On this weeks show its all about the Boston Marathon. One year after her epic third place finish, Krista DuChene talks about what it was like as she made her way across the finish line. Then, runner Sarah Hull will be making her first trip to the Boston Marathon, and sharing the experience with her whole family cheering her on. Plus, a runner who is going back to the Boston Marathon for the third year in a row shares his experiences at the iconic marathon.
Kevin Rutherford—CEO of nuun, a hydration company making tablets loaded with electrolytes—is from Ottawa. Available in 30 countries and more than 10,000 stores, including Running Room and independent running shops alike, nuun is growing like marathon records keep falling in this country. Is it coincidence? Who knows. Available on course already at the Ottawa Marathon, Calgary, the Canada Army Run, the BMO Vancouver Marathon, and many more, it was recently announced that nuun would be replacing Gatorade at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon—giving nuun the advantage over Gatorade at just about every major Canadian race. Ben Kaplan spoke to Rutherford—triathlete, marathon runner, CEO—about what Canadian expansion means to him and his brand.
iRun: As a fan of racing, Canadian racing, what’s so special about STWM, obviously you know it’s where Canadian marathon records have been broken.
Rutherford: Toronto is one of my favourite cities on the planet. On Race Day, the CRS brings the energy to another level. To put it simply, there are many reasons why I think this race is so special, a few of which are:
iRun: It’s about time they (who is “they,” anyways? Who do we have to talk to?) acknowledged Toronto for what it is. As for you, for nuun, how many races in Canada is this for you guys, and why is that important?
Rutherford: We are hydrating tens of thousands of runners in Canada this year. Our on-course activation covers races from Victoria and Vancouver, to Edmonton and Calgary, to Toronto and Montreal, and my hometown of Ottawa. The reason this is happening is that we believe that traditional sports drinks have it all wrong. Sports drinks with high carbohydrates, artificial ingredients, and sugar are actually dehydrating you. The Canadian consumer is smart and they are seeking better options so they can perform better with the cleanest ingredients possible. At the end of the day, we want all Canadians to move more and optimal hydration with only clean ingredients is a great tool to help people perform at their best.
Canada Running Series has perhaps ten different events and have made news in this country with their Lululemon partnership. Are you talking about being on-course at more than STWM?
Rutherford: The answer is simple, we are going to be on course for all of them. We are stoked about every single ‘Canada Running Series’ race, and like the CRS and runners, we will bring our best each and every time. Alan Brookes and the CRS team hold themselves to the highest of standards, and we are stoked to help elevate their game at each event.
iRun: That is awesome. You found a niche and disrupted it and your growth has been astounding. What are the most recent numbers you can share toward your success?
Rutherford: Our Canadian and US business continues to flourish, more than doubling last year in Canada alone after seven years in market. Quite honestly, a big reason for that is our teams relentless pursuit for the ‘better way.’ People are catching on to the fact that the old way of hydrating is less than optimal and the consumer is converting to the science and clean philosophy from nuun’s playbook. Further, this year we will launch our second major leap frog on product improvement to our line up. So I expect these improvements will only accelerate our growth as we seek to serve our consumer and fulfill our mission ‘to inspire everyone to move more.’
iRun: It’s cool that as you continue to grow you remain connected to Canada. What does it mean to you to see nuun on-course at Ca
nadian races?
Rutherford: In one word – PRIDE. Although I live in the U.S. and love Seattle where I currently reside, Canada will always be home to me. So to see nuun surging in Canadian popularity because we are striving to make the world a healthier place, makes me incredibly proud. I’m proud of our team in Canada and in the USA. I’m proud of our partners in-stores and on-course that believe in us and support us. And I’m proud of my fellow Canadians for leading the way for a better way with the attitude that ‘we are all in this together.’
iRun: You don’t have to call out the competition, though I’ve done it twice, including in the headline, but Gatorade had been on-course for 25 years at STWM, and on-course is their jam. Does this signify a special moment in time, a changing of the guard if you will?
Rutherford: In short, yes.
iRun: Nice.
Rutherford: I believe that being on course at STWM does signify a special moment in time for nuun. We are honoured to partner with such an iconic marathon and first-class organization. Serving their participants is a responsibility that the nuun team takes very seriously. That said, I do believe there is awakening across many categories where the consumer’s access to information is greater than ever. For nuun, our focus is to be transparent on who we are, why we do what we do, and most importantly walking the ‘clean talk.’ Everyone at nuun is an athlete and by that, I mean everyone believes in the power of “muuvement” for health and vitality. So we strive to create tools (hydration) and a community that facilitates this belief. Today there’s a ground swell of consumers who believe what we believe. The trajectory of this mindset and shift to products like nuun in the sports drink world is humbling and it’s exhilarating to be at the forefront.
iRun: What’s next for you Kevin, both you personally and Nuun?
Rutherford: For me personally, I have a few goals. First and foremost, we want to keep raising the bar at nuun so that we are the most desired company to work for in any industry. I said “we” purposely as I believe that culture is a living ecosystem that every single teammate contributes to making it stronger, or unfortunately, more vulnerable. Nuun is a place of one shared mission and values that everyone is passionate about so our ‘job’ becomes a place people want to be, versus have to be. So for me, that is my top priority outside of family, of course. On a fitness front, my focus this year is building strength, power, and speed as I nurse a foot injury (plantar faciitis) with the goal to get back on the triathlon and marathon circuit by fall or in 2020.
iRun: Nice. Be good to see you back. And as for the brand?
Rutherford: As for nuun, we will continue to bring hydration that you can feel the difference so you can ultimately move more. In Canada, that means you can expect product improvements on our current line and coming soon you will see our Immunity and Rest lines that launched most recently in the US. The best part, we’re just getting started as there are so many opportunities to bring more health and vitality to Canadians from coast to coast.
iRun: Lastly, let me put you on the spot: You’re already on course in Ottawa and that’s coming up soon. Do you plan on making the trip?
Rutherford: Tentative on that front, Ben. I’m a big fan of that course, not just because it’s home for me, but also because I think John Halvorsen and the team in Ottawa are first class. They care about the city, the racers, and planet. When it comes to my schedule, I may have a timing conflict with an initiative in the UK as we activate on this expansion market, combined with nuun partnering with our friends at Virgin Sport for their race weekend.
iRun: So it’s a solid….maybe.
Rutherford [laughing]: Either way, my heart will be there for sure.
Jacqueline Gareau is one of the most decorated Canadian distance runners of all-time. Her win at the 1980 Boston Marathon was Canada’s best place finish since Jerome Drayton cut the tape in 1977. Meanwhile, Gareau, 66, stays running and active in the community, giving talks, massage and working with athletes on their form. As a special event in partnership with Divas Running Series and BlackToe Running, Gareau will be in conversation with Krista DuChene in Toronto on April 4 and offer clinics on April 5 at the Running Physio, a once in a lifetime dream coach to help you reach your goals. Ben Kaplan spoke with Gareau in advance of the event.
iRun: What do you think of the women’s marathon record being broken by Rachel Cliff?
Gareau: Nice! That’s what we want. 2:26:56, it’s a start to being more competitive with the rest of the world. If we have more 2:26, 2:25, we have good contenders for big competitions, Boston or the Olympics, the World Championships. It’s very exciting and that’s bringing more girls to the sport. It’s a celebration, I say: Go, Rachel Cliff!
iRun: Are you surprised the marathon record keeps being broken, by Lanni, by Krista, now Rachel Cliff?
Gareau: We’re capable, with good training, good balance, especially because injuries slow you down, that was my case. I could have improved, but you get injured, and then you hurry to recover while still injured—there’s women today, they have good posture, good stride, it’s a learning process. We improve.
iRun: What helps a runner improve?
Gareau: It’s a melting pot. Rest, training, diet, discipline, support. I mean, medical is important. This isn’t about me, it’s about the great new runners, Krista, Lanni Marchant, but I see all the things I neglected. You need good coaching, and to respect the training schedule. Don’t get too high, or too low. We get excited: I think I can do more! That can be an error. I’ve seen good runners run one good time then that’s it.
iRun: What do you mean?
Gareau: You don’t have to be a world-record holder or Olympian to go over the line. It’s easy to get injured, to over-train. I missed the Olympics because of that, no rest. That’s a mistake.
iRun: What from your career was not a mistake, what did you get right? What did you learn?
Gareau: In 1978, I was second in Ottawa. In 1979, I was first. I improved very quickly because I paid attention to my form, improved my stride, my positioning. You have to run with gravity, with symmetry, and I like a quick stride—a long stride isn’t efficient, that stuff is important to run at your best.
iRun: Boston, of course, is coming up. Do you miss it?
Gareau: Next year I might go, not to run because I’m having treatment on my knees in April, although, who knows? I cross-country ski and bike and swim, I like to run in the water, too. I think I’m still in pretty good shape. But I don’t miss the competition, no.
iRun: Do you have a current goal?
Gareau: I want to be 75 and be running. I’m 66 and so far, so good: I feel great.
iRun: Did you get nervous before you raced?
Gareau: The day before you get nervous, but you need that. I remember in Los Angeles, that was when I felt best, physically and psychologically. Six months before the Olympics and I prepared in hilly Florida, I did my visualization and in the morning I felt like dancing, powerful and light. Also the second time in Montreal when I won, it was 1987 to qualify for the 1988 Olympics, oh, I had injuries and surgeries, I was not at my best, and a girl was running after me, but I was prepared mentally: I visualized with Chariots of Fire and accelerated and I won! If you prepare well and train, for anybody, it’s easy to control the nervousness. 
iRun: Rosie Ruiz, Rosie Ruiz, the cheater Rosie Ruiz. Can you tell us the story of your most famous race?
Gareau: I’d run New York previously and was third, but I wasn’t running Boston to win, I just ran every race to PB. Jock Semple, he’s the guy who pushed Kathrine Switzer, he saw me at the start and pushed me to the back. I went all the way to the back and had to run the first five miles fast to catch the runners, which, OK, not a great thing to do. Kathrine Switzer, she was in the press truck, and I held on and was supposedly the first woman until someone shouted at the last two K: “You’re the second woman.” I thought, OK. Kathrine had been showing me running first, but I don’t know, so I didn’t break the ribbon and walked off by myself.
iRun: Oh, no!
Gareau: It was really OK. I know that I ran well, but then I saw this girl with Bill Rodgers, the male winner, and I asked what time did she finish. It was like 2:31-something, a world record. I thought, wow. No wonder I didn’t see her. I accepted it, but Bill was looking at her—she wasn’t sweaty, no nothing. Soon they discovered she didn’t run, and she didn’t run New York either, to qualify. She took the subway!
iRun: That doesn’t seem fair.
Gareau: Well, in Boston there was no subway, instead she jumped in at the last 3K, a student saw her. She was putting water on her head and looking dizzy to act tired, something like that was the story. It seems strange even to this day.
iRun: She kind of robbed you of your moment.
Gareau: I’m in a better position than she is. I wouldn’t like to be a cheater. And I’m happy with the course record and when I came back, I knew I won. I just wish for her, you know, she’s probably sick mentally. It’s a really strange story, but it doesn’t have much to do with what our sport is really about.
iRun: Take us into your life today.
Gareau: I’m a massage therapist and give lectures when I’m asked. I’m 66 and think I have enough wisdom accrued to talk about a well-balanced life, what I’ve learned and how we can run at our best. It’s balance that’s the most important thing.
iRun: What are you going to do in Toronto?
Gareau: Of course I look forward to meeting Krista, she ran really well and must be very strong. So there’s that, then the next day if we can go outside I can look at everyone’s stride. I want to explain ‘running with gravity,’ how to attain symmetry. The pelvic position is very important. You don’t want to over stride, nor hit the ground very hard. I want to touch on stride frequency. These things, they help make a good runner great.
iRun: You mentioned Krista DuChene. What’s that you like about our third-place finisher from last year?
Gareau: She’s great. She’s not so young. She’s a tough girl. That weather last year, that wasn’t so nice, but we Canadians are tough. Silvia Ruegger is tough. Two times Silvia accelerated past me to get the win.
iRun: We have good news for you. We told Silvia you were coming to town and she said she’d come to your event on April 4.
Gareau: Silvia helped teach me how to get better. Definitely some of what I have learned, I learned racing her. That will be nice.
iRun: Do you still got it?
Gareau: I did a local race recently, 10K. And this young girl, she stayed with me. Well, she almost did. Then I did an acceleration to win.
iRun: So you do still have it.
Gareau: I love to run. It makes me feel light and free.
As a professionally trained chef and author, these recipes are made from only the cleanest and freshest, seasonal ingredients. You’ll love the sweet roasted spaghetti squash paired with a delish kale pesto!
Recipe by Candice Kumai
Serves 4 as a side dish or 2 as a main course
For Squash:
1 large spaghetti squash, cut in half lengthwise (approx. 1 ½ to 2 lbs)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil to oil the squash prior to roasting
1⁄4 teaspoon sea salt, to taste
For Pesto:
1 ½ cups lacinato kale
3/4 cup whole, raw almonds
1-2 garlic cloves
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Preparing Squash:
ONE: Preheat oven to 350 ̊F.
TWO: With a spoon, scoop to remove the pulp and seeds from the inside of the cavity of the squash until smooth and clean. Drizzle both halves with olive oil and rub to coat. Sprinkle with sea salt.
THREE: Place the squash halves cut-side down on a large, lightly oiled, rimmed baking sheet, tucking garlic underneath. Roast for about 45 minutes, carefully flip over and roast for another 10 minutes or until fork-tender.
FOUR: Remove the squash from the oven and allow the squash to cool for a few minutes, then, using a fork, scrape out the strands of “spaghetti.”
FIVE: Fold in ¼ cup of the kale pesto in to each half of the squash and add a sprinkle of Parmesan or fresh basil to top if desired.
Preparing Pesto:
ONE: Combine the kale, almonds, garlic, salt, and lemon juice into a food processor.
Pulse until coarsely chopped. Stream in the 1/4 cup olive oil and process until a
smooth paste forms.
TWO: Transfer the remaining pesto to an airtight container. Freeze up to 3 months.
About Candice Kumai A regular contributor to The Today Show, GMA, The Cooking Channel and Food Network, Candice Kumai is a professionally trained chef and has authored several cookbooks including Pretty Delicious and Clean Green Drinks. Her work has also appeared in Women’s Health, Shape and Men’s Fitness.
There may be no better moment for a runner than the instant they know they can’t complete a run. It begins as a thought, becomes an emotion, grows into a physical paralysis and ends, after shameful apologies to one’s run partners, in the backseat of a cab. If ever there was a better moment to switch sneakers, the very next long run has to be considered a damn good chance.
The Asics MetaRide have to be considered the biggest launch since the 4% by Nike, they’re of a select group of shoes in that price range. Fast, light, bouncy, daring—the MetaRide are almost a political statement: you don’t wear these sneakers to go for a jog.
On the morning in question, I charged my Garmin. Applied Vaseline. Packed energy chews, woke up early and ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich; then broke out my new shoes. Around the Bay is March 31. The Ottawa Marathon is May 26. Time is running out with my training. Time to produce is near. Back to back aborted training runs are not an option.
New shoes? Hell, yeah.
The MetaRide sit off the ground between the toe and the sole—which is called a “rocker design,” and looks just like that—the outsole is almost its own disconnected layer from the sneaker: the surface adds cushion and bounce and makes you feel like you’re wearing motorized rollerblades. Standing still, I feel like I want to run. For my first 10K, I need to remind myself to slow down. The MetaRide is designed to help runners feel less fatigued on a long run, but I feel powerful. It could be that you feel that way with any new pair of shoes, especially in a pair of shoes as hyped as the MetaRide, which look like a Star Wars accessory. But the bounce, coupled with the heel-to-toe angle, and the energy I brought to Sunday’s run, made me feel like a Ferrari in the right hand lane as I went about my business as methodically as I could—the only goal of this test drive was to complete the long run with grace. It’s not about speed, it’s about endurance: running at a pace between five and 10K that will let me run at all between 26 and 31 kilometres.
Control is a marathon runner’s best friend.
Like many Toronto runners, I went down to the MGT and then headed east, making my way all the way south to the Leslie Spit. Conditions could not have been better and, not that this is recommended in new $300 sneakers, but, as Canadian all-season runners, it matters: when I race over ice or charge through slush the MetaRide didn’t overtly slip and are water resistant perhaps more than you’d expect. Many high-priced trainers are, if not flimsy, certainly built first and foremost to be light and fast. (I’m thinking of the Reebok Floatride, which I love, but destroyed). These new Asics are built for the long haul.
So are you, so am I.
Still, promises are promises and long runs are long runs, so while the shoe says that it’s designed to make leg muscles 
feel less fatigued over the long run, I was still hurting on everything after 24K, and more so after 29. Don’t expect the MetaRide to be a self-driving car. If you’re not trained up, no sneaker on earth (yet), will take the sting out of the sport, and perhaps that’s good. I made my way back into the city and after two-and-a-half hours in my sneakers, my feet still felt good. I went straight from the box into the fire and had no problem whatsoever with the fit or neutral ride. The shoelaces didn’t come undone, and at 10.8 ounces, I didn’t feel like I was running attached to kettle bells.
There’s always that moment in a difficult run which is what all runners are chasing: that second where you go from wondering if you can finish to the second you realize: I rule, I got this done. And I can do more. (Maybe not now, but soon, like, again). That’s the way I felt as I made my way to Trinity-Bellwoods and turned west on Dundas Street and knew that I cleared the cobwebs off my season. At speed work, I’ve joined a slower pace group. And my time for 34.8 kilometres is nothing like it was last year.
But that’s all well and good. You have to get a couple of victories under your belt to feel good about racing. I got one on Sunday. And the MetaRide helped. I’ll be wearing them at Around the Bay and be wearing them in Ottawa. For confidence, $300 is a steal.
Running can take you many places! On this week’s show running guru John Stanton shares his favourite places to run in different Canadian cities. Then, another runner who has traveled extensively for the sport, Rick Shaver talks about his recent experience running the Tokyo Marathon in the rain. Plus, Scott Mattheson shares his incredible story after having a heart attack running the Chilly Half Marathon.
Listen up Toronto. The best race to push your pace, and the unofficial kick off to summer race season, is back. On June 15, 2019, the Canada Running Series and luluelmon bring you the third annual lululemon Toronto 10K. Registration opens March 29 at 10am, EST giving 10,000 runners the opportunity to run this picturesque waterfront course. We couldn’t get enough of the good vibes, high energy, incredible swag and a killer post-race celebration. But you don’t have to wait until June to get that energy boost. Runners will have access to an eight-week 10K training program that is guaranteed to take you to the start line, and beyond. And the positive energy isn’t just happening in Toronto. That’s right, Edmonton we’re coming for you July 07, 2019. Check out @RunCRS and @lululemonto for more details and inspiration to embrace the #thesweatlife!
Like a turkey trot to Thanksgiving or a resolution run to New Year’s Day, races can be synonymous with cultural celebrations. The same can be said for the Achilles St. Patrick’s Day 5K and its association with the green-themed day, particularly for Toronto runners.
This March 17, the event celebrates its 20th edition in support of Achilles Canada, whose mission is eliminate barriers to sport and enable anyone with a disability to participate in running. To date, $2.9 million has been raised through the race’s third party fundraising program. Talking to those closest to the race makes clear the fun-spirited nature of the event clear.
For the past 19 years, the Achilles’ St Patrick’s Day 5K has served as a kick-off to spring running, growing from 400-some runners to more than 2,100 at its peak.
The race’s origins however date back much farther.
When amputee Dick Traum completed the 1976 New York City Marathon, becoming the first disabled runner with a prosthetic leg to complete the marathon, his story reached far and wide. A 1977 Runner’s World article featuring Traum ended up in British Columbia spurring perhaps the most famous run in history. At the time, a young man named Terry Fox was battling osteosarcoma. The night before the operation to remove his right leg, Fox’s high school basketball coach showed him the Runner’s World article. “If he can do it, why can’t I?” Fox must have mused.
Years later, of course, Fox would become a national hero for his attempt to run across Canada with a prosthetic leg. In the summer of 1981, Fox died, but not before the 22-year-old covered an incredible sum of 5,373 kilometres during his run. That summer, Traum was asked to be a part of the first-ever Terry Fox Run. Inspired by the sheer number of disabled people who took part in the fundraising event in Canada, Traum returned home to New York where then-New York City Marathon director Fred Lebow encouraged him to recruit disabled runners for the marathon. So, Traum, a business entrepreneur by trade and current CEO of Achilles International, formed the Achilles Track Club in 1983.
Fast forward 17 years. A new race was coming to Toronto. In 2000, the Achilles team rechristened the St. Patrick’s Day 5K from Running Room Canada and it was held for the first – and only – time around St. Lawrence Market, a bustling complex east of downtown Toronto. Participation hit 497 that year, and close to doubled the following year to 817.
“I think what’s most important about the Achilles St. Patrick’s Day 5K is it encourages anyone with a disability to integrate with able-bodied runners,” Traum says, looking back. The following year was notable for two reasons. Steam Whistle Brewing partnered with the race and continues to host the thousands who come out in support. The brewery also provides one of the most bizarre and unique prizes to the race winners: their weight in beer.
The second defining feature was that the start and finish line moved to Bremner Boulevard, outside of Steam Whistle Brewing and at the base of the CN Tower. And although the race is billed as more of a fun run than competitive, make no mistake, you can run fast on the out-and-back course. Some fast names sit atop the record books, including Josh Bolton (15:15) and Martha MacDonald (17:25). Halfway through the 2000s, Matt Leduc won the race for the first time. Leduc is the winningest runner in the event’s history having won five times including three in a row (2014-2016).
Duff McLaren, unofficial race historian and jack of all trades in helping organize the race, speaks highly of 2007. One highlight stands out. “A kinesiologist teacher brought 500 of his students,” he says, adding that the teacher said, “the kids have to run a race to know what to expect from runners [one day].” Runners, after all, are one-of-a-kind. “This was also the year that we had a wall of Lucky Charms cereal,” he says. Cereal: a sure-fire way to a runner’s heart.
McLaren is the vice president of Achilles Canada and has run the race once—in 2000—as his organizing duties trump participation. “I went down to see if I could act as a guide,” he says. It turns out that McLaren was the first guide to do the race, and Richard Holloway, whom McLaren guided, was the race’s first visually-impaired runner. “As an able-bodied athlete we take for granted everything running involves,” he says. “As a guide, you appreciate how unique being a visually impaired athlete is.”
In 2008, the race returned to its current home at Roundhouse Park. That year, race president Brian McLean recalls what he considers one of the race’s great moments. Jody Mitic, a former Canadian Forces member who lost both of his legs in a landmine explosion, ran 5K for the first time using prosthetic legs. He and more than 100 others ran and walked the race raising more than $100,000 in support of St. John’s Rehab.
In the early 2010s, Rhonda-Marie Parke, who is legally blind, began her string of regular appearances—although 2019 could be her last. During a 2018 fundraiser for Achilles, which included running 505 kilometres across Tennessee, she suffered two stress fractures and is at risk of ending her running career if she chooses to race shortly after ankle surgery. “I’ll be running the Achilles 5K with my team and family as a celebration of all that a decade of running has given me,” she says. “It will most likely mark my last running event for quite some time, maybe forever. Achilles Canada has always been family. I’m grateful for their efforts to change the general mindset on inclusion.”
Achilles Canada, which offers weekly run clinics for disabled athletes, provided Parke the resources to begin running. “I never thought, being legally blind, that I would be able to run,” Parke says. “They [Achilles Canada] worked with me to learn not only how to run, but how to be guided on a run.”
Closer to the current day, those who ran in 2017 are likely still thawing. Temperatures dipped to as low as -15 C. “Many of the runners huddled in the entrance to the parking garage waiting for the gun to go off,” recalls Kim Umback, an Achilles Canada member who has raced just about every year since 2008.
That same year, a new fundraising record was set as the race raised $320,000 for charitable organizations. Individually, former Senator and Canadian Foundation for Physically Disabled Person chair Vim Kochhar raised $62,000 for Ryerson’s scholarship program for students with disabilities. CFPDP currently sponsors the race, as do HomEquity Bank, Steam Whistle, Lumency and CNIB Phone It Forward.
Now for 2019, this year’s race is approaching quickly. On March 17, despite being around for 19 years, the event will have another first backed by popular demand: a 10K.
This year’s 5K/10K luckily coincides, to the day, with St. Patrick’s Day. So, run for the inclusion of athletes of all abilities, be a part of the race’s rich history, and enjoy a cold beverage or warm Irish stew to kick off your St. Patrick’s Day.
To make a difference this spring, go to achillesstpatricksday5k.ca.
On this week’s show, Diane Palmason, a pioneer in women’s running looks back on her time running marathons. Then, Susan Gapka, a discussion of what running means to a transgender activist on improving both physical and psychological confidence. Plus, a couple who have completed the World Marathon Majors and are now getting ready to for for a 100 kilometres race in the fall.
While many of us were asleep or heading to bed last night, Rachel Cliff was out pounding the streets over in Japan at the Nagoya Women’s Marathon. A rising star over the last few years, this is the second record Cliff has broken in the last 14 months. Finishing in 2:26:56, the smile on Rachel’s face tells the whole story.
Deservingly, Cliff has received many congratulatory messages via social over the last day celebrating her success. From former Athletics Canada Head Coach, Peter Eriksson, to Canada Running Series’ Alan Brookes, race organizer extraordinaire, Canada’s circle of elite runners—and many others—everyone was super happy to see Cliff run so strong to break this record.
Until recently Cliff may have been seen as the underdog, but make no mistake this woman has been working hard for as long as I have known her. Couple that with her kindness, plus her intellectual prowess, she is a role model that all women, young and old alike, can relate to and look up to.
Previously the women’s marathon record (2:28:00) was held by Lanni Marchant, another decorated distance runner in Canada. Marchant has been battling injuries since 2017, but is expected to make a return this summer; expect her to be a top contender in the marathon heading in the trials for Tokyo. Marchant is one valiant competitor and one of the fiercest women out there.
Cliff is not the only one to break a record in the early days of 2019. Back in January I wrote about Gabriela DeBues-Stafford breaking the indoor 5000m record (14:57), and a few weeks after that she smashed the indoor mile record (4:24.80). Both Madeleine Kelly and Jenna Westaway dipped under Diane Cummin’s indoor 1000m record; since Jenna was ahead of Maddy she will be listed as your record holder. Westaway went on a week later to break Melissa Bishop’s indoor 800m record, and is the first woman to dip under the 2 minute barrier in Canada: running 1:59.87. I almost forgot, Jess O’Connell broke the indoor 3000m record the week before she was 2nd at the NACAC 10k X-Country Championships over in Trinidad.
There must be something in the water with all these records going down. It starts with a new rise of great coaching in this country. In addition, I attest the rise of women’s running in Canada to the close knit community. We women here love and support each other. We work together, we celebrate each other’s success, and when we do that, we all rise up.
Sasha Gollish won a gold medal in the half-marathon at the 2013 Maccabiah Games, a bronze medal in the 1500m at the 2015 Pan American Games, and gold medals at the 2017 Maccabiah Games in the 800m, 1,500m, and 5,000m events. She is an elite runner and senior writer at iRun.
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