Natasha Wodak smashes course record at Comox Valley Half Marathon

Vancouver’s Natasha Wodak set a new course record on Sunday at the Comox Valley Half Marathon in Courtenay, B.C., in the final dress rehearsal before her last bid at the women’s Olympic standard on April 28.

Wodak crossed the finish line in 1:11:52 to break the course record by more than five minutes. She also finished nearly two minutes ahead of 2020 Olympic marathoner Dayna Pidhoresky, who crossed the line second in 1:13:49. Victoria’s Patricia Roney took third place in 1:20:02.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Frontrunners (@frontrunnersvic)

Wodak and Pidhoresky are both preparing to take one last shot at the Olympic standard at the 2024 Hamburg Hapsa Marathon on April 28. The window for Paris Olympic marathon qualifying closes just days later, on May 5.

Wodak has made several attempts at the women’s Olympic standard of 2:26:50, but has come up just short on two occasions. Her most recent attempt was at the 2024 Houston Marathon in January, where she ran 2:28:42.

The two-time Olympian shared on social media that she decided to run the Comox Valley Half Marathon to get in a hard effort at marathon pace during her Hamburg build-up. Wodak holds a personal best of 2:23:12 for the distance, set at the 2022 Berlin Marathon, which also stands as the Canadian record.

For Pidhoresky to make the Olympic team, she would need to shave off a chunk of her lifetime best of 2:29:03 from nearly five years ago. In her most recent marathon, Pidhoresky finished third in 2:35:50, behind Caroline Pomerleau and Anne-Marie Comeau, at the 2023 Canadian Marathon Championships last October.

With five weeks left in Paris Olympic qualifying for the marathon, Malindi Elmore of Kelowna, B.C., is the only woman to have solidified her spot on Team Canada.

The 2024 Comox Valley Half Marathon saw a record number of entrants and finishers. For full results, check here.