August 2001 Report

AUGUST 20, 2001 RUNNING REPORT

 

JEUX DE LA FRANCOPHONIE

 

Canada is fortunate this year as it held two international running events.  One of them is the obvious IAAF Track and Field Championships in Edmonton in August.  The other one was the Francophone Games held in Ottawa with the track and field being the main sporting event.  All the track and field events except the marathon were held at the Terry Fox Track over the course of 5 days from July 19 to July 23.  Though most countries did not send their best athletes, Canada did send some of theirs, such as Kevin Sullivan, Leah Pells, Sean Kaley, Bruny Surin and Tina Connelly. 

 

The main event for road running fans was definitely the marathon.  The course was held along the scenic Rideau Canal and was comprised of 4 out-and-back sections.  This was great for the spectators as they could see the athletes for a total of 8 times.  In some ways, it was also encouraging for the runners as it would make it easier to have people cheering along the race course.  One problem however was that no information was available anywhere prior to the event.  The only information in the local newspaper was on the day of the race itself, but since the race started at 7 am, it would have been hard to get there on time to cheer the runners.  It was thus a lonely course out there for the runners.

 

The racing itself was interesting.  Though there were less than 10 runners per race, there were 4 Canadian in the women’s race and 2 in the men’s race.  It was thus easy to cheer for a Canadian.  This event provided many of our Canadian marathoners with their first representation on a Canadian Team.  All athletes who participated in the race were faced with high temperatures and high humidity.  This made for a tough run.  In the men’s race, two Moroccans lead the field, followed by a French athlete.  Stéphane Gamache was the first Canadian in 5th place, a position he maintained for most of the run.  He finished in a time of 2:33:11.  Jason Warick followed Gamache by finishing in 2:43:12.  The winner came in at 2:18:16.

 

  Marathon pack at the beginning of the race.

 

The women’s race was an exciting one as Leslie Carson, Janice McCaffrey, Elaine Coburn and Elisabeth Ruel represented Canada and the Quebec Team.  Leslie Carson is familiar to Ottawa as she has won the National Capital Marathon a few years ago.  McCaffrey is one of the Olympians that ran in the race as she has represented Canada in race walking.  Elisabeth Ruel was the winner of the Marine Corps Marathon last year. 

 

McCaffrey, Carson and Ruel running in the marathon.

 

In the first 10 km, most of the runners were still in the pack.  By the next 10 km, the Canadians were trailing a group of 3 runners.  Carson, McCaffrey and Ruel were running together, with Coburn falling back a bit.  In the next 10 km, the field was split even more and people were jockeying for position.  The order was now 3 foreigners leading, Leslie Carson, Ruel, McCaffrey and Coburn.  By the end of the race, one of the top 3 runners dropped out so Leslie Carson ran in for the bronze in 2:50:02.  She was followed by Ruel in 2:56:59, then Coburn who overtook McCaffrey and finished in 3:02:52.  McCaffrey finished 6th in 3:03:26.  The winner was from France in 2:44:00, a new Games record.

 

  

Elisabeth Ruel near the 30km mark.          Elaine Coburn running along.

 

 

Carson, Warick and Gamache at the finish.

 

 

The most exciting long distance race was the women’s 5000m.  Canada had four entries, Tina Connelly, Courtney Babcock, Sarah Dupré and Isabelle Ledroit.  Our Canadians were running against a Moroccan, Kamch El Zho,r who had won the 10,000m just a few days before.  The first few thousands meters were tactical as the runners ran more or less in a bunch.  After a while, the Moroccan, Tina Connelly and another runner ran ahead and separated themselves from the pack.  With about 8 laps remaining, the Moroccan runner pulled ahead and stretched her lead to about 100 m.  Tina Connelly was in 3rd and kept her cool.  Slowly, she reeled in the 3rd place runner.  With about 2 laps to go, she caught up to the Moroccan.  The Moroccan stayed close by until 300m from the finish when Tina put on the after-burners and pushed herself to the limit, finishing in a Games record of 16:06.  The Moroccan was 2nd.  Tina Connelly is now poised for Edmonton where she will double up for the 10,000m and the marathon.  Connelly was the 1999 Road Runner of the Year

 

Connelly at the finish

 

 

Behind Connelly, Courtney Babcock who will be representing Canada in Edmonton at the 5,000m finished in 4th in 16:27.  Sarah Dupré was 5th in 16:49, while Isabelle Ledroit was 6th in 16:52.  Ledroit will also be representing Canada at the Worlds, but in the marathon. In the 10,000m, Lisa Harvey showed great form by finishing in 2nd behind the Moroccan, Zhar El Komah.  She finished in a time of 34:24, 16 seconds behind the Moroccan.  In the men’s race, Peter Cardle finished in 6th place in a time 29:21, while a Moroccan won in 28:14.  In the men’s 5,000m race, Jeremy Deere and Sean Kaley ran for Canada.  In the race, our Canadians were outclassed by Moroccans who cleaned up in the medals with the winner coming in at 13:37.  Jeremy Deere was 7th in 14:14, while Sean Kaley was 8th in 14:22.

 

In the middle distance 1,500m race, Canada had three Olympians running, Leah Pells, Robyn Meagher and Kevin Sullivan.  In the women’s race, Leah Pells finished in 4th with a time of 4:18.75, while Robyn Meagher was in 4:19.52 and Vicky Lynch-Pounds was 7th in 4:20.12.  In the men’s race, Allen Klassen, Jeremy Deere and Kevin Sullivan represented Canada in the heats, however, only Sullivan made it to the final.  In the final, Sullivan was in a pack of three on the home stretch, poised for a medal, but a Polish racer, running wide burst to the front and won the race.  Sullivan finished 4th in a time of 3:45.73, behind the Polish runner and two Moroccans.

 

Other notable achievements for Canadians include the national records and Games records at the 400m by Shane Neimi in 44:86, the silver medal in the 100m by Bruny Surin in 10:18 and Venolyn Clarke in 11:29, a bronze medal by Zach Withmarsh in the 800m in 1:46.90 and the gold medal and Games record by Diane Cummins in 2:00.77.  Joel Bourgeois was 3rd in the 3000m steeplechase.

 

Sullivan mixing it up with some Moroccans.

 

TANIA JONES WINS IN BUFFALO

In preparation for her marathon run at the IAAF World Track and Field Championships, Tania Jones ran and won the Subaru Buffalo 4 Mile Chase on July 21.  She won the popular race in a time of 21:28

 

ULTRA-RUNNER PLACES IN THE STATES

Clark Zealand of Canada ran the White River 50-Miler Trail Run in Washington on July 28 and placed 3rd in 7:07:56

 

LYNCH-POUNDS RACE THE FALMOUTH MILE

Vicky Lynch-Pounds who is running in the States for the Mountain West Track Club, and represented Canada at the Francophone Games, ran in the Falmouth Mile race in Massachusetts on August 11.  Vicky placed 3rd in a time of 4:34.17.

 

 

RESULTS

July 20 – Rock and Roll 5K, Toronto

Female

 

Male

 

1. Lioudmila Kortchaguina

16:25

Matthew Kerr

14:49

2. Carol Henry

16:42

Kyle McLean

14:54

3. Nicole Stevenson

16:47

Charles Bedley

15:02

4. Deborah Buhlers

16:49

Zeljko Sabol

15:14

5. Jennifer Cooper

17:41

Christian Marmen

15:15

6. Carley Moher

18:12

Andrew Smith-Bone

15:17

7. Suzanne Zelazo

18:23

Paul Osland

15:21

8. Sasha Gollish

18:24

Stephen Drew

15:22

9. Colleen Hopkins

18:31

Shane Lavell

15:26

10. Annie Lamontagne

18:39

Jim Buchanan

15:45

Masters

1. Faith Nesdoly

18:47

Ed McColm

16:29

2. Laura Konantz

18:51

Peter Wallace

16:33

3. Sharon Crawford

19:08

Peter Drake

16:47

 

August 5 – Classique St. Anne de Bellevue, Montreal

5K – M1. Louis-Philippe Garnier – 16:05; F1. Emilie Mondor – 18:50

10K – M1. Guillem Vachon – 34:09; Tina Kader – 40:03

 

August 5 - Squamish Days 10K, Squamish, BC

Female

 

Male

 

1. Alison Rendell

36:13

Enock Keter

30:16

2. Nurten Tasdemir

37:38

Philip Metto

30:23

3. Lisa Hamelin

38:44

Jim Finlayson

30:25

Masters

1. Lori Spence

40:09

Mike Moon

34:26

 

August 11 – Benchberry 5K, Toronto

Male

 

Female

 

1. Benson Ogato (KEN)

14:36

Kathy Tremblay

18:04

2. David Kipngetich (KEN)

14:40

Adela Flista

18:15

3. Julius Gwako (KEN)

14:50

Liz Ben-Islai

18:23

4. Ivan Celic

15:39

Christine Duff

19:41

5. Mike Heitzenrater

15:59

Nicole Van Beurden

20:06

6. Laszlo Oros

16:05

Joan McKinley-Moloclynia

20:10

7. Neil Whitaker

16:26

Lisa Main

20:15

8. Shane Lavell

16:36

Patty Rodgers

20:21

Masters

1. Glen Martilla

16:54

Christine Duff

19:41

2. Peter Drake

17:16

Joan McKinley-Moloclynia

20:10

3. Michael Power

18:26

Nancy Cole-Hryciew

20:52

 

August 12 – Great Raisin River Runs, Williamstown, ON

5K – M1. Gilles Parisien – 17:59; F1. Julie Rutherford – 21:31

11.5K – Francois Menard – 37:31; F1. Angela Plamondon – 44:26

 

August 12 – Delta Half, Vancouver, BC

Male

 

Female

 

1. Evan Clark

1:09:29

Leslie Black

1:27:35

2. Enock Keter

1:10:18

Rene McKibbin

1:28:17

3. Philip Metto

1:10:18

Rachel Brown

1:28:38

Masters

1. Michael Ross

1:21:20

Leslie Black

1:27:35

 

August 15 – Le 5K Endurance, Montreal

Female

 

Male

 

1. Stephanie Andrews

17:35

Christian Marmen

15:06

2. Sarah Ali-Khan

17:42

Jimmy Gobeil

15:11

3. Diane Légaré

17:53

Christian Côté

15:12

Masters

1. Diane Légaré

17:53

Christian Côté

15:12

 

August 19 – Marathon By the Sea, Saint-John, NB

Marathon – F1. Rebecca Richards – 3:12:32; M1. Alex Coffin – 2:55:15

Half-Marathon – F1. Sherry Carson – 1:28:51; M1. Matthew Turnbull – 1:16:39

 

August 19 – Powerade Elmira Fair Races, Elmira, ON

5K

Female

 

Male

 

1. Teresa Duck

18:22

Matthew Kerr

15:39

2. Michaela McClure

19:30

Ivan Celic

15:57

3. Laura Kerr

20:31

Jason Smith

16:50

Masters

1. Anne Schubert

23:40

Doug Craine

18:24

10K

Female

 

Male

 

1. Adela Flista

37:48

Jason Weppler

31:30

2. Laura Konantz

38:23

Zeljko Sabol

31:54

3. Megan Brown

39:34

Wayne Riley

32:38

Masters

1. Laura Konantz

38:23

Aaron Ramlal

35:28