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Krista DuChene to return to Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon

DuChene to run her fifth STWM and 16th marathon in 16 years

Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon

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Krista DuChene, 41, announced yesterday that she will run the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon on October 17. It will be her fifth time running what she has called her favourite race, and her 16th marathon in 16 years of competition. She joins Reid Coolsaet, two-time Olympian and second-fastest marathoner in Canada’s history, who will also run Scotiabank this year.

RELATED: VIDEO: Krista DuChene on her incredible 3rd place finish at the Boston Marathon

DuChene, who lives in Brantford, Ont., surprised herself and most of the world with her third-place finish at this year’s Boston Marathon in weather conditions that took 23 other elites out of the race. It’s fair to say the appalling rain, wind and cold allowed some relative dark horses, including DuChene as well as the men’s winner, Yuki Kawauchi, and the women’s second-place finisher, Sarah Sellers, to come to the fore. 

Instagram: Krista Duchene

DuChene’s “short” season has included two recent 10K’s: the NYRR Mini 10K in New York’s Central Park on June 9, along with fellow Boston podium finishers Sarah Sellers and Des Linden (where she finished in 35:50); and Saturday’s Toronto Waterfront 10K, which she finished in 35:09. “I think it’s one of the fastest 10K’s right after a marathon I’ve done, so I’m pleased,” DuChene says. 

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Coming off a stellar major marathon performance and a successful season of shorter races, DuChene says her fitness base is strong, and that “ramping up really high miles and… lengthy workouts” will likely start later this month or early July. She trains with Dave Scott-Thomas of the Speed River Track Club in Guelph, Ont.

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“With Dave, I still feel like I’m learning more about the sport and more about myself,” DuChene says, “so I’m looking forward to seeing how I do in another build with him. Boston was my first marathon build at sea level and it went well, and I’m looking forward to this. And one thing I did with my first marathon build when I was in Kenya [in 2017] was higher mileage, and then for Boston I was able to do longer workouts at marathon pace, so now it’s kind of combining the two.”

As for her goals for Scotiabank, DuChene is non-committal. “I’m in this because I enjoy it, and it’s going well,” she says. “I’ve got no reason to stop doing this sport I love so much, and it seems to be getting better, and I just keep going with it.”

RELATED: Krista DuChene: “To beat six women that strong is nothing I take lightly.”

DuChene has this to say about her ability to inspire women of a certain age: “I’m honoured that people look up to me for that: moms that are returning to work, or running after having kids, and people turning 40, yeah!”

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Whether DuChene goes back to Boston in 2019 will depend on a number of factors, and she’ll be considering trying to qualify for the 2020 Olympics. “Right now I’m definitely enjoying one season at a time.”

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