First look at Canadian nominees for the 2019 Trail World Championship

The Association of Canadian Ultramarathoners (ACU) has just announced the first athletes nominated to represent Canada at the 2019 Trail World Championship on June 8 in Mirandha do Corbo, Portugal. The race is hosted by the Trilhos dos Abutres as the LOC with the Portuguese Athletic Federation, and sanctioned by the International Association of Ultrarunners (IAU) and the International Trail Running Association (ITRA). Each year, the World Trail Championships race alternates between 44-50K and 50-53-mile distances.

RELATED: Jasmin Paris named to British Trail World Championships team

The 2019 World Championships are on a technical 44K course with 2,100 metres of elevation gain, with equal amount of descent. According to the IAU and local organizing committee, the projected winning times are 3:45 for men and 4:15 for women. Canadian National Trail Team Manager Ryne Melcher is excited about our 2019 trail athletes and potential for strong results at the world level.

The 2019 Canadian National Trail Team consists of six spots each for male and female. The first male and female spots are reserved for auto-qualifiers, who have already accepted:

Sarah Bergeron-Larouche
Elliot Cardin

The following athletes have three weeks to either accept or decline their nomination:

Women

Kathryn Drew
Annie Jean
Anne-Marie Madden
DarbyKai Strandrick
First alternate: Ailsa MacDonald
Second alternate: Kim Magnus
Third alternate: Alissa St Laurent

RELATED: Training secrets from the 2019 trail runner of the year

Men

Karl Augsten
Nick Elson
Rob Krar
Seth Marcaccio
First alternate: Mike Sidic
Second alternate: Remi Leroux
Third alternate: Brandon Miller

RELATED: Kat from Canada crushes competitive 100K

The final male and female spots will be given to a top performance at Chuckanut 50K March 16 in Fairhaven, Washington. If a Canadian male runner breaks 3:55:00 and female 4:25:00 at the race, they will earn a spot on the team. In the trail running community, the Chuckanut 50k is one of the most competitive early-season trail ultras in the Pacific Northwest. The 2019 lineup is no different, and includes professional Canadian road runners such as Rob Watson. Rumours have it, he is racing for the final male spot on the team. If professional ultrarunner Rob Krar (based in Flagstaff) accepts, and Watson qualifies, the Canadian Team will be dominated by ‘Robs’.

RELATED: From trails to trials: how Anne-Marie Madden “qualified” for the US Olympic marathon trials