Top 10 Canadian road and track performances of 2022
A look at the best performances by Canadian runners on road and track this year
Photo by:
Kevin Morris
It was a thrilling year to watch Canadian athletes compete on road and track. After a return to semi-normal racing, we were united with the world as we watched records fall and champions crowned, and had an exciting time cheering on Canadian athletes. While it was nearly impossible to create a top 10 list, we’ve done our best (and don’t worry, we’ll have a trail and ultra edition coming your way soon).
Here is a countdown of the top Canadian road and track performances of 2022:
10. Lucia Stafford comes within seconds of Canadian record in her first 5K race
Toronto’s Lucia Stafford ran within four seconds of the Canadian 5K record of 15:16 in her first road race. Stafford was competing at a local road 5K race in Hamilton, Ont., part of the Hamilton Road2Hope Marathon weekend. Post-race, Stafford said she was stunned by her speedy time, and hopes to do more road races in the future.
9. Sasha Gollish smashes records and demonstrates remarkable versatility
Toronto’s Sasha Gollish dominated a wide variety of distances and terrain in 2022, racing at every national championship from track to XC and making the podium at six of those races. She broke the women’s world 40+ indoor mile record and followed that by smashing the Canadian 40+ 1,500m (outdoor). She racked up two national championship medals in the 10,000m (silver) and road 10K (bronze). She also won gold at the NACAC Half Marathon Championships and went on to win the vertical K at the Canadian trail and mountain champs, qualifying her for the world championship team.
8. Gabriela DeBues-Stafford breaks her own Canadian indoor 5,000m recordÂ
The 26-year-old phenom from Toronto smashed her own Canadian indoor 5,000m record of 14:57.45 by 26 seconds to run a new area (North American) record time of 14:31.38 on Feb. 11, at the David Hemery Valentine Invite in Boston. DeBues-Stafford’s time is the fifth-fastest indoor 5,000m time ever.
7. Trevor Hofbauer wins the Canadian Marathon ChampionshipsÂ
Defending champion Trevor Hofbauer took the win at the Canadian Marathon Championship, held at the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon in October, crossing the finish line in 2:11:00 and fifth overall. Hofbauer last ran here in 2019, when he won the championship and qualified for the Tokyo Olympics; this was his third Canadian title.
6. Ben Flanagan breaks the Canadian half marathon record amid a stunning season
Ben Flanagan of Kitchener, Ont. had a remarkable season, setting a new Canadian record at the Valencia Half Marathon in 61 minutes flat. Valencia’s record-breaking run was also a 38-second personal best for Flanagan, who became the 2022 Canadian 10K (road) champion in May and 5K champion in September.
5. Moh Ahmed breaks both the 10,000m (outdoor) and 5,000m (indoor) Canadian records
Canadian Olympic silver-medallist Mohammed Ahmed smashed his own Canadian 10,000m record of 26:59.35 by 25 seconds, taking it down to 26:34.14 at the Sound Running 10,000m meet in San Juan, Calif. Ahmed was well under the World Championship 10,000m standard of 27:28 and now ranks in the top 10 all-time for the 10,000m. He also broke national records in back-to-back races, setting the Canadian indoor 5,000m record (12:56.87) three weeks earlier in Boston.
4. Marco Arop captures bronze in the men’s 800m at the 2022 World Championships
Edmonton’s Marco Arop snagged Canada’s second medal at the 2022 World Championships, winning bronze in the men’s 800m in 1:44.28. Arop had one of the fastest qualifying times heading into the final; though he got off to a conservative start, he took control of the race after 200m, coming through 400m in 52 seconds.
3. Men’s 4 x 100 relay runs to gold and sets national record
The quartet of Aaron Brown, Jerome Blake, Brendon Rodney and Andre De Grasse ran the perfect race to take gold on U.S. soil in a Canadian record time of 37.48 seconds. The team brought home world championship gold in the men’s 4x100m for the first time since 1997.
2. Natasha Wodak smashes the women’s marathon record at the 2022 Berlin Marathon
Vancouver’s Natasha Wodak broke Malindi Elmore’s Canadian marathon record with a 2:23:12 performance at the Berlin Marathon, running a minute and 38 seconds faster than Elmore’s 2:24:50 (set at Houston in 2020). Wodak finished 12th in a very competitive women’s race and managed to run negative splits, finishing the first 21.1 km in 72:20 and the second half in under 72:00.
1. Cam Levins crushed his own marathon record at the World Championships
Cam Levins shattered his own Canadian record in the marathon at the World Championships, running 2:07:10 for fourth overall. Levins beat his previous record of 2:09.25, which he set at the 2018 Toronto Waterfront Marathon. Levins’s race was the best-ever performance in a world championship marathon by a Canadian male.
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