Canadian marathon championships moved to Waterfront Marathon

Athletics Canada has announced the 2015-2018 Canadian marathon championships will be held at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon.

Athletics Canada, the governing body for athletics and road racing in Canada, announced the move from the Ottawa Race Weekend to the new host city on the morning of Tuesday, Jan. 21. The move represents a new partnership between Alan Brookes’ Canada Running Series and Athletics Canada.

“We are very pleased to be able to grow our partnership with Alan [Brookes] and the Canada Running Series,” said Rob Guy, CEO of Athletics Canada. “Our past efforts […] have been crucial elements of our road running strategy from an organization and athlete standpoint. We look forward to building on those to create even more opportunities. The growth of Athletics Canada road running programs is a priority over the next quadrennial, ensuring increased participation, world class performance and a positive experience for all.”

The Waterfront Marathon has started to carve itself out as a world-class race in Canada by attracting some of the best national talent and some rising international stars. Deressa Chimsa ran 2:07:04, an elite time by any standards, to win the race last fall. The event is marked each year by a deeper and more talented startlist.

Lanni Marchant also set a new national women’s marathon record there in 2013 with a 2:28:00 performance.

“The Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon typically puts together the best Canadian marathon field year after year. It will be great to crown the Canadian champion amongst the strongest Canadian competitors,” said Olympic marathoner Reid Coolsaet.

The event will also play host to Canada’s new road running summit, with the inaugural meeting being at the 2015 national championships.