Mind and Body Off to the Races In Calgary, Saskatoon and Ottawa

Off to the Races In Calgary, Saskatoon and Ottawa

May 30, 2018

Spring race season is in full gear, this past weekend with the Scotiabank Calgary Marathon, the Saskatchewan Marathon in Saskatoon and the Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend all taking place. From the cheering crowds to runners of all distances, there’s no questions we are all ready for summer to kick into gear.

In Calgary, a new course record was set by Feyera Dadi (2:16:37), an Ethiopian runner who now lives and trains in Etobicoke, Ontario. In the female marathon, Caroline Kiptoo of Kenya, was the winner, crossing the line at 2:42:37.

Calgary’s Trevor Hofbauer was all smiles after winning the Centaur Subaru Half Marathon event at the Scotiabank Calgary Marathon at Stampede Park on Sunday May 27, 2018.

Canadian elite runners, and Calgarians had a strong presence in over the weekend. In the men’s Centaur Subaru 21.1K National Championships, Trevor Hofbauer had an emotional win, collapsing at the finish after crossing the line at 1:08:25. In the same race, the women’s winner Toronto’s Sasha Gollish sprinted to the finish at 1:14:19. Both athletes now have the chance to be selected for the Canadian team for the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships next spring.

With it’s rich 40 year history, the Saskatchewan Marathon had an incredible turn out of runners toeing the line. In the women’s marathon, first time marathoner Brooke MacDonald (3:07:57) scored the win. In the men’s marathon, Teresa Fekensa, an Ethiopian living in Toronto, defended his title for the second straight year. In the half marathon events, Ukraine’s Ruslan Kramariuk (1:12:45) won the men’s title for the fourth while Saskatoon’s Kimberly Dav (1:33:58) claimed the women’s half marathon title.

In Ontario, the Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend which includes the Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon experienced ideal weather conditions. Ethiopian’s dominated winning both the men’s and women’s marathon. Yemane Tsegay, won the Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon crossing the line at 2:08:52.

In women’s Gelete Burka now holds the record for the fastest women’s marathon run on Canadian soil with a time of 2:22:17. Thirty-year-old Kait Toohey (2:45:07) lead the way as the fastest Canadian woman’s finisher in Ottawa.