Weekend preview: Canadians battle north of the border, Americans contest NYRR Mini 10K

The Tokyo Games are fast-approaching, and many Canadians are looking to earn their spots or increase their chances of being selected to the national Olympic team. This weekend presents Canadian Olympic hopefuls with a couple of great opportunities to book their tickets to Tokyo, first with the Johnny Loaring Classic (JLC) in Windsor, Ont., and then the Harry Jerome Classic (HJC) in Burnaby, B.C., both on Saturday. Also on Saturday the NYRR Mini 10K in New York City, and on Sunday, the opening race of the 2021 Golden Trail World Series will take place in Spain. 

Johnny Loaring Classic 

The JLC will be held at the University of Windsor‘s Alumni Field, and it is part of Athletics Canada’s Tokyo Qualifier Series. AC introduced this series to give Canadian athletes still training at home a chance to qualify for the Games, as there have been next to no races in Canada since the start of the pandemic. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CP8yzUuH7g6/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

This meet will feature both men’s and women’s events, but the programs are not identical. On the men’s side, there will be 100m, 400m, 800m, 110m hurdles and 400m hurdles races. The women’s schedule features all of those events (with a 100m hurdles race rather than 110m), plus 1,500m and 2,000m steeplechase races. 

RELATED: Breaking down Letesenbet Gidey’s incredible 10,000m world record

Two-time Olympian and national 800m record holder Melissa Bishop-Nriagu will toe the line in the 800m along with reigning 800m national champion Madeleine Kelly. Bishop-Nriagu has already run the Olympic standard of 1:59.50, but Kelly is still looking to hit that mark, as her season best (and PB) currently sits at 2:00.59. 

The action starts at noon ET on Saturday, and the JLC can be streamed on athleticscanada.tv. 

Harry Jerome Classic 

Like the JLC, the HJC is also part of AC’s Tokyo Qualifier Series. The meet will take place at Burnaby’s Swangard Stadium, and it will feature a long lineup of races. For the men, there are 100m up to 1,500m, a mile race, a 5,000m run, a 10,000m race walk and 110m and 400m hurdles events. On the women’s side of the schedule, it’s the same up to 1,500m, a 5,000m, a 3,000m steeplechase and both hurdles races. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/BysoMH6BjtA/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Big names to watch for at the HJC are former national 800m champion Lindsey Butterworth in the 800m, Geneviève Lalonde and Regan Yee in the 3,000m steeplechase (Lalonde owns the national record in the event and Yee is the third-fastest Canadian all-time) and Luc Bruchet in the 5,000m. To see all of the HJC start lists, click here. This meet will also be streamable on athleticscanada.tv. 

RELATED: Ingebrigtsen wins 5,000m in European record, Ahmed and Knight place in top 5 at Florence DL

NYRR Mini 10K

The NYRR Mini 10K always attracts big names, and this year is no different. American marathoners Sara Hall, Des Linden and Molly Seidel are headlining the women-only race, along with Molly Huddle and Kenya’s Edna Kiplagat. Hall, Huddle and Kiplagat have all won the event before, and they’ll each be looking to add another victory to their resume. Five-time NYC Marathon wheelchair champion Tatyana McFadden of the U.S. will also compete in the Mini 10K, and Canadian Olympian Lanni Marchant is reportedly on the start list as well. 

Golden Trail World Series 

The GTWS features seven trail running events around the world, this year culminating in Patagonia, Argentina, in November. The first race of the 2021 series is L’Olla de Nuria, a 21.5K race in Spain about two hours north of Barcelona. The race takes runners into the Pyrenees Mountains, and according to the event website, almost three quarters of the route is 2,700m above sea level or higher.

?El Campionat de Catalunya de curses per muntanya torna a Núria

⚠️Els grans favorits se citen a l'@olladenuria

Tota la info?https://t.co/5uNRuvZX02 #SomEsport #SomEssencials pic.twitter.com/UC0LCPa9NG

— Unió de Federacions #SomEsport #SomEssencials (@UFECcat) June 10, 2021

Participants will have to run up multiple peaks throughout the 21.5K race, and they will end up climbing close to 4,000m from start to finish. The GTWS attracts the world’s top ultra and trail runners, and this weekend’s race is sure to be a thrilling affair.

RELATED: Francine Niyonsaba runs 10,000m Olympic standard at Ethiopian Trials