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The favourite at STWM is really fit and ready to take down the Canadian soil marathon record

Take a look at Dickson Chumba's final month of big workouts heading into marathon weekend in Toronto, where he will attempt to run faster than 2:06:54 and lay down the quickest marathon ever run in Canada

Dickson Chumba
Dickson Chumba
Photo: 2runningclub.com.

Dickson Chumba may be the most talented marathon runner to ever race at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon. The 30-year-old sports a 2:04:32 PB and is in the prime of his career. Earlier this year in Tokyo, Chumba went out hard with the lead group, well below world record pace, and held on for nearly 35K, splitting the halfway mark in an astonishing 1:01:22. He won’t have to run nearly that hard in Toronto to become the fastest person ever to run a marathon on Canadian turf.

 
We received the detailed breakdown from Claudio Berardelli, Chumba’s coach, that the Kenyan  is super fit and going into the marathon ready to try to take down the Canadian all-comers record of 2:06:54, set in 2014 at the Ottawa Marathon. The Toronto course record is 2:07:03, set by Ethiopia’s Deressa Chimsa back in 2013, the same race where Lanni Marchant set the Canadian women’s marathon record.
 

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

 
Setting the all-comers’ Canadian record would score Chumba a $50,000 bonus in addition to the $25,000 payout for the win. Breaking the course record still is a solid payday, netting a $40,000 bonus.
 
Berardelli is excited for Chumba, who has run under 2:07 multiple times. “I am really happy with Dickson shape,” he said from Kapsabet, in Kenya’s Rift Valley, where Chumba has been training at altitude. “The performances over the weekend from his training mates Amos Kipruto (5th in Amsterdam with a PB of 2:05:43) and Dickson’s brother (2nd in Korea with a PB of 2:07:21), give us a lot of confidence about the possibility of expecting a good performance from Dickson in Toronto.”
 

Here’s a breakdown of Chumba’s key workouts over the last few weeks in his final buildup to the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon on Oct. 22:

Saturday, Sept. 16:

38K (hilly dirt road) in 2:05:27, with the last 13K in 40:39 (pace of 3:07 per kilometre pace)

Tuesday, Sept. 19:

20×400 (63-65 seconds) with 200m jog recovery between each

Friday, Sept. 22:

20K, alternating 1K: medium (around 3:30/km) + 2K: around marathon pace (2:55/3:00/km) + 1km: faster (around 2:50). Total time: 1:01:23 (3’04 /km average pace)

Sunday, Sept. 24:

35K in 1:54:15 (5K splits in: 18:00; 16:38; 16:37;16:35; 16:30; 15:44; 15:18). As usual, it was done along a hilly dirt road.

Sept. 27:

10×1,200m 2:00 recovery (3:22-3:23 per repeat; 3:17 for the last one)

Friday, Sept. 29:

10×1:00 slow, 2:00 fast + 10×1:00 slow, 1:00 fast (feeling tired due to flu). 15.9K (3:08 /km average)

Monday, Oct. 02:

35K in 1:55:25

Thursday, Oct. 05:

10×600 + 10×400 with 200m jog (averaging 1:39-1:40 and 62- 63 seconds)

Sunday, Oct. 08:

4×4,000, with 2:30 recovery between each (11:49; 11:30; 11:39; 11:35) + 2×2,000 (5:38 and 5:40)

Tuesday, Oct. 10:

25K in 1:23:29

Saturday, Oct. 14:

20×1:00 slow, 1:00 fast. 12.7K total

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