Home > Runs & Races

Reid Coolsaet and Eric Gillis add Olympic-touch to Toronto Waterfront 10K

Canadian Olympians Reid Coolsaet and Eric Gillis will be two of the top names at Canada Running Series' newest race, the Toronto Waterfront 10K.

Toronto Waterfront 10K

By: Paul Gains

Two of Canada’s Olympic marathoners will be running the newest race in the Canada Running Series, a circuit of high level road races across the nation, on June 25: the Toronto Waterfront 10K.

Eric Gillis, who is on track to represent Canada at the Olympics, his third successive Games, will join teammate, training partner, and Canada’s second fastest-ever marathoner, Reid Coolsaet, on the scenic and fast 10K course.

RELATED: Runners disqualified for wearing headphones at a 10K road race.

“We are thrilled and excited for this race to be a Rio sendoff for some of our favourite Canada Running Series stars,” says race director Alan Brookes. “I am sure the Toronto running community will come out in force to give them a proper send-off.”

The pair, both 36, have similar but different objectives for the race which is expected to draw around 7,000 runners.

“A solid effort is important,” says Gillis. “The fastest time I can run on that course, in those conditions, is important to me.”

Coolsaet, who met the Athletics Canada Olympic marathon qualifying standard with his 2:10:28 clocking at the 2015 Berlin Marathon has been suffering from an impinged nerve in his lower back since March. Because his qualifying time was recorded in 2015, he must still satisfy a ‘proof of fitness’ and knows his result here will be watched closely by Athletics Canada’s head coach, Peter Eriksson.

RELATED: Workouts: Get on track for your fastest 5K and 10K races.

“Oh yeah, it’s been super frustrating,” Coolsaet, who ran the 2012 Olympic marathon, admits. “I have been injured since the beginning of March and now that I know what it is, I am making good progress and I am optimistic that I can turn things around the next few weeks and have a proper buildup for Rio.”

All of Coolsaet’s races between now and July 10 will be closely monitored by Athletics Canada.

Gillis: Gearing up for the Olympics with bedtime stories

Gillis has eased back from a busy spring race schedule. He ran 1:03:42 at the Berlin Half-Marathon and won the Vancouver Sun Run, Canada’s largest 10K, in 28:52. Reading bedtime stories to his two young children is a regular occurrence in his household these days.

Coolsaet: The new homeowner

Meanwhile, Coolsaet has been getting weekly massage, physio, and acupuncture sessions to get over his recent injury.

“I am running between 100-120K a week then supplementing on the elliptical and on the bike,” Coolsaet explains. “For me, [the] Waterfront 10 is just about being race sharp and breaking up the training and just having another good effort close to home before Rio.”

Coolsaet raced for Canada at the world half-marathon championships in Cardiff, Wales and ran sub-1:05 in poor conditions. The 36-year-old runner, known for his skateboarding skills, just purchased a house in Hamilton, Ont., his hometown, with his girlfriend Marie. From Hamilton, Coolsaet will commute to for Guelph-based Speed River workouts.

“The last six weeks there has been a lot of house hunting on the Internet and then going to open houses,” he reveals. “This past week we bought one. I suspect once we move in I will be pretty busy with doing ‘new house stuff’ trying to save money by doing it myself.”

Editor’s note: This story has been edited from a press release.

Check out the latest buyer's guide:

The best trainers in Canada under $150

We curated the best performance trainers under $150 to meet your 2024 running goals, while staying on budget