Toronto Waterfront Marathon to Feature Strongest Elite Field in Race’s History

By

-

September 24, 2016

20160923_120533-min — From left: Krista Duchene, Ed Whitlock, Eric Gillis, Rachel Hannah, Leslie Sexton, and Robert MacDonald.

This year’s Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon (STWM) will feature the strongest field of Canadian elites in the race’s history. We had the opportunity to meet six of the talented and inspiring runners who will share the course with 26,000 other participants on October 16th.

This is the first of two stories we’ll have on the press conference introducing the Canadian elite field held at the Toronto Marriott Hotel.

The Prodigal Son

From left: Krista Duchene, Ed Whitlock, Eric Gillis, Rachel Hannah, Leslie Sexton, and Robert MacDonald.

Rio still hasn’t quite sunk in for Eric Gillis, but it’s not because it was a shock. If you still haven’t heard, Gillis finished 10th in the Men’s Marathon at the Rio Olympics. The Guelph runner said outright, “I had a goal to be in the top ten…to execute on the day still hasn’t quite sunk in.”

Instead of slowing down and basking in his achievement, Eric rode the positivity and immediately shifted his focus to STWM.

Gillis admits that he’s feeling different following Rio in a very positive way, evidenced by the fact that he chose to take on another marathon so soon after the Olympics. Typically, Eric says, “After a marathon, my feeling is that I never want to do a marathon again,” a sentiment that likely felt by elite and amateur alike. Rio, however, was different, and there is a sense of excitement in Eric’s voice when he reiterates that he is going for his best performance at what will be his sixth STWM.

While he’s still a tad mum on whether or not he’s gunning for Jerome Drayton’s Canadian men’s marathon record, Eric noted in the panel discussion that he plans to run a 2:10 pace for the first half of the course, which he managed to do in 2015, and hold on to it for as long as he can. Drayton’s record stands at 2:10:08. Once he hits the finish line, Eric says perhaps he’ll have some more time to reflect on Rio as he takes some downtime, dropping to about 50 kilometres per week as opposed to the 140 he’ll typically post during peak training.

The Maverick

“We’re gonna have a good race this year, Ravi! We’re guaranteed at least one world record,” Race Director Alan Brookes said, chuckling as he gestured to Ed Whitlock. The current men’s world record for the marathon in the 85-89 age group belongs to Australian Robert Horman, who ran a 4:34 in 2004. As recently as 2013, Ed ran a 3:41 at STWM. He remains the oldest man to run a sub-3:00 marathon, having turned in a spectacular 2:54 in 2004 at the age of 73.

Ed Whitlock at the 2016 Longboat Toronto Island Run.

Ed is the most charmingly zen runner you’re likely to ever meet. Every sentence he speaks is simple, direct, and followed up with a smile. He’s also not bogged down in the details of running. Rather than working from a structured training plan that includes intervals, tempo runs, and cross-training, Ed simply sticks to the long slow distances. “It’s not what’s best for everybody and it may not even be what’s best for me,” Ed says, “but it keeps me free from the aches and pains that I’ll get with intervals.”

He admits he’s not feeling as well as he did when he ran that sub-3:00 in 2004, battling a case of frozen shoulder that limits the motion of his right arm as he runs. The day before we spoke at the conference, Ed ran what he says was his first three hour run in nearly three years, a vast difference from the lead up to his 2004 performance when he ran three hours every day during the three months prior to race day. Considering that he’s already secured the half marathon record for his age group in Kitchener earlier this year, there’s probably not too much reason to worry about Ed, who says he’ll run as long as he can.

The Fighter

Robert MacDonald (@robmac1986) made his first appearance at STWM last year when he ran the half marathon. This year, he’s going for his first full. It’s a hell of a progression for anyone, let alone someone who only a few years ago was given a 5% chance of ever being able to walk again. Robert’s accident occurred in Mexico when he tried to climb into his room instead of walking 20 minutes to pick up the key. After a three storey fall, Robert was flown to St. Michael’s Hospital, where he was treated at the Lyndhurst Centre at Toronto Rehab.

Look for these words at the start line and on the course at STWM. Team I Will is running in support of Toronto Rehab.

Four years later and after 400 hours with a physiotherapist, Robert is now the leader of Team I Will, a group of runners racing in support of Toronto Rehab. Last year, they raised $73,000 through their efforts. This year, Robert is hoping to raise $150,000 with 150 members of Team I Will.

For many of us, running is where we turn off our brains and turn on our body’s cruise control. For Robert, every step has to be thought through so that he doesn’t aggravate or exacerbate past injuries or cause new ones. If, for, example, Robert extends his stride too far forward, he can actually topple over. It’s an incredible feat to exercise for the length of a marathon, but Robert’s urge to support the organization that gave him a second chance keeps him motivated. He hopes, he says, to be the first in a long line of stories similar to his own.

Ravi Singh (@ravimatsingh)

Runners Get Creative at Blackmores Sydney Marathon

By

Ravi Singh

-

September 22, 2016

howard-dawson-fastest-marathon-dressed-as-a-food-supplement_tcm25-444604 — Howard Dawson of Australia now holds the Guinness World Record for fastest marathon dressed as a food supplement (3h03m52s)

French maids, jesters, monarchs, and condiments. Four runners at the Blackmores Sydney Running Festival were perfectly happy to look a bit ridiculous in the name of world records and great causes. This year’s race was the first in which Guinness officially partnered with race organizers, ensuring that official adjudicators were on hand to verify each attempt.

Dominic Sweeney Nash now owns the Guinness World Record for fastest marathon dressed as a French maid (male), running a 3:37:25 at the Blackmores Sydney Marathon. Image via Guinness World Records. — Dominic Sweeney-Nash now owns the Guinness World Record for fastest marathon dressed as a French maid (male), running a 3:37:25 at the Blackmores Sydney Marathon. Image via Guinness World Records.

According to Guinness, the following records were broken at the race:

Alexander Scherz – Fastest marathon dressed as a jester (male) – 2:59:52
Howard Dawson – Fastest marathon dressed as a food supplement (male) – 3:03:52
Dominic Sweeney-Nash – Fastest marathon dressed as a French maid (male) – 3:37:25
Joseph Peach – Fastest marathon dressed as a monarch (male) – 3:39:29

Closer to home, the record attempts at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon look to be a bit more stylish. Check out Amy Friel on two runners who’ll be suiting up in October in hopes of setting new records in the burgeoning discipline of “suit running.”

Ravi Singh (@ravimatsingh)

Does road running really trump the treadmill?

By

Training

-

September 21, 2016

Most runners have a strong opinion about whether running outdoors or on a treadmill is better. The treadmill typically isn’t given much respect, it’s thought of as a dirty word for a great deal of runners and isn’t, stereotypically, used by “real” runners. However, the treadmill certainly has its time and place.

By Pamela Mazzuca Prebeg BSc Kin, Athletic Therapist

There is no disputing the fact that running outdoors on the road is more challenging, and easier on the wallet, but that doesn’t mean it’s the only way to run.

Running outdoors is more natural and the fresh air is incredible. Aside from giving your body a chance to produce vitamin D, it also gives you greater feelings of revitalization, energy and enjoyment while decreasing tension, confusion, anger, and depression, more so when compared to running on a treadmill indoors.

The great outdoors also provide uneven and unpredictable surfaces, which could pose a risk of injury, but it also helps strengthen ligaments, activates more muscles and improves your sense of balance. While running on a treadmill decreases your risk of joint damage (treadmill belts tend to have more “give” than outdoor surfaces) or traumatic injury (i.e. rolling your ankle on a divot) it does increase your risk of overuse injury, especially if you do not alter your speed or incline, because your foot hits the belt the exact same way with every single stride.

However, the predictability of a treadmill can also be a benefit. There is never any wind, rain, ice, snow or visibility issues, unless you turn the treadmill’s fan up too high. And you never have to contend with sidewalk congestion or traffic. It’s also a great way to do speed work and interval training because it is actually easier to run faster on a treadmill because the belt helps propel your forward. But on the flip side, you have less hamstring activation on a treadmill compared to running on the road and the intensity (and caloric output) of your run will be lower unless you increase the speed and/or incline.

So what’s better? Well running outdoors certainly helps prepare you both physically and mentally for the elements on race day but the treadmill is definitely convenient and effective if you maintain an incline gradient of 1% for speed and interval training. The best choice is the one that will get you, and keep you, running on a regular basis.

The Berlin Marathon – Where You Kind of Expect a World Record

By

Ravi Singh

-

September 21, 2016

8b216919-6bcc-419e-8962-3b2dc3b68353 — Wilson Kipsang set a world record with his win at the 2013 Berlin Marathon. Kipsang returns to Berlin this Sunday against a stacked elite field. Image via IAAF.

Since 2003, the men’s world marathon record has fallen six times. In each instance, the record fell at the exact same place, the Berlin Marathon, which will hold its 43rd edition this Sunday. The streak started with Kenyan Paul Tergat’s 2:04.55 and continued through to Dennis Kimetto’s astonishing 2:02.50 in 2014, the current record. The women’s record has also been set in Berlin on three different occasions. Japan’s Naoko Takahashi was the first to take the women’s record under 2:20 with a 2:19.46 in 2001.

It makes sense. Berlin is a notoriously fast course, flat throughout. As the first World Marathon Major of the fall leading into Chicago and New York, Berlin not only invites the world’s best, but typically offers them cool conditions as well.

Alan Brookes, Race Director at Canada Running Series, says the excitement around Berlin is always palpable and that, “This year will be no exception, especially in the men’s race with eight guys with PBs under 2:06, and Kenenisa Bekele with something to prove after controversially being left off the Ethiopian squad for Rio. Will a tasty battle with Wilson Kipsang drive them to a new world record? Then we’re onto Chicago and the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon. You don’t want to miss any of them!” A complete elite start list is available here.

Wilson Kipsang set a world record with his win at the 2013 Berlin Marathon. Kipsang returns to Berlin this Sunday against a stacked elite field. Image via IAAF.

Bekele was left off the Ethiopian Olympic squad when the Ethiopian Athletics Federation ruled that he had not run enough big races over the previous year to meet the selection criteria for the marathon. Bekele subsequently attempted to qualify for the 10,000m but failed to finish the race at a qualifying event in the Netherlands. At 34, Bekele currently holds both the 5,000m and 10,000m world records and, despite a recent streak of disappointment, is coming off a third place finish at this year’s London Marathon, where he ran a 2:06.36.

Kipsang was among the streak of runners to break the world record in Berlin when he raced a 2:03.23 in 2013. Kipsang was just behind Bekele in London with a 2:07.52, placing fifth.

The elites will be joined by about 40,000 runners from more than 100 countries, so there’s sure to be plenty of PBs and triumphs among the field. Best of luck to all chasing goals in Berlin this Sunday!

Ravi Singh (@ravimatsingh)

Karl Meltzer Breaks Scott Jurek’s Appalachian Trail Record

By

Ravi Singh

-

September 20, 2016

19ultra3-master768 — Karl Meltzer is greeted by Scott Jurek as he sets the new record for fastest supported thru-hike on the Appalachian. Image via the New York Times.

The third time was a charm for ultra runner Karl Meltzer, who now holds the record for the fastest completion of the 2,190 miles (that’s 3,524 kilometres) of the Appalachian Trail. Meltzer completed the feat in 45 days, 22 hours, and 38 minutes, surpassing the previous record set by ultra legend Scott Jurek by just about a day. There really aren’t a lot of records that can come down to an entire day, are there? Meltzer’s feat is certainly inspirational and is probably made even moreso considering his fuelling strategy along the way. According to the New York Times:

“…he capped each night with one or two beers and left from rest stops with rainbow-colored Spree candy, Three Musketeers chocolate bars and bacon in his pockets. To save time and keep his energy up, he typically slept less than seven hours a night and instead had an energy drink every 10 miles, downing about five a day. When on another day his support crew found him napping, they gave him a pint of ice cream for a boost.”

Karl Meltzer is greeted by Scott Jurek as he sets the new record for fastest supported thru-hike on the Appalachian. Image via the New York Times.

Meltzer’s record is recognized as the fastest supported thru-hike, meaning that the 48 year old was met along the way at designated checkpoints by a crew who would ensure he had the supplies needed to complete his task, supplies such as ice cream and beer in this case. Meltzer’s progress was tracked using GPS by sponsors Red Bull to verify his time on the trail.

Just a day after Meltzer hit the finish, greeted by Jurek, hiker Kaiha Bertollini claimed to have set the record for fastest unsupported thru-hike, meaning that she carried her gear on her own and was not met by any type of crew along the way. Bertollini claims a finishing time of 45 days, six hours, and 28 minutes. That would not only smash the previous record for an unsupported hike – 53 days, 7 hours, and 48 minutes – but would also slightly edge out Meltzer’s time.

Bertollini’s hike, however, was not officially recorded via GPS tracking. Instead, Canadian Running reports, “Bertollini posted photos to Facebook along the way that are time-stamped indicating her location. Besides that, there is little information to verify her claims.”

There’s no denying that both Bertollini and Meltzer accomplished something incredible, but aspiring record breakers might want to take heed. When it comes to records, proper verification and data are essential. If a record is broken and no one is there to verify it, was it really broken?

Ravi Singh (@ravimatsingh)

Paralympians Outrun their Counterparts from Rio 2016

By

CelebrityTreads

-

September 15, 2016

If Paralympian Abdellatif Baka of Alergia ran in the Men's 1500m finals at the Rio Olympics earlier this year, he would have snatched the gold from American Matthew Centrowitz, as would his nearest three competitors.

At this year’s Rio Olympics, American Matthew Centrowitz took gold in the Men’s 1500m when he crossed the finish line in 3:50.00. Centrowitz is lucky that he wasn’t up against any of his counterparts in the Paralympics.

At Sunday’s 1500m T-13 Final, the top four finishers all ran faster than Centrowitz, with Algeria’s Abdellatif Baka taking the top spot with a time of 3:48.29, which is also a new world record for blind/visually impaired runners. The previous record was held by Tunisia’s Abderrahim Zhiou, who ran a 3:48.31 at the 2012 games in London.

Abdellatif was followed by Ethiopia’s Tamiru Demisse and Kenya’s Henry Kirwa who turned in times of 3:48.49 and 3:49.59 respectively. Baka’s brother Fouad finished fourth, running a 3:49.84.

-Ravi Singh (@ravimatsingh)

The World’s Most Idiotic Marathon?

By

AttheRaces

-

September 13, 2016

Runners at the 2014 Madoc Marathon, supposedly the world's dumbest marathon. Image via the Telegraph.

Ravi here with a little catch up of some of the more unique, inspiring, and bizarre stories from the world of running you may have missed recently. Today, we have giant hornets stinging marathoners in Japan, a beautiful story of a paralyzed runner coming back to the sport, and quite possibly the world’s dumbest marathon, though I assumed that was all of them. I mean, 42 kilometres? Who does that? Check them out below.

115 Marathon Runners Stung by Hornets (from Japan Today)

Hornets stung 115 men and women taking part in a marathon in Hida, Gifu Prefecture, on Sunday morning. Of the runners stung, aged in their 20s to 60s, eight were taken to hospital to be treated, police said. The others were treated by ambulances called to the scene.

Bionic Exoskeleton Helps Paralyzed Woman Complete Half Marathon (from IB Times)

With the help of a bionic suit, 36-year-old Claire Lomas was able to finish Sunday the Great North Run in England after just five days. Lomas has been paralyzed from her chest down since 2007 when she was in a horseback riding accident.

To add to the impressive feat, Lomas is also 13 weeks pregnant and had to endure morning sickness while she was training and was afraid that she wouldn’t be able to make it to the half marathon.

The World’s Most Idiotic Marathon (from the Telegraph)

The annual Marathon du Medoc is a truly Gallic event. Participants must tackle the hallowed distance, but refreshments are the sort you’d expect at a lavish party hosted by Gerard Depardieu: enough wine to fill a swimming pool, towers of mussels, and even ice cream. It’s the south of France in September too, so expect it to be hot (the forecast for the weekend is for temperatures of up to 32C). Oh, and fancy dress is compulsory.

-Ravi Singh (@ravimatsingh)

Toronto Island Run Recap

By

AttheRaces

-

September 12, 2016

The “flying feather” is one of the most instantly recognizable symbols in the Toronto running scene and one that you’re almost guaranteed to spot at the start line of any race in the city and beyond as well. The emblem of one of Toronto’s longest standing run clubs, the Longboat Roadrunners, the only race where you won’t spot it on any singlet among those racing is the Toronto Island Run, which celebrated its 36th running this past Sunday.

1456498845608

Rather than racing, Longboat Roadrunners comprise the race crew for the day and work behind the scenes to make the event happen, taking on duties like arranging first aid to passing out medals at the finish line. It’s part of fulfilling one of the club’s pillar principles of giving back to and helping build the running community.

The 5K took off at 11am with winner Dancan Kasia crossing the finish line in 15:38. Hammering all the way at a 3:08/km pace, Kasia was almost two minutes ahead of the second place male finisher Henry Gage, who crossed the line in 17:34. Jane Murage, the top female at 16:41, was also nearly two minutes ahead of the women’s second place finisher Rebecca Verlaan (18:38).

Eric Bang was the overall winner of the 10K race, running a 32:09. Pan-Am medalist Rachel Hannah was the top female with a time of 34:18.

Rachel Hannah (left) and Eric Bang (right) were the top finishers at the Longboat 10K, held this past Sunday on Toronto's Centre Island. — Rachel Hannah (left) and Eric Bang (right) were the top finishers at the Longboat 10K, held this past Sunday on Toronto’s Centre Island

For both Bang and Hannah, the race was part of a “bigger picture.” Hannah was in fact scheduled to race in the Canadian 5K Championships on the same day, but made a last minute switch in order to have a bit more distance under her belt in preparation for the Canada Army Run next weekend in Ottawa. From there, she’ll make her return to the marathon at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon in October. Bang says his purpose was to get himself used to running on tired legs, which will also serve him at the longer distances.

Another unmistakable symbol of Canadian running was present on race day in the form of Mr. Ed Whitlock. At the finish line, I asked Ed how his race was, to which he responded, completely understated, “Ah, it was good. That’s a new world record.” Ed’s time of 49:47 in the 10k is the new record for the distance in the M85 division, easily besting the previous record of 52:50 run by German Max Raschke in 1993.

Ed is now the owner of nearly 20 masters running world records ranging from the 1500m to the marathon. Having turned 85 in March, Mr. Whitlock now has a brand new division to dominate. Ed says that if recovery goes well following this race, he will likely be at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon to chase another record.

Finally, for the second year in a row, the 10K served as a time trial for the Ryerson Rams Cross Country team, headed up by Coach Timo Uuksulainen. Timo’s initial impressions were positive. He noted that the field was much deeper than the previous year and that the second timers showed improvement, with both the men and women running anywhere from thirty seconds to two minutes faster at both the 5 and 10K.

-Ravi Singh (@ravimatsingh)

Are You All For Capris Or Prefer Full Length Tights?

By

TheBuzzonGear

-

September 11, 2016

It turns out the length of ones tights is something many of us women feel strongly about.

BY: Karen Kwan

“Personally, I think capris are unflattering and make my legs look short and stumpy,” says Sasha Exeter of www.sosasha.com. “I recently took a poll on my Snapchat and discovered women over 5’7″ all concurred with me and it was the shorter women who love the shorter length. Why? Because capris on women under 5’5″ actually aren’t capris. They become 7/8 length which is actually very flattering,” says the lifestyle blogger.

For my running buddy Shawna Graham who frequently runs with Run to Beer, it depends more on the season. “In the summer I generally wear shorts. I get very warm when I run and my legs are the last to get cold so that’s important when I’m making choices about what to wear. I wear capris as long as I can — usually until it’s freezing outside and then I switch to tights for negative temps.”

For Glow magazine health editor, Lisa Hannam, it’s all about style and waxing. “Cropped pants just aren’t stylish in my opinion,” she says. “And either I’ve waxed my legs, in which case I’ll wear shorts, or I haven’t, and then I’ll wear tights.”

Simone Olivero, style editor at Yahoo.ca and a member of Parkdale Roadrunners, prefers capris for workouts and full tights for running. “I feel like the capris cut off my circulation when running but like that they’re a bit cooler when you’re in the gym.” She adds, too, that when she wears compression socks running, capris create a weird divide on her leg.

I have to admit, I’m on the fence. While I get that capris can cut off the leg and make them appear shorter, I too appreciate the little bit of cooling off they provide. And I also think a bit of skin showing on the leg helps to tie in the look if your arms are bare (otherwise it can just seem like a lot of fabric covering up your bottom half).

What’s your preference: team capris or team full-length tights?

Karen Kwan is a regular iRun fashion and travel contributor, and you’ll find her running fashion posts every Friday on Instagram. She contributes to a number of publications and you can also follow her travel and running adventures at Health & Swellness.

Charles PT Flies, Records Fall at Canadian 5K Championships

By

AttheRaces

-

September 11, 2016

Competitors take to the start at the 2016 Canadian 5K Road Race Championship in Toronto. Image courtesy of Canadian Running.

Charles Philibert-Thiboutot (PT) is on fire, turning in another fantastic performance just a week after placing in the top five at New York’s Fifth Avenue Mile. This morning, PT flew through Downtown Toronto to not only claim the Canadian 5K Road Race Championship, but set a new record for running that distance on Canadian soil in the process. Charles’ time of 14:04 put him about two seconds ahead of the previous record, set at the same race by Kenyan Wesley Korir in 2012. Fellow Olympians Nathan Brannen (14:07) and Lucas Bruschet (14:08) followed in second and third.

Andrea Seccafien, who represented Canada in the Women’s 5000m at the 2016 Rio Olympics, edged out Pan-Am medalist Sasha Gollish to take the women’s title with a time of 16:10. Gollish finished with a 16:11 followed by Laura Batternick, who ran a 16:13 to round out the top three.

According to Yorkville Run, winners had the opportunity to earn up to $8,000 for their efforts on Sunday, which will close out summer racing for many athletes. Many of the track specialists will turn their attention to the cross-country course or take extended downtime before racing again indoors in the winter.

-Ravi Singh