Hosted in partnership with Tamarack Ottawa
Race Weekend, this race marks Canada Running Series' first
in-person race since the start of the pandemic
TORONTO, Oct. 15, 2021 /CNW/ - The Scotiabank Toronto
Waterfront Marathon 10K ("STWM")
in-person race is taking place this Sunday,
October 17, 2021. With 5,000 participants lacing up for the
sold-out event, this marks the first in-person race held by Canada
Running Series since the pandemic struck in the spring of 2020.
Held in partnership with Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend, STWM will
double as the Athletics Canada 10K
Championships, drawing some of the country's top distance runners
to Toronto to compete for the
Canadian title.
This year, 151 local charities are taking part in STWM's
Scotiabank Charity Challenge, and are accepting donations as part
of the challenge until November 15,
2021. Since 2003, the Charity Challenge has raised
$45 million in tremendous support of
550 local charities dedicated to building vibrant communities.
Scotiabank pays for all related transaction and credit card fees,
allowing participating charities to keep 100 percent of the
proceeds raised.
In the women's division, Natasha
Wodak, two-time Olympian and the Canadian 8K record holder since 2013, is anticipated to
lead the pack. With a 10K personal
best of 31:59, Wodak is only 15 seconds shy of the national
10K record, held by her own coach,
Lynn Kanuka-Williams since 1989.
Vancouver's Leslie Sexton and Scottish star Sarah Inglis are expected to push Wodak all the
way.
The men's division is expected to be fiercely competitive as
they chase down the Canadian record (28:17), set by Newfoundland's Paul
McCloy in 1987. Tokyo Olympians Ben Preisner and
Luc Bruchet will be battling for the
win, alongside two-time Canadian Cross Country Champion
Mike Tate, and Ben Flanagan, who will be seeking redemption
after failing to secure a spot on the Tokyo 2020 team. Prepare for some sibling
rivalry as Olympic bronze medallist, Evan
Dunfee, racewalks against his brother, Adam Dunfee, who will run the course.
To ensure the health and safety of participants, staff,
volunteers, vendors, and media, verification of full vaccination
will be required to gain access to the race area. In an effort to
encourage physical distancing throughout the event, staggered start
times will funnel 50 waves of 100 people across the start line
beginning at 8:00 a.m. EDT.
Race Details
When:
|
Sunday, October 17,
2021
|
|
7:59 a.m. - 10K
Championship elite wheelchair start
|
|
8:00 a.m. – 10K
Championships elite women start
|
|
8:13 a.m. – 10K
Championships elite men and 10K Masters start
|
|
|
Where:
|
Start Line Location:
Lake Shore Boulevard at Strachan Avenue
|
|
Finish Line Location:
Lake Shore Boulevard just above Coronation Park
|
Photo Opportunities
7:00 a.m.
|
Broadcast
begins
|
7:45 a.m.
|
Land
acknowledgement
|
7:59 a.m.
|
Elite wheelchair
start
|
8:00 a.m.
|
Elite women
start
|
8:13 a.m.
|
Elite men and masters
start
|
8:32 a.m.
|
Women's winner
crosses finish line
|
8:40 a.m.
|
Men's winner crosses
finish line
|
9:00 a.m.
|
Awards
ceremony
|
Media Accreditation
Media interested in covering the STWM 10K must register for accreditation here. All
media must receive advance accreditation to gain access to the
in-person event on October 17. Media
must also provide proof of full vaccination in order to access
restricted event areas including the start and finish line. Photo
and interview opportunities will be available near the start and
finish lines for a limited number of accredited media.
Out of an abundance of concern for the safety, after checking
in, media will be escorted to an assigned position where they will
stay throughout the race. After crossing the finish line, athletes
will be carolled to the media area for interviews and photos.
Livestream Broadcast
The 2021 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon 10K in-person race will be available via
livestream at www.stwm.ca. The livestream will begin at
7:30 a.m. EDT and will cover the
entirety of the event free of charge.
Traffic Advisory
Road closures will take place on Sunday,
October 17 from 4:00 a.m. until 3:00
p.m. The following areas will be closed:
Strachan
Avenue:
|
Lake Shore Blvd. West
to Fleet Street
|
Fort York
Blvd.:
|
Lake Shore Blvd. West
to Fleet Street
|
Lake Shore Blvd.
West:
|
Bathurst Street to
Windermere Avenue
|
Parkside
Drive:
|
Spring Road to Lake
Shore Blvd. West
|
Colborne Lodge
Drive:
|
The Queensway to Lake
Shore Blvd. West
|
Ellis
Avenue:
|
The Queensway to Lake
Shore Blvd. West
|
More information on road closures throughout the event can be
found here.
About the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront
Marathon
The Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon is Canada's premier running event and the grand
finale of the Canada Running Series (CRS). Since 2017, the race has
served as the Athletics Canada national marathon championship race
and has doubled as the Olympic trials. During the 2020 event,
participants raised over $2.96
million for 163 community charities through the Scotiabank
Charity Challenge. In 2021, the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront
Marathon will host a 10K along
Toronto's scenic lakeshore, the
first in-person race for Canada Running Series since the pandemic
began, which will also double as the Athletics Canada 10K Championships in partnership with Tamarack
Ottawa Race Weekend.
Using innovation and organization as guiding principles, Canada
Running Series stages great experiences for runners of all levels,
from Canadian Olympians to recreational and charity runners. With a
mission of "building community through the sport of running," CRS
is committed to making sport part of sustainable communities and
the city-building process. For more information, visit:
www.torontowaterfrontmarathon.com.
About Athletics Canada
Athletics Canada is the national
sport governing body for track and field, para athletics,
cross-country running, and road running. Its purpose is to support
high performance athletics excellence at the world level, and to
provide leadership in developmental athletics. Athletics
Canada is a not for profit,
charitable organization operating under a board of directors
elected by provincial / territorial members. For more information,
visit: athletics.ca.
About the Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend
The Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend is Canada's largest running and walking festival
with six races, including the Ottawa Marathon, Half Marathon,
10K, 5K, 2K and Kids
Marathon, as well as the Lumberjack, Voyageur or Bytown distance
challenges. In 2021, runners and walkers in the virtual event
raised a record-breaking $1,064,163.58 for local and national charities
through the Charity Challenge. The 2022 Tamarack Ottawa Race
Weekend will take place May 28-29.
The Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend was named Event of the Year at
the 2019 Canadian Tourism Awards, and in 2020, its title sponsor
Tamarack Homes won the Sport Tourism Canada's Canadian Sport Event
Sponsorship Initiative of the Year Award. The event is one of only
two running events in Canada to
host a World Athletics (formerly IAAF) Gold Label Marathon, and is
host to Athletic Canada's Canadian 10K Championships. For more information or to
register, visit: www.runottawa.ca.
About Scotiabank
Scotiabank is a leading bank in the
Americas. Guided by our purpose: "for every future" we help our
customers, their families and their communities achieve success
through a broad range of advice, products and services, including
personal and commercial banking, wealth management and private
banking, corporate and investment banking, and capital markets.
With a team of over 90,000 employees and assets of approximately
$1.2 trillion (as at July 31, 2021), Scotiabank trades on the Toronto
Stock Exchange (TSX: BNS) and New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BNS).
For more information, please visit http://www.scotiabank.com and
follow us on Twitter @ScotiabankViews.
SOURCE Scotiabank