Ivon Leblanc, 53, M, Saint John, 1:59:26

66, Tim Lowery, 50, M, Quispamsis, 1:59:46

67, Nathan Davis, 35, M, Rothesay, 1:59:54

68, Carolyn St Pierre, 40, F, Fredericton, 2:00:43

69, Steve Jadoo, 54, M, Quispamsis, 2:00:56

70, Theresa Koppert, 48, F, Saint John, 2:01:20

71, Kari Pettinger, 24, F, Saint John, 2:01:21

72, Gina Hyslop, 36, F, Kingston, 2:01:34

73, Don Jones, 49, M, Saint John, 2:01:36

74, Al Clarke, 50, M, Saint John, 2:02:16

75, Mark Leblanc, 55, M, Moncton, 2:02:22

76, Carson Marcoux, 17, M, Balmoral, 2:02:34

77, Jonathan Roy, 34, M, Frenchville (Maine), 2:02:42

78, Al Pineau, 41, M, Utopia, 2:02:54

79, Eric Peterson, 29, M, Saint John, 2:03:24

80, Rosemary Boyle, 51, F, Quispamsis, 2:03:32

81, Sharon Turnell, 43, F, Quispamsis, 2:03:34

82, Sara Young, 27, F, Saint John, 2:04:01

83, John Braam, 51, M, Saint John, 2:04:30

84, Patrick McDade, 27, M, Saint John, 2:05:16

85, Angela MacNeil, 26, F, Saint John, 2:05:17

86, Tanya Lawlor, 42, F, Saint John, 2:05:18

87, Carol Egan, 43, F, Quispamsis, 2:06:39

88, Jasmine Verge, 29, F, Fredericton, 2:07:22

89, Gail Duncan, 49, F, Yoho, 2:07:35

90, Lorrie Johnston, 41, F, Saint John, 2:11:21

90, Hope Lavin-MacDougall, 43, F, Quispamsis, 2:11:21

92, Roy Geldart, 51, M, Salisbury, 2:12:19

93, Curtis O’Blenis, 24, M, Salisbury, 2:12:19

94, David Baxter, 49, M, Quispamsis, 2:12:55

94, John Dornan, 50, M, Saint John, 2:12:55

96, Brad Mitchell, 50, M, Rothesay, 2:13:51

97, Charles Teed, 32, M, Saint John, 2:14:20

97, Amy Grant, 25, F, Riverview (Newfoundland), 2:14:20

99, Claudio Krickler, 61, M, Rothesay, 2:14:44

100, Meredith Whitney, 28, F, Halifax (Nova Scotia), 2:17:53

101, Robert Pitre, 44, M, Moncton, 2:18:35

102, Beth Sears, 48, F, Quispamsis, 2:18:45

103, Janet Thompson, 34, F, St George, 2:19:28

104, Chris Grannan, 32, M, Saint John, 2:20:46

104, Josh Middleton, 29, M, Saint John, 2:20:46

106, Pete Belliveau, 39, M, Charters Settlement, 2:23:14

107, Warren Giesbrecht, 33, M, St George, 2:23:23

108, Sonia Pineau, 39, F, Lake Utopia, 2:28:03

109, Brent Sherwood, 46, M, Quispamsis, 2:28:04

110, Megan Totten, 24, F, Saint John, 2:28:50

111, Lisa Bowron, 27, F, Saint John, 2:29:28

112, Amy Buckley-Ellis, 27, F, Saint John, 2:31:53

113, Kourtney Ward, 25, F, Willow Grove, 2:37:58

114, Denis Leblanc, 35, M, Paesekaeg, 2:43:03

115, Kari Irvine, 53, F, Nerepis, 2:43:41

116, Kate MacNeill, 24, F, Saint John, 2:45:24

117, Krista Hartery, 40, F, Grand Bay Westfield, 2:45:36

118, Adrienne Cameron, 61, F, Saint John, 2:45:41

119, Joanne Turbide, 42, F, Rothesay, 2:47:23

119, Susan Campbell, 58, F, Quispamsis, 2:47:23

121, Karen Gallant, 43, F, Saint John, 2:49:35

122, Sophie Cameron, 29, F, Saint John, 2:50:52

123, Dianna Payne, 38, F, Saint John, 2:55:08

124, Starr Hersey, 43, F, Saint John, 2:59:52

124, Cynthia Sheehan, 40, F, Saint John, 2:59:52

Saint John Half Marathon Update - 2009-08-12

		Hi everyone, I hope you are getting excited! When the Marathon by the Sea moved to September two years ago, I wanted to make sure that we kept a high profile event in August as a lead-in and this year will be the biggest event yet. The last two years were held in St Martins and while the scenery won't be as majestic this year, it's pretty close off Kennebecasis Drive! The trail section in Rockwood Park is truly inspiring! I have two important notes: -The banquet the night before is held at the Rockwood Golf Course at 6pm. The chicken dinner is $25 and the Pizza dinner for the kids is $10. There will be some great stories, recognition of local pioneer Walter Ellis, pro tips, and some inspiring awards to our local youth. As well, this is the only opportunity to pick up your race kit early. I need to send estimated numbers to the golf course so please confirm if you think you are coming to marathoncanada@live.com. -Food again:) There will be a post race lunch at Grannan's Restaurant at 1pm. This will give you a chance to use your $20 ASICS coupon at my store and your $10 coupon at Grannan's Seafood Restaurant. We again need an idea of numbers so please confirm you intend to come to marathoncanada@live.com. At least one more update will follow before the race. Don't forget that there are still rooms available at the Hilton or the Holiday Inn at the race's group rate. Alex

Royal Victoria Marathon Registration Numbers up by 65% - 2009-07-29

MEDIA RELEASE

Royal Victoria Marathon Registration Numbers up by 65%

All Races Are Capped for 2009

(Victoria, BC – July 16, 2009) Just one day after the early bird deadline for the Royal Victoria Marathon registration numbers are up by 65% compared to this time last year. Over 5,900 registrations have been received for all four events – the Marathon, Half Marathon, 8K Road Race and the THRIFTY FOODS Kids Marathon – Kids Run – which takes place on Sunday October 11. For the first time in the history of the RVM all the races will be capped.

This phenomenal increase in numbers is attributed to several factors, according to Cathy Noel, General Manager of the RVM. “The early bird pricing always sees a spike in registrations, but this year with the uncertain economy participants are taking advantage of the cheaper entry fee. The fact that it is our 30^th Anniversary and we are capping registration numbers is an added incentive, particularly for those who participate every year.”

Currently there are 1,858 registered for the Marathon with a cap of 4,000; 3,246 for the Half Marathon with a cap of 5,000; 745 for the 8K Road Race with a cap of 2,500, and over 100 for the THRIFTY FOODS Kids Marathon – Kids Run with a cap of 1,000. It is expected that the Half Marathon and 8K Road Race will reach their caps by the next registration deadline of September 15.

“Races are selling out earlier this year than ever before,” says Noel. “People don’t want to miss out and are choosing their destination races way in advance around their travel plans. We have over 1,600 more registrations from British Columbians which is an indication that people are staying closer to home and choosing Victoria as the one to run. We also have over 300 more from Alberta and our numbers from the Pacific Northwest are up.”

The marathon is a certified Boston Marathon qualifier and was earlier this year chosen by BC Athletics to host the 2009 Provincial Marathon Championships for junior, senior and master runners, for both men and women. There is $26,000 available in prize money with $3,000 each going to the top male and female and a $5,000 bonus for a new men’s or women’s course record. In 2006, Steve Osaduik broke a 25-year record by winning the Marathon in 2:16:49.

To register for the Royal Victoria Marathon, Half Marathon, 8K Road Race or THRIFTY FOODS Kids Marathon – Kids Run, visit www.royalvictoriamarathon.com.

Saint John Half Marathon Update - 2009-07-29

July 29, 2009 Press Release Alex Coffin’s Fitness Shop is pleased to announce that the following updates have been confirmed for the Saint John Half Marathon: -The event is now officially the best "bang for the buck" in the maritimes with a $30 entry getting you a $20 Irving Gas Card, a $20 ASICS Certificate, a $20 Ritchie's Discount Warehouse Certificate, a $10 Grannans Group Restaurant certificate, a Fuel Belt Visibility Vest and a Running Cap!! The entry fee goes up to $40 on August 1 but the title is secure at that price as well. -Hotel Rates for the weekend are available of $129.99 at the uptown Hilton, $109.99 at the Hampton Inn near the shopping district and $109.99 at the Holiday Inn near Main Street - Nova Scotia Athlete Eric Gillis who represented Canada in the 10,000 meters at the Beijing Olympics will be running with the kids in the 4K. Eric’s hometown is Antigonish and he has also represented Canada at the World Cross Country Championships. -Nova Scotia runner Denise Robson will be our featured runner on the women’s side. Denise finished as the 5th overall Masters Division woman at the 2009 Boston Marathon and finished 11th overall for women at the 2008 Boston Marathon. She is also the current Master's Female Record Holder for the marathon. Information on the August 23rd event are as follows: -The half marathon is the feature event -There will be a 4k Brent Kelly Memorial Walk/Run which will be run at the same time as the half marathon with each child receiving a special event finisher’s ribbon -A fun track meet featuring shot put, long jump and high jump will take place after the 4K -All events start and finish at Fisher Lakes -All participants will receive an event cap -All half marathon participants will receive a complimentary high visibility vest -A Saint John Track Club Awards Banquet will take place the night before at the Rockwood Golf Course -Registration is $30 for the half marathon (goes to $40 after Aug 1) and $15 for the 4K/Fun Meet -Registration is available on-line at www.atlanticchip.ca

Pride and perseverance - 2009-07-01

Winnipeg Free Press

By: Ashley Prest and Daniel Falloon

He knew he wasn't going to win, and he was in physical pain from pushing himself too hard late in the race, but Winnipeg's Michael Booth would accept nothing less than crossing the finish line at the 2009 Manitoba Marathon.The 29-year-old Booth collapsed just after finishing, placing third in the 26.2-mile marathon with a time of 2:35.26.

"I was really struggling out there and it was a matter of just trying to get to the finish line. Most of my long runs aren't done at the pace I was doing the last three, four miles so it was just a matter of pride," said Booth, who was only down for a few minutes. Medical attendants rushed over to him but after a few sips of water, he was up and came straight over to speak with media.

"I'm happy I toughed it out today. I really wanted to, in front of the home crowd, finish it up and not quit out there."

Hillary Cheruiyot of Kenya won the men's division with a time of 2:27.29, the fastest time in nine years. Philip Samoei, formerly of Kenya and now living in Calgary, was second in 2:27.43. Booth is the only Manitoba man to win three titles (2005, 2006 and 2007) and was hoping to win a fourth. Cheruiyot and Samoei ran together and ran fast in blistering heat that reached a high of 30 C.

"In a marathon at my level, you sometimes have to make that hard decision to pull off the course to save yourself. It might have been wise today to pull off but I wasn't going to quit in front of the home town," said Booth.

He believed for about 16 miles he could catch the leaders but then felt his pace fall off with about four miles to go.

"At that point I realized I had absolutely no chance at catching the guys in front of me. That's what it really comes down to, for me. I want to come out here and try and win the race. So coming third is great but it is a little bit disappointing to finish third."

Booth had raced in the Canadian Marathon Championships in Ottawa on May 24. He ran into difficulty and withdrew at about the 21-mile mark with the hopes of being recovered enough for the Manitoba Marathon.

"It's tough to regroup and try to do a marathon three weeks later," he said. "Today, I didn't feel I was at my best."

Cheruiyot said he came to Canada to compete in marathons and enjoyed his experience.

"I'm very happy...I have a problem with my knee so I was thinking I would just have a fun run," said Cheruiyot, who wore a band on his right knee. "It turned out pretty well. It's so fun (when you win)!"

In the women's marathon, Cindy Sondag of Grand Forks, N.D., hung on to win her first competitive marathon.

"The first half, I probably took it a little hard considering the conditions," said Sondag, who finished in 3:12.09. "I think I faded quite a bit in the second half, so I was pretty happy just to hang on."

The 33-year-old medical student has one year of classes left and two children at home. She figured that she may as well run some marathons while she still has some time.

"Life's going to get a whole lot busier," said Sondag. "So I figured I'd better get the training in before I don't really have the time."

Clayton Gerein of Pilot Mound, Sask., who thrilled Manitoba observers last year when his time in the marathon's wheelchair event qualified him for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, wasn't happy with his time this year of 2:09.35 but wasn't blaming the heat.

"It was pretty warm but my start was so slow, I just felt sluggish off the start. The last half was good, but then I'm out there all by myself," said Gerein, 45,

Gerein said the 2008 Paralympics was his seventh and final Games but is still competing internationally. "For our funding we have to get a certain time standard (2:00.32) and I still don't have it (this year)."

Gina Tessmann, a 23-year-old University of Manitoba Bisons athlete, ended her competitive track season by winning the women's half-marathon with a time of 1:26.27.

"It's pretty exciting, it's my first time (winning the half-marathon)," said Tessmann, a U of M student.

Fellow Bison Desire Budigoma, 20, won the men's half-marathon for the second straight year in 1:14.19. Budigoma said he didn't like his chances to defend his title.

"I wasn't expecting to win because I was injured," said Budigoma, adding his left leg didn't bother him on Sunday. "It was good all along."

ashley.prest@freepress.mb.ca daniel.falloon@freepress.mb.ca

Jason Loutitt sets new PB at Seattle Rock'n'Roll - 2009-07-01

		Be sure to check out Jason's website www.runningthroughmountains.com Jason just ran a PB of 2:24:37 at the Seattle Rock'n'Roll Marathon!

Roulier wins Lake Placid Marathon - 2009-06-19

The Lake Placid Marathon was held on June 14. The event attracted over 2000 runners for all of the different events. Sebastien Roulier of Sherbrooke won the marathon in 2:36:17. Second place was almost a mile behind!!

Run for the Romaine Info Nights - 2009-06-17

Alliance Romaine is looking for committed runners to participate in a chain of marathons connecting the Rupert River, near James Bay, to the Romaine River, on the North Shore. The purpose of this campaign is to draw attention to the challenges facing Quebec’s wild rivers, and to press the Quebec government to halt construction of the hydroelectric complex on the Romaine. The event will begin in early September, making publicity stops in towns and urban centres. As a runner, you get to choose which leg of the marathon you run. You can decide according to dates you are available or which part of our beautiful province you'd like to run in. Participants will work in affinity groups, and should be willing to undergo a rigorous training programme, involving practise three times a week. We will be hosting two info nights in the coming weeks and invite anyone interested in running or helping with the organization of this exciting event to come out. Each info night will include an introduction to Alliance Romaine and the goals of the marathon, a slideshow of Alliance Romaine's trip on the Romaine River last summer, and a presentation by a running coach who will answer any questions you might have about training for a marathon. For more information, please contact Steve at steve@allianceromaine.org or 514-457-7795. Info Night #1 This Wednesday June 17 at 7pm QPIRG McGill (3647 University St.) Info Night #2 Monday June 29 at 7pm QPIRG McGill (3647 University St.) www.allianceromaine.org

Saint John Half Marathon Press Release - 2009-06-16

June 16, 2009 Press Release

Alex Coffin’s Fitness Shop is pleased to announce that the inaugural Saint John Half Marathon has secured two major sponsors and two invited athletes for the August 23^rd event.

Irving Oil Ltd. has come on board with a $20 gas card to be given out to each half marathon participant. ASICS Canada has come on board with a $20 gift certificate to be used on any ASICS product. Further announcements will be made as additional sponsors are added to regain the Saint John title for the “Best Bang for your Buck!!” running event in . This new event will be promoted as an ideal event to prepare for the Marathon by the Sea or the KV Challenge Marathon in the fall. As well, a 4K and mini track meet will be offered to encourage fitness and fun in sport.

Two prominent athletes have already been confirmed to participate in the event. Nova Scotia Athlete Eric Gillis who represented in the 10,000 meters at the Beijing Olympics will be competing in his first ever half marathon in New Brunswick. Eric’s hometown is Antigonish and he has also represented at the World Cross Country Championships. As well, another Nova Scotia runner Denise Robson will be our featured runner on the women’s side. Denise finished as the 5^th overall Masters Division woman at the 2009 Boston Marathon and finished 11^th overall for women at the 2008 Boston Marathon. She is also holds the Canadian Masters Women’s Record for the Marathon

Information on the August 23^rd event are as follows:

-There will also be a 4k Brent Kelly Memorial Walk/Run which will be run at the same time as the half marathon with each child receiving a special event finisher’s ribbon

-A fun track meet featuring shot put, standing high jump and standing long jump will take place after the 4K

-All events start and finish at Fisher Lakes, Rockwood Park

-All participants will receive an autographed event cap

-All half marathon participants will receive a complimentary high visibility vest

-A Saint John Track Club Sponsored Pre-Race Dinner will take place the night before at the Rockwood Golf Course

-Registration is $30 for the half marathon and $15 for the 4K/Fun Meet. The half marathon fee moves to $40 after August 1.

-Hotel rates are available uptown at the Saint John Hilton $129.99 and in the east end shopping district at the Hampton Inn Saint John $109.99

-Registration is available on-line at www.atlanticchip.ca and in person at Alex Coffin’s Fitness Shop

Torontonian defies altitude to win Calgary Marathon - 2009-06-01

By Kristen Odland, Calgary Herald

CALGARY - The altitude hit Predrag Mladenovic quicker than he thought.

Only two kilometres into Sunday’s 45th annual HSBC Calgary Marathon, the Serbian-born professional runner felt the elevation change from Toronto, his home for the past seven years.

It was the 37-year-old’s first time racing in Calgary, 1,048 metres above sea level, and he knew the rest of the race was going to hurt.

“I couldn’t believe it,” said Mladenovic, who, regardless, was the first to finish the 42.2-kilometre circuit Sunday. “I really felt it from the start. After two-K, my legs worked well, but I couldn’t breathe.

“I was tired after 10-Ks and I had 32-K more,” said Mladenovic, who motored through a new course to top the field of about 1,350.

The fresh circuit design was one of several changes this year, the biggest of which was switching the race to Sunday from the event’s traditional time during the Calgary Stampede in July.

He crossed the finish line at Bridgeland’s Murdoch Park in two hours, 30 minutes and 15 seconds — significantly slower than his personal best, which was a 2:23:16 he clocked in the 2007 Mississauga Marathon.

“I was surprised,” said Mladenovic, who was cheered at the finish by a handful of his friends from Europe now living in Calgary.

“I couldn’t believe how I feel here . . . it feels like it’s 2,000 or 3,000 metres.”

Not only was the altitude change a challenge for Mladenovic and many other out-of-town runners, the race route led them to Shaganappi hill — an addition to the course this year in place of a flat loop into Shouldice Park.

The incline was a doozy according to Graeme Wilson, who finished second behind Mladenovic in 2:31:19.

“That giant hill took me off guard,” said the 38-year-old resident of East Vancouver, who came to Calgary with his wife Heidi and sons Emon, 3, and Noah, 1, to run the race for the first time.

“My strategy is to stay at a consistent pace and see who burns off at the back, rather than actually attacking and increasing the pace.”

Wilson, Calgarian Chad Kozak, and former two-time winner Jason Loutitt (2005 and 2006) were duking it out for second, third and fourth place while Mladenovic inched further and further ahead before breaking away entirely at the 35-km mark.

When Loutitt, formerly of Canmore, and of Vancouver Island, dropped out with a sore calf at the 30-km mark, Wilson and Kozak were left to fight for second and third.

Kozak, a 33-year-old Calgary engineer in his first HSBC marathon, managed third behind Wilson at 2:32:29, despite running on fumes. He was happy with Sunday’s performance, which bettered the 2:37:58 he posted at the Houston Marathon in January.

“It was a pretty good day,” he said. “I just ran out of gas in the last six K, Graeme dropped me with five or six K to go and I ended up third.

“The downhill on Shaganappi was worse than the uphill because the downhill rips the quad (muscles). And it hurts.”

Mladenovic, Wilson and Kozak earned $1,000, $750 and $500 cheques respectively. They also received $500, $300 and $200 for being the first-, second- and third-placed Canadians and landed immigrant runners — prize money which was new to this year’s race and given out in the men’s and women’s marathon, half-marathon and 10-km races.

Calgarian Melissa Kalyn cashed in big for claiming her first — and, perhaps, last — HSBC Calgary Marathon women’s title.

“I wanted to run it until I won it,” said Kalyn. “So, I was like, ‘Please, let this be the last time.’ “That was the goal.”

Having specialized in the 1,500 and 3,000 metres on the track and the five-km cross-country with the University of Calgary’s varsity track team, Kalyn ran the 2007 HSBC Calgary marathon in 3:04:52, but opted to run the 10-km last year and completed it in 39:50.

This year, the 25-year-old managed to squeeze in a few more three-hour training runs while she was finishing up her biological science degree at the U of C this spring.

It paid off and Kalyn finished in 3:02:39 — well ahead of No. 2 women’s marathoner Karen Kozak, wife of the third-placed finisher on the men’s side, who finished in 3:13:03.

“Shaganappi hill — not nice,” said Kalyn, grinning. “I heard a rumour that (local competitive runner and elite athlete co-ordinator of the race) Jeremy Deere put the hill in the course to make it more difficult.

“But it was a good course. It felt pretty good until 30 K, which is typical.”

Kalyn is putting her running plans on hold until after her wedding in August to Nathan Kendrick, a former Dino and local competitive runner.

Calgary’s Shannyn Clancey was third in 3:13:26.

kodland@theherald.canwest.com

Michasiw and Byers win in Saskatoon - 2009-05-27

By Kathryn Willms, The StarPhoenix

It was a perfect day for a marathon and Brian Michasiw ran the perfect race.

Michasiw, 39, from Saskatoon, sprinted to his third consecutive Saskatchewan marathon victory on a cool, grey Sunday morning. He thinks his finishing time of two hours, 42 minutes, 30 seconds is the best he has ever run in Saskatoon. He beat last year's winning time by nearly two minutes.

He got faster as the race progressed.

"This is the best Saskatoon marathon I've ever had," he said with a characteristic big grin.

Michasiw, who owns Brainsport The Running Store, was mobbed by well-wishers as he crossed the finish line at Diefenbaker Park.

He has been running marathons since he was 22 and this is his fifth victory in Saskatoon; he also won in 1992, 2000, 2007 and 2008. Like Pheidippides during the fabled run from the battle of Marathon to Athens, Michasiw carries a message. Unlike Pheidippides, who collapsed and died and upon the delivery of his message, Michasiw looked a little too chipper for early on a Sunday morning.

"I'm at the point now where I try not to worry what other people think," he said. "I run to stay healthy. I run these crazy races because it gives me a goal to shoot for, a time when I don't drink beer as often. That's why I do it."

His first comments across the line were about his closest competition, Brendan Lunty of Camrose, Alta. The two ran together from the 15-km mark until their final pass by the Bessborough Hotel, where Michasiw made his move.

Lunty finished second in 2:42:49. He is on a masochistic quest to run three marathons in three weeks.

"He's amazing," said Micashiw.

Lunty, who won the Saskatchewan marathon in 2006, was quick to return the compliment.

"He pulled me along the way and I hope I did the same for him," he said. "I wouldn't have been as fast without him. Definitely not. No way."

Lunty was worried about his legs coming into the competition. He ran a 2:45 last weekend in Red Deer and is heading to Calgary to do it all again this weekend. ("Just love doin' it," he said by way of an explanation).

It turned out Lunty felt great all morning, even when he crossed the finish line in second.

"Lose to him?" he said of Michasiw. "There's nothing to be ashamed of there."

Chris Schwarz of Saskatoon was third in 2:52:06.

Another running entrepreneur, Lindsay Byers of Saskatoon, cruised to her first marathon victory in her seventh time running the distance.

A personal trainer and owner of Performance Training and Fitness, Byers finished second last year. Her strategy Sunday was to focus on her time, not her position.

When Byers hit the wall at the 30-km mark, she caught a glimpse of another competitor, Lori Soderberg of Saskatoon, just ahead. That was all the motivation she needed.

She said her time of 3:21:18 is slower than she planned.

"But first place is a good tradeoff," said Byers, 26.

Byers dedicated her win to the 25 clients who were also competing in the event at various distances.

"I wanted to show that I kick my butt as much as I kick their butts," she said.

Soderberg finished second in 3:24:41 and Jamie Myers of Saskatoon finished third in 3:28:23.

Jody Draube denies he is starting his own mini-dynasty in the men's half-marathon. For three years, he has returned to his home town from Calgary to compete and he has won it every time.

"I'm pretty lucky," he said. "It's more fun than anything. I've got a few sisters that run it every year. We meet back here and it's a bit of reunion."

Draube, who started running only five years ago, finished the half in 1:16:28. His companion on the court, James Funk, was second in 1:17:49 and Matt Mazurik of Saskatoon third in 1:18:58.

Brandi Pozniak of Saskatoon repeated as the women's champion in half-marathon in 1:23:55. Kelly Davey of Saskatoon was second 1:31:47 and Donna Olsen of Saskatoon was third in 1:39:35.

Julian Deciutiis of Saskatoon won the men's 10 km in 39:01 and Grandora's Paule Bertholet took the women's 10 km in 42:52.

Titles Defended in Ottawa!! - 2009-05-25

By Darren Desaulniers, The Ottawa Citizen

The wind prohibited David Cheruiyot of Kenya from setting a new course record at the Ottawa Marathon Sunday, but it didn’t stop him from becoming the first man to win the race four times.

The only other person to win four titles is Lioudmila Kortchaguina, originally from Russia but now a Canadian citizen living in Toronto, who finished second on the women’s side Sunday.

It was the third straight title for Cheruiyot, who holds the course record of two hours 10 minutes 33 seconds, set in 2007. He was third in 2006 and won the event in his first attempt in 2005.

Yesterday, and for the third straight year, he took over the lead in a sprint of the final kilometre to capture the title. He overtook Wegayehu Girma of Ethiopia and Ahmed Baday of Morocco right at the end to finish in a time of 2:13:23.

“I thought I was going to be No. 3. But when I reached the first one I saw that they were going slow so I increased my pace and I caught them,” Cheruiyot said, adding that he had a cramp in the second half of the race that was slowing him down as well.

“The two guys were very far from me, but when I reached about 40K I saw them getting closer to me and they were going slow. I tried to push as hard as I could because around there I thought I could catch them. I caught them at 41 (kilometres).

“I thought we would run under 2:10, but the course was too windy so I knew there would be no record. My time was not good, though.”

It was good enough for the win, however. Girma was second at 2:13:29, while Baday’s run of 2:13:56 placed him third.

“I had to back off because my feet hurt and they were bleeding,” said Girma, who was breaking in a new pair of shoes, apparently not at the ideal time.

“I was happy with the race and it was my first full marathon. I ran a 10K one week ago in New York and finished in 28:12. But I loved this race and I love the country.”

There were seven runners within four seconds of each other at the halfway point of the race. They were all within three seconds of each other at the 30K mark before they broke off into smaller packs.

“I want to run for another five years,” Cheruiyot said.

He plans to take his $15,000 prize and invest it in his automotive parts business in Kenya, where he lives with his wife and two children. He also owns a tour company. “Of course I’ll come back next year. I’ll keep defending (the title) until they beat me,” he laughed.

Reid Coolsaet was the top Canadian with a time of 2:17:10. That was good enough for eighth overall for the Hamilton native, who was participating in his first full marathon.

The Canadian title should be good enough to get him on the world championship team that will compete at the world track and field championships this August in Berlin. “It qualifies me for Berlin as long as Canada sends a full team,” Coolsaet said.

“My legs didn’t hold up towards the end but otherwise I felt really comfortable. I wanted to be about a minute and 15 seconds faster, but it was my first one and I’m coming back from an injury (broken foot last November) so I can’t complain. I’m happy with it.”

Canada placed three other runners in the top-15: Jason Warick of Saskatoon was 12th, Christian Mercier of Quebec City was 14th, and Baie St. Paul, Que. resident David Savard-Gagnon 15th.

On the women's side,

OTTAWA — On Friday, Asmae Leghzaoui of Morocco said she was nervous about the Ottawa Marathon because she was the defending champion, having won the 2008 event in her full marathon debut.

Adding to her nervousness was the fact the Toronto’s Lioudmila Kortchaguina was back this year after dropping out of last year’s race at the last minute because of an injury. Kortchaguina had won the race in 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2007, and she was second in 2005.

Leghzaoui also said that, even though she set a course record last year, completing the 42.195-kilometre course in 2:28:44, she felt had a better race inside her, so she was looking towards another course record.

It wasn’t really close.

Leghzaoui, 32, got her second consecutive course record and set a personal-best time by crossing the finish line in 2:27:41. Kortchaguina, the top Canadian, was again second, but she was more than four minutes back with her time of 2:32:10.

“The race was very good, but, (over) the last half of the marathon, there was a lot of wind,” Leghzaoui said. “Because of that, I wasn’t able to put up a faster time, but I was very happy.

“After the start of the race, after 5K, I felt more confident. All the nerves were gone, so, at that point, I was just able to concentrate on the time. If not for the wind, I could have gone faster … 100 per cent.”

It didn’t hurt that Leghzaoui had all kinds of support along the course. Last year, as a relative unknown, she was just a runner. This year she was a name.

“All through the race I heard, ‘Go Asmae. Go Morocco,’ so the people were cheering for me and I was very happy with that.”

Second-place finisher Kortchaguina said she started out too fast in the first 10 kilometres, “and I was going really fast in the first 5K. I tried to keep my pace, but it’s a marathon and it is what it is.”

“I wanted to be first, but (Leghzaoui) ran too fast for me. She did her job and I did mine, but she was just faster,” said Kortchaguina, a Canadian citizen who is originally from Ekaterinburg, Russia.

Leghzaoui’s time for 10 kilometres was 34:43, a full 30 seconds ahead of Kortchaguina, but just two seconds ahead of Kenya’s Irene Jerotich Kosgei and just one second up on Ethiopian Salomie Getnet.

Both those runners tailed off, however, and finished third and fourth, respectively.

Myriam Grenon of Longueuil, Que., was the second Canadian woman and 10th woman overall with her time of 2:51:05.8.

She was followed across the line by Caroline McIlroy (2:53.56.3) of St. Philip’s, N.L., and Heather Gallagher of Ottawa (2:56:16).

Military Man # 1 in Ottawa Half - 2009-05-25

By Darren Desaulniers , The Ottawa Citizen

If Master Warrant Officer Steve McNabb had run the half marathon Sunday with all the hardware around his neck that he sported after the run, he would have been too weighed down to finish the race at the Ottawa Race Weekend.

McNabb won four medals with his half marathon time of one hour 13 minutes and 13 seconds. He collected the open and masters men’s titles as well as the Canadian Forces open and masters titles.

McNabb, who is stationed in Ottawa, finished 19 seconds ahead of Montreal’s Nicholas Chadi, while Richard Tessier of La Perade, Que. was third with a race time of 1:15:09. “You do your homework and your training and this is the day you do the test and see how you perform.

“I’ve got an A+ if you want to say that, and I’m happy with my performance,” McNabb said.

“It’s great to compete as a master (40-44 year olds) and run against the 20-year olds and outrun them.”

Marie Danais spent seven years in Ottawa before her job had her relocate to Quebec City last year. She was in town Sunday to defend her half marathon title and says now she’ll have to come back next year as a two-time defending champion.

“The race was really good. It was windy so it was a couple minutes slower than I was hoping for, like a couple of minutes,” Danais said following her run of 1:22:30.

Despite the slower time, Danais loved the event.

“Everything is so nice, and the roads are all cleared and there are so many people.

“One of the really rewarding things is that when you’re running down the street everybody knows you and everyone is yelling your name and cheering and they clap; I smiled the whole way.

“I was in pain but I was smiling the whole way and it was really a lot of fun.”

The next three finishers on the women’s side were all from Ottawa, as Leslie Sanderson (1:26:49), Susan Durrell (1:27:08) and Lisa Balerna (1:27:19) finished second, third and fourth respectively.

Oakville’s Josh Cassidy won the wheelchair marathon in a time of 1:35:27. Michel Filteau of Ste. Jean Baptiste, Que., finished second while Clayton Gerein of Pilot Butte, Sask. was third.

Cook and Coll win at Woody's RV Marathon in Red Deer - 2009-05-21

By Danny Rode - Red Deer Advocate

Jack Cook had to smile when asked why he didn’t compete in the 2008 Red Deer Woody’s RV World Marathon and Half Marathon despite being on the entry list.

“I slept in and didn’t make it,” he said with a laugh.

But there was nothing sleepy about the 2006 champion’s performance during the 11th annual event Sunday.

Cook out-sprinted defending champion David Corbett of Sherwood Park to win the marathon in an unofficial time of two hours, 43 minutes, 48 seconds. Corbett came in at 2:44:04 with Brendan Lunty of Camrose third at 2:45:47.

Neasa Coll of Calgary, who was running her first marathon, took the women’s title in 3:30:53 with Diane Williams of Calgary at 3:31:40.

Cook ran an uneventful race while Corbett was fighting intestinal problems, which forced him to stop three times.

“It seemed every time I’d run fast it would bother me,” explained Corbett. “But it’s part of running at times. You can’t do anything about it.”

“Without the problems he would have beaten me,” said Cook without hesitation.

“I was leading for the first 20k then David took over, but with his problems he was forced to stop, then had to push it to catch up.

“Each time he stopped I didn’t try to push it extra hard, but just kept going. After the last time I didn’t expect him to catch me, but he came back and when I saw him I knew it was time to sprint.”

Corbett said he lost at least two minutes when he stopped.

“The one time it took me 27 kilometres to catch up and when I stopped the last time it was at 38k and I knew it would be tough to get that back,” said Corbett, who went into the race worried about his sore foot.

“It was bothering me, but it was good,” he said.

Cook didn’t have any physical problems.

“No issues at all,” said the 42-year-old, who is a three-time winner of the Death Race in Grande Cache.

Cook was using the marathon to prepare for the world 100km championship in Belgium, which is four weeks away.

“This is a great marathon and there’s no way I could get this quality of a race by running by myself,” he said.

Cook will run a 50km race in two weeks, then head to Belgium.

“I’ve never has success in the world championship, I’ve always crashed and burned,” he said.

“This is my sixth time and I hope to get it right this time.”

Coll never dreamed of winning when she decided to enter the marathon.

“I didn’t think of winning I just wanted to finish strong,” said the 26-year-old, who got into serious running last summer.

“I felt it was a fun way to be out in nature, in the mountains and on the trails and a good way to keep fit and to socialize,” she said.

“I trained all winter and spring with the Calgary Road Runners and I enjoyed it.”

She did run a “couple of” half marathons before she started thinking of a marathon.

“Even thinking about running, especially this distance a few years ago seemed like a crazy idea. But the more I was out (with the Road Runners) it seemed like something I could do.”

Coll found herself in third place for much of the race, but slipped into second at the three-quarter mark.

“After that I didn’t see anyone. In fact I thought I might be on the wrong right trail, but the leader (Williams) came into sight at the 40km mark and I was able to catcher her with about a kilometre to go. At first I thought I overtook her too soon, especially when I got to that last hill. I really didn’t think I could make it up there, but I wanted to finish strong.”

Once she finished she wasn’t even breathing hard.

“It’s so great . . . I’m on fire and so excited,” she said.

• Brian Torrance of Edmonton won the half marathon for the second straight year, winning in 1:13:06 with Robert Renman of Camrose at 1:14:57 and Matthew Norminton third at 1:16:39 . . . Dulcie Timmons of Lacombe took the women’s half marathon in 1:33:05 with Red Deer’s Janet Spafford at 1:34:09 and Barb Edgar at 1:36:59 . . . Official results were unavailable because of technical problems . . . The top three finishers in each category will be in the Advocate when available.

McFarlan sets new world record! - 2009-05-20

BC’s Gwen McFarlan finished the BMO Vancouver Marathon on May 3^rd in 3:57:30. Gwen is in the W75 age group – and that’s a WORLD RECORD! Gwen broke the record set by Betty Jean McHugh. Betty Jean was at the same event running the half marathon now in the 80+ category. Betty Jean set approved Canadian records for W80 half marathon at Vancouver 2:04:19 and marathon at Victoria 4:36:52 last year.

Great call by MacLennan - 2009-05-18

By MONTY MOSHER Sports Reporter, Chronicle Herald

IN A RUN THAT NEARLY didn’t happen, Scotsburn’s David MacLennan has his fourth Scotiabank Blue Nose Marathon victory.

After a difficult winter for training, MacLennan, 45, initially planned to skip the 42-kilometre run in Halifax/Dartmouth to focus on next month’s Johnny Miles Marathon in New Glasgow, where he is a six-time champion and local legend.

But MacLennan felt so good over the last two months he registered for the sixth annual Blue Nose this past Tuesday. It was a good call.

MacLennan tore up the first half in just over an hour and 15 minutes on his way to a 2:36:05, narrowly missing his own record for the event set in the inaugural running in 2004 at 2:35:35.

"It’s great to be back," said MacLennan, who disappointed himself with a 3:11 in the Blue Nose last year, a race won by Bridgewater’s Terry Melloy in 2:48. "I didn’t expect to go under 2:40, so I’m ecstatic with 2:36."

A field of 280 marathon runners helped bring the total number of competitors in the Blue Nose weekend to more than 8,000, including 2,500 in Saturday’s youth run.

MacLennan, a notorious fast starter, dominated from the opening strides on Sunday, steaming away from Alex Coffin of Saint John, N.B., in the early kilometres in Point Pleasant Park and running untouched from there.

"I pulled away from him and the footsteps were getting farther behind," said MacLennan, who credited better training this year for his success. "I just felt good the whole way."

All racers seemed to enjoy the cool, misty conditions. "The weather was awesome," he said. "This was a perfect day for running, except for a little wind in spots."

Dartmouth’s Ray Moorehead, who beat MacLennan by 10 seconds for the Johnny Miles crown last year, held on for second place at 2:43:09, but it was a rough run to the line for Moorehead. He slumped at the finish line due to hypothermia and dehydration and was taken to hospital as a precaution.

Moorehead, who was fine in the hours after the race, had nothing but praise for MacLennan, his good friend.

"Dave ran a spectacular race," said Moorehead. "I give him a lot of credit. He ran strong and fast right from the start."

Moorehead expected MacLennan to succumb to the wicked early pace, but he never did.

"I did the half in 1:19 and thought that was aggressive in itself," said Moorehead. "But I never saw him. He had that race solidified right from the first 5K."

Summerside’s Scott Clark placed third in 2:49:24. A veteran of all six Blue Nose runs, he has been on the podium for the past three runs after placing second in 2007 and 2008.

Clark said there was no catching MacLennan.

"We saw him for the first 12 kilometres," Clark said. "He always goes out fast and we didn’t really know what kind of shape he was in today. When he took off, he didn’t fail. He was in shape, he was ready."

Coffin came fourth in 2:50:25 after Clark passed him on the home stretch at the Macdonald Bridge. Coffin was trying to pull off an impressive double after winning a marathon in Fredericton last weekend in 2:47.

Rounding out the top 10 were Anthony Landry of Victoria (2:57:09), Bruno Kerhoas of St-Pierre-Miquelon (2:58:48), Philippe Venot of St-Pierre-Miquelon (2:59:24), women’s champion Jen Nicholson of Cornwall, P.E.I. (3:00:07), Tim Keith of Kingston (3:02:58) and Marco Albright of Yarmouth (3:06:30).

MacLennan set himself a goal of 2:40, thinking if he could get there he would give himself a chance to win. He was embarrassed by his effort from a year ago and knew he had something better to give.

His time in 2008 was also hurt by a wrong turn on the course, something that plagued many runners and led to route changes this year.

"Last year was disappointing," he said. "I definitely didn’t have the training going into last year. So it’s great to win. It’s all about time. If somebody ran faster today, good for them. But 2:36 took it today, so I was happy with that."

Age division winners on the men’s side were Lower Sackville’s Jeremy Chabot (19-and-under), Charlottetown’s David Gallant (20-29), Landry (30-39), MacLennan (40-49), Halifax’s Frank MacGillivray (50-59) and Bayport’s Chris Anderson (60-and-over).

Nicholson smashes record - 2009-05-18

By MONTY MOSHER Sports Reporter, Chronicle Herald

The women’s division of the Scotiabank Blue Nose Marathon may have started as a no-name event, but it didn’t end that way.

Jen Nicholson, a Halifax native living in Cornwall, P.E.I., saw to that.

The Acadia graduate and mother of three children under the age of 10 flirted with the three-hour mark, settling for a course-record 3:00:07 (chip time) in her first Blue Nose event and fourth career marathon.“I’m thrilled," said Nicholson, who plans to be back.

The 40-year-old teacher by trade, eighth overall in the entire marathon field, won her division by nearly 16 minutes over Toronto’s Jacquie Steele in 3:16:02. Susan Carbyn of New Minas ran a 3:18:36 for third.

Nicholson crushed the previous women’s record of 3:16:02 for Halifax. That mark was set by Vancouver’s Celine LeBlanc in the first Blue Nose event in 2004. “It was great, lots of fun," said Nicholson. “When I got to Point Pleasant Park I got flashbacks to being a kid and running crosscountry races. It was a nice course. I’m thrilled."

She ran the front half in 1:25, leading a women’s field of 109 by a full 10 minutes.

The women’s division was viewed as an open contest with many of the region’s betterknown runners taking a pass, including two-time defending champion Leah Jabbour of Halifax.

But Nicholson’s success Sunday was no fluke. She’s been under the three-hour barrier, turning a 2:56 on a flat P.E.I. course, and had a 3:06 in the 2008 Boston Marathon.

“I had an idea I was winning, but you never know who is behind you," she said. “I hoped I was, but I didn’t look behind me. But people told me along the course I was the first female.

“I didn’t really have a time goal, I just wanted to do it. The conditions were perfect. It was a wonderful experience."

She said 40 appears to be a great age for women running marathons. Dartmouth’s Denise Robson, also 40, owns the Canadian record for a woman 40 and over and recently led all Canadian women in the Boston Marathon.“It’s wonderful and very encouraging," she said. “We’re just getting started."

Dartmouth’s Erica Bowie (3:22:44), Halifax’s Penny Hart (3:27:19), Kim MacAskill of Kanata, Ont.

(3:28:02), Halifax’s MarieClaude Gregoire (3:31:31), Hatchet Lake’s Tonya Huck (3:31:27), Charlottetown’s Nancy Morris (3:31:57) and Halifax’s Erin McDiarmid (3:35:04) finished the top 10.

Age divisions went to Shyanne Dollivar (19-and-under), Steele (20-29), Gregoire (30-39), Nicholson (40-49), Halifax’s Marlene Henry (50-59) and Halifax’s Diane Tingley (60-and-over).

Waterlow takes #1 spot in 70-79 at Eugene - 2009-05-15

There seemed to be an unusually large contingent of Canadians at the Eugene Marathon this year. Rod Waterlow of Vancouver led the way by winning the 70-79 category and shooting to the top of the age group rankings in Canada. Nigel Deacon won the 60-64 category and moves into the #3 ranking for the 60-69 category in Canada. Other results include a solid 2:33:20 by Ian Druce and an impressive 3:08:36 by Laurie Sorensen. There were quite a few prairie runners in the event from Canada so you should see some Eugene results in there now as well!

Coffin captures 31st annual Fredericton Marathon - 2009-05-11

By CHRISTOPHER CAMERON
For the Daily Gleaner

Despite the inclement weather conditions, there was a record turnout for the 31st annual Scotiabank Fredericton Marathon put on by the Capital City Roadrunners Sunday in the city.

Paul Lavoie, co-ordinator for the event, said the total number of runners, 1,050, marked a 20 per cent increase over last year's field. "It was our biggest year,'' said Lavoie. The full marathon attracted 136 runners although last year's winner, Travis Saunders, and multiple winner, Chris Brake of Saint John, weren't in the field.

That left the way for Alex Coffin of Saint John to cross the finish line first with a time of 2:47:34, winning the marathon for the first time.

"I had a great time, I love the course, and the weather was perfect for running," said Coffin, who has won marathons in St. Andrews and Moncton previously. "I'm also looking to win the Blue Nose Marathon in Halifax. Hopefully I can carry this win over to next Sunday and win two in a row."

Following Coffin at the finish line were Vladimir Suchan from Fort Kent, Me. in second at 2:55:08 and Mark McCosham of Charlottetown finishing in 2:55:11. The first female runner to cross the finish line in the full Marathon was Hazel Caldwell of Stewiacke, N.S. She is originally from Southern Scotland.

This marked her second ever marathon, finishing with a time of 3:17:31. "I wanted to achieve a new personal best and I accomplished that today. The course was excellent. I loved the trail. It was nice and flat which is perfect if you are looking for a personal best," said Caldwell after her first experience at the Fredericton Marathon.

"I expect to be back next year to hopefully set another personal best.''

Full and half marathoners started at 8 a.m. while 5km and 10km participants started at 8:30 a.m. Runners came from all over Canada and the U.S.

The Good Life Half Marathon including 384 participants saw Fredericton's Ryan O'Shea finishing with the top time of 1:19:36.

A former participant in the full marathon two years ago, this was O'Shea's first time running the Half. "I train with the Running Room, following their program. We're travelling to the Ottawa Marathon in a few weeks and hope for another strong performance."

Other notables in the Half Marathon included second place Gautreau Jacques of Dieppe with a time of 1:23:58. Todd Lambert of Saint John finished in third place with a time of 1:24:11 with Jim Breen from Ireland finishing fourth with a time of 1:24.49.

New Maryland's Chris Brannon captured the Valley Graphics 10K event ahead of Dean Strowbridge of Willow Grove with a time of 33:20.

In the 5km event, Ian Forbes of Fredericton powered down the homestretch to capture the event with a time of 16:29, finishing just ahead of Saint John's Matthew McNeil posting a time of 16:30.

For the most part, Lavoie was pleased with how smoothly everything went. "The runners loved the course. Some said it was the safest course they had ever run," said Lavoie. "Overall this year's marathon was another wonderful success even with the weather conditions not being the best."

Mom sets record to win Mississauga Marathon - 2009-05-11

		By: John Bkila The Mississauga News May 10, 2009 02:31 PM - Running a marathon as a mom for the first time, this year's Mississauga Marathon record-breaking winner says having children made her go faster. "I knocked nine minutes off my time," said Krista Duchene from Brantford, who won with a record time of 2:51.40. "I was completely surprised. I'm thrilled with my time, it's faster than I anticipated. Duchene hasn't participated in a marathon since 2005, when she ran the Boston Marathon, and then became a mom. She now has a toddler and a baby. In her first time running the Mississauga Marathon, Duchene broke the women's record,2:51.28, set by Nathalie Goyer of St. Bruno, Que. in 2007. Goyer came in second place this year, finishing in 2:52.39. Jennifer Eberman of Toronto came in third with a time of 2:54.13. Starting at 7:30 a.m. from Square One and ending at Lakefront Promenade Park, nearly 2,000 runners participated in the 42-kilometre Canon-sponsored race held today (May 10). Mississauga's own Tammy Purdy placed fifth with a time of 3:03.59. In the men's side of competition, Kenyan runner Antony Gitau came in first with a time of2:38.46, while Bevin Stevenson from Hanover came in second (2:41.14) and Kitchener's Solomon Tsewamesk finished third just a second behind (2:41.15). Winners of the marathon receive $1,000, with $500 to those placing second and $250 awarded to third-place finishers. More than 5,000 half-marathon runners set off at the same time as the marathon runners to take part in the Sure-Gro event. Toronto's Predrag Mladenovi came in first with a time of 1:06.12. Mladenovi holds the men's record for the Mississauga Marathon (2:22.16) set in 2007. Close behind Mladenovi at this year's race was Asamenew Yeshanew from Milton (1:06.17), while Toronto's Daniel Mburu Njen came in third (1:09:28). Mississauga landed in the top-10 with runner Scott McDonell who finished with a time of 1:15.40. Lioudmila Kortcha from Thornhill broke her own women's record for the Mississauga Half-Marathon, set in 2007 (1:15.36), by coming in first at 1:14.45.. Finishing second was Firehiwot Gebreye from Ethiopia (1:15.13) and Toronto's Josiane Aboungono was third (1:17.05). Elliott Kerr, the man behind the Mississauga Marathon, said he wanted to bring the race to the city to engage people and children and promote a healthy lifestyle. "Being a longtime resident, I'm proud to be from Mississauaga. It's one of the finest cities and it didn't have a marathon. So I talked to the Mayor and she supported the idea immediately," said Kerr. "Now Mississauga's on the international stage."

Athletes pound pavement in Vancouver marathon - 2009-05-04

		May 4 Vancouver Sun Photo by Ward Perrin (Photo is of Bernard Onsare) VANCOUVER — The 38th annual BMO Vancouver Marathon attracted almost 14,000 athletes from 38 countries Sunday, but it was westerners from Canada and the U.S. who dominated the tarmac. Bernard Onsare of Calgary, Adam Campbell of Victoria and Duncan Marsden, also of Calgary, were the top three in the full marathon, a 42.2-km route. Onsare won with a time of 2:28:26, with Campbell following seven seconds later, with a time of 2:33:33. Two California women took top spots among female full-marathon participants. Mary Akor of Hawthorne, Calif. was the full marathon’s fastest woman, placing 14th overall with a time of 2:46:24. Akor ran in the women’s 30-34 age category. Oakland’s Bridget Duffy, in the women’s 20-24 age range, came in second among women with a time of 2:52:52, placing 28th overall. New Westminster’s Joan McGrath, in the 40-49 age range, kept up with her younger counterparts with a third-place women’s finish of 2:55:59. The event raised more than $30,000 for the B.C. Cancer Foundation, Canuck Place Children's Hospice, The Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society, Heart & Stroke Foundation and Ronald McDonald House B.C. That’s a big increase over the 2008 tally of $12,000, said Daryl Doyle, chairman of the board of the Vancouver International Marathon. Doyle credited the increase partly to the 1,000 more runners who took part over last year, and to Bank of Montreal employees’ aggressive fundraising campaigns. The event also included an eight-km run, a kids’ 1.6 km “marafun” run around BC Place, and a friendship run, a free three-km route for runners and walkers. The oldest participant in the event was Peter Marsden, 90, from Burnaby, who walked the half-marathon of 21.1 kms in almost four hours. Organizers tried to attract more elite athletes from Metro Vancouver and across Canada for this year’s race, said Brian Torrance, elite athletes coordinator for the BMO Vancouver Marathon. “But though we work with elite athletes, everyone has a story out there, whether you’re finishing in five hours or in two-and-a-half.” © Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun

Overall winners win big at the Demi-Marathon International de Quebec!! - 2009-05-04

Francois Menard-Kilpane of Sherbrooke won the overall title at the Demi-Marathon International de Quebec in 1:08:16 to win by almost 8 minutes!! Women's winner Marie Danais finished in 1:20:01 with 2nd place by nearly the same exact margin!!

Maurice Tarrant wins Age Group Challenge at Times Colonist in Victoria - 2009-04-28

The two major 10Ks out west are now completed with the huge Vancouver Sun Run and the little sister Garden City 10K in Victoria. The Victoria race featured some neat age graded results with 70-79 age grouper Maurice Tarrant taking the title. It was also very neat to see ex-Canadian Kathy Butler compete in a Canadian race! Check the age graded results at http://www.raceheadquarters.com/results/2009/run/TC10K2009AgeGraded.html

Tara Quinn-Smith sets new record!! - 2009-04-24

MONTRÉAL, April 19, 2009 — Over 2,800 runners took Parc Jean-Drapeau by storm today for the annual Banque Scotia 21K de Montréal et 5K and helped raised a record amount of $87,000 in the Scotiabank Group Charity Challenge, with all proceeds going to five local charities. Top male runner Asamenew Yeshanew of Ethiopia finished in 1:03:55 while Canadian Tara Quinn Smith set a new Canadian record as well as a new course record for women, with a time of 1:12:08. This event also serves as the official selection trials for the 2009 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships.

This is the second year in a row that the Banque Scotia 21K de Montréal is the venue for the official selection trials for the 2009 IAAF World Half-Marathon Championships, to be held in Birmingham, UK this October. The Canadian athletes who finished in the top three positions at the 2009 Canadian Half Marathon Championships are eligible for selection.

"Once again, Montreal sets the bar high with solid performances from top athletes from the running world. Not only did we see the course record broken, but the top female runner also broke the Canadian record! With over 2,800 participants in both 21K and 5K races, this event is an outstanding success," said François Lecot, Race Director for Canada Running Series.

In the men’s 21K race, it was a tight race between Ethiopian Asamenew Yeshanew and Canadian Matt Loiselle almost until the end, where Yeshanew took the lead to win. Loiselle finished the race in 1:04:09, winning the Canadian Championship, followed by Josephat Ongeri of United States in 1:05.04. In addition to Matt Loiselle, Andrew Smith (1:05:07) and Steve Osaduik (1:05:52) finished the top three for the Canadian Championship.

Canadian top winner in last year’s event, Tara Quinn Smith of Toronto dominated throughout the entire race and took the title by setting a new course record as well as breaking the Canadian record of 1995. Respectively in second and third positions overall, female runners Lioudmila Kortchaguina (Canada) registered a time of 1:15:49 and Firehiwot Gebreyesus of Ethiopia finished in 1:16:16. Paula Wiltse joined Quinn Smith and Kortchaguina as the third best Canadian time at 1:19:46.

Note from Alex: Magali Tisseyre was actually the third place Canadian for the women. She is a top triathlete as well.

Half-Marathon Male

1. Asamenew Yeshanew      1:03:55
2. Matt Loiselle          1:04:09
3. Josephat Ongeri        1:05:04

Half-Marathon Female

1. Tara Quinn Smith       1:12:08
2. Lioudmila Kortchaguina 1:15:49
3. Firehiwot Gebreyesus   1:16:16

The Banque Scotia 21K de Montréal & 5K is part of the prestigious Canada Running Series. Growing in popularity every year, this world-class race is also a successful fundraising event. This year it helped raise a significant amount of money, $87,000, for five local charities that have a huge impact on their local community: Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation, The Cummings Jewish Centre for Seniors, La Maison de la famille Pierre Bienvenu Noailles, Share the Warmth and West Island Women’s Shelter.

"What a great way to combine business and fun: running on a wonderful course on such a great day, and helping local organizations that truly make a difference. At Banque Scotia, we are committed to being a contributor in our community, and today acting as a catalyst in helping to raise money for local charities is very rewarding," said Pierre Michaud, District Vice-President, Montreal, Scotiabank.

For complete race results, please visit www.canadarunningseries.com/monthalf.

Boston Results are now in the rankings!! - 2009-04-22

		Diane Roy had the top finish of the day finishing second in the women’s wheelchair marathon at Boston but there were lots of excellent running results as well. Only Andrew Smith and Lioudmila Kortchaguina retained their top rankings in the age groups after the Boston results were included. Most impressive was probably Denise Robson’s 2:48:15 in the 40-49 women’s category. She finished #4 for overall masters women at Boston. A good argument can be made for Jean Marmoreo though as she finished #1 in the 65-69 age category. Helen Sabourin was #5 and Joyce White was #7 in that same category. Stephen Beasley was #3 in 50-54 men with Robert Julian #9 and Rejean Bourgouin #10. Willma Lang was #4 and Violet Holmes was #8 in 70-74 women. Shirley Myers was #5 and Mary Goodacre was #10 in 55-59 women. Susan Petch was #5 and Roslyn Smith was #6 in 60-69 women. Jacques Gagnon was #5 and Joe Burke was #7 in 65-69 men. Rami Bardeesy was #6 in 40-44 men. Agathe Nicholson was #6, Louise Chercuitte was #7 and Josephine Mori-Stoodley was #9 in 45-49 women. Gerald Miller was #8 in 70-74 men. Louise Voghel was #10 in 50-54 women. Overall leaders were Stephen Drew of Waterloo and Jennifer Feenstra who lives in Duluth.

Omwenga wins the Around the Bay - 2009-03-30

		John Kernaghan The Hamilton Spectator (Mar 30, 2009) Thomas Omwenga happily endured yesterday's double lashings of wind and rain in winning the 102nd running of the Around the Bay Road Race. He'd even submit again to the draining four days it took him to get to Hamilton from Nairobi. See, that was all a walk in the park compared to last March when he was literally running for his life. "I went into the forest for a month," he recalled of his escape from vicious tribal conflict in Kenya. "We lived in tents in camps until it was safe again." That meant he missed his first date with Around the Bay. And, with more time in airports than Tom Hanks in The Terminal, it looked like he'd miss yesterday's, too. But a protracted pilgrimage got him here and "I wasn't going to come and finish second after that." Omwenga, all legs and lungs, did more than win and pick up $4,000 in prize money, he demoralized the field, finishing in 1:35:29, 3 1/2 minutes ahead of Edward Tabat and 5 1/2 in front of Gitah Macharia. Meantime, fellow Kenyan Lucy Njeri destroyed the women's field with a near ten-minute margin over the rain-soaked course. If Omwenga was slow in arriving due to a star-crossed journey beginning Wednesday, he was fast in embracing the 30-kilometre Bay course. "It's mostly flat," he understated, noting he made his final break from the pack in the 23rd kilometre, where the Aldershot hills begin to sap strength. The 29-year-old should have been fresh for high-altitude hill training in Kenya. But an airline overbooking and confusion over a visa required for a stopover conspired to turn 16 hours of travel into 72. "I slept in Nairobi Airport the first night, then had to get another ticket." As his epic journey was unfolding, a Canadian friend in Milton was getting frustrated e-mails from Omwenga. "After all he went through, there was no way he was going to finish second," Steve Ward said. He finally landed at 5:30 p.m. Saturday. Omwenga pulsed ahead of the lead pack several times, but that knot of swifties kept reeling him in. Then it was he and 2008 winner Alene Reta, of New York, from the 20-kilometre point. By then, the cold was getting to him and he was vigorously shaking his arms to get feeling back into them. But his feet were hot and he must have broken Reta's spirit as he pulled away for good. The defending champion walked off the course some time later. Njeri, 30, led all the way as she built leads of 4:36, 6:08 and 7:40 over second-place finisher Liz Maguire, 42, at the 10-, 15- and 20-kilometre marks to finish in 1:50:27. That's two minutes slower than her 2008 time. "It was terrible, so cold and wet," she said, shivering under a coat and blanket. "I wasn't expecting this." Njeri has been training at high-altitude in Mexico. In the five-kilometre Bay and Back race, Rob Watson, of Mississauga, clocked 14:16.9 and Lanni Marchant, of London, recorded an 18:41.1 to take the men's and women's brackets, respectively. Sunday was the 115th anniversary of the first race, but the 102nd running due to wars and other interruptions. jkernaghan@thespec.com 905-526-3422

Simon Bairu takes over half marathon lead!! - 2009-03-25

		Simon Bairu now has the fastest half marathon time in 2009 with a 1:03:09 in Uitslagen at the Fortis City-Pier-City half Marathon held on March 14. Simon grew up in Regina and has steadily progressed to the top of Canada’s long distance running community.

Cryderman and Withey duke it out! - 2009-03-25

		At the Comox Valley Half Marathon, Mark "Crunch" Cryderman wanted to turn his 5th place finish in 2008 to a #1 placing but Jonathan Withey turned back the local star 1:11:48 to 1:12:06. Stefan Jakobsen dropped back from the chase but held on to third place with a 1:13:23. Top Master was Hugh Trenchard in 1:14:58. On the women’s side, Zoots shoe athlete Sara Gross had a comfortable lead over Nancy Baxendale and Catrin Jones. All 3 women were under 1:25 with Sara timed in with a 1:22:04. Nancy was the top masters woman! The Comox course is a climb to the halfway point and then a fast second half back to the finish. Other top age groupers were 50-59 Wayne Crowe in 1:20:08, 60-69 Brian Connon in 1:26:52, 70-79 Garfield Saunders in 1:40:46, 50-59 Jackie Eddy in 1:41:44 and 60-69 Roslyn Smith in 1:38:23.

Historical results posted for Scotiabank Toronto Half Marathon - 2009-03-25

Check http://www.torontowaterfrontmarathon.com/en/results.htm for the historical Coors Light/GMC/ Scotiabank half marathon results. Very interesting all time top 10 had Peter Maher and Danuta Bartoskek at the top for Canadians at the Toronto Half!!

2009 Johnny Miles Format Announced - 2009-03-16

New Glasgow N.S., March 9, 2009...... After a record year in 2008, the details are set for the 2009 running of the Johnny Miles event. According to Race Director Terry Curley the format for this year’s event weekend will stay much the same, building on the great success of last year’s event with just a few adjustments that will fine tune the weekend of activities even more.

The weekend gets under way on Saturday, June 20, 2009 with the ``Johnny Walk`` at 9:00 am, followed by the Tim Horton’s / Subway Kids Fun Run at 10:30am. Both events take place at the Scott Weeks Sports Complex in Parkdale. Registration and Race Kit Pick Up will start at 2:00 pm at the John Brother MacDonald Stadium. The Carbo Loading Dinner will start at 4:00 pm with the Opening Ceremonies taking place at 5:00 pm.

The Opening Ceremonies will feature key note speaker Mark Black. Mark is a double lung & heart transplant survivor. He is also a published author, marathon runner & motivational speaker. Mark will speak to the crowd about Living Life from the Heart, the title of his book. Following the key note address will be the presentation of the ``Johnny Miles Williston Award`` and the ``Danny MacLeod Inspirational Awards``.

The main running events will take place on Sunday, June 21^st starting at 8:30 am directly in front of Carmichael Park on Terrace Street. The running events will feature the marquee events: The S. Allen & Sons Disaster Kleenup Marathon and the Advocate Half Marathon and Walk. Other events are the CIBC Wood Gundy 5km Fun Run, the Empire Theatres 5km Student Challenge, the Disability Challenge and the ProSport/New Balance 10km Classic.

One of the most noticeable changes will be the introduction of a new state of the art “Single Use Timing Chip”. The new timing chip will be a single use chip with the Johnny Miles Logo on it that participants will be able to keep as yet another souvenir of their accomplishment. The single use chip will eliminate the ankle strap and the need to have volunteers at the finish line to remove them from the participant’s ankles, a task that was never popular among volunteers.

The change in venue for the Sobey’s Carbo Loading Social and Meal is the result of the growing success and popularity of the event. The event has outgrown the Bluenose Curling Club therefore the Sobeys Social and Carbo Loading Meal will move to the more spacious setting of the John Brother MacDonald Stadium. The move will allow for more floor space for seating for the expected increase in numbers and will allow for more registration tables and additional display area explains Race Director Curley

One other change that will be made will be with the Empire Theatres Student Challenge. This year the event will be used to bring awareness to the Anti Bullying Campaign that is currently running in most schools. “We see this as a natural fit for our event,” says Curley, “The 5Km Student Challenge was created to challenge students to be the best that they can be and obviously helping to eliminate bulling fits into that profile of being a positive leader.” The students will wear pink bib numbers and will have the Anti Bullying logo on the back of their shirts. The event is free for students and students will receive free pre-race breakfast, official race shirts, completion medal, and a post race meal and are eligible for draw prizes.

“As a committee we continue to be motivated and inspired by the growing number of participants and the stories they tell us about their reasons for taking part”, says Curley.

New Glasgow Marketing & Communications Director Kim Dickson describes the Johnny Miles Running Weekend has one that has become a classic for the region that generates much appreciated tourism revenues into the community during the shoulder season. “In these challenging times, the Johnny Miles Running Event Weekend brings visitors to the community while also providing an event that is supported and applauded by the citizens and businesses of Pictou County. It has multi-generational appeal and opportunities for all levels of abilities to participate and be proud of their achievement,” says Dickson.

For complete details please visit www.johnnymiles.ca

Green Sock Half Marathon Results - 2009-03-16

On a cold and wet day, Darbykai Standrick took a swing at the men by placing third overall when she took the women's title at the Green Sock Half Marathon in Abbotsford. Full results can be seen at http://www.raceheadquarters.com/results/2009/run/GreenSockHalfMarathon2009.html

Brendan Kenny wins big again!! - 2009-03-02

		Brendan Kenny is on a tear!!! Soon after winning the Grimsby Half Marathon, Brendan won the Chilly Half Marathon in Burlington by over 4 minutes!! Two local women duked it out for the women’s title. Marie Elliot took out Jennifer Eberman 1:24:41 to 1:25:22. (Photo from the Hamilton Spectator)

Brendan Kenny wins big in Grimsby - 2009-02-24

Brendan Kenny broke from Kenyan runners Josephat Ongeri and David Karanja to win the Grimsby Half Marathon title. Brendan has been top 5 many times here but I believe this is his first win at Grimsby. Wendy Gualtieri used her experience to win by a minute over a three woman pack of Anaydis Badada, Krista Duchene and Tahari Dosani.

Local Runner In the Front Pack at Peterborough - 2009-02-24

A local runner didn't win it but still enjoyed a personal best and gave the winner a good run for his money.

Peterborough's Jamie Switzer reached his goal of finishing under an hour and 20 minutes and ended up a solid fourth overall in the half-marathon segment of the 31st annual Peterborough Family YMCA Vascular Health Network HalfMarathon, AccuPed 5K and Wildrock Kids 1K in the region yesterday.

Posted By DALE CLIFFORD, EXAMINER STAFF WRITER

The Peterborough Examiner

With the start and finish at the corner of Park and Brioux streets, the 20-year-old Switzer completed his third half in 1:18:40.0, right on the heels of first-time winner Mike Strano of Barrie, who won in 1:16:59.0.

Huntsville's Troy Cox was second in 1:17:02.2 while Toronto's Lawrence Warriner placed third in 1:17:58.1. It left Switzer in fine company with a respectable finish, not bad considering there were 884 registered runners overall, including 573 in the half alone.

There was a local connection to the top woman finisher in the half. Trent University grad Jutta Merilainen, a Finnish native who lives in Batawa, near Trenton, finished ninth overall in 1:23:05.1 to earn such an honour for the third-straight year.

The runners enjoyed a variety of weather conditions, from a snow squall to flurries, mild to cool temperatures, sun to cloud and little wind to blustery. Throughout the roads were constant, snow covered and wet.

Switzer actually enjoyed a lead for a while before settling back.

"I stuck to my game plan and didn't push too hard," said Switzer, a first-year recreation and leisure student at Fleming College. "I tried to keep stride. The weather was all right. It is February. The roads were packed with snow and they were wet and slippery. I was happy with how I ran. And I was happy to reach my goal. I finished under 20 minutes and it was my personal best."

It was the third half-marathon for Switzer, all here, and he was happy to represent the area. He got into the sport when he was 10.

"I trained all winter for this and I just hadn't taken it seriously before," he said. "It's the only sport I do now. I love the challenge, the competition and being outside. It's good for my health."

For the 35-year-old Strano, it was his first win after finishing second last year.

First Winterman held!! - 2009-02-24

		The 2009 Winterman Marathon, Marathon Relays, Half Marathon, 10Km, 5Km, and 2.5Km took place on Sunday February 22, 2009,at the Canadian War Museum. The War Museum provided a stunning backdrop to the premiere of this prestigious annual event. Winterman was held during Canada's winter festival - and is an official Winterlude event. Rejean Bourgouin and Sylvie Phillips won the inaugral titles in the marathon. Rejean is over 50 oyears old!! Ryan Grant and Mathilde Batailler took the titles in the half marathon. It looked like a very successful event!!

First Half Results In! - 2009-02-17

Richard Mosley won comfortably for the men’s race while Cheryl Murphy won by about the same margin in the women’s division. Mark Bomba ran 1:10:38 to take the master’s men’s division while Nancy Tinari ran 1:21:30 to take the master’s women’s division. Terry Fox’s driver Doug Alward continues to impress by taking the 50-59 division over former LA Marathon Winner Art Boileau. NBer Eunice Phillips travelled west to win 55-59 and 2nd for 50-59 behind Rhonda Gallant. Herb Phillips narrowly edged Iain Fisher in the 60-69 Men’s while Marcia Boulanger took the women’s 60-69 title. It was another tight battle in 70+ with Rod Waterlow barely edging Garfield Saunders. Gwen McFarlan took the women’s 70+ title. Results are at http://www.winningtime.ca/index.php?content=09fhhm Photos are at http://www.flickr.com/photos/knepomuk/sets/72157613848442254/

Royal Victoria Marathon to host Provincial Marathon Championships - 2009-02-17

Royal Victoria Marathon to host Provincial Marathon Championships

(Victoria, BC – February 16, 2009). The 30^th Annual Royal Victoria Marathon (RVM) has been chosen by BC Athletics to host the 2009 Provincial Marathon Championships for junior, senior and master runners, for both men and women. The Marathon will be held on Sunday, October 11, 2009.

“Throughout its history, the Royal Victoria Marathon has consistently staged a first class event, attracting many of BC’s finest marathon runners,” said Maurice Wilson, Technical Manager of BC Athletics’ Road and Cross Country Running Division. “After an absence of many years, BC Athletics is pleased to award the 2009 BC Marathon Championships to Victoria, to be held in conjunction with their 30^th anniversary.”

The Royal Victoria Marathon has consistently attracted an elite field of runners including former winners Cheryl Murphy and Olympian Jon Brown, both 2008 BCA Road Runners of the Year, reigning and three-time Marathon winner Steve Osaduik, five-time winner Kelvin Broad, six-time winner Cindy Rhodes and Olympians Bruce Deacon and Peter Butler.

“For 2009 I will be inviting about 50 elite BC runners to participate,” said Bob Reid, President of the Victoria Marathon Society. “There is $26,000 available in prize money with $3,000 each going to the top male and female and a $5,000 bonus for a new men’s or women’s course record. We are very proud – this is the first time in 30 years that RVM has hosted the provincial marathon championships.”

Current course records are held by Langley’s Steve Osaduik, 2:16:49 set in 2006, and Val Chowaniec, from Edmonton, 2:42:32 set in 1989.

The 30^th Annual Royal Victoria Marathon takes place Sunday, October 11, 2009; in addition to the Marathon there is a Half Marathon, 8K Road Race and Thrifty Foods Kids Run. For more details, visit www.royalvictoriamarathon.com.

- 30 -

For more information contact:

Louise Hodgson-Jones                                                       Bob Reid

Media Liaison                                                                     President

Royal Victoria Marathon                                                    Victoria Marathon Society

250-812-2518 250-384-1520

media@royalvictoriamarathon.com breid@islandnet.com

Iceland Marathon Trip - 2009-02-04

		Flights. The direct flight from Halifax departs on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Thursday 20 August dep Halifax 10.00pm arrive Reykjavik 5.15am on 21 August Saturday 22 August – Race Day Sunday 23 August – Day at Leisure Monday 24 August dep Reykjavik 6.40pm arr Halifax 8.15pm on the same day Flight Price - $651.00* per person taxes in. As an alternative the fare for the direct flight on Monday 17 August and returning on Monday 24 August is $651.00 per person. Hotels Based on the flights above this would be a 3 night duration and there would be a wait between arriving in Iceland and being able to check into the hotel. Leifur Eriksson Hotel A 3 star family run hotel located in the centre of the city. $293.00 per person based on 2 people sharing a room for the 3 nights based on Bed & Breakfast. Park Island Inn A 3 star hotel at $306.75 with Buffet Breakfast included. A 20 minute walk from the City Centre but the hotel offers complimentary access to the Geo Thermal Swimming Pool close by. Fron Hotel $308.28 per person for 3 nights B&B for this 3 star hotel located on the main shopping street but may have noise on weekends from nightclubs. Grand Hotel A 4 star hotel for 3 nights B&B is $408.37 and is a 15 minute walk from the City centre. Airport Transfers These can be pre-booked at a rate of roughly $80.00 return per person as a private transfer direct to the hotel based on 4 people. *prices are subject to change at any time If people are interested we would be happy to co-ordinate the bookings. For flight only reservations we make a $40.00 per booking service fee but for reservations including the hotels above and transfers there would be no service fee. We would also recommend Travel Insurance which would be priced at between $88.00 - $92.00 per person based on clients under 55. Prices will vary dependant on the value of the hotel and flight booked. Thanks and best wishes, Helena & Garth – Travel Counsellors – (506) 214 1085 Helena.millar@travelcounsellors.ca

Mattina and Warrendorf sweep titles at Neway's Maui Paradise Marathon - 2009-01-30

KIHEI - In conditions that felt more like they belonged in the Pacific Northwest than Hawaii, it was fitting that the top two finishers at Sunday morning’s Neways Maui Paradise Marathon were from Vancouver, British Columbia.

Steve Mattina, 38, took home the men’s title, running through the soaked streets of South Maui to finish the 26.2-mile course in 3 hours, 4 minutes, 20 seconds, while his girlfriend, Karen Warrendorf, 35, won the women’s title in 3:12:55 at the inaugural event, which began and ended at Kalama Beach Park.

The day started as a clear Maui morning before giving way - almost as soon as the race began - to heavy showers, with occasional thunder and lightning.

The rain seemed to suit Warrendorf, who finished nearly an hour ahead of the next woman, 22-year-old Karen Johnson (4:11:57), of Greeley, Colo.

’’It was good - I was very happy for the rain,’’ Warrendorf said. ’’It was wonderful.

’’Running a marathon in the heat and sun is not so fun so it (the rain) was welcome.’’

While many of the approximately 200 runners who participated in the full and half marathons welcomed the weather, it played havoc on the organizers, who decided to cancel this year’s 5-kilometer race as the rain left huge puddles around the start/finish line.

Race manager Jerry Levey said he wasn’t offering refunds to the runners who paid $20-30, but those who paid this year can have their fee applied toward next year’s race. The planned keiki races were also canceled because puddles covered the baseball diamond at Kalama.

The rain let up by the time Mattina completed the race, although he did have to run around a huge puddle just in front of the chute leading to the finish line.

Mattina, who works for shoe retailer Running Room and reviews races as part of his job, called the event a ’’destination marathon’’ and said he wouldn’t hesitate recommending it to fellow runners.

’’I think this race will take off, people need a break (during winter), people need to escape,’’ said Mattina, who said he’s completed 20-25 marathons, including the New York City Marathon last year.

Tony Phillippi (3:14:03), 47, of Tacoma, Wash., was third overall - second among the men.

Johnny Landeza, 45, of Aiea, Oahu, was fourth overall and the top Hawaii finisher.

’’It was a really good course,’’said Landeza, who came to Maui along with five other members of Runners HI on Oahu. ’’We were excited when we heard about a new Maui marathon in January.’’

Landeza said he enjoyed the run and planned to return.

’’We’ll be here next year,’’ he said.

The second Maui Paradise Marathon is scheduled for Jan. 10, 2010.

Jerome Ross, of Anchorage, Alaska, won the half marathon in 1:15:35. Lindsey Wilbur of Kihei was the top women’s finisher, in 1:35:13.

Hana’s Billy Conner, 59, a veteran of 113 marathons, gave his approval to the course.

Conner ran the half marathon, in 2:34:39, because his girlfriend, Jill Davis of Wenatchee, Wash., was on Maui to celebrate her 50th birthday. She crossed the finish line 1 second before Conner, a personal best time.

’’I loved the course today, conditions were ideal,’’ said Conner, who has run the last 32 Maui Marathons. ’’I’d rather be cold and wet than hot and dry.’’

$99.99 Men's Shoe Inventory - 2009-01-23

		Men's Size 7 Brooks Adrenaline GTS 7 Men's Size 7.5 Puma Trailfox Brooks Adrenaline GTS 7 Men's Size 8 ASICS Gel Sidewinder (4E) ASICS GT 2120 ASICS Gel 1120 (4E) Reebok Premier Road Cushion Brooks Adrenaline GTS 7 Brooks Glycerin 5 Adidas Supernova Cushion 7 Mizuno Wave Inspire 2 Men's Size 8.5 ASICS GT 2120 Brooks Glycerin 5 Reebok Premier Road Cushion Brooks Adrenaline GTS 7 Nike Air Structure Triax 10 Nike Air Structure Triax 10 (Gortex) Nike Air Structure Triax 11 ASICS GT 2120 ASICS Gel 1120 (4E) Men's Size 9 Nike Air Structure Triax 10 Nike Air Structure Triax 11 Nike Air Pegasus Reebok Premier Road Cushion Puma Trailfox Men's Size 9.5 Brooks Glycerin 4 Brooks Trance Brooks Adrenaline GTS 7 Nike Air Max 190 II Reebok Premier Road Cushion Men's Size 10 Reebok Premier Road Cushion Brooks Maximus XT 3 Puma Trailfox Brooks Adrenaline GTS 7 Brooks Adrenaline GTS 6 Brooks Glycerin 6 Nike Air Pegasus Mizuno Inspire 2 Men's Size 10.5 Brooks Adrenaline ASR NIke Air Pegasus 2007 Reebok Premier Road Cushion Mizuno Inspire 2 Men's Size 11 Brooks Adrenaline GTS 6 Brooks Adrenaline GTS 7 ASICS Gel Sidewinder (4E) Nike Air Pegasus 2007 Men's Size 11.5 Brooks Glycerin 5 Brooks Glycerin 6 ASICS Gel 1120 (4E) Nike Air Structure Triax 10 (Gortex) Brooks Adrenaline GTS 7 Men's Size 12 Nike Air Structure Triax 10 Nike Air Structure Triax 11 Nike Air Pegasus Brooks Glycerin 5 Brooks Glycerin 6 Adidas Supernova Cushion 6 Brooks Adrenaline GTS 7 Men's Size 13 Brooks Adrenaline GTS 6 Brooks Adrenaline GTS 7 Brooks Glycerin 5 Brooks Glycerin 6 Nike Air Pegasus Men's Size 15 Mizuno Wave Inspire 2

$99.99 Women's Shoe Inventory - 2009-01-23

		Women's Size 6 Nike Air Pegasus 2006 ASICS GT 2110 Mizuno Wave NIrvana 2 Brooks Adrenaline GTS 7 Brooks Glycerin 4 Women's Size 6.5 Brooks Glycerin 5 Brooks Adrenaline GTS 7 Nike Air Pegasus 2006 Brooks Glycerin 6 Women's Size 7 Brooks Glycerin 7 Nike Air Structure Triax 10 (Gortex) Brooks Glycerin 5 Brooks Glycerin 4 Adidas Orbed Brooks Adrenaline GTS 7 ASICS GT 2120 (2A) Mizuno Wave Nirvana 2 Women's Size 7.5 Brooks Adrenaline GTS 7 Nike Air Assail IV NIke Air Perseus iii Nike Air Structure Triax 10 Women's Size 8 Adidas Orbed Women's Size 8.5 Brooks Adrenaline GTS 7 Puma Complete Prevail IV Reebok Premier Hatana Reebok Swara Women's Size 9 Mizuno Wave Inspire 3 Nike Air Structure Triax 10 (Gortex) Reebok Swara Brooks Adrenaline GTS 6 Reebok Pump Paris Women's Size 9.5 Adidas Supernova Cushion 7 Nike Air Pegasus 2006 Mizuno Wave Inspire 2 Brooks Glycerin 5 Women's Size 10 Adidas Supernova Cushion 7 Adidas Orbed ASICS GT 2120 ASICS GT 2120 (2A) Nike Air Pegasus 2006 Nike Air Structure Triax 10 Women's Size 10.5 ASICS GT 2120 Adidas Supernova Cushion 7 NIke Air Structure Triax 10 Nike Air Pegasus 2006 Brooks Glycerin 6 Adidas Orbed Brooks Glycerin 5 Women's Size 11 Brooks Adrenaline GTS 6 Brooks Adrenaline GTS 7 ASICS Gel 1120 (D) Women's Size 12 Nike Air Trail Pegasus

Canucks run strong in Houston - 2009-01-20

HOUSTON, TX. January 19^th. While the Ethiopians stole the headlines, Canadians continued a strong tradition of excellence at yesterday’s Chevron Houston Marathon.

Up front, Ethiopia’s Deriba Merga and Teyba Erkesso set blistering paces to set new men’s and women’s course records of 2:07:52 and 2:24:23, respectively -- propelling Houston to a status usually reserved for the Marathon Majors of Chicago, Boston and New York.

Not too far behind them, Andrew Smith of the Brooks Canada Marathon Project took 3 minutes off his previous best to run 2:16:18 for 5^th place male, and Thornhill’s Lioudmila Kortchaguina came back from 2 years’ of frustrating injuries that forced her out of the Beijing Olympics and her dream of running for Canada, to record an impressive 2:30:43 clocking, good for 3^rd place female and US$7,000. A third Canadian, Giitah Macharia of Oakville had a disappointing day, fading badly in the final stages to finish in 2:21. He had run 2:16 in his marathon debut at Ottawa last May and was hoping for a sub-2:15. Ottawa ’08 was also Smith’s marathon debut.

In quietly finishing 3^rd and 5^th, as first North Americans, Kortchaguina and Smith continued a fine national tradition of top Canuck performances and close ties with Houston. In January 1985, Silvia Ruegger ran 2:28:36 to take 1^st place, and set a new Canadian women’s marathon record that still stands today, 24 years later. Current Ontario Minister of Labour, Peter Fonseca, was overall Houston Men’s champion in 1995, going on to compete for his country in the Atlanta Olympic marathon in ’96 where he placed 21^st.

With their performances yesterday, Kortchaguina and Smith hope to stake claims to one of the 5 men’s and 5 women’s marathon teams going to the Word Championships in Berlin in August.

Alan Brookes,

Race Director,

Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon,

From Houston, TX.

Canucks run strong in Arizona too - 2009-01-20

		Cheryl Murphy ran sub 2:49 to take the top performance of the day by a Canadian at the PF Chang Arizona Rock and Roll Marathon. She finished 8th overall for the women. On the age group side, Tammy Purdy of Mississauga finished 2nd in women's 40-44 while Julie Bonner and Kathy Johnson of Calgary finished 1st and 3rd in women's 50-54. On the men's side, Phil Nicholls finished 2nd in the 45-49 category.

2008 Half Marathons Check - 2009-01-19

		Hi everyone, I think I have the 2008 Half Marathon Rankings finally confirmed. The major correction actually involves 2007 as I had Paula Keating from Miramichi in the 50-59 age category when she was 40-49. Louise Voghel now takes the 2007 50-59 age category win. For 2008, I was actually surprised that there wasn't a performance spike like there was in the marathon but it just goes to show that most road runners will run a half but to run a fast marathon is still as challenging as it has ever been. For the overall men, the big newcomer is Kip Kangogo who should be a big force in the future. At the top, Dylan Wykes and Jon Brown duked it out again but it was sad to see that Ryan Hayden did not build from his momentum in 2007. Hopefully, a marathon is still in Hayden's future. On the age group side, it was a BC-Ontario showdown with BC taking the crown. Steve Boyd, Bruce Deacon and Bruce Raymer were all sub 1:10 for the 40-49 category. Doug Alward, Terry Fox's friend and supporter, won the 50-59 category with BC residents taking the full top 4. Jim Swadling continued the BC dominance by taking the 60-69 category and the top 4 in 70-79 were all BC again with Garfield Saunders leading the way. For both men and women, it was new winners at the top as the competition is stiff every year for the titles. A special mention on the regional side to Terry Gehl who ran the top 2 times for Quebec. For the overall women, Cheryl Murphy, Tara Quinn-Smith and Nicole Stevenson made a huge push to the top with Cheryl taking the overall title. Lioudmila Kortchaguina once again had several top performances to make it very interesting. Kirsty Smith, Lauren King, Emily Tallen and Beth Wightman are all under 30 so the future looks very good. A big name missing in 2008 was Aster Demisse so hopefully I wasn't missing a result by her. On the age group side, we had Ontario strike back at BC and the winners were Quinn-Smith 20-29 (Ontario), Murphy 30-39 (BC), Paula Wiltse 40-49 (Ontario), Carolyn Silvey 50-59 (Ontario), Nancy Wells 60-69 (Ontario), and BJ McHugh 70-79 (BC). On the regional side, special mentions go to Denise Robson for setting up her marathon record with a top Atlantic ranking and Lisa Harvey for continuing her dominance of the Prairie scene. If you have any questions or input, please e-mail me at marathoncanada@live.com. Full rankings can be seen at www.marathoncanada.com. Alex

Taking a run at $100,000 - 2009-01-16

(Note from Alex: You can check out Norma's blog on http://mexicanrunningwild.blogspot.com/2008/10/freedom-means-opportunity-to-be-what-we.html

Norma will be running 7 ultramarathons in 7 months in 7 continents!!

Calgary Sun

January 16, 2009

Bill Kaufmann

It's a vision to help the blind that'll span all seven continents.

Inspired by a teenage son suffering from a rare eye disease, Calgarian Norma Bastidas is preparing to both sweat it out and freeze -- running some of the world's most gruelling marathons from the deserts of Africa's Namibia to the icy wastes of Antarctica.

Her goal: To raise $100,000 for eye disease research and treatment but to do so, she'll have to survive the more than 1,400 km of Earth's most inhospitable reaches.

"I do love it -- you have to love it," said Bastidas, a 41-year-old single mother of two whose seven-month odyssey is being underwritten by a local business, the Bolt Supply House.

After tackling 217 km of searing Brazilian heat and tropical rain a week from now, Bastidas immediately sets off for the frozen Antarctica, hosted by the Russian military at their Novo Base.

There, she'll run a 100-km route by herself -- a challenge aided by recent frostbitten conditions in Calgary.

"I was out training with sleds in the -35 Celsius weather ... I'll dress in layers to pull the sweat away from me to prevent hypothermia," said Bastidas, who'll also take another lonely trek through the Yukon and Alaska, where her main source of calories will be butter.

And she'll pull a sled through the snow weighed down with 20 kg of provisions.

The petite marketing director will also run races in Switzerland, Australia and the Gobi desert.

For some of them, Bastidas says she'll be going for the win -- "others, it's just to survive them."

A year of training peaked last October when she embarked on a 250-km trek across the Sahara desert.

"I wanted to see if my body could handle running it," she said.

"Not only did I survive, I placed fifth for females in my age group."

When it's not the competition driving her, Bastidas is motivated by her 14-year-old son Karl and others suffering from genetic eye diseases.

"It's watching my son struggle ... I'd like to think of myself as an athletic ambassador for the blind," she said.

Those wishing to make donations can do so at normabastidas.com or give through the Calgary Foundation.

Natasha Yaremczuk has top performance at Disney! - 2009-01-13

		Canadian Triathlete Natasha Yaremczuk finishes fifth at Disney with a time of 2:57:24 and also won her age group of 25-29 years of age! Richard Cartier was the top Canadian Male in 13th place with a time of 2:39:36 and also won his age group of 45-49 years of age. Other age group winners in the marathon included Manfred Haese of Welland in 75-79, Marilyn Huot of St Lambert in women's 55-59, and Wilma Gonsalves of St Albert in women's 70-74 . David Prentice of London finished 2nd in 55-59 and Luanne Branch of Burlington finished 2nd in Women's 65-69. Aldo Bellon of Laval finished 3rd in 60-64. The top performances as gauged by comparing to 2008 results have been included in the 2009 rankings on www.marathoncanada.com.

Kelsall interviews Nicole Stevenson - 2009-01-13

Source: www.flotrack.org

Special thanks to Christopher Kelsall

With a Commonwealth Games appearance and a 2:32 marathon personal best, Nicole Stevenson has been one of Canada’s elite marathon runners since 2002.

Coached by Hugh Cameron, Nicole transitioned from a middle distance runner to a marathoner smoothly, able to maintain fairly low-mileage training while working full time for a Pharmaceutical company in marketing.

Coach Hugh is the head coach with the Brooks Canada Marathon Project in Ontario, which enables Canada’s best runners to maintain their focus on their training and he is doing so with good success.

Martin Goulet, Chief High Performance Officer for Athletics
Canada says:

"As a long time national team and Olympic distance running
coach I was thrilled to learn about this new privately
sponsored Brooks Canada Marathon Project when briefed about
it. Our sport certainly needs new innovative ways to
attract support for our Canadian athletes. We
enthusiastically endorse the concept and approach especially
knowing that under the strong leadership of coach Cameron,
this initiative will harmoniously complement what Athletics
Canada is doing in the global area of distance running."

The time left for qualifying for the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) World Track and Field Championships, (August 15 to 23, 2009) is coming up for the marathon, that final date is Sunday, May 24th 2009 at the Ottawa Marathon. The question is, will Nicole continue to hold onto one of the last spots that remain and keep her place on the team.

At the 2008 ING Ottawa Marathon, I had an opportunity to ask Nicole just that, but a serious case of food poisoning kept me on a lobby couch in the Hyatt, head-in-hands looking up as the CBC and everyone else interviewed her instead. Now, finally here follows my Q and A with Ms. Stevenson.

CK: So are we going to see you in Ottawa in May 2009 attempting one of the spots for the marathon team to race the Worlds in Berlin?

NS: I've actually already made a qualifying time with my 2:41 in Ottawa in 2008, so unless I get "bumped" by some faster women, I am on the team.

CK: Are you going to wait to see if you get bumped? Ottawa is a last chance and I think 3 women have qualified already. I believe Cheryl Murphy has a time that is very close to yours and will be racing shortly to try to improve on that. Additionally, Loudmila hasn’t raced as far as I know.

NS: Wouldn’t it be great to say that a woman with a 2:32 marathon PB didn’t make the Canadian national team? Ok, I know that’s misleading since I didn’t run the PB during the qualifying period. However, it’s great to see more Canadian women breaking the 2:43 mark. What’s interesting is the age range of this group: with a couple women under 30 and some nearing or even over the 40-year mark. I suppose to make the really fast times of under 2:30, we need more of the younger women in the event, but it’s still good to see a full team forming for Berlin.

My guess is that Loudmila will return in 2009, though she and I are both battling some unavoidable challenges like aging and being females who have raced a lot of marathons in the last 10 years. I’d love to re-ignite our rivalry (I think my record with her is 1-100). Notice how I haven’t answered the original question? I have to wait and see how the next few weeks go with training before I commit to any races. As much as I want to be at the top of my game in 2009 and run as fast as I did just three years ago, I am fighting some physiological demons, so I’ll see how the winter goes and maybe test myself at Around the Bay 30km at the end of March.

CK: Again regarding Ottawa being a last chance event to qualify. A few years ago when you ran in the Commonwealth Games Marathon, you considered it your toughest marathon ever, partly because you ran it two months after a personal best in Houston. What are you doing to prepare for racing with minimal recovery this time for World’s?

NS: I've encountered a number of setbacks since the Commonwealth marathon. I thought my body would bounce back after some downtime, but I'm still looking for that bounce! I partially tore my achilles towards the end of the 2008 Scotiabank Toronto marathon in September and had to take ten weeks off. I decided to take a real break and I hardly did any exercise during that time. Needless to say, I am starting 2009 completely rested but also completely out of shape. I have started to include some cross training in my program, something I did more of back in 2001-2002 when I dipped my toe in triathlons. So I bike 1-2 times per week and I am doing lots of yoga and core work to see if I can stave off future injuries.

CK: You told Bill Lankoff of Slam Sports: "To me it's better to have someone there and be proud of them than to say: 'Sorry but if you're not going to get a medal we don't want you wearing our colours.' I felt ripped off to be honest. I don't want to sound full of sour grapes because I'm grateful for many things, but it is certainly an opportunity missed."

Do you feel that if an athlete qualifies, even minimally, that given solid training, anything may happen on the day – so why not be there at the Olympics?

NS: The IAAF sets qualifying times for each event already, so countries should follow those criteria and not duplicate the effort locally. I am starting to coach in 2009 and I think my experience from 2004 may help our future Olympians. I will steal Coach Hugh Cameron's motto and suggest athletes control what they can and focus on themselves and not the politics surrounding them. Athletes have enough pressure that they put on themselves and I want to shield them from further stress.

CK: Why do you think Athletics Canada sets standards that are different than the IAAF?

NS: I could be corrected on this, but I believe AC has to negotiate standards for each event with the Canadian Olympic Committee. I don’t think the blame all falls on AC. As for the COC, I don’t know everything about the group, but I definitely do not agree with the ‘Own the Podium’ program. It doesn’t follow my interpretation of the Olympic Charter, instead it is obsessed with medals, which are significant, but there are so many other benefits of the Olympics that are neglected during the Games. I’ll never forget this past summer where for the first week the media were all complaining about Canada’s lack of medals so far in Beijing. I felt completely ashamed of the bad press. All I can say is – we’re all athletes and we all want to win. Get more people involved, build the necessary infrastructures, promote clean sport and let the athletes take care of training and competing under proper guidance. Lastly, I’d like to see more focus on and support for more accessible and popular sports in which Canadian kids participate.

CK: Whose training methodology do you practise?

NS: I’ve tried to read about 10 running books and I can’t say I’ve finished any of them. I have a short attention span for non-fiction and think most things can be explained in an essay, not a whole book! All kidding aside, I’ve been blessed with knowledgeable coaches throughout my career and I’m very grateful for all the learnings I have gained from them.

I’m not sure who coined it, but I have always favoured the 1 day hard / 1-2 days easy concept, which includes two workouts per week, and most people I know follow this plan. One of the work outs is geared towards longer tempo repeats with only a bit of quality and the other work out includes shorter intervals at a quicker pace, of course things vary depending on time of year, race plans, etc. The other days of the week are easy mileage and one long run on the weekend, which is anywhere from 1hr 20min to 3hr. I have experimented a bit with my marathon training; for example, I once tried a phase where I did a long run the day following a hard workout to practice running on tired legs. After 6 weeks I learned that I was just getting more run down and both the workout and the long run were suffering. Lesson learned!

The biggest learning I attribute to Coach Hugh is the “execution run” concept. I would do a 25-42km run every 6 weeks or so leading up to a marathon. The goal of this run would be to help prep my mind and body for the marathon race. I was supposed to average 4:00/km, though often I went faster, then the last 2-3km would be “execution” time, running faster than marathon pace, sometimes below 3:20/km, when I was really fit. Coach Hugh would follow in the van behind me, calling out splits every kilometre for the whole run. These runs definitely helped my fitness and my confidence in my marathon career.

CK: Interesting you say that about an essay containing all the training information required to run a marathon and the over-complication of training in recent history. Frank Shorter once said that he tried to write a book on training but he didn’t because it would just end up being two pages. (or something to that effect).

NS: One thing I have really noticed over the last ten years is that runners concentrate on too many things these days – and these things don’t directly involve putting one foot in front of the other! Instead it’s all about the extras, like supplements, equipment, etc, etc. Back when Sylvia Ruegger and Mike Dyon raced marathons, they barely even drank water through marathons! Running involves some basic knowledge on rest, nutrition, shoes, etc but with the running boom, we’ve been bombarded by promotions on products instead of good, old-fashioned hard training. Details can be learned through experience and through coaches, but to really get the most of out yourself, you’ve got to be smart about your program and put in the miles of hard work and there’s no pill or special clothing that will do that for you!

CK: Did you grow up playing a lot of sports? Where you a runner early on?

NS: I started running after a victory in gym class during our track week at school. I won the 400m event back in grade six. In high school I played volleyball for 3 years and I rowed crew for one season. Running was always my strongest sport, although I loved the team aspect of volleyball. In grade 11, my brother's coach encouraged me to stick with my strength and lose the other sports, so that's what I did. It worked out really well for me, and my running times improved dramatically.

CK: While you work full time, what quantity of mileage do you manage to get in on a weekly basis?

NS: Back in 2002, when I raced my first marathon, I was only running 60-65 miles a week and clocked 2:36. After that I increased my mileage every season so that for Houston 2006 I was averaging 80-85 miles per week, which I would consider to be pretty low for most marathon runners. I have tried running higher mileage but I've found that the quality of my work-outs suffers and I get super tired, which I can't afford to feel during the day with a demanding job.

For 2009 I will go back to lower mileage of 60-70 miles per week and see how that works out, though I'll add in some cross training as well since I might hop in a triathlon in the spring. For the last two years I've been traveling a ton with my job so it's always a juggle to fit in the necessary training, especially the quality aspect. And this year I'm throwing a coaching business into the mix, so we'll see how that life balance thing goes!

Quickfire questions:

CK: Steak and beer or soy and smoothie?

NS: How about steak and beer and smoothie and forget the soy?

CK: Sounds good to me! Top three songs on your iPod right now?

NS: Head On by Jesus and the Mary Chain, Today by Smashing Pumpkins and Too Legit to Quit by MC Hammer, a true 80’s child.

CK: Post 20 mile run indulgence?

NS: Almond butter, honey and banana on a fresh-from-the-oven chocolate chip bagel.

CK: Did Oprah ruin the marathon?

NS: No but I question why so many people want to run a marathon in over 4 hours instead of improving their 5k and 10k times. The training is more fun and less time-consuming and the gratification is even better.

CK: Come on she ruined it, Chocolate or Vanilla?

NS: Chocolate / vanilla swirl.

CK: Brad Pitt or Steve Yzerman?

NS: Robert Buckley from Lipstick Jungle – I love, love him!

CK: Let’s Run or runnersweb?

NS: Runnersweb for results and track and field north for gossip!

CK’s note: And I know you have read Flotrack!!

CK: Ok coach, here is your opportunity: early you said that you cycle and do yoga specifically, how do these forms of cross training help your marathon training?

NS: I’ll start with the yoga. I’ve been told by a whole crew of therapists that as strong as I look (I’m built more like a brick wall than a marathoner!) my core is super weak and I will continue hitting road blocks until I build more core strength. Recently, my friend pointed me to some on-line yoga, which I have followed diligently over the holiday break. Now that the New Year has started, I just need to fit this in with training, working and all the other stuff I do. I choose classes that are specific to my weaknesses and I just have to hope they work! In the past, when my therapists have given me exercises, I would do them a few times then totally fall off the wagon. Having on-line classes has (so far) kept me consistent, even though I often only do 30-40 of the 60 minutes. Another reason for the yoga is to improve my focus on specific muscles and focus on the present, I’m always multi-tasking and need to learn to concentrate on one thing at a time.

Cycling adds some aerobic activity without taxing my tender joints from more running and it’s an easy way to burn calories since I eat way too many sweets all the time! I spin at an easy gear because my leg muscles aren’t strong enough to do real workouts. Also, I am friends with some triathletes and it’s fun to dabble in one of their disciplines. I would say that the benefits from cycling are more psychological than physical for me since my heart rate is really low on the bike and my power output is minimal. However, I have the hopes of doing a triathlon in the spring so this keeps that possibility alive. Just don’t ask me to swim until race day because I hate pools!

CK: Yes…the New Year…this year is the Year of the Ox, Gung Hei Fat Choy! Speaking of Oxen, have you gained a lot of weight since being off from running?

NS: Ha ha! So that is why I’ve put on some pounds! I can blame the year of the ox!!! Yes, I have put on an extra layer, but losing the weight will be a good way to integrate discipline back into my life after my break from exercise and consuming copious amounts of chocolate.

CK: Will you have a Nicole Stevenson coaching website? If so what is the URL?

NS: Yes, thanks for the opportunity to put in a plug! The website is very clever: www.nicolestevenson.ca. Also, I will be a volunteer coach with the University of Toronto Track Club a couple of times per week to work with developmental athletes. I’m really excited about this new phase of my running career. I’ve been asked many times to take on a coaching role and I can hardly wait to start helping people improve their times.

Richard Mosley edges Jon Brown at Pioneer 8K - 2009-01-10

		Update: Richard Mosley edged Jon Brown 23:35 to 23:38. Lucy Smith won another close duel with Cheryl Murphy for the women's title 28:01 to 28:05. Full results can be found at http://pih.bc.ca/results/Series.php (Victoria, BC - Thursday, January 8, 2009 - 10:30pm) The Prairie Inn Harriers Running Club staged the first Pioneer 8K and the first Royal Victoria Marathon in 1980. This Sunday, January 11, the Pioneer 8K celebrates its 30th Anniversary and on October 11, the RVM also celebrates 30 successful years. As an added attraction in 2009, the Prairie Inn Pioneer 8K has been designated as the Provincial 8K Road Race Championships, and is sanctioned by BC Athletics. The high performance component of the Pioneer 8K is second to none and may bring together the highest calibre of elite road runners ever to compete in the same championship event. The Pioneer 8K features a "who’s who" of Canadian runners. Elite Athlete Director, Bob Reid, sent over 150 personal invitations offering complimentary entries and travel grants to high performance athletes from around the province in all age categories. More than 80 responded and they will be on the starting line at the 30th annual Pioneer celebration. The men’s race boasts Canada’s most brilliant marathoner, Victorian Jon Brown, who last month ran 2:12:26 in Fukuoka, Japan to qualify for Team Canada to participate at the World Marathon Championships this August in Berlin. Brown is a former Pioneer 8K winner and a former Royal Victoria Marathon winner. He also won the BC Cross Country Championships in October 2008. At the Berlin Marathon he will be attempting to break the all-time Canadian Marathon Record currently held by Jerome Drayton established 34 years ago. Drayton ran 2:10:08 in 1975 at Fukuoka. Brown’s personal best of 2:09:31 was set at the London Marathon in 2005 and puts him in good standing to win the Pioneer 8K in Victoria and lower the Canadian marathon record in Berlin. Richard Mosley, from Coquitlam, and Victoria’s Ryan McKenzie are the second and third ranked runners in the Senior Men’s Division. Strong performances are also expected from former Pioneer Champions Trevor O’Brien and Todd Howard. A young threesome of Matt Clout, 27, Kris Swanson, 27, and Scott Simpson, 29, will post strong efforts. The top junior male, under-20, is Jeff Phillips, BC Athletics Junior Road Runner of the Year. The Master Men’s Division is loaded with world-class athletes led by Mark Bomba, from Coquitlam, running his first race as a master since turning 40 on January 3. Bomba has represented Team Canada at several cross country and road running world championships and has notched top-5 finishes at both the TC10K and the Vancouver Sun Run, and has a second place finish at the Royal Victoria Half Marathon in 2007. Paul McCloy, of Calgary, will provide stiff competition in the M45 division along with Norm Tinkham, from Maple Ridge. McCloy, a former 1988 Pioneer winner in 23:19, finished 9th overall at the 1986 World Cross Country Championships in Belfast. It is the highest finish ever by a Canadian at this IAAF international championship event. Tinkham, 45, was the top BC finisher at the Canadian Cross Country Championships in Guelph in November, third overall, and has recently been named as the BC Athletics Master Cross Country Runner of the Year. Paul O’Callaghan, Kevin O’Connor, Kevin Searle, Paddy McCluskey, Gord Christie and three-time RVM winner, Phil Nicholls, round out the strong master men’s division. On the open women’s side, 2008 TC10K champion Lisa Harvey, from Calgary, is the race favourite, but only by a whisker. Last year’s Pioneer Champion, Cheryl Murphy, will be running her first race as a master at Pioneer and last year she finished only one half of a second behind Harvey in the closest women’s finish in the 20-year history of the TC10K. She has been selected as the BC Athletics Senior Road Runner of the Year for 2008. Former Pioneer winner and Beijing Olympian, Carolyn Murray, is a threat as is Australian new-comer Sarah Bouchard. Rachel Ruus and Kristina Rody, from Vancouver and Whistler, are ranked third and fourth. Professional triathletes, Bree Wee, from Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, Lisa Mensink, from The Netherlands, and Katya Meyers, of Florida, bring a top-level international aspect to the Pioneer field. Wee holds the all-time amateur course record for the Hawaii Ironman World Championships and Mensink was a member of the Dutch Olympic Team at Beijing in 2008. The master women’s race promises strong accomplishments from outstanding local and lower mainland runners Lucy Smith, Cheryl Murphy, Nancy Tinari, Catherine Irons, Juliette Christie, Joanne Rosen and RVM champion Joan McGrath. In the Pioneer "Legends" Team of Champions division, comprised of all 60 past winners, Race Director Randy Jones is thrilled to welcome back to Victoria, Randy Cox, Dave Campbell, Gary Barber, Paul McCloy, Carey Nelson, Richard Lee, Steve Bachop, Debbie Scott (Bowker), Ulla Hansen (Marquette), Angela Chalmers and Liz Jones. The Prairie Inn Pioneer 8K will host the most competitive and rewarding field ever assembled in the 30-year history of the event. There is $7,000 in prize money available, with $1,000 going to the top male and female and another $1,000 offered to any runner capable of breaking the 24-year old course records of 22:58 and 26:08 held by Carey Nelson and Debbie Scott. Prize money goes 4-deep for men and women in both the senior and master divisions. At the Pioneer awards ceremony, a cheque for $10,000 will be presented from donations by PIH members to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of BC and Yukon in memory of Harrier Dave Reed who died unexpectedly of a stroke two months ago. Reed was an outstanding master’s runner who won the M50 division of the 2008 Prairie Inn Pioneer 8K race. He set many age class records while racing on Vancouver Island and in Vancouver.

New Sales Items - 2009-01-09

		Please check our store section for 4 new winter sales. They are the Sugoi Zap Visibility Jacket for $62.99, the Sugoi Flare Tight for $48.99, the Sugoi Midzero Tight for $62.99 and the Brooks Energy Flare Pant for $52.49. There is a $10 shipping fee but I will provide a 3 month training plan for free.

Sugoi Partner looking for athletes! - 2009-01-09

		SUGOI is a partner of NATHAN: a company that is committed to supporting people who have goals and the will to achieve them, no matter how impossible they may seem, and to helping them in redefining their own notion of humanly possible. From January 1st to March 31st 2009, NATHAN will look for 10 Canadian individual amateur athletes across Canada, men and women, in sports such as road running, trail running, duathlon or triathlon to join the 2009 NATHAN CANADA TEAM. Who is NATHAN looking to recruit? People who have a personal goal (it can be running a first 10K, beating a half-marathon PB, running a marathon under 4 hours or qualifying for Boston, moving from road to trail running, trying a tri, completing an Olympic distance duathlon or doing an Ironman), a character, a dedication, a conviction, a story, a message to share and a unique approach to the sport or to the objective they want to reach; inspired people who can inspire others are invited to apply. Even if having won a race or having personal records are great accomplishments it won’t be of first importance in the selection process. In 2009, candidates selected as members of the NATHAN CANADA TEAM will: * get free NATHAN products and accessories * get a free SUGOI running or triathlon technical outfit * get a free pair of END road or trail running shoes and sandals * get free GU energy gels and sport drinks * get a free one year subscription to Canadian Running and/or Triathlon Magazine Canada * have up to $250 of training clinics costs and sporting events registration fees paid * have the chance to be part of a great team with local and national recognition * feel the satisfaction of challenging themselves during the season and hopefully achieve their goal Candidates can find detailed information on the NATHAN CANADA TEAM recruitment campaign on http://www.NathanSports.ca/Team

10 Miler Results from Boxing Day - 2009-01-05

I spotted the following results on race results weekly. This is a great service if you are a 
racing fan like me and the subscription info can be found at the bottom. The full results are on
http://www.boxingdayrun.ca/ This event has a lot of history and both Andrew Smith and Megan Brown
ran very impressive times. Megan finished 10th overall.

Harold Webster Memorial Boxing Day 10-Miler (88th)
Hamilton, ON, CAN; Friday, December 26
Distance: 10 mi.
Finishers: 753 of 840 entrants
Course Records: Men, 48:29.2, Roger Martindill, 1984; Women, 57:07, May Allison, 1995
   NOTE: This is Canada’s third-oldest race --Ed.
 
MEN (gun times) - 
 1. Andrew Smith, Toronto        50:48
 2. David Karanja, KEN           51:55
 3. Brendan Kenny, Dundas        52:08
40+ David Brooks, Guelph         58:58
 
WOMEN (gun times) - 
 1. Megan Brown, Toronto         59:01
 2. Lauren King, Toronto       1:01:37
 3. Kristina Rody, Burnaby     1:04:23
40+ Brenda Dolderman, Elora    1:04:46
 
For subscription info visit the RRW(tm) website at http://www.raceresultsweekly.com

Info on World Masters Track Championships this summer - 2009-01-05

Join us as a member of Team Canada at the World Masters Championships in Finland this summer !

There are no qualification performance marks for a World Championships

– guys like me compete, come in last sometimes, and have a great time! J

I’ve been to seven World’s and they seem to get better all the time. There were 6000 athletes at the last one in Italy.

You’re a Road Runner? …..they have a Marathon.

You run cross country? ….. they have a Cross Country championship – with separate races for the age groups.

CMAA President Brian Keaveney is handling the Canadian entries. You must enter through the CMAA – you cannot mail your entry directly to Finland. Brian can be reached for any inquries at masters@sympatico.ca

Entry information is now posted at http://www.ontariomasters.ca/competition_schedule.php - listed at July 28th

The entry forms are there. Click on ‘Entry Forms’.

Specific information on the entry process, including the additional Canadian Team Members fee, is under ‘ Team Canada Info’

(this is the second version of the procedure. It has been slightly corrected)

All Canadian entries have to be members of the CMAA. (Ontario Masters membership includes membership in the CMAA)

Complete meet information is at http://english.wma2009.org/athletes/ including the Entry Book

If you have a slow internet connection, then look under the title ENTRY PROCEDURE

Click on OFFICIAL ENTRY FORM. This is a pdf file as well. It is not large. Save it and print it.

All information and updates will be on the CMAA web site shortly http://www.canadianmastersathletics.com/

Goway Travel has special deals for travel and accommodation. Click on ‘Goway Travel Package’

Brown and Quinn-Smith take overall titles - 2008-12-29

		Results are being combed over but it looks like Jon Brown and Tara Quinn-Smith will be taking the titles as fastest Canadian marathoners of 2008. Huge questions will pop up in 2009 as we wonder if Dylan Wykes will challenge Jon for the crown and if Danny Kassap can recover his health to push them both. Will Lioudmila Kortchaguina rebound in 2009 or can Stephanie Hood and Tara Quinn-Smith stay at the front of the pack? 2008 was a bit of a recovery year due to the Olympics with 7 men breaking 2:20 as opposed to 3 in 2007. Lioudmila Kortchaguina was one of only 2 Canadian women under 2:45 in 2007 but 6 women pulled the trick in 2008 with 3 women doing multiple times and a 4th just missing a second sub 2:45. Further analysis of the men’s results shows that another recent citizen, Giitah MacHaria, shows great promise breaking 2:17 along with steady performer Matthew McInnes. Charles Bedley and Jerry Ziak failed to improve on their fast times from 2007 but still handed in two solid 2:20 pace runs. The future looks very bright as Dylan, Danny, Giitah and Andrew Smith are all under 30 years of age and were all sub 2:20 in 2008. For the senior categories, Bruce Deacon dominated with the same pace he showed in 2007. Bruce finished in 2:23:56 at the Boston Marathon in April. Whistler’s Kevin Titus failed to pass in a performance to defend his 50-59 title but it would have been tough to match Clyde Van Caeyzeele’s 2:43:35 in Regina. Nigel Deacon took advantage of a shakeup in the 60-69 category with a completely different top 3 from 2007. George Pothier celebrated his entry into the 70+ category by travelling all the way to Victoria from Halifax to run the top time there. I hope Ed Whitlock has a speedy recovery to challenge George in 2009. Further analysis of the women’s results shows that Cheryl Murphy, Nicole Stevenson and Denise Robson should all be under 2:40 in 2009. Once you’re that close to breaking 2:40, you have to think the confidence of all 3 women must be pretty high. I hope I’m not missing a result of Lioudmila’s but you can be sure that she will be back in the mix. Tara Quinn-Smith and Stephanie Hood are both under 30 but there was a big gap to the rest of that category. The strength of the 30-39 category bodes well however as a lot of women seem to really hit their potential in the marathon in their 40s. Denise Robson can certainly attest to that as she broke the Canadian Masters record this year with her 2:41:12 PB in Sacramento. I hope Louise Voghel has a healthy return to form in 2009 as she absolutely dominated the 50-59 category in 2007 with 3 top performances. This year, Cindy Rhodes took the #1 position with a 3:09:27 in Victoria where she had defended her overall title so many times in the past. Patti Wilson defended her 60-69 title with her 3:40:51 in her home turf of Saskatoon. Gwen McFarlan probably thought she had another 70+ category win wrapped up but Georgena Evans just nipped her with her 3:59:04 in Victoria. Regionally, Rami Bardeesy stayed steady and grabbed another Atlantic title with his 2:28:01 in Sacramento, Jon Brown and Danny Kassap took the running hotbeds of British Columbia and Ontario, Jason Warick sped back up to a 2:22:41 in Ottawa to win the Prairie Region, and Terry Gehl stayed steady like Rami and jumped up to #1 in Quebec with a 2:28:02 in Mississauga. Denise Robson was the class of the field in the Atlantic region, Cheryl Murphy and Tara Quinn-Smith were the #1s in British Columbia and Ontario, marathon newcomer Brandi Pozniak took the Prairie title with a 2:51:59 in Chicago, and Nathalie Goyer came through with her 3rd top performance of the year to take # 1 for Quebec. Nathalie then ran a 4th top 10 performance in New York!! I hope everyone enjoys the rankings. Full rankings can be found at www.marathoncanada.com. If you have any corrections, please e-mail marathoncanada@live.com.

Doug Smith Interviews Denise Robson - 2008-12-17

Denise Robson, from Dartmouth NS won the Masters division at the recent California International Marathon

I (Doug Smith) chatted with Denise…..

Denise, your 2:41:12 broke the CAN W40 record of 2:44:33 (the old record was Laura Lynn’s mark set in Toronto in 1991). Is that your W40 PB ?
Wow, I didn't realize that, very cool! Yes, this is my W40 PB I just turned 40 Nov 19th this year. This is my marathon PB as well as I just started running 4 years ago. Now I look even more forward to going sub 2:40 next year.

You started running four years ago?? You must have been doing other sports to be in that kind of shape?
Nope no sports. Kept active as a mom with three girls.
I ran in Junior High, High School & one year University quit cold turkey as I didn't like the University training (every session was a race in itself). Married my High School sweetheart had three beautiful girls (who are now 12, 10 & 8) and unfortunately went through a separation 4 years ago and started running with a co-worker for some stress relief and she asked if I wanted to do a marathon. I thought she was crazy as I had only been running two mths. I agreed as a lark and 4 months later ran my 1st marathon heck 1st race in 15+ years in 3:13 and was the 1st female to cross the line and have been passionately addicted ever since. lol and that's my story. So needless to say I was in awe when I rec'd your email.

Why did you pick Sacramento? Was it the closest to your 40^th birthday?
No, not because it was closest to my 40th b-day, never really thought of that. I picked it because of it's website which said it was one of the fastest, if not the fastest course in the country, top ten as a fall marathon destination, and one of the world's best small marathons. The weather conditions have been ideal at this event for the last 26 yrs. So it all added up to a perfect marathon choice and it did not disappoint. The organization was GREAT. The volunteers plenty. Crowd support was awesome. The course was perfect. Would definitely recommend and do this one again.

The course is about 400ft overall downhill, so I guess they’ll list it with a ‘dh’ in the Record Book. Was it noticeable ?
Downhill was not noticeable at all. The elevation start is 366 ft and you finish at 26 ft; however, it was quite rolly the first ½ (I was surprised; however, the hills in Halifax helped with that) and the second half felt more like a flat course then a net downhill. I would say Chicago and Berlin are much faster courses then this as they are entirely flat. Now Boston that's a net downhill. Recovery for me is worse following Boston, in Sacramento I had no issues with my quads following this marathon like I do every year that I run boston. Recovery has been perfect. J

What kind of training/mileage are you putting a 40 year old body through to be able to run 2:41 ?
Ha Ha You will be surprised. Prior to this marathon and before Boston 08 my highest mileage was typically 84k/week, I did do one week at 92k. This marathon I tried to up my mileage a bit and typically did 90k/week, with little less mileage every 2nd week, but did get up to two weeks that my mileage was 102k. Compared to my male training partners this was low mileage. So will likely try to gradually increase my weekly mileage leading up to my next marathon. I wanted to be cautious, as I think I've asked a lot already of my body in only 4 short years from no running to racing marathons. It will be interesting to see what increased mileage will do for me. In getting ready for the marathon. I run 6 days a week with two days as speed workouts and one long run day, alternate days are easy running with one temp run day . I do stability ball during the winter months and have spent some time in the pool doing pool running while my girls swim/play around me.

So which race have got in mind for next year? I believe your time would have placed you 2^nd at New York and 1^st at Boston.
I work for Manulife Financial and John Hancock (our sister company in Boston) as i'm sure you are aware is the title sponsor of the Boston marathon, so I hope I will be able to be part of again the JH team of elite runners.
*OH*, I was well aware of the master runners this Boston 08, I passed the Russian woman Firaya Sultanova-Zhdanova at mile 22 (who was the top masters woman finisher) in 2:47:17 and I finished in 2:45:54. Never seen a 39 year old woman wanting to be 40 so badly.....lol. The American woman for the most part were missing from this years Boston due to the Olympic trials; however, my goal for next year is still a top finish as a masters woman in Boston 09.
I have not decided on a fall marathon destination yet; however, my goal will be to break 2:40, at whatever marathon I decide on.

Thanks a lot Denise. We’ll be watching for your results. Good luck!

Terry Fox Contest - 2008-12-12

The plan at this time is to have two teams of twelve runners start in St. Johns and Victoria on April 12th. Each participant will attempt to run 3,339 miles in 143 days, matching Terry's daily mileage, meeting in Thunder Bay on Labour Day weekend.

There will be a one hour casting special to air in April in CBC primetime where the participants will be introduced, the stakes will be set for the run and Terry's enduring and building legacy will be highlighted. This will be followed by a feature that would appear weekly on the National or CBC News Sunday that would provide an update on the runners and their fundraising efforts. There would also be a one hour (or more) special on Labour Day.

A website will be created that would present the diaries of the runners, offer up to date features and allow a click through to our website for online donations.

Do You Have What It Takes to Go the Distance?

The participants will be chosen based on the following:

You have been inspired by Terry's story and have a history of supporting Terry's vision and principles

You are willing and able to undertake fundraising for the Foundation

You believe in your ability to physically complete the challenge - and can prove it!

You are willing and able to put aside work/other commitments for 4.5 or more months

Now Is Your Time to Convince Us!

If you would like to participate as a runner in this historic event, please reply to marathonofhope2009@gmail.com, sending us your contact information and telling us why you are the ideal candidate for the show. We want to get a sense of who you are and what motivates you to apply for this kind of challenge.

In addition, we ask that you please create a 3-5 minute video so we can see you in action. Your video should include: Your name, age, hometown and why you want to be a participant in the Marathon of Hope 2009. Please upload your video to YouTube.

Please notify us immediately by sending the URL when you've uploaded your video. We look forward to hearing from you!

Deadline for applications: January 8, 2009

Need extra help uploading your video?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFyIT7rVZ0Q

Jon Brown hits A+ Standard - 2008-12-11

Below is an article of Chris Kelsall’s posted on Flotrack. Jon Brown ended up running 2:12:27 and David Jackson ran 2:27:28.

C) - Copyright - Christopher Kelsall - 2008

62nd Fukuoka International Open Marathon Championship

Sunday, December 7, 2008 David Jackson and Jon Brown both of Victoria, British Columbia will be competing in the 62nd Fukuoka International Open Marathon Championship in Japan.

Three-time Olympian Jon Brown will likely be looking to achieve the Athletics Canada A+ qualification standard in this race, which is 2:12:38. Jon Brown owns a personal best of 2:09:32. He currently holds the UK 10, 000m record of 27:18 and has finished fourth in two Olympic Marathons both at Sydney and Athens. Brown’s second half split in both marathons was faster than any other runner’s first or second half split in each event.

Jon Brown currently is coaching David Jackson. Run By Common Sense, Jon Brown’s coaching company now has several runners under his tutelage including 40-year-old varsity runner, the opera singing, Marilyn Arsenault.

David Jackson will be looking to qualify for the IAAF World Track and Field Championships Marathon for Canada, which will require a new personal best and a sub 2:18 performance (See standards at bottom).

Jackson has spent the previous two years on a marathon hiatus while running for the University of Victoria, earning his Masters degree in Education, majoring in sport psychology.

Dylan Wykes second on both Saturday and Sunday - 2008-12-09

by JUSTIN MARVILLE

Barbados Nation News

(Alex's notes: Full results are at http://www.chiptimeresults.com/)

NOT EVEN THE absence of one of Kenya’s best was enough to prevent the African state’s domination of Run Barbados’ fastest event.

Following in the footsteps of his countrymen, Robert Kiprotich Letting torched a 300-man strong field on his way to an impressive victory in the 2008 Run Barbados Nature Valley 10K yesterday evening.

A first-time competitor in the event, the wiry Kenyan separated himself from the main pack as early as the four-kilometre mark before coming home in a respectable time of 29.57 minutes.

Running in ideal conditions, with the notable absence of last year’s champion Philip Lagat, Letting actually appeared to be on record-setting pace at the halfway mark, making the turnaround in front of Weisers Beach in 14.14 minutes.

But with no real competition to push him, the 24-year-old distance runner drastically tailed off to miss out on countryman’s Joseph Kariuki’s course record of 28.40 minutes set in 2002.

Canadian Dylan Wykes (30.41) was a distant second, Daniel Cheruiyot (31.08) of the United States finished third.

Paraplegic athlete Dean Cook was actually the first one to break the tape, but he and the other wheelchair competitor started some three minutes before the rest of the pack.

Another first-time 10K athlete, British runner Wendy Nicholls, was the first female competitor to cross the line, finishing 14th overall in a time of 35.57, well ahead of her husband Justin Nicholls (25th, 39.41).

The 39-year-old Nicholls, who finished third in last year’s half-marathon, made her move in the early goings of the event, leaving compatriot Birhane Dagne behind some three kilometres into the race before cruising to the Bay Street finish-line.

Cleveland Forde, a former CARIFTA Games 5 000 metres gold medallist, was the first Caribbean man and fourth overall runner to finish the race (31.14), nipping two-time defending half-marathon champ Zepherinus Joseph of St Lucia at the line.

CARIFTA gold medallist in the 3 000 metres, Matthew Wright, (12th, 34.39), beat out Mark Greenidge (13th, 35.35) and long-time training partner Jason Wilson (15th, 36.25) as the first Bajan male home.

National record holder in the 800 and 1 500, Sheena Gooding (41st, 42.47) was Barbados’ fastest female on the day.

Another first-timer in the event, Gooding eased across the line ahead of Sandra Jones, a physical education teacher at Springer Memorial (46th, 43.34), who was the first Bajan female finisher last year.

Under slightly overcast skies, hundreds of Barbadians gathered at the Bay Street start and lined the new Bridgetown route which took the runners north onto Highway 7, eliminating the uphill climb of Bush Hill and Culloden Road.

However, although the new course did not produce faster times, the runners enjoyed the absence of the original upwards pull at the start of the race.

So too did Letting, who never ran the course before yesterday.

"It was good although it was hot," said Letting, who was pleased with his time despite running well off his personal best. "It was really flat and easy going, so I enjoyed it."

HONOUR ROLL:

Top 10 Men

1. Robert Kiprotich Letting (Kenya) 29.57 minutes

2. Dylan Wykes (Canada) 30.41

3. Daniel Cheruiyot (United States) 31.08

4. Cleveland Forde (Guyana) 31.14

5. Zepherinus Joseph (St Lucia) 31.17

6. Sean Wade (United States) 31.23

7. Curtis Cox (Trinidad & amp; Tobago) 32.13

8. Steve Boyd (Canada) 32.56

9. Louis Darly (Guadeloupe) 33.14

10. Kelvin Johnson (Guyana) 34.08

Top 10 Women

1. Wendy Nicholls (England) 35.57 minutes

2. Birhane Dagne (England) 37.38

3. Alika Morgan (Guyana) 39.33

4. Kenryea Francis (Antigua & amp; Barbuda) 41.11

5. Sarah Williams (England) 41.24

6. Caswell Lewis (St Vincent & amp; The Grenadines) 41.28

7. Sheena Gooding (Barbados) 42.47

8. Sandra Jones (Barbados) 43.34

9. Mary Fraser (Barbados) 44.20

10. Jewel Lewis (Antigua & amp; Barbuda) 45.04

by SHERRYLYN A. TOPPIN

Barabados Nation News

LIKE A MASTER SURGEON, Pamenos Ballantyne carried out the perfect operation, coming from behind to win his fourth title at the 2008 Run Barbados Scotiabank iN Fo’ Life Marathon yesterday morning.

Trailing by more than 200 metres at the start of the race, the Vincentian completed the 26.2-mile course from Bay Street, St Michael, to Speightstown, St Peter, and back in 2 hours 25.15 seconds. It was the fastest time since 2000 when Ballantyne completed his hattrick of titles in 2:27.40.

He was fifth last year, but led home Kenya’s Samuel Nuriithi who moved up one spot to second, while defending champion Victor Ledger of St Lucia fell to third in 2:29.58. Trinidad’s Richard Jones fell from second to fourth in 2:32.06 and Marinus Stephen of St Lucia was fifth in 2:42.25.

In top form

Ballantyne, 35, said he prepared well, was confident in his ability and also knew the opponents. "Basically, I said I am not going out too hard because it is 26 miles. I can run long. I can run fast. I was in Trinidad preparing for a lot of 5Ks, 10Ks, 15Ks and half marathons. This is my first marathon for the year," he said at the end of the race.

"I am still young. I am probably ten years younger than Ledger so definitely my kick is the main factor. And I have great endurance. I won the Trinidad marathon seven times, in 2:15 and this race was about 2:25. I am still ten minutes outside, so I can run ten minutes faster. If I had a bit more competition in the last half, a bit more push, I could’ve run under 2:24," he added.

But at the start of the race, only a betting man would’ve picked Ballantyne. Ledger, Nuriithi and Canadian Alex Coffin set the early pace. When they reached the Holbourne junction, Ballantyne was nowhere to be seen in the pre-dawn light.

Through Prospect and Fitts Village they stayed together, with Coffin falling off the pace by Glitter Bay. Into Weston, Nuriithi stepped into a puddle of water and fell, but was quickly back up, urged on by Ledger. Ballantyne, running alone for most of the race, appeared in the distance and passed Coffin.

By the time the leaders reached Speightstown, Ballantyne had them in his sights and all three made the turn to the finish in 1:13 to the sweet sounds of steel pan music; passing Coffin; Andrew Greenidge, the first Barbadian who finished seventh overall in 2:52.02; women’s winner Amy Chalk; her German rival Birgit Bartels; veteran runner Adelbert Browne and race walker Emmerson "Horse" Waldron, among others.

And so the three remained on the return journey with the sun steadily rising in the east.

At 7 a.m., a decisive break came in Fitts Village, near Jordan’s Supermarket where Ledger was left behind. The St Lucian told NATIONSPORT his right hamstring and calf muscles tightened up and he decided to ease off. Ballantyne took full control, and made his move on the Spring Garden Highway, winning comfortably.

Chalk finished ninth overall in 3:02.11, slightly faster than last year (3:02.15) and up one place, with Bartels 10th overall in 3:07.52

"I find it very, very hard work. The German girl went off at a good pace so I had some company this year. I passed her about 18K and decided to put in a bit of hard patch," she said, while resting with her two-year-old daughter Amelia at the end of the race.

"I got to about 32K and it started to hurt, so it was a case of getting through every 2K and clocking off the Ks, surviving and getting back. I just crossed the line in sheer relief," Chalk said.

RUN BARBADOS RESULTS:

Marathon

1. Pamenos Ballantyne (St Vincent & amp; the Grenadines) 2 hours 25:15 minutes

2. Samuel Nuriithi (Kenya) 2:27.40

3. Victor Ledger (St Lucia) 2:29.58

4. Richard Jones (Trinidad & amp; Tobago) 2:32.06

5. Marinus Stephen (St Lucia) 2:42.25

6. Alex Coffin (Canada) 2:49.23

7. Andrew Greenidge (Barbados) 2:52.02

8. Andy Sly (England) 3:00.13

9. Amy Chalk (Britain) 3:02.11

10. Birgit Bartels (Germany) 3:07.52

11. Adelbert Browne (Barbados) 3:08.27

12. Richard Lewis (Barbados) 3:10.52

13. Emerson Waldron (Barbados) 3:11.56

14. Rodney Blackman (Barbados) 3:15.21

15. Jon Mansfield (England) 3:17.52

Half-Marathon

1. Robert Kiprotich Letting (Kenya) 1 hour 08.07 seconds

2. Dylan Wykes (Canada) 1:08.49

3. Zepherinus Joseph (St Lucia) 1:09.20

4. Daniel Cheruiyot (United States) 1:10.37

5. Curtis Cox (Trinidad & amp; Tobago) 1:12.30

6. Louis Darly (Guadeloupe) 1:13.24

7. Kelvin Johnson (Guyana) 1:13.56

8. Neil Stewart (Trinidad & amp; Tobago) 1:17.47

9. Mark Greenidge (Barbados) 1:20.22

10. Wendy Nicholls (Egland) 1:20.57

11. Mark Thorne (Barbados) 1:22.15

12. Winston Mascoll (Barbados) 1:22.24

13. Matthew Greenidge (Barbados) 1:22.47

14. Winston Padmore (Barbados) 1:23.47

15. Jean-Guy Joseph-Angeli (Martinique) 1:25.12

29. Dominique Marshall (Barbados) 1:41.31

Half-Marathon Schools’ Relay

Boys

1. Ellerslie (Anthonio Mascoll, Jandolph St Clair, Hakeem Newton, Christopher Davis) 1:21.02

2. Coleridge and Parry 1:21.36

3. The Lodge School 1:25.08

Girls

1. Springer Memorial B (Vanessa Hyman, Shakera Gill, Kerry Clarke, Xicca Jemmott) 4:54.

2. The Lodge School 5:04

3. Springer Memorial A 5:14

Pre-Race Story before Sacramento - 2008-12-09

By MONTY MOSHER Sports Reporter

Chronicle Herald

(Alex’s notes: Denise was 4th woman in Sacramento with a time of 2:41:12, Rami Bardeesy was 17th overall in 2:28:04, Ray Moorehead was 3rd Canadian in 2:43:41)

Denise Robson is a little tired and sore at the end of a long road-racing season. But the lure of one of the fastest marathon tracks in North America has her in California in search of a personal record this weekend.

One of Nova Scotia’s top distance runners is part of a group of eight Bluenoses lacing up for Sunday’s 26th annual California International Marathon. Nearly 5,000 runners took part in last year’s race.

Robson will be joined by Rami Bardeesy, Micheline McWhirter, Janice Fiander, Ray Moorehead, Gavin Timberlake, Brenda MacDonald and Vance Kruszewski.

There’s plenty to like about a December visit to California, and she’ll have a vacation next week, but the race is "all business" for Robson. Since she just turned 40, she’ll compete in the masters’ age category and is looking for strong result.

Vancouver’s Rita Ivanauskas won the masters’ bracket last year in 2:48.58. Robson has a career-best 2:44.28 set last September in Berlin (she also has 2:44:36 in Chicago) and is looking to crowd 2:40 on Sunday.

"Typically this is late in the season and really extended our season, but what drew us to this one is it is deemed one of the fastest race courses in the country," she said. "It’s a flat, fast course. And the weather conditions are perfect. Out of the last 25 years it’s only had two bad weather days and it’s usually ideal conditions.

"In looking at past results, I think I have a good shot at one of the top masters’ positions at this marathon. That’s what I’m excited about."

The 26-mile, 385-yard course follows a historic gold-mining route from Folsom to Sacramento, finishing in front of the California State Capitol. It begins at 366 feet of elevation and ends at 26 feet.

It is considered a prime location to make the standard for the Boston Marathon in the spring, but all of the Nova Scotians entered, except for Fiander, have met the Boston requirement.

"My goal plan is two hours and 41 minutes," said Robson, a single mother who only returned to running a few years ago after a 15-year break. "That will be a personal best by three minutes for me if I can pull it off."

One of the major issues for Robson has been remaining motivated to run when most of her provincial counterparts have put their sneakers on the shelf.

"I’m tired of running and need a break," she said with a laugh. "Usually we use November and December as time away from running. Maybe you do some swimming or cycling. Generally we do Boston in April, race all spring and summer and do a fall marathon in September or October. So I’m ready to get this marathon over with, but I want to do well. I think I’m still peaking."

Robson finished 11th among all women, and second among Canadians, in this year’s Boston Marathon in 2:45.54. She was second in her age group in the 10-kilometre nationals in Ottawa in October in 35:56.

( mmosher@herald.ca)

Time to Register!! - 2008-11-27

		ORONTO. November 17^th, 2008. Online Registration is now open for all Canada Running Series ’09 events, including Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, at www.canadarunningseries.com . Registration for ’09 includes the popular COMBO PACKS, that offer runners major savings and the chance to build their own personal “pack” of major, “goal” races for next year, available only until February 28^th. The Series is “a selection of Canada’s best runs” that provide international-class running “experiences” in 5 events in Toronto, 2 in Vancouver and one in Montreal. The 8 runs are all unique in their own way. Favourites like Harry’s Spring Run Off 8K Toronto in High Park and the Vancouver version in Stanley Park are signature indicators of Spring for fitness enthusiasts in East and West, in two of Canada’s finest urban parks. Banque Scotia 21k de Montreal marks the same change of season in Quebec, and is Canada’s National Half Marathon Championships in beautiful Parc Jean Drapeau. The Toronto Ten Miler at The Distillery Historic District and the Oasis ZooRun 10K & 5K at Toronto Zoo also offer unique venues as well as different distances. The Sporting Life 10K allows more than 10,000 fitness folks to “run down Yonge Street without getting run down” on the first Sunday in May. Participants plunge down Canada’s most-famous street from above Eglinton to Roundhouse Park by the CN Tower to raise more than $500,000 for Camp Oochigeas, a summer camp for kids with cancer -- and give proof that Toronto is "a city for people, not just cars”. The Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, Half & 5K, a recipient of an IAAF Silver Label in ’08 [the Michelin 4-stars of running!], offers a truly world-class running experience from Nathan Phillips Square in the heart of the country’s #1 metropolis. All of the races include an elite component that brings excitement and some of the world’s best runners to Canada’s streets -- like World Champion and Olympic Silver Medalist Catherine Ndereba who was the women’s winner at the ’08 Banque Scotia 21k de Montreal in April, as part of her Beijing preparations. 2009 will mark the 20^th anniversary for the Series, which began in 1990 as the “Coors Light Running Series” with a six-pack of runs in downtown Toronto. From the outset, the Series has always been about building excitement, about promoting running and healthy lifestyles, and about “giving back to the communities we run through”. In both 1990 and ’91, the Series Grand Finale, the Coors Light Toronto Half Marathon [the forerunner of the Toronto Waterfront Marathon and Half], was won by legend Joan Benoit Samauelson. At the time, the girl-from-next door in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, was still at the height of her career -- a career that saw her win the first-ever Olympic marathon for women in Los Angeles in 1984. The first season, the Series raised much needed funds for the YMCA Community Fund in Toronto. Twenty years later, the record number of Series ‘08 runners raised a record of $2.58 million for 75 local charities in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal. Expectations are that participation will hit 50,000 for ’09, with more than $3 million raised for charity. “We’ve always strived hard to create a balance between ‘competers’ and completes’ in the runs since day-one, and to be an important part of the community,” says CRS Race Director Alan Brookes. “We want to offer 8 of the best, big-city, ‘big-experience’ running events anywhere in the world, whether you’re fleet of foot, a slower, weekend warrior or a power walker.” From the unique courses, world-class organization, great ‘swag’ in technical t-shirts, caps and medals, great photos of memories, post-run pancake breakfasts or brunches at The Distillery, Canada Running Series is all about “the running experience.” In 2008, 5 of the events completely sold out in advance, and the other three almost reached their capacities. Fitness enthusiasts of all abilities from coast-to-coast are encouraged to check the new Canada Running Series ’09 Calendar today at http://www.canadarunningseries.com/crs/index.htm ; sign up for your own COMBO PACK, guarantee your spot in Canada’s favourite runs now, and enjoy major savings until February 28^th.

Order your shoes and support the website - 2008-11-17

		I have lots in stock!! Just phone 1-866-440-4322 or e-mail me at marathoncanada@live.com. I'm offering a special 6 week training program to anyone who orders shoes from me. Just think of it as a nice way to get a deal and to support the work I do on the rankings at the same time. I am a 2 time All Canadian in Cross Country while attending the University of Victoria. I have a Masters of Arts in Physical Education and am a level 3 coach. I have managed 2 Running Room stores and presently have my own 2 stores in Saint John, New Brunswick. I have been operating this website for almost 9 years now. Presently, I have just turned 40 and am turning the juice back up. I ran a 2:41 marathon in October and am presently training hard for the Barbados Marathon in December. Just let me know what you usually wear and I'll see what I have. Alex

New York Results Included - 2008-11-17

		I have just finished adding results from New York. Elisabeth Ruel and Nathalie Goyer both had solid sub 3 hour marathons. Please check for your 2008 results in the marathon rankings to make sure that I haven't missed your performance if it ranks. Half Marathon Rankings will be finished soon!

1,372 runners take part in Legs for Literacy Marathon events - 2008-11-03

		By Cole Hobson Times & Transcript Staff With more runners than ever before, the continued support of hundreds of volunteers and a record amount of money raised, this weekend's eighth annual Legs for Literacy race day was a huge success for Metro Moncton. Marie Wilson, race director, said final numbers and late registration fees still must be tallied, but all early indications are that they have set a new money record, surpassing last year's event which raised $30,000 for local literacy programs. "I know we would have surpassed last year, but beyond that I'm not really sure. I'm hoping around $32,000," she said. The annual event, which began in 2000, features the 42.2 kilometre (26.2 miles) marathon, the 21.2 kilometre (13.2 miles) half-marathon, as well as a 10- kilometre (6.2 miles) and a five-kilometre (3.1 miles) run or walk. All funds raised go towards supporting literacy in the community, with District 1 and District 2 schools being the major recipients. Of course, on top of being a first-class charity event, the event is also a top-notch athletic competition that sees runners come from all over Atlantic Canada and as far as Texas and Yellowknife to compete. This year, a total of 1,372 runners were registered for all four races, an improvement of over 100 competitors over last year's event. "Next year, we'll aim for 1,500 registrations and a $35,000 donation to literacy," Wilson said. The full-marathon course is a sanctioned qualifying event for the prestigious Boston Marathon and 31 runners posted good enough times for their division to qualify, including Hans Laltoo (third overall, 3:08:51) and Micheline Drisdelle (16th overall, 3:23:11), both from Moncton. As the top male and female finishers from New Brunswick, Laltoo and Drisdelle were both also crowned provincial champions. Other top local performances in the marathon were run by Charles Dixon of Moncton (sixth overall, 3:18:25) and Michel Frenette of Dieppe (12th overall, 3:20:36). The winner of the marathon, which had 162 finishers, was Leo McCosham of Charlottetown, who ran the event in 2:56:58. The winner of the half-marathon, which was finished by 513 competitors, was Rami Bardeesy of Halifax, who posted a time of 1:12:34. Bardeesy's time represented a new course record for the event. Other top New Brunswick finishers in the half marathon were Jean-Guy Gautreau (Dieppe, third overall, 1:23:42), Bernie Doucet (fifth overall, 1:25:45), Justin Young (Saint John, sixth overall, 1:25:56), Marc Doucette (Rogersville, seventh overall, 1:26:01) and Paula Keating (Miramichi, eight overall, 1:26:03). In the 10-kilometre event the winner was Alex Coffin of Saint John, who finished in 33:41. Coffin, who set the record for the course's marathon event in 2006, bested 346 finishers to take the top spot. Other top New Brunswick finishers were Jeremie Pellerin (Cocagne, second overall, 35:24), Tony Robinson-Smith (Fredericton, third overall, 38:00), Douglas Jamer (Fredericton, fourth overall, 38:13) and Graham Ereaux (Moncton, sixth overall, 41:35). In the five-kilometre event the winner in a field of 247 finishers was Tyler Reddy of Dartmouth, with a time of 18:09. Fredericton's Michael Bone finished second with a time of 18:21. Jocelyn Lockhart (fourth overall, 19:54) and Theophile Theriault (ninth overall, 23:42), both of Moncton, were other top local finishers. As the event continues to grow, Wilson said she is optimistic about the future of Legs for Literacy. "The feedback I got was that the volunteers out there were fantastic. The wind was a little cold but, otherwise, people loved the event. They thought it was very well organized," she said. "And I'm not taking the credit for myself, this is from a volunteers' perspective. There are 400 volunteers out there helping people and I think the success of the event is because of them." With a picturesque course that winds its way all across Metro Moncton, there were also a number of street closures, which Wilson said went off without any major incident. "We also want to let the public know how much we appreciated their patience with the traffic issues and the support out there along the route," she said. "We know it's not fun to have some of the streets in your neighbourhood closed down, we really appreciated people's patience with that." Wilson said for next year they will examine the possibility of moving the course route, so as to not disrupt Sunday church services.

Ongari, Grenon win wind-slowed marathon at Hamilton - 2008-11-03

		What a drop in elevation provided yesterday in the Road2Hope Marathon, the wind took back. The opposing forces of gravity and a stiff breeze off the lake eliminated any natural advantage in the hunt for the best marathon time ever in Canada. So the $25,000 prize that came with it was unclaimed. “Maybe next year,” said Hamilton’s Josephat Ongari, the men’s winner in 2:15:51, more than six minutes off the men’s mark on Canadian soil, 2:09.30. The Road2Hope course was set up to give contenders for the records their best shot, with a generally level course that also enjoyed the drop down Red Hill Valley Parkway. But Ongari said the lake wind was in his face for half the race, all the way down the escarpment and got worse on a final seven-kilometre leg east along the Beach Strip Trail to a finish at Confederation Park. “That 2:15 is a very good time with that wind,” said the second man in, Toronto’s Andrew Smith. “It was tough and persistent,” said Smith, who treated the event as a training run for his Brooks Marathon Project plan and finished in 2:27:35. But the course won general approval after a 2007 route that also went up the east Mountain. “It’s a great parcours,” said women’s winner, Myriam Grenon of Longueuil, Que. She finished in 2:58:43, 16th overall, but well off the best time ever in Canada, too. “Perhaps” it will produce records without that wind, she added. As well as terrain, the men’s attempt at a record was set up with 10-kilometre specialist Reid Coolsaet of Hamilton pacing Ongari and Moses Macharia, a rising Kenyan runner, over the first half of the race. “I thought it went well,” said Coolsaet. “I went ahead and got water for them to save them time, then went out ahead again.” But the plan fell apart when Ongari, whose job was to push Macharia to take a shot at the record, then perhaps stop, proved the stronger on the day as Macharia, in his first marathon, faded at the midway point and dropped out later. “I was on my own for the last 20 kilometres,” Ongari pointed out. He said he’s OK with a much smaller payday than that $25,000 reward and was pleased he held up well despite a draining job that requires lots of lifting. Both he and half-marathon winner David Karanja (1:06:40) are living in Hamilton as they try to qualify for Canadian citizenship. They went through an uneasy period last spring during severe civil strife in their Kenyan homeland as they worried about family, but could not return for fear of derailing the citizenship process. “It’s much better now,” said Karanja, who has a young daughter in Kenya. Lioudmila Kortchaguina of Thornhill was top woman in the half-marathon in 1:15:20 and in Saturday’s races, Cleve Thorson of Guelph won the men’s side of the 10-kilometre race in 33:34 while Toronto’s Tereza Macel finished in 38:26 to lead all women. In the five-kilometre event Pascal Renard of Hamilton blazed to a 16:30 finish and the women’s winner was Laura Moulton of Dundas in 18:25. Race organizer Dan Pauls said a late surge of registrants for the half marathon meant the event ran out of bib numbers and the effort to get everyone bused to the start area delayed the start by 15 minutes. Just shy of 3,000 people participated under sunny skies over two days, slightly more than last year. Pauls said it was too early to know the bottom line but he was hopeful Road2Hope would beat it’s 2007 number of $250,000 for its charities, Joy and Hope of Haiti and City Kidz. jkernaghan@thespec.com 905-526-3422

Kassap lucky to be alive and ready to run - 2008-10-30

Randy Starkman

The Toronto Sun

Toronto marathoner Danny Kassap remembers nothing of the day he almost died.

Kassap, running his first marathon as a Canadian after a long struggle to get citizenship, suffered a heart attack while competing in the Berlin Marathon on Sept.28. Paramedics worked on him for 45 minutes, giving him between 15 to 19 shocks from a defibrillator before his condition stabilized.

Kassap, 26, who was in a medically induced coma for several days and in a German hospital for more than two weeks, has no recall of the incident. "I cannot remember that day. I can only remember the day before," he said. "I’ve never been in a hospital before, so when I woke up there I was so surprised. I thought I was in a hotel. I saw the race organizer and I said, `The race is tomorrow.’ He said, `The race was two days ago. You collapsed.’"

It’s believed Kassap suffered a ventricular fibrillation caused by myocarditis (inflammation of the heart), the result of a virus. He had no history of heart trouble. He’s expected to make a full recovery in order to pursue his goal of representing Canada at next year’s world championships and the 2012 London Olympics, but has been advised not to run for three months.

His biggest hardship is an $18,000 medical bill from Germany. "I’m worried about that," said Kassap, who works as an assistant manager at the Running Room. "Those guys did a great job. I was out for 45 minutes. They deserve that money, but for me I’m worried because I can’t afford that money."

His friends from the University of Toronto Track Club, where he trains under coach Ross Ristuccia, have set up the Danny Kassap Fund (dannykassapfund.com) to help him out.

"Danny has a great, positive disposition," said Jay Brecher, a Toronto lawyer and member of the U of T Track Club. "He’s had to overcome some real hardship in his life, yet he’s the kind of person who always has a smile on his face and is joking around. It isn’t a matter of him being an elite runner. He’s someone who his fellow club members care about and that’s why we want to help him."

Kassap, who grew up in the Democratic Republic of Congo, left his team during the 2001 Francophone Games in Ottawa and sought refugee status on the basis of political persecution. He left behind a family of seven brothers and sisters.

He held down a number of jobs in Toronto, including working in a fish and chips shop, while training full-time and working to get his high school equivalency. His bid for landed immigrant status was rejected numerous times before he was finally successful last April and he became a Canadian citizen in August.

Kassap finished 15th in the London Marathon in April, just three spots behind Stefano Baldini, the 2004 Athens Olympics gold medallist. He’s looking forward to running again and isn’t concerned about future health issues.

"I trust my body, I trust myself," he said. "I won’t be afraid. This career is very important to me. I really love to run. That’s my dream, to be on the Canadian team."

Don't forget November 3 - 2008-10-29

		This is a competitive half marathon at the front and lots of fun through the pack! Be sure to register on November 3 to guarantee yourself a spot!

Primrose and Loiselle win big at Niagara Falls!! - 2008-10-27

Posted By DAN DAKINREVIEW STAFF WRITER

Niagara Falls Review

It has been 25 years since Elizabeth Primrose last ran a marathon.

But clearly the Brockville native hasn't lost her touch.

Primrose beat a field of 307 women to capture the Niagara Falls International Marathon Sunday.

The 47-year-old had raced in many 5 and 10km races, half marathons and triathlons over the years, but she decided to give a full 42.2km marathon a shot Sunday.

"I've had a really great year. I didn't overtrain and I raced smart," Primrose said. "I thought if I was going to try to run Boston, this was my chance to qualify."

With her winning time of two hours, 55 minutes and 26 seconds, she beat the Boston Marathon qualifying standard by three and a half minutes.

Though she beat Guelph's Christina Clark by more than two minutes, the race looked like it would have a closer finish than it did.

"I've raced enough to know the race starts in the last 10km. We were all within 10- 15 seconds and anyone could have taken it," Primrose said.

The overall winner of the full marathon was a far-less experienced runner.

Matt Loiselle was a 3,000m steeplechase runner at Eastern Michigan University and he finished sixth at the Canadian 10km Championships last weekend, but Sunday marked his first-ever marathon.

Prior to Sunday, the 24-year-old had never even had a training run longer than 35km.

But the Windsor native is part of the Brooks Canada Marathon Project, a Brooks Canada-funded training endeavour with the end goal of getting Canadian runners into the Olympics and World Championships.

As part of the $1.5-million, two-year-old project, a group of runners including Loiselle are living together in a house in Toronto and receive medical and travel support and are paid based on their results.

"It's the best program in Canada, by far," said Loiselle, who won the marathon Sunday with a time of 2:27.33. "It has been far too long someone has finally stepped up. We haven't had a marathoner in the Olympics since 1996."

Since July, Loiselle's daily focus has been nothing but training for Sunday's race. His next goal is the Canadian Championship Marathon in the spring.

He said the Niagara Falls win is motivation to keep training.

"I think it definitely helps. Next time I'm hoping to go a lot faster," he said.

Finishing second behind Loiselle was his Canada Marathon Project teammate Charles Bedley, who finished in a time of 2:31.32. Bedley was the 2006 Canadian Marathon Champion, but was using the Niagara Falls International as a warm up for the Memphis Marathon Dec. 6. He's aiming for a sub 2:18 finish there, which should land him a spot at the 2009 World Cup Marathon in Berlin.

Finishing third in the marathon was Sarnicki Janusz, of Poland.

In the 10km race, Stephen Hosier, of Lindsay, was the overall winner with Evan Mann, of Niagara Falls, second. The first woman across the line was Jodi Kamendy, of St. Catharines.

For Pius Korir, like many of his countrymen, winning races is all about being able to help his family back home. The 28-year-old Kenyan won his second-straight Niagara Falls Half Marathon Sunday after a sprint to the line with 2006 champion Joseph Ongeri. The six-tenths of a second margin of victory meant the difference between $750 and $1,000 in prize money for Korir. That means more food for his family in the Kenyan town of El Doret, the same town where a mob attacked and set fire to a church in January, killing 40 people. Korir left El Doret in 2006 and spent time training and racing in the United States. He came to Canada in 2007 and returned again this year.

He lives and trains out of Milton along with other runners from Kenya.

Every November he heads home to El Doret for the winter, using his race winnings to feed his family, which includes five brothers and five sisters.

"We're farmers, so with the money I'll buy some food for my family and seeds for planting," he said after the race. "It's important for my family."

Korir won the 2007 Niagara Falls Half Marathon with a time of one hour, five minutes, 29 seconds.

He beat that time by nearly seven seconds Sunday, which was likely a result of his sprint to the line with Ongeri in the final 200 metres.

Winning the 5km race was Darren Neldrick, of Niagara Falls, and the women's winner was Indra Winters, of Aurora.

Inaugaral Trapline Marathon a success! - 2008-10-21

Paul Fewer and Laura Pomeroy, both from St. John’s, Newfoundland win the inaugural Trapline Marathon with times of 3:30:12 and 3:41:12 respectively. Peter Soucy and Emily Osmond win the half marathon with times of 1:25:08 and 1:59:55 respectively. Peter Soucy ran a personal best and stated, “I’ll be back for the full marathon next year for sure.” Keith Dort and Birte Steuerberg take the 10k event in times of 46:08 and 53:55.

The Trapline Marathon is named in commemoration of the trapping heritage in central Labrador, the first ever Destination Labrador Trapline Marathon was held on Oct 11, 2008 and attracted a total of 110 runners from central and eastern Canada.

Participants gathered on Friday evening for a pre-race pasta supper and motivational talk from Canadian Olympian Maxime Boilard. The next morning, bright sunshine, minimal wind and slightly cool temperatures combined to provide ideal conditions for the runners.

The scenic marathon route took runners from the Trappers’ Monument in North West River past an array of fall colours along route 520 to Happy Valley-Goose Bay, with nine water stops along the way providing support. Staggered starts brought the half-marathon and 10 km participants onto the same route and provided additional encouragement to runners doing the full distance. All participants crossed the finish line at Kinsmen Park in Happy Valley-Goose Bay where a crowd of supporters and a selection of traditional Labrador foods and entertainment supplied by the Labrador Metis Nation met them.

The runners were very satisfied, many of whom posted personal best times in the marathon, half marathon and 10 km events. The post-race awards presentation and barbeque steak dinner with entertainment by East Coast Music Award winners, the Flummies, rounded off this very successful inaugural event and had participants making plans for next year.

Jamie Snook, Chairperson of the organizing committee, stated, “the organizing committee are excited about the success of this event and the level of corporate, community and volunteer support that came together to make it happen. The success of the inaugural Destination Labrador Trapline Marathon marks Happy Valley-Goose Bay as a unique marathon destination. Planning is already underway for the October 10^th, 2009 Destination Labrador Trapline Marathon.”

Toronto Marathon 2008 - 2008-10-20

Toronto Star

It was a marathon of milestones.

For Rick Rayman, 62, the Toronto Marathon yesterday was his 200th and, at 4:22:58, one of the fastest he’s run this year.

Though he wasn’t first by far – winner Daniel Njenga, of Kenya, finished in 2:29 – Rayman was the star of the show, drawing good wishes and cheers from other runners from the moment the gun went off.

"What a day," the Toronto dentist said, metres past the finish line, smiling despite the 42.2-kilometre effort and the leg cramps that hit just before the end.

Rayman shuffled towards his wife, children and grandchildren, who waited in the sidelines, eager to celebrate his achievement. But the dentist insisted he won’t rest on his laurels: he has three marathons to go before the end of race season.

"I’ll be ready by Wednesday," he said with a grin and swagger.

Roughly 12,000 people from more than 50 countries participated in the events – a 5-kilometre race, half-marathon, marathon and relay – stretching from Mel Lastman Square to the waterfront and downtown.

Some 2,400 signed up for the full distance, according to race officials. The events raised more than $1 million for various charities.

Njenga won, but didn’t top the course record of 2:19:17.

Dawn Richardson of England was the first woman to finish. She crossed the finish line at 2:57:47, her first race under three hours in four years, she said.

"I thought those years were long gone," the tired but radiant 36-year-old runner told reporters.

Though the elite runners get the glory, the bulk of race participants aren’t in it to compete, said race director Jay Glassman.

"Ninety-nine per cent of runners are running just for themselves, to complete," he said.

As the runners rounded the last curve of Queen’s Park, they were greeted by the deafening cheers. Family and friends waited by the finish line for those who soared or stumbled across.

There were high-fives for Ken Morris, a lanky Torontonian who finished 69th among the men.

In only his second marathon, the 31-year-old accomplished what many struggle for years to attain: a qualifying time for the Boston Marathon, a challenging race open only to the cream of the running crop. "I can’t believe it," he said, wiping his forehead. "I really didn’t think it was going to happen."

Morris, who is also training for the Ironman triathlon in Lake Placid, N.Y., will have to face a ruthless opponent at Boston next year: his wife, Vanessa Morris, a regular top finisher in her age group.

Yesterday’s race only increased the newlyweds’ playful competition.

He ran a 3:08:59, two minutes faster than the cutoff to qualify in his age group. She ran Boston in 3:01:37 in April. He beat her by a minute in a 10-kilometre race this summer.

"I’m going to kick your ass at Boston, baby," Morris taunted his wife from the massage table during a post-race rubdown.

Vanessa Morris handed her husband Gatorade, granola bars and bagels to refuel.

"He was going to come with me. Now he can register and run," she teased back.

Toronto Star

MacKinnon wins Island Marathon - 2008-10-20

		Stephen Brun Journal Pioneer Mike Mac-Kinnon was so happy to win Sunday's Prince Edward Island Marathon that he crossed the finish line twice. The Miscouche native was announced as a half-marathon runner as he hit the home stretch of the run on University Avenue, and no one was holding the tape at the finish line. "That was OK, I just had to go back and run through the tape again," laughed MacKinnon, who finished in a personal best time of 2:39:28. "Today was another personal best. There's been a lot of people here today having PBs, there are perfect conditions." MacKinnon came in ahead of Charlottetown's Stanley Chiasson, who ran the 42.2-kilometre course in 2:44:11, and Linkletter's Scott Clark (2:45:53). Second time It was MacKinnon's second time in the BMO Nesbitt Burns P.E.I. Marathon, and he said the conditions for the run from Brackley to Charlottetown were perfect. "You couldn't get any better - the wind wasn't strong, it was cool the whole way," he said. "There was a point where I wasn't sweating and I was wondering if I wasn't hydrated or it was cool enough." Jen Nicholson, 39, of Cornwall, was the top female finisher for the full marathon in 2:56:35. Her goal was to finish in three hours or less, and Nicholson let out a scream at the finish line after her mother told her she met the goal. "Last year, my goal was to qualify for Boston," she said. "I found the trail really tough and I was way off my time. "Then I re-evaluated my goal, and it was to try and do it in three hours. So that was my initial goal and the people (on the course) kept saying, 'You're the first female,' and I thought, 'OK, I can live with that.'" Both winners posted times to qualify them for the Boston Marathon. While Nicholson said she would likely compete south of the border, MacKinnon said he would focus on qualifying for the New York Marathon. Sunday also featured a half-marathon, a 10-kilometre walk or run and a corporate team race. Half marathon Keaghan Rilling of Charlottetown won the half marathon in 1:23:59, followed by Summerside's Edwin Gillis and Dakota Cameron. The top female finisher in the half marathon was Jennifer Perry of Tignish in 1:35:08. Kris Taylor of New Glasgow, P.E.I., finished the 10-km run in 34:22. The top female for the event was Olympian Kara Grant of Mermaid in 42:12. The team from Crossfit P.E.I. won the corporate team marathon in 3:13:00, beating out the Water Dogs by almost 10 minutes. The Island marathon course always offers up its share of challenges. Despite posting the day's best time, MacKinnon said the Confederation Trail portion of the race always takes its toll. "You don't get any up and down hills to change the way your muscles are working, so that's tough," he said. "This year, I said, 'The trails aren't getting me this time,' so I focused on training on the trails when I was tired. "I think it helped a bit. When I hit the road this time I still had a bit of a step."

Brake and MacDonald win at KV Challenge - 2008-10-20

Scott Briggs
Telegraph Journal

ROTHESAY - Running 26.2-miles is an outstanding individual feat.

But the top runners of the Coast Tire Kennebecasis Valley Challenge Marathon were quick to credit others after crossing the finish line on Sunday.

Saint John's Chris Brake was the overall winner, completing the rugged route in two hours, 38 minutes and 26 seconds. Fredericton's Allyson MacDonald was the top female finisher, posting a time of 3:25:58.

Brake attributed his success to taking training advice from Saint John's Kelly Burke, who finished third overall Sunday and second in the 40-49 age division (3:07:36). Hampton's Steve Lohnes was second overall (3:03:54) and first in the 40-49 age division.

"He's kind of been helping me out the past year,'' Brake said about Burke. "He's a friend of mine and he's been giving me pointers on how to train right.''

With four wins in five tries, Brake seems made for the K.V. Challenge. He struggled last year, though, posting a time of 3:13:58.

"I'm 15 pounds lighter this year,'' Brake said. "I did more mileage, but I didn't do all my training at full tilt.''

Burke had a humble reaction when told he'd been praised by Brake.

"I give him whatever advice I can with the limited amount of knowledge I have so far,'' Burke said. "The main thing is to slow him down.

"He has a tendency to overdo things, and that can hurt the best athletes more than helping them. It can help them to a degree and then they can start going backwards, but he did really well.''

Brake believes the hills make the K.V. Challenge difficult, noting it might be the most demanding marathon he's ever run.

"It's hard on the head, very hard on the head,'' the 26-year-old said of the course. "I was kind of fighting through the middle because it gets really rough though the middle. There are steep hills.

"My lungs were there, but my legs weren't. I enjoyed it when I got down to the last three or four kilometres, but I wasn't really happy until I got close to the end.''

Seconds after MacDonald reached the end, she hugged her husband Doug.

"He's always with me at the end of my marathons,'' MacDonald said. "He's usually home with the kids when I'm out training. I love my family, they're great support.''

MacDonald said her overall family support enables her to focus on training. She generally gets up around 4 a.m., and runs before work. Sunday marked her 16th full marathon. She completed the Boston Marathon in April and then focused her energy on the K.V. Challenge.

"I did a bunch of half-marathons and 10ks along the way,'' the 41-year-old said. "There weren't many races that I missed this year.

"What makes this fun is all the relay runners. There's lots of support along the way. They're cheering everybody on.''

John Herron and Todd Price won the two-runner relay (2:40:50), followed by Jamie Gamble and Darrell Travis (2:55:55) and Gary Ogden and Dean Mercer (2:57:25).

"Each of us ran our individual races,'' Price said about the key to finishing first. "You just sort of get into your zone and away you go. This is probably my favourite course of anywhere I've run. It takes a lot out of you, especially the second half of the course.''

Herron also complimented the course.

"I don't think there's a better designed course that's any more scenic than the K.V. Challenge Marathon,'' he said. "I've seen most of the better marathons in Atlantic Canada over the last number of years.''

The four-runner relay winning team included Graham Taylor, Joe Culligan, Steve Drummond and Karen Pinnette. Their overall time was 3:20.

The second-place team was Brent Bethune (who did two legs), Alex Coffin and Gina Hyslop (3:20:14), followed by the third-place team of Linda Morais, Aisha Khedheri, Connie Coffin and Al Reardon (3:24:16).

Race director John Kelley said relay runners are crucial to the event's overall success.

"They're a big part of the package,'' said Kelley, adding the event attracted nearly 150 runners, a slight drop from the 2007 K.V. Challenge, but not enough to cause concern.

"The response from people is that this is the best bang for your buck, without a doubt,'' organizer Bill McGuire said. "There's a pasta meal the night before, the home-cooked food inside (after the race) and the dry-fit shirts. It's just $45 to enter this and a lot of people become friends.''

McGuire added that a small event like the K.V. Challenge offers advantages.

"You can't go to a run like this anywhere,'' he said. "At the Boston Marathon, you get your chip (timing device attached to the ankle or shoe) chopped off and get out of the way or you get run over. Here, we bring you in for a hot bowl of chilly.

"We really lucked out with the weather this year. The one time I didn't run it was sunny with the wind at your back. We're really happy with the way things worked out.''

Valley Harvest Win - 2008-10-14

		BY JOHN DECOSTE Kings County Register When he registered for this year’s Valley Harvest Marathon, Alex Coffin of Saint John boldly predicted he would not only win the race, but do so in a new course record. As it turned out, he was half right. Coffin was first across the finish line October 12 in a time of 2:41:18.9. Technically, Coffin’s time is a course record, given this year’s event was held on a totally different course, starting and finishing in Wolfville instead of Kentville. David MacLennan’s course record of 2:34.52 is still safe. MacLennan, of Scotsburn, in his first Valley Harvest Marathon in several years, was second overall in a time of 2:46:44.9. Michael Green of Stephenville, NL was third in a time of 2:54:56, and Tim Keith of Kingston fourth (and the top local runner) in 2:59:47.7. Tammy Mercier-Hackett of Halifax was the first woman across the finish line, completing the race in a time of 3:11:12.8, good for 14th place overall. Hazel Caldwell of Middle Stewiacke was second among the women in a time of 3:27:10.2. Carla Braganza of Halifax was third among the women in 3:34:36. Other local runners among the top finishers in the full marathon included Dave Hiscock of Kingston, 17th overall in 3:12:41.8, Richard Richard of Windsor, 22nd overall in 3:17:28.7, and Jason Furlong of Kingston, 42nd overall in 3:34:33.5. Laura Peters of Kingston was the top local female in the full marathon, placing fifth among the women and 50th overall in a time of 3:38:18.4. In the half marathon, Peter Vail of Boulder, CO was first across the finish line in a time of 1:10:55.7. Doug Vincent of Dartmouth was second in 1:19:49.2, Doug Hayami of Halifax third in 1:21:00.1, and last year’s winner, New Minas native John Herron, now of Bloomfield, N.B., fourth overall at 1:22:17.9. There were three local runners in the top 10 in the half marathon. Greg Wagner of Kingston was the top local, sixth overall in 1:24:20.7; Mike Hillis of Port Williams was seventh in 1:24:32.8 and Scott Messom of Kentville was ninth in 1:25:49.3. The top woman in the half marathon was Paula Keating of Miramichi, N.B. in a time of 1:24:43.1, eighth overall. Cynthia Moulin of Halifax was second among the women (13th overall) in 1:27:19.7. M. Gabrielle Riley of Halifax was third (15th overall) in 1:27:27.1. The top local woman was Paula James of Sheffield Mills, who finished the 21.1 kilometre distance in 1:30:19.1, fifth among the women and 26th overall. As for the Blomidon Country Fitness Connection runners, some of whose training experiences this summer were outlined on our website, novanewsnow.com, all three women completed the half marathon. Emma Crowson-Mooy was 234th overall, 22nd among 112 women aged 40-49, in a time of 1:53:54.3. Pauline Leyte placed 307th overall, 38th among women 40-49, in 1:59:13. Jill Keddy was 328th overall, 56th among 120 women aged 30-39, in a time of 2:00:50.7. A total of 725 runners completed the event on a beautiful day for running, 142 in the full marathon and 583 in the half marathon.

Marathon draws record number of racers - 2008-10-14

Cleve Dheensaw, Victoria Times Colonist

Published: Sunday, October 12, 2008

Maybe it was the special pre-race screening of the acclaimed documentary Spirit of the Marathon that inspired them. Or perhaps it was the rather fitting 1960s tune, Keep on Running by the Spencer Davis Group, that greeted the finishers at the line at one point during yesterday's 29th Royal Victoria Marathon. More likely, it was the quiet sense of achievement one gets in setting a goal and then realizing it.

Whatever their spur, a record number of 10,395 runners registered for the 2008 Royal Victoria marathon, half-marathon, 8K and kid's races under ideal fall conditions. This year's total was up 9.5 per cent from last year and gives the B.C. capital two road races - along with the Times Colonist 10K each spring - which draw in excess of 10,000 registered participants.

Of those registered, 9,176 crossed the finish line.

At the head of the surging pack of 2,474 runners who contested body and soul over the classic 42.2K full marathon distance yesterday was Steve Osaduik of Nanaimo, who won his third consecutive RVM men's title in two hours, 25 minutes, 31 seconds.

Osaduik, the two-time Canadian half-marathon champion who is gunning to represent Canada next year at the 2009 world marathon championships in Berlin, was more than three minutes clear of second place Todd Howard of Victoria (2:28:43).

"It was lonely out there," said Osaduik, of his position far ahead of the maddening crowd he left in his wake.
"But I'm happy with the threepeat and would like to go for the record [Kelvin Broad's standard of five Royal Victoria Marathon titles] but I'll take that one year at a time," said the Dover Bay Secondary grad, who has also won the Times Colonist 10K three times.

Cheryl Murphy of Victoria, fifth last year at Ironman Canada and sixth this year at the world duathlon championships in Belgium, may want to ditch her Speedo and bike. Competing in just her second stand-alone marathon (outside an Ironman race), she won the RVM women's title yesterday in 2:43:01.

That follows up her first stand-alone marathon, in which she finished second at the Snickers Marathon in March at Albany, Ga., to qualify for the 2009 world championships in Berlin.

"I gave it my all today and it feels so good to win," said the 39-year-old physiotherapist and mother of two.
"The weather was gorgeous and the fans along the route were so tremendously supportive and lifted you with their cheering. It was really positive out there along the course."

Wendy Terris of Portland was second in 2:48:04.
The largest number of participants, 4,801, registered to contest the half-marathon with the men's winner Ryan Day of Vancouver across in 1:08:50 and the women's champion Lindsay McLaren of Calgary in 1:21:38.

The numbers running the 8K were 2,140, with Ryan McKenzie of Victoria the men's champion in 23:56 and Rachael Ruus of Richmond the women's winner in 28:39.

The biggest hit among the spectators were the more than 900 youngsters who took part in the kids' 1.2K run, in which 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics triathlon silver-medallist Simon Whitfield of Victoria joined the pack as official honourary kids' runner.

"I said: 'Whoa kids, slow down, you're going to run me over,'" chuckled Whitfield, who earlier clocked 24:30 to place third in the 8K.

"They are so enthusiastic that they go out hard, then hit a bit of a wall midway through, and then they see the finish line and get excited again and go all out at the end."

Among the throng were two second-place finishers from the Boston Marathon - American Dick Beardsley from 1982 and Vancouver's Art Boileau from 1986.

"You couldn't have asked for a better morning," said the 52-year-old Beardsley, who ran together with wife Jill - an organizer of the Austin Marathon in Texas - in the 8K with the pair finishing in 47:16.

"What a way to showcase the city," added Beardsley, among the famous past marathoners featured in Spirit of the Marathon.

"So many times, you just drive through cities. Getting out and running through them gives you a whole different perspective."

Boileau, 51, went the distance in clocking a highly-respectable 2:55:05 in the marathon, which wound its way over a picturesque course from Menzies Street through downtown into James Bay and Beacon Hill Park, along Dallas Road to Gonzales Bay and through the neighbourhoods of Fairfield, Oak Bay and Uplands before the turnaround and retracing of the route.

"The people cheering you along the course were great," said Boileau.
"That really keeps your mind in the game. This is truly a great event. And getting ready for it keeps me out of the bar," he quipped.

Not that it stopped Michal Kapral of Toronto, the 'joggler' whose feat of keeping three balls aloft while running marathons has landed him in Guinness World Records. Kapral stopped many times along the route to entertain and amuse the crowd and even popped into the Hash House Harriers tent to quaff a beer en route. Hardly surprisingly, his time of 3:12:05 was well off his Guinness world record clocking of 2:15:12.

"The scenery was very distracting," smiled Kapral.
"This one was for pure fun. The crowd support was amazing. I had a blast."
Betty-Jean McHugh, an 80-year-old retired nurse from North Vancouver, set the world record for the fastest marathon completed by a woman in the 80-plus class by going 4:36:52 to knock 13 minutes off the previous record.

In terms of quantity, Janet Green of Courtenay and Jon Mahoney of Vernon are hard to top. Do you think these two are hooked on marathoning? Green completed her 200th marathon yesterday in 3:54:02 and Mahoney his 300th in 3:44:46. Mahoney, a retired pilot originally from the Yukon, wore bib No. 300 to commemorate his special moment and Green, a doctor, wore No. 200 in honour of her accomplishment.

Then there was the Man of Steel, aka Duncan letter carrier Justin Point, who completed the marathon dressed as Superman with cape and all.

"This suit weighs three pounds but was 10 pounds by the end of the race because off all the sweat it soaked up," said Point, who ran as Elvis last spring in the Vancouver Marathon.

The sweat even ran into his sneakers and Point said he twice had to stop and change his squishy socks.
But it was all in a day's work at a colourful and vibrant 29th Royal Victoria Marathon.
"For our 30th edition next year, we're going to top this year's record number of participants," vowed race director Rob Reid, who as per his custom of 15 years again greeted every finisher with a handshake - gloved donned, of course - as they crossed the line.

"It says a lot for this event that with the economy the way it is, we could still attract so many runners to come here from outside the city [only about 2,500 of the competitors yesterday were from Victoria]."

cdheensaw@tc.canwest.com

Moody breezes way to title - 2008-10-14

		By Chris Stanford Tuesday, October 14, 2008 Kelowna Daily Courier (Photo from prior event of Gillian) For Gillian Moody, it wasn‘t so much a case of first time charmed, as it was first time champion. The Kelowna runner, competing in her first marathon race, simply ran away from the women‘s field and cruised to victory by a margin of more than five minutes in the 14th annual BMO Okanagan Marathon on Sunday in Kelowna. With cool temperatures providing perfect conditions for the race, Moody was the only female to break the three hour barrier, completing the two-loop, 42.2-kilometre course in a stunning 2:55:50. Her time was good enough for fifth overall in the field of 389 runners. As she caught her breath in the finish area after breaking the tape, the 31-year-old was surprised by the magnitude of her effort. “I was hoping for anywhere around three (hours), and then when the possibility of under three started materializing, I really went for it,” she said. “I‘m pretty happy . . . I had so much help out there from all the people lining the course and my family was out there. “A couple of guys let me draft for a good portion, so I‘d like to thank them for that,” she joked. Although she had more than a minute lead over second place finisher Krissy Dooling of Edmonton at the halfway point, with some runners only completing one loop in their simultaneous half-marathon event, it was sometimes hard for Moody to know where she was in relation to the other competitors. “I was trying to ask a lot of questions,” she said. A successful bicycle racer, Moody‘s longest running race before this was a half-marathon “quite a few years ago in Hawaii.” Of the possibility of turning more attention to running, she admitted “I don‘t know. I guess I‘ve got some decisions to make.” Dooling lost time over the second half of the race and came home in a time of 3:01:13, while Paige Howat of Prince George was third in 3:10:13. Kelowna‘s Danielle Weil sewed up the seventh spot overall with a time of 3:27:31, and Danita Schreiber, also of Kelowna, rounded out the top 10 with her 3:29:42 result. In the men‘s side, the 2:39:56 by Edmonton‘s Brian Torrance earned him first place over Niall McGrath, also of Edmonton, who trailed with a 2:43:25 showing. Curtis Sampson of Calgary completed the podium with a 2:48:28 clocking. Torrance, a 10-kilometre competitor, said he took a piecemeal approach to his run. “I tried to break it up into quarters,” he said. “I really wanted to get under 2:40, and I did that. It was a little jump out of my comfort zone.” Torrance chased down eventual fourth-place finisher Michael Labelle of Victoria at mid-race, and passed him for the lead, but he wasn‘t going to assume victory was his. “You can feel great at 27 (km), but crappy at 35,” Torrance said. “That‘s a long seven kilometers. “This is an awesome event, and just getting bigger. You‘re out at 20 km in the middle of a vineyard and there‘s people cheering for you, so that‘s exciting.” The top Kelowna finisher in the men‘s full-distance event was Sean Lawrence, who came in 30th overall with a 3:19:30 clocking. Kelowna‘s Doug Elmore finished well after the elite runners had come in and cooled down, but he was just as satisfied. “I used to smoke five cigars a day,” he said in the finish corral, “but my kids inspired me.” Although he has done triathlons before, this was the first marathon for the 59-year-old. “I‘ve wanted to do one ever since I ran track as a 17-year-old,” he said with a smile. “It‘s also nice my wife let me train for this.” The “kids” he was referring to just happen to be his triathlete daughter Jeannette, other daughter Malindi Elmore, a 1,500-metre track star and Athens Olympian, and son-in law Graham Hood, a two-time Olympic runner in the 1,500 as well. Tom Michie led the Kelowna contingent to the podium in the half-marathon, which was run alongside the full-length race. His 1:15:31 was good for first, while in the women‘s division Kathleen Wood was second with her 1:26:15 (behind winner Amy Barnett of Calgary‘s 1:26:15) and Shannon Thompson earned third with a time of 1:27:46.

Record de participation au Marathon de Rimouski - 2008-10-07

		Par René Alary L'Avantage (Alex's Notes: Two great races up front. Do you think Audrey was pumped??) Le Marathon de Rimouski grandit vite et très bien. À sa 7e édition, dimanche, il a atteint le cap des 961 inscriptions ce qui battait la marque de 726 établie en 2007. Ils sont 870 à avoir complété les quatre distances présentées par rapport à 644, l’an dernier. Le président de l’événement, Clément Pelletier, était ravi. «On est très content. 961 inscrits, c’est excellent si on considère notre population bien que l’on accueille plusieurs coureurs de l’extérieur». Lui et ses collègues du comité organisateur reçoivent leur récompense par les commentaires des participants. «Les gens sont tellement contents. Ils trouvent qu’il y a beaucoup de chaleur dans l’organisation de notre marathon. Tout ce qu’on entend, c’est qu’ils veulent revenir, l’an prochain». C’est Richard Tessier, de Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade, qui a remporté le Marathon, un troisième de suite pour lui puisqu’il avait aussi gagné en 2006 et 2007. Il a complété en 2h38m,04.7s. Louis-Philippe Garnier, de Montréal, (2h40m02s) et David Durocher, de Mont-Saint-Hilaire (2h57m09s) ont suivi. Ce Garnier avait couru le Marathon de Toronto, une semaine auparavant, ce qui lui a donné très peu de temps de récupération. «Les conditions ne se comparaient pas du tout. En plus, j’ai une blessure au pied qui me cause encore des problèmes. On avait le vent dans la figure pour revenir et les sept ou huit derniers kilomètres ont été très durs. J’avais hâte que ça finisse», a commenté le champion qui a confirmé qu’il défendra son titre en 2009. De la région, Justin Roy, de Rimouski, a fait une très belle 8e place en 3h8m31s alors que Gaétan Langlois terminait 18e en 3h19m12s. «La performance de Louis-Philippe Garnier est remarquable. Courir deux marathons en une semaine, c’est quelque chose. Lui et Richard Tessier sont parmi les meilleurs marathoniens de la province», a souligné Clément Pelletier. Chez les femmes, c’est une jeune athlète de 23 ans de Montréal, Audrey Longval, qui a été la plus rapide avec un temps de 3h11m17.4s. Elle a devancé la championne défendante, Suzanne Munger, d’Alma, qui a fait 3h13m33.7s. Isabelle Rodrigue, de Québec, termine 3e en 3h25m53s. «C’est mon premier marathon à vie, si bien que je ne savais pas trop à quoi m’attendre, sauf que j’avais dans la mire un temps de 3h15. Je me spécialise plutôt dans le duathlon et le vélo», a expliqué celle qui sera de retour pour la 8e édition en 2009. «Bravo à la nouvelle championne et chapeau à Suzanne Munger qui est une grande gagnante», souligne M. Pelletier. Au demi-marathon, François Marchand, de Boischatel, a terminé premier en 1h15m34s devançant Emmanuel Joncas, de Rimouski, (1h16m30s) et Étienne Méthot, de Val Bélair (1h19m30s). Chez les femmes, Annie D’Anjou, originaire de Rimouski et maintenant installée à Matane, a été la meilleure en 1h31m3s devant Lucie Roy, de Gaspé (1h39m25s) et Josée Aubin, de Québec (1h40m37s). Daniel Lepage, de Saint-André, (38,51,9s) a été le plus rapide au 10km. Il a devancé Joé Verreault, de Rimouski (39m21,1s) et Pierre-Luc Morin, de Laval (39,25,2s). Chez les femmes, les trois premières à franchir la ligne d’arrivée ont été Julie Moreau, de Québec (42m08,2s), Louise Martineau, de Rimouski (42m49,7s) et Hélène Goulet, aussi de Rimouski (43m39,5s). Enfin, au 4,2 km, Olivier Melanson, d’Edmundston (17m06,1s) termine 1er devant les Rimouskois, Pierre Sirois (17m31m4s) et Maxandre Perron-Deschênes (17,43,3s). Côté féminin, Daphnée Langlois (18m35,8s), Jessie Thibault (19m37,7s) et Geneviève Arcand-Lebel (20m39,1s) ont composé un podium à 100% de Rimouski.

Africans unbeatable at Toronto Waterfront Marathon - 2008-09-29

Morgan Campbell
Sports Reporter
The Toronto Star, September 29

In the minutes before leaving their hotel to start the Toronto Waterfront Marathon, a group of elite Ethiopian runners watched online as their compatriot, legendary distance runner Haile Gebreselassie, sliced 27 seconds off his marathon world record in Berlin.

A few hours later Mulu Seboka had a record of her own, finishing yesterday’s race in two hours, 29 minutes, 5.9 seconds, eclipsing by more than four minutes the course record set last year by Asha Gigi, a fellow Ethiopian and yesterday’s bronze medallist.

The time was also nearly a minute faster than Seboka’s previous best race.

Though it happened the same day Gebreselassie became the first runner to run a sub-2:04 marathon, Seboka’s confident her triumph in Toronto will cause a ripple back home.

"This is my personal best," the 22-year-old said through an interpreter. "It will be big news in Ethiopia for sure."

Organizers had hoped for another record in the men’s race, where last year Kenya’s John Kelai ran 2:09:30, the fastest marathon ever run in Canada.

But any chance for a world class time blew away with the wind in the last quarter of the race.

Kenyan Kenneth Mungara finished first in 2:11.00, just two seconds ahead of Peter Kiprotich.

The pair were two of eight Kenyans among the top 10 finishers in the men’s race, while 11th-place finisher Dylan Wykes was the top Canadian.

And they all said the weather bothered them as the race progressed.

Wykes and other Canadian runners said the warm weather and humidity sapped some of their strength, while a stiff wind slowed down the elite runners up ahead, who had been on pace for another course record.

"At around 30 kilometres the wind was so strong we couldn’t keep the time," Kiprotich said.

Top Canadian woman was Suzanne Evans in ninth, more than 15 minutes behind the winner, and 35 seconds ahead of Canada’s Nicole Stevenson, who placed 10th.

Race organizers said nearly 15,000 runners participated in marathon events, including a half-marathon and 5K run.

Race director Alan Brookes said roughly 3,100 people registered for the main race, which covered 42.2 kilometres along Toronto’s waterfront.

Though Mungara finished in the slowest winning time since 2005, organizers are pleased with the event’s progress over the years.

From 2003 to last year the winning time of the men’s race had improved by an average of two minutes each year, and the 2007 race was one of only three in North America that featured three sub-2:10 finishers.

The reason for the steep increase in the quality of the Waterfront Marathon’s top runners?

Brookes says it’s money.

Three years ago Scotiabank signed on as the title sponsor, which led to more prize money, which in turn made the Waterfront Marathon a destination for runners with world class aspirations.

This year organizers budgeted $350,000 for prize money, including $20,000 to the two winners and cash prizes to the top eight finishers.

The payouts don’t match the New York Marathon, which spends more than $2 million (U.S.) on appearance fees and prize money, but Brookes says a strong performance in Toronto can vault a runner on to the sport’s biggest stages.

"People are starting to come to our race, where they can get a fast time," Brookes said. "And maybe they’ll get a start place in London next spring."

To buttress his point, Brookes pointed to Daniel Rono, who parlayed a silver medal in last year’s race into spots in elite European marathons.

In April, Rono ran 2:06:58 to finish second in the Rotterdam marathon.

mcampbell@thestar.ca

Marathon Magic in Saint John - 2008-09-29

Scott Briggs
Telegraph Journal
(Photo of Leo McCosham)

SAINT JOHN - Every second counts in running, but Alex Coffin had a few to spare when he completed the half-marathon portion of Marathon By the Sea on Sunday.

The Saint John native finished the 21.1-kilometre course in one hour, 13 minutes and 25 seconds, breaking Paul Morrison’s record of 1:14:28 by 1:03.

"It would have been nice to have someone with me,’’ said Coffin, who’ll turn 40 in November. "My best running was always cross-country, so I’m very used to running in a pack.’’

Coffin already holds the course record for the full-marathon portion of Marathon by the Sea, posting a time of 2:35:02 back in 1998.

"I want to set the record in the 10-k next year,’’ he said. "I think time goals are important. When my wife Connie wanted to try to qualify for the Boston Marathon, she just got so motivated.

"I’m not saying everybody has to try to qualify for Boston, but it’s important to set a goal and then it feels so good when you make it. I think the thing that hurts people is that a lot of the time their goal moves, and as soon as they get into better shape, sometimes they’re harder on themselves.

Sometimes they forget what their original goal was.’’

Maggie Johnson of Quispamsis was the first female to cross the finish line in the full marathon, recording a time of 3:27:52 and winning the tough women’s 30-39 age division in the process

"I didn’t really have a plan because I thought the weather was going to be worse,’’ Johnson said. "There are a lot of hills out there.’’

Sunday marked Johnson’s 10th full marathon, but she’d never done the full marathon at the Marathon by the Sea.

"This one is tough,’’ she said. "There are a lot of ups and downs and when the wind is (against) you, it’s hard. But it’s OK, and I would do it again for sure.’’

Leo McCosham was the overall winner of the full marathon, posting a personal best of 2:50:59. The 44-year-old from Charlottetown plans to run another 26.2 miles next month.

"This is a warm-up for the P.E.I. Marathon coming up in three weeks,’’ McCosham said. "I just wanted to see where I was at. I knew this course was tough and I just wanted to see what condition I was in, and I’m pretty happy.’’

Sunday was the latest evidence that McCosham was born to run. He ran a half-marathon just two weeks ago in Montreal and his running resumÃ© includes two trips to the Boston Marathon.

"I only started running about two-and-a-half years ago,’’ McCosham said. "I think there’s a bit of genetics involved and a lot of training. I’ve been running around 80 miles a week.’’

Suzanne Doucet of Quispamsis was the top female finisher in the half-marathon, clocking a personal best time of 1:32:06. That was an improvement over the 1:34:32 she posted at the half-marathon portion of the Fredericton Marathon back in May.

"I’ve been working a little bit harder and hopefully a little bit smarter,’’ said Doucet, who’ll turn 46 in November. "I did other runs this season.

"When this one came around, I was less nervous because I’ve done shorter races this year and they all went well.’’

Meanwhile, there was lots of local flavour in the rest of the races. Saint John’s Evan Arsenault won the 10-km run with a time of 37:31, while Rothesay’s Allison Smith won the women’s division in 45:37. Saint John’s Matthew McNeil won the 5-km race in 18:06, while another Port City runner, Katie Robinson, was the first female finisher at 21:19. Bob Bardsley of Rothesay finished first in the Nordic walk half-marathon (2:37:16), while Jennifer Palk of Saint John was the first female to cross the finish line in the event (2:53:39).

Women's Field in Toronto - 2008-09-19

TORONTO, September 17^th. Defending champion and course record holder, Asha Gigi of , is confirmed to head up the strongest women’s field to date at the 9^th annual Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon on September 28^th. She’ll be joined on the start line by fellow Ethiopians Atsede Bayisa and Mulu Seboka. Together, they will face a tough Kenyan challenge from Irene Mogaka, Caroline Cheptonui and Winifredah Kwamboka. Ukrainian Olena Shurkhno is expected to round out the lead pack, which is likely to give the event its first sub-2:30 women’s finish. The 34 year old Gigi ran a solo 2:33:16 last September in Toronto for a new course record.

“This is the best, deepest women’s field we’ve had so far,” said Race Director Alan Brookes. “It’s shaping up to be the first time we’ve really had a women’s race, with a pack. Asha has been very consistent lately around 2:28/2:29, and her experience, pitted against some exciting, young talent promises a gripping contest.” For the first time, the women’s prize purse is identical to the men’s at $61,000 plus time bonuses, with money down to 8^th place.

When Gigi recorded her 2:33:16 at Waterfront ’07, she did so run