Ottawa 10K field is bonkers for 2019

We’re under two weeks away from Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend and the 10K lineup is for 2019 is stacked. The Ottawa 10K doubles as the Canadian Road Championships, and the elite lineup is one we’re very excited about.

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Women’s race

The women’s event hosts multiple Canadian champions, past and present Canadian record holders, and up-and-comers. The biggest Canadian names entered in the event are 3,000m indoor record-holder Jessica O’Connell, 10,000m record-holder Natasha Wodak, Canadian marathon W40 record-holder Lyndsay Tessier and one of the fastest-ever Canadian 1,500m runners Malindi Elmore. Each of these women has a different strength and it will be very exciting to see how some of Canada’s best distance runners stack up in a 10K.

Other notable women’s entries are 2:32 marathoner and Pan Am Games medallist Sasha Gollish, 2019 Around the Bay champion Mengistu Emebet and 2018 Canadian marathon champion Kinsey Middleton.

Non-Canadian entries to watch out for are Paskalia Kipkoech and 2016 champion Peres Jepchirchir of Kenya who both have personal bests under 31:00.

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Men’s race

In the men’s event three-time Canadian 1,500m champion Charles Philibert-Thiboutot will go up against 2018 NCAA 10,000m champion Ben Flanagan. Those two will be chased by 2:15 marathoner Tristan Woodfine, 1:02 half-marathoner Evan Esselink and 2012 Olympian Dylan Wykes.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BrXwxfZnHZl/

Rounding out the Canadian men’s field are some young guns: 2018 U Sports cross-country champion Connor Black and Benjamin Workman.

Non-Canadian entries to watch are Emmanuel Kipsang of Kenya, 2016 champion Mohammed Ziani of Morocco and Abderrahmane Kachir of Morocco, all three men have personal bests under 28:00.

Another very exciting aspect of the Ottawa 10K is the mixed-competition bonus, which it has offered for the past several years. The women start three minutes and 40 seconds before the men, which makes for a very exciting finish. The winner earns a $2,000 mixed-competition bonus, second-place gets $1,000 and third place $500.

One unique feature in the #Ottawa10K is the mixed competition bonus in which the women are given a 3 minutes 40 seconds head start. Whoever crosses the finish line first wins a $2,000 bonus. @OttawaMarathon #iaafgoldlabel https://t.co/r2rWMAKeGz pic.twitter.com/wn6CZQoRv0

— Justin Lagat?? (@LagatJustin) May 14, 2019

For full entry lists see here. The event gets underway at 6:30 p.m. ET.