Gollish and Coolsaet lead record number of participants at 2018 Waterfront 10K

An estimated 8,500 participants took to the streets of Toronto this morning on what turned out to be a near-perfect day for the 2018 Waterfront 10K.

RELATED: This is your 2018 Waterfront 10K

The event, organized by Canada Running Series and sponsored by Lululemon Toronto, sold out in a matter of days when registration opened earlier this year. Now in its third year, the event has become one of the most popular and in-demand races of the Toronto running scene. Participants flock to the event for the potentially fast and sensationally scenic waterfront course which features enthusiastic crowds and cheering stations. And since the partnership with Lululemon, the signature swag and post-race treats are also a hit with runners.

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Finishing now… https://t.co/jlQKueO2PT

— Canadian Running (@CanadianRunning) June 16, 2018

Two-time Canadian Olympian and Canada’s second-fastest marathoner, Reid Coolsaet of Hamilton, Ont. was the first finisher in a time of 30:11. Wendimu Adamu of Toronto was second in 30:22, followed closely by Kyle Wyatt, also of Toronto, in 30:23 (a personal best time for him).

When asked about his race, Coolsaet admitted he was hoping for a slightly faster finishing time but was content to cruise it in when he realized the victory was his. Coolsaet is coming off an impressive top-10 finish at this year’s Boston Marathon, which was run in very tough conditions. He has also committed to run the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon in the fall, where he will be aiming to improve on his personal best and the second-fastest Canadian marathon time of 2:10:26.

On the women’s side, it was a close contest between local Torontonians Sasha Gollish and Anteneh Emebet who battled with Vancouver-based athletes Dayna Pidhoresky and Natasha Wodak. The group ran in a tight pack right until around 8K, when Gollish made a move that couldn’t be countered and would go on to take the top spot in a time of 33:03, a women’s course record. Wodak hung on to secure the second-place spot in 33:15 with Emebet (33:34) just edging out Pidhoresky (33:39) for third. Local runner, Lyndsay Tessier was the top master’s finisher (of all competitors, both men and women), finishing 5th overall among females in a time of 34:03. Robert Van Den Heuvel of Woodbridge was the top male master, finishing in a time of 34:32. Full results can be found here.

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While runners will look forward to some well-deserved recovery, there’s no time to rest for the Canada Running Series organizers, who will host the Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon and 5K next weekend on June 24th.