Leslie Sexton, Jeremy Coughler win the Under Armour Spring Run-Off

On a cool spring Saturday morning in Toronto’s High Park, London, Ont.’s Jeremy Coughler and Vancouver’s Leslie Sexton were the men’s and women’s winners of the 2022 Under Armour Spring Run-Off. The event marked the start of the spring in-person racing season in Toronto, and Coughler broke the tape in 23:37 while Sexton was the first woman across the line in 27:00.

The women’s race

The lead pack of women held together for most of the first half of the race, but Sexton began to break away from the field after the 4K mark to establish the lead. “I gapped (the field), but it was never enough that I was confident,” says Sexton. “I didn’t know how I was going to handle the hill.”

Toronto’s Alexandra Lucki began to gain on her as she charged up the final hill toward the finish, but Sexton’s lead proved too much to overcome. “In the last hill I think I was gaining on her a bit, but she’s such a good runner and she had such a great lead,” says Lucki, who ultimately finished second behind Sexton in 27:05. Toronto’s Laura Desjardins rounded out the podium in third in 27:25.

The men’s race

The front of the men’s field was a little more spread out, with Coughler, a chiropractor from London, Ont., taking the win and finishing 11 seconds ahead of Lee Wesselius of Mountain, Ont., who crossed the finish line in 23:48. Toronto’s Kyle Grieve took the third spot in 24:06, ahead of  Kevin Coffey of Kingston, Ont., who won the Around the Bay 30K only two weeks ago.

For a full list of in-person results, click here.