A closer look at the Canadian women’s record board rewrite of 2019

A look at the 12 women's records that have fallen and the ladies behind the new marks

Madeleine Kelly August 2, 2019

This year has been extremely exciting in Canadian running. Our women are truly on fire, and it’s obvious if you take a look at the record board from eight months ago and compare it to now.

Canadian women's road record boards. Photo: Athletics Canada.

Canadian women's indoor record boards. Photo: Athletics Canada.

Canadian women's outdoor track record boards. Photo: Athletics Canada.

Gabriela DeBues-Stafford is single-handedly responsible for nearly 50 per cent of these new records, but she certainly isn’t the only Canadian woman who’s having an amazing 2019. Heading into an Olympic year, this generation of female runners is exciting for Canada. It’s been a long time since this many women have been collectively shattering Canadian records and producing consistent international results. Here’s a look at the 12 records that have fallen and the women behind the new marks.

DeBues-Stafford – five records

DeBues-Stafford has run new indoor 5,000m (14:57.45) and mile (4:24.80) records along with outdoor 1,500m (4:00.26), mile (4:17.87) and 5,000m (14:51.59) records. She’s asserted herself in 2019 as one of the best runners in the world, and certainly one of Canada’s best ever.

Rachel Cliff – three records

Rachel Cliff runs national marathon record. Photo: Instagram.

Cliff, who also holds the Canadian half-marathon record, set three Canadian records en route to her marathon mark this spring. Cliff now holds the 25K (1:26:00), 30K (1:43:19) and marathon (2:26:56) records, all of which she set at the Nagoya women’s-only marathon in March.

Jenna Westaway – two records

Jenna Westaway women’s 4x800m. Photo: Maxine Gravina

Westaway had a killer indoor season, first running a new Canadian 1,000m record (2:37.04) before becoming the first Canadian woman to run under 2:00.00 over 800m indoors (1:59.87). Westaway is from Calgary, but is currently living in Guelph and training under coach Dave Scott-Thomas.

Gen Lalonde – one record

Lalonde opened her 2019 outdoor reason with a Canadian record in the 3,000m steeplechase at the Shanghai Diamond League in 9:29.82. Lalonde is coming off of a great winter season, where she finished in the top 20 at the world cross-country championships in Aarhus, Denmark. Lalonde was the first North American woman across the line ahead of huge track and field names like World Championship silver medallist and American steeplechase record-holder Courtney Frerichs. She was the highest Canadian female finisher at a World Cross-Country event since 2004.

Jess O’Connell – one record

Athletes in Denmark. Photo: Jess O’Connell

O’Connell is the newly crowned Canadian 5,000m champion and her killer outdoor season was preceded by a great indoor season. She ran an indoor 3,000m record of 8:46.50 at the Armory Track and Field Center in New York.