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Canadians to watch for at the 2017 Trail World Championships

Seven Canadians take on the 2017 IAU Trail World Championships in Italy on Saturday

IAU World Trail Championships

Four men and three women will represent Canada at the 2017 IAU Trail World Championships this weekend.

The select crew will contest 48.7K in Badia Prataglia, Italy on Saturday morning at the event hosted by the International Association of Ultrarunners. Athletes from as many as 35 countries will compete at the global championships on a course that features 2,900m of climb and an equal amount of elevation loss.

The race, comprised of a single loop, begins at 8 a.m. local time, which is 2 a.m. EDT. Among the seven national trail runners are Jeremy Walsh and Cassie Smith, both of who earned an automatic spot on the team. Smith, who is featured on the cover of the latest issue of Canadian Running magazine, along with Walsh and Calum Neff toured the course on Wednesday before the remainder of the team arrived.

The opening ceremony for the championships were on Friday at the site located approximately 90 minutes west of Florence.

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Neff is perhaps best known for holding the Guinness World Record in both the half-marathon and marathon with a stroller. CR recently spoke with Neff on his recommended workouts in the leadup to the world championships. Another notable on the team is Annie Jean, who trains and races with a variation of Crocs, known as Dawgs. She finished fourth at The North Face Endurance Challenge 50-Mile Championship in late 2016.

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Fraser Street Run Club co-founders Cody Callon, Jesse Booi and Kathryn Drew comprise the Metro Vancouver contingent of athletes. Meanwhile, Walsh is coming off a 2:42 performance at the GoodLife Fitness Toronto Marathon.

Team Canada

– Cody Callon
– Calum Neff
– Jesse Booi
– Jeremy Walsh
– Annie Jean
– Cassie Smith
– Kathryn Drew

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