Leslie Sexton to race TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon
Sexton was the top Canadian finisher in the women's marathon at the 2022 World Championships and holds a personal best of 2:28.35
Photo by:
Kevin Morris
Fresh off her 13th-place finish in the marathon at the 2022 World Athletics Championships, Canada’s Leslie Sexton is ready to take on a world-class field at the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon on Oct. 16. The marathon also will serve as the Canadian Marathon Championships.
Sexton will look to be crowned national champion again after last winning the Canadian marathon title in 2017. She will join other Canadian athletes including Malindi Elmore, Dayna Pidhoresky and Sasha Gollish, who are all vying for championship medals and prize money; the Canadian champion will earn $8,000 CAD and can also be eligible for the open-category prize money, which includes $25,000 for the outright winner.
Earlier this year, Sexton was named to her first Canadian world championship team with an outstanding performance of 2:28:35 at the 2021 Philadelphia Marathon. In Eugene, Sexton finished only 17 seconds off her personal best and was the top Canadian finisher on the women’s side.
The TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon will be a homecoming for Sexton, who is originally from Markham, Ont., but currently lives and trains in Vancouver. Sexton is familiar with the course, having medalled at this event in 2015 and 2017, plus winning the Canadian 10K Championships on the lakeshore portion of the course last October.
“With this race being the Canadian championship and having prize money for Canadian finishers, it is a great opportunity to go for the glory of a Canadian championship medal,” Sexton said in a press release. “This is one of the reasons I have enjoyed racing in Toronto over the past seven years.
The race
The TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon has earned a World Athletics Elite label, making it only the second race in Canada with the title. It is the final event in the Canada Running Series calendar for 2022. The race has served as the Athletics Canada Canadian Marathon Championship and the Canadian Olympic marathon trials since 2017.
This year’s event will be held on Oct. 16. You can find out more and register for the race here.
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