ACXC nationals preview: top Canadian distance runners vie for Team Canada spot

The stakes are high at the 2022 Athletics Canada Cross-Country Championships at Mooney’s Bay in Ottawa this Saturday, as Canada’s top distance runners will be vying for a spot on Team Canada for the 2023 World XC Championships in Bathurst, Australia, in February 2023.

Competitors

The full list of entries for the 2022 ACXC Championships can be found here, with Canadian Running’s open men’s and women’s preview and predictions below.

Women’s preview

The defending champion, Genevieve Lalonde, will not be back at ACXC this year, due to the fact that she is taking a break, but the field is loaded with veteran talent and up-and-coming runners. The 2021 Canadian 10K champion and 2:28 marathoner, Leslie Sexton, comes in as one of the favourites. This will be Sexton’s first big test since her 13th-place finish at the 2022 World Athletics Championships marathon in July. Another athlete to watch out for is Julie-Anne Staehli, who will be coming into ACXC in great shape, fresh off her 5K road PB of 15:33 at the Sugar Run 5K in Memphis, Tenn. last weekend.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Among other notable entrants is Sasha Gollish, who continues her quest to compete at every Athletics Canada championship event in 2022. Gollish raced to a massive marathon PB of 2:31:40 at the 2022 TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon on Oct. 16, but had a tough time recovering for the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Thailand earlier this month. Canadian 1,500m Olympian Natalia Hawthorn returns to competition after making her World Championship debut for Team Canada in July. Hawthorn has raw 1,500m speed, which could come in handy in a tight tactical race.

One of the dark horses for the ACXC title is former U20 XC champion Branna MacDougall, who has found a lot of success moving up to the marathon distance in 2021. MacDougall is an experienced XC runner and has the speed to contend with the favourites over 10K. 2021 U Sports champion and 2022 runner-up Jessy Lacourse is another runner who could contend for a top-five spot, along with steeplechaser Erin Teschuk, who was second at the Canadian 5K Championships in September.

Prediction: Julie-Anne Staehli

Team podium: 1) Vancouver Thunderbirds, 2) Monarch Athletics Club, 3) Royal City Athletics Club

Men’s preview

Canadian Olympic steeplechaser John Gay is back in the nation’s capital, and defending his 2021 championship is the one thing on his mind. Gay had some heartbreak at World Championships, just missing out on qualifying for the steeplechase final. Two weeks later, he ran a wild steeple/5,000m double on the same day at the 2022 Commonwealth Games (finishing fourth and ninth). Gay ran away with the XC race last year in the latter stages, but it’s an entirely new course with friendlier conditions. Gay will indeed be the favourite for the men’s 10K race, but who will challenge him?

These four Ontario-based athletes have been running well this fall and could give Gay a run for his title: Jeremy Coughler of London, Ont. has made noise recently, winning the Athletics Ontario XC Championships and the Bob Vigars Invite (where he broke the course record). Coughler threw down 13:56 to win the Hamilton 5K on a day of 40-plus km/h cross-winds. He’s a gritty racer, and his London Western teammate Connor Black has been on his heel all season, finishing second at all three of the races Coughler won.

Two-time Canadian Olympian Lucas Bruchet is another big name to look out for. In the past six years, Bruchet has never finished lower than fourth at these championships, and he is the only athlete in the men’s field with two previous wins.

The 2022 and 2021 U Sports individual champions will also be squaring off in Ottawa. The 2022 champ, Max Turek, is coming off a double-gold performance at the Canadian U Sports Championships on Nov. 12, helping McMaster win their first team title in 59 years. The 2021 U Sports champ, Mitch Ubene, ran 1,500m and 5,000m PBs over the summer, which earned him a national bronze in the 5,000m. Ubene runs smart and conservatively, which could play in his favour and help him podium here in Ottawa.

Prediction: Jeremy Coughler

Team podium: 1) London Western, 2) Harbour Track Club, 3) Vancouver Thunderbirds

How to watch

The 2022 Canadian Cross Country Championships will be broadcast live from Ottawa on Nov. 26 via AthleticsCanada.tv. The live webcast and on-demand videos will only be available for RunnerSpace+ subscribers. Sign up here.

The ACXC broadcast is scheduled to begin at 9:50 a.m. E.T. with the men’s 10K race at 11. a.m E.T. and the women’s 10K race at noon E.T.

Event Schedule (Times are E.T/Subject to change)