Top runners to watch for at the 2017 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon

The Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon gets underway in a matter of days.

RELATED: See a complete list of STWM Canadian athlete profiles here.

As the event doubles as the national marathon championships, some of Canada’s top distance runners are in the field with the exception of Lanni Marchant, Krista DuChene, Eric Gillis and Reid Coolsaet. That means new Canadian champions will be crowned in 2017 as Gillis and DuChene won in 2016.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZl-Wmtgb6f/?taken-by=canadianrunning

The IAAF Gold Label event attracts top talent from across the globe including Kenyan Philemon Rono, the returning champion, Dickson Chumba, a 2:04:32 marathoner, and several sub-2:25 women, all from Ethiopia. (Two-time defending women’s champion Shure Demise is not racing.) Canadian Cam Levins is far and away the biggest draw in the half-marathon and will likely run alongside the top marathoners on Sunday.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZycD7UAxZo/?taken-by=canadianrunning

Top Canadians in the marathon include (in order of bib number), Trevor Hofbauer, Rob Winslow, Kevin Coffey and John Mason; the top women include Leslie Sexton, Catherine Watkins and Natasha LaBeaud with many others set to challenge for podium spots at the national championships.

Canada Running Series released the elite start list on Monday. A complete set of entrants can be found below.

Start list

The half-marathon and marathon get underway at 8:45 a.m. EDT on Oct. 22 from University Avenue near Toronto City Hall. More than 23,000 runners are expected in the marathon, half-marathon and 5K events on Sunday.

.