Weekend recap: Andrea Seccafien wins Eastside 10K in thrilling comeback
Also: results from Marathon Beneva de Montréal
Photo by:
Kevin Morris
Canadian 10,000m record holder Andrea Seccafien, who has been sidelined by injuries for much of the past two years, made a sensational return to form Sunday by running 34:15 to win the Under Armour Eastside 10K in Vancouver.
The 33-year-old Guelph, Ont., native crossed the finish line four seconds ahead of Vancouver’s Glynis Sim, 25, who last November captured the U Sports XC title in Halifax.
Placing third on the women’s podium was Samantha Jory, also of Vancouver, who finished in 34:42. Jory shocked spectators at last year’s Vancouver Half Marathon, when the then-27-year-old, who was not on the elite list and was competing in only her third-ever half-marathon, won the race in 1:18:19.
Seccafien ran the 10,000m at the 2021 Sound Running’s Track Meet in California two years ago in 31:13.94 to smash the Canadian women’s record. Her weekend win marks a huge milestone on her road to recovery. The two-time Olympian’s struggles with injury have included coping with a meniscus root tear last year, and more recently, dealing with a calcaneus stress fracture. Her victory Sunday follows her appearance at last month’s TD Beach to Beacon 10K in Cape Elizabeth, Maine—what she called on social media “her first race back after a long, hard comeback”—where she ran to 34:20 and finished 14th in the women’s race.
In the men’s race Sunday, Vancouver’s Thomas Broatch, who placed third this year in both the Vancouver Sun Run and Vancouver’s First Half, topped the podium in 30:02. He was followed by Calgary’s Alex Drover (30:12) and Trevor Hofbauer of Kelowna, B.C. (30:18).
More than 3,000 runners took part in the Under Armour Eastside 10K, a race that takes participants along a scenic course through the historic and industrial elements of Vancouver’s Gastown and Strathcona neighbourhoods, and which this year celebrated its 10th year.
Over the past decade, the race has contributed $235,000 to local charity partners, which this year included Kid Sport Vancouver, Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre, Urban Native Youth Association, and PHS Community Services Society.
Marathon Beneva de Montréal
Felex Cheruiyot Rop of Kenya ran 2:23:20 to edge out Canadian rivals and win Sunday’s Marathon Beneva de Montréal. Simon LeBlanc ran 2:23:52 to finish second, with fellow Canadian Ahmed Mainy finishing third in 2:24:15.
A similar scene played out in the women’s marathon Sunday, with Kenya’s Monicah Cheruto winning in 2:53:47, followed by Canadians Joelle White (2:58:37) in second and Andréanne Sansoucy (3:02:51) in third.
In the half-marathon, France’s Anthony Frontera crossed the finish line in 1:06:21 ahead of Canada’s Jeremy Briand (1:06:32) and American runner John Hinkle (1:07:09)
Canada dominated the women’s half-marathon podium, meanwhile. Anne-Marie Comeau ran 1:13:23 to top the podium, followed by Lynda Gingras (1:22:48) and Watson Maia (1:26:54).
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