For the first time since 2019, Canada will crown its female and male marathon champions.
The 2022 Canadian Marathon Championships, contested under the umbrella of the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon just like before the pandemic, takes place on Sunday, October 16. The event is one of only two World Athletics Elite Label races in Canada this year, and is set to attract top national and international talent.
Malindi Elmore will headline the women’s Canadian field. The Kelowna-based athlete and 2021 Olympian will race hungry: the national marathon record had been hers until Natasha Wodak cruised to a time of two hours, 23 minutes and 12 seconds in Berlin last month. Still, Elmore’s personal best of 2:24:50 still ranks her ahead of every other Canadian, and make of her the favourite to take the title.
Defending champion and fellow Tokyo Olympian Dayna Pidhoresky, whose personal best of 2:29:03 dates from the 2019 edition of this race, is set to challenge Elmore for the Canadian crown, while Leslie Sexton, the 13th place finisher at the 2022 World Athletics Championship marathon who was also set to contend for the title, pulled out of the race this week.
The overall race will include international athletes who, despite not being eligible to place in the Canadian championship, are sure to elevate the event’s calibre. Watchers are already predicting a battle for first place between Canadian all-comers record holder Magdalyne Masai of Kenya, and the previous Canadian all-comers record holder Gelete Burka of Ethiopia. The pair are separated in time by just one second, with Masai holding the record at 2:22:16.
On the men’s side, Trevor Hofbauer enters as defending champion. His triumphant run in 2019 that saw him cross the line in 2:09:51 still makes him the second-fastest marathoner in Canadian history and the fastest one on this year’s start line. His stiffest challenge is likely to come from Rory Linkletter, a marathoner four years his junior just months removed from a 20th place finish at the World Athletics Championships in 2:10:24. Meanwhile, Lee Wesselius, a large animal veterinarian who trains on his own in rural Mountain, Ontario, enters the race as dark horse with a personal best of 2:16:41.
The men’s race will also feature an impressive group of Kenyan athletes, led by 2:04.48 runner Barselius Kipyego and 2018 bronze medalist Felix Kandie. They are set to face a pair of 26-year-old Ethiopian stars Yihunilign Adane and Kebede Wami. The Canadian all-comers record of 2:05:00 will probably be in jeopardy.
The 2022 TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon will be live streamed on athleticscanada.tv, with internationally-acclaimed broadcaster Geoff Wightman and 2016 Olympian Krista Duchene leading the commentary. For all other information, such as elite start lists, schedules, race accreditation, and press conferences, visit the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon website here.
