How to watch and follow the Canadian 5K Championships this Sunday

On Sunday, Sept. 11, Canada’s fastest 5K runners will battle for the national title at the Canadian 5K Championships in Moncton, N.B., which are set to take place for the first time in four years. Six Canadian Olympians are represented in the field of 70 elite runners, along with several Canadian record holders.

Here is a preview of everything you need to know, including who and how to watch.

How to watch

For the first time, Canadian track fans can stream the race for free with Atlantic Online TV (no subscription required). The men’s championship 5K race will begin at 10:15 a.m. E.T., and the women’s race will follow at 10:45 a.m. E.T. Coverage of the event will kick off at 8 a.m. E.T., with coverage of the open 5K race, beginning at 8:15 a.m. E.T.

Men’s preview

Kitchener, Ont. native Ben Flanagan has made a name for himself on the roads this summer, winning his third Falmouth Road Race title and breaking the Canadian 10K road record at the B.A.A. 10K in Boston. Flanagan is the defending Canadian 5K champion, having won this event the last time it took place in 2018 with a time of 13:56. The 27-year-old has his eyes on the Canadian 5K record of 13:35 and currently holds a personal best of 13:20 over 5,000m on the track.

Flanagan has gone undefeated in all four of his 5,000m races this season.

Two-time Olympian Luc Bruchet will look to challenge Flanagan for top honours. He finished third at the Canadian 10K Championships in May and second at the 2021 10K champs in Toronto (both of which were won by Flanagan). Bruchet has the fastest 5,000m time in the field, running 13:12.56 in 2021.

Vancouver’s John Gay is another runner to watch in the men’s field. Last year, Gay had an impressive season, winning the Canadian XC Championships in Ottawa and reaching the final of the men’s 3,000m steeplechase at the Tokyo Olympics. Earlier this season, Gay ran a 5,000m personal best of 13:29.82 at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Two other men who could potentially land on the podium are 2021 U Sports XC champion Mitch Ubene and Andrew Alexander (a former NCAA standout with Notre Dame University). In June, Ubene ran to a personal best time of 13:36.71 over 5,000m for a third-place finish at the Canadian Track and Field Championships in Langley, B.C. Alexander has clocked several sub-14 minute times over 5,000m throughout college, but this race will be his first road 5K.

Women’s preview

Julie-Anne Staehli of Lucknow, Ont., headlines the women’s field, returning to the road racing scene after spending most of the 2022 season dealing with an injury. Staehli is the only woman in the field who has run under 15 minutes in the 5,000m, but she has not touched that sub-15 form this season. She will be the favourite heading into the race and will look to reach the podium once again, after taking third in 2018.

Olympic steeplechasers Regan Yee, Alycia Butterworth and Erin Teschuk also headline the women’s elite list, all looking to win their first Canadian 5K title. Yee recently won a bronze medal for Canada in the steeplechase at the NACAC Track and Field Championships in the Bahamas.

Two other athletes to watch in the women’s field are Toronto’s Sasha Gollish and Branna MacDougall of Kingston, Ont. Gollish has been running well this season, reaching the podium at four separate Canadian championships (10K, 10,000m, half marathon and T&F). MacDougall, 24, has moved up to the marathon and has achieved tons of success, dropping her PB down to 2:29:00. MacDougall holds a road 5K PB of 16:23 from 2017, and is bound to break her mark on Sunday.

You can view more information about the Medavie Canadian 5K Championships from Moncton, N.B., here. To see the entire elite list, click here.