After spring’s curve balls, will Eric Gillis and Krista DuChene be able to win in Toronto again?

Two of Canada’s best known elites are lining up at the Toronto Waterfront 10K next month with the hopes of winning the event twice in a row. 

Eric Gillis and Krista DuChene, both Olympic marathoners, will race the 10K after experiencing some disappointment earlier this spring. Having experience on the course though by clocking a 29:23 (Gillis) and a 33:50 (DuChene) to break the tape last year, it’s likely that spectators will see them knock out a fast one yet again. 

RELATED: Canada Running Series and lululemon join forces for Waterfront 10K

Both runners will be hoping to do well on the Toronto course after dealing with a couple curve balls this spring. Gillis was slotted to run the Boston Marathon last month but had to pull out as the date came closer. He was struggling with an injury to the Achillies tendon and cancelled his plans to line up at the start line in Hopkinton at North America’s most prestigious marathon. 

As for DuChene, she raced the London Marathon earlier this season. Unfortunately though, it wasn’t quite her day. She gave a solid effort on the course though and even though her 2:43:31 finishing time was well off her PB of 2:28:332, she remained in high spirits and kept the attitude positive. 

She has also recently celebrated her 40th birthday (she turned 40 in January) and with that, she made a bold change with her running by switching from training with Rick Mannen to working with Dave Scott Thomas at the Speed River track club. 

The Waterfront 10K will be about two months after her race across the pond. She is looking forward to taking part in a Toronto event. As she has done three marathons since August 2016, the 10K distance will be a welcome change as well. 

For Gillis, the run in Toronto should be a great way to get in the zone ahead of the World Championships happening this summer. That’s what he has his sites set on now.

The World Championships are scheduled for August in London running from the 4th to the 13th. After running Canada’s best Olympic marathon since Jerome Drayton’s 1976 race, Gillis will be a runner Canadians fans will be rooting for. 

Apart from welcoming back both DuChene and Gillis, The Toronto Waterfront 10K has news of its own this year: a new sponsorship. Canadian fitness apparel brand lululemon has partnered with Canada Running Series to be the title sponsor of this late-spring race. That means that all participants are going to be receiving a technical shirt as a part of their race kit.

The race is scheduled for Saturday June 17th and will run along the lake shore finishing at Exhibition Place.