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Racing through the streets in the heat and humidity of Ottawa Saturday evening with a national championship on the line is a challenge Lucas Bruchet can’t wait to take on.
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“I’ve been more focussed on the track (in the past), but I’ve definitely experienced a lot more road racing this year,” said Bruchet, who comes into the Otto’s Ottawa 10K fresh from winning the Vancouver Sun run in April with a time of 28 minutes, 31 seconds.
“It’s a different environment than I’m used to and it’s really exciting, because you have all the energy from all the racers out there, across all the different events. You have the support from the crowd along the course and for it to be back in National Capital, it’s going to be exciting for the community.”
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Bruchet, who represented Canada in the 5,000 metres at both the 2016 Olympics in Rio and the 2021 Games in Tokyo, headlines an impressive field, which also includes Ben Flanagan and Rory Linkletter.
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At the 2021 Canadian championships last October in Toronto — Tamarack Race Weekend in Ottawa was a no-go due to COVID-19 — Flanagan finished first with a time of 28:41, eight seconds ahead of Bruchet.
In January, Linkletter broke a 23-year-old Canadian record in the half marathon, racing to a time of 1:01.28.
There’s plenty of respect out there as the three figure to go stride for stride for stride, with the added bonus of $6,000 on the line. The silver medallist takes home $4,000 and the winner of the bronze makes $3,000.
“We’ve got all the main challengers here and we’re all in the thick of our seasons gearing up,” said Bruchet.
“It’s an important race for all of us and we’re keeping an eye out on each other. “We’re all Canadian and in that sense we like each other, but once the gun goes, we’re trying to beat each other.”
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Dylan Wykes, the event’s elite athlete coordinator, says the Ottawa course is generally considered to a be a quick one. After the pandemic wiped out the past two race weekends, he’s ecstatic at having all the runners — and the accompanying crowds — back.
“It’s tough to not have those races on the docket,” said Wykes, who won the event in 2019 with a time of 29:56.
“With the 10K, we’ve done our best to recruit the best runners in the country. We really wanted to showcase our Canadians in the 10K this year and I think we’ve got some exciting people racing.”
The women’s 10K features Natasha Wodak, Cleo Boyd, Krista DuChene and Leslie Sexton.
Wodak won the 2019 10K in Ottawa with a time of 32:31. Sexton won the 2021 national championship in Toronto (32:04), with Boyd finishing only 17 seconds behind. DuChene ran the marathon for Canada at the 2016 Olympics and finished third in the 2018 Boston Marathon.
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In another race within the race, the top of the women’s field will be given a 3:14 head start on the men’s group. The eventual winner, regardless of gender, takes home an additional $1,000.
If a new course record is set — 28:17 for men and 31:44 for the women — there’s another $1,000 up for grabs.
For all the big name talent in the 10K, many of the top athletes expected to run in Sunday’s marathon won’t be here.
Visa problems have kept many of the top African runners from being able to enter Canada.
“The process just took way longer than we expected,” said Wykes. “We work with agents and managers who work with groups of athletes and they have years of experience. It really just came down to the fact that the Canadian government was too slow.”
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Wykes recognizes there are bigger issues in the world these days, but says it’s “disappointing” that the runners will miss out on the chance to win money that could change their own lives and help those in their communities. The winner of the marathon wins $24,000, with $13,500 going to the runner-up and $8,000 to the third place finisher.
Wykes says it does open the door for others who may now have a shot at prize money for finishing among the top three.
“Some Canadian women who would normally be a few minutes behind the leaders could be in the mix now,” he said. “(The absences) are definitely disappointing, but there’s a renewed opportunity for some.”
That group includes Dayna Pidhoresky, who owns a personal best of 2:29:03. Pidhoresky also ran a 2:34:30 to win a Marathon in Vancouver earlier this month. She will be challenged by Lanni Marchant, who has a personal best of 2:28:00 and finished second to Pidhoresky in Vancouver.
“Two marathons in a month is a challenge in itself,” said Pidhoresky. “It’s sort of like a fun little experiment that got me excited to join.”
While she’s keeping her time expectations modest for a race she expects to be run under humid conditions, she says the return of crowds is special.
“It’s motivating because so many people are here and it’s probably the first race for a lot of people in a long time, so that energy is palpable.”
Fast feet taking over downtown streets Saturday night - Ottawa Sun
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