600m world record attempt Saturday in Montreal

A world record attempt will be held this weekend in Montreal. The Athletics Canada Indoor Open is hosting, alongside other events, a 600m indoor world record attempt.

The race, scheduled for Friday evening, will feature 2011 400m hurdle world champion Dai Greene and 2012 Olympic 400m silver medallist Luguelin Santos, among other top sprinters and middle distance athletes.

Canadians Charles Philibert-Thiboutot, one of Canada’s best 1,500m runners and a Université Laval student-athlete, will also line up alongside some of the world’s top sprinters, moving down in distance to race the sprinters.

The record they’re chasing stands at 1:15.12, set by German Nico Motchebon in 1999. The list of the fastest 600m times ever is littered largely with 800m specialists, of which there are two in the race, Rafith Rodríguez of Colombia and Mark Wieczorek of the United States, though neither hold the credits of Greene or Santos.

The race is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. EST.

The Athletics Canada Indoor Open will also host a celebrity 60m challenge, headlined by Canadian Olympic gold medallist Bruny Surin who shares the national 100m record with Donovan Bailey, and a full meet during the weekend.

The full schedule of the race can be found on the event website.