East versus West at Toronto Yonge Street 10K

Tensions are high as Sunday’s Toronto Yonge Street 10K quickly approaches.

The race will mark the occasion of the first ever East versus West all-star team challenge which will see some of Canada’s best distance runners battle on the downtown course. A long standing regional rivalry will be put to the test with the finishing times of the top two males and top two females on each team added. The lowest cumulative time will decide the winning team.

Chris Moulton, coach of the East team exuded confidence this week. “I have the utmost confidence in our team,” he said. “My only concern is that there is a chance of rain and I know the West group is always exceptionally trained for raining conditions.”

Members of the West all-star team were set to arrive in Toronto on Friday following a warm weather training camp in Santa Cruz, California. Led by co-captains Natasha Wodak and Rob Watson, the team has set its sights on victory.

West team manager Richard Lee, who is also coach of the BC Endurance Project and personal coach to Wodak and Watson, was optimistic of his team’s chances of hammering the East all-stars, but he also played down the tension.

“If we don’t win the Toronto Yonge Street 10K team challenge, at least we’ll have the better tans,” he laughed, in reference to the California training camp.

Bolstering the team’s morale is the news that Kenyan born Kip Kangogo, a long time resident of Lethbridge, Alberta received his Canadian citizenship last Friday and will be racing for the first time as a Canadian.

Meanwhile, the East team will be led by co-captains Eric Gillis, a two-time Olympian, and Krista DuChene. The mother of three young children has begun 2014 with two victories one at Harry’s Spring Run-Off 8K last weekend and the Around the Bay 30K road race in Hamilton, Ont. A year ago she represented Canada in the IAAF World Championships marathon in Moscow.

The teams will line up on the start line at Yonge St. and Castlefield) at 9 a.m. as follows:

EAST

Krista DuChene (Brantford, Ont.) Captain
Eric Gillis (Guelph, Ont.) Captain
Nick Sunseri (Toronto, Ont.)
Peter Corrigan (Toronto, Ont.)
Kyle O’Neill (London, Ont.)
Rachel Hannah (Toronto, Ont.)
Tarah Korir (St Clements, Ont.)
Kate Bazeley (Cornerbrook, N.L.)
Lisa Avery (Orillia, Ont.)

WEST

Natasha Wodak (Vancouver, B.C.) Captain
Rob Watson (Vancouver, B.C.) Captain
Kip Kangogo (Lethbridge, Alta.)
Adam Byles (Vancouver, B.C.- Australia)
Richard Mosley (Burnaby, B.C.)
Dayna Pidhoresky (Vancouver, B.C.)
Erin Burrett (Nanaimo, B.C.)
Sabrina Wilkie (Vancouver, B.C.)
Catherine Watkins (Vancouver, B.C.)

Edited from a press release.