Krista DuChene all smiles after running fitness standard at Montreal half-marathon

Krista DuChene won the Scotiabank Montreal half-marathon on Sunday morning in 1:12:30, which displays competitive readiness for Rio.

Krista DuChene

Krista DuChene, 39, was all smiles following her win in 1:12:30 (gun time) at the Scotiabank Montreal half-marathon on Sunday morning. The Brantford, Ont. resident has the Canadian Olympic standard in the women’s marathon but had to prove her fitness to be considered for the Rio 2016 team.

Athletics Canada, the governing body for track and field, requires athletes who achieve the Olympic standard too early in the selection process to prove competitive readiness. DuChene ran under the Olympic qualifying standard (2:29:50) at last year’s Rotterdam Marathon but needed to prove her fitness this spring.

For the half-marathon distance, DuChene needed to run faster than 1:13. She’s one of two women with the Athletics Canada marathon standard, along with Lanni Marchant, and must maintain her top-three position. Marathon qualifying ends May 29.

The national governing body notes the following in their qualification requirements for Olympic selection:

“‘Competitive readiness’ is defined as the ability of the athlete to achieve equal or superior performance(s) on site at the scheduled event (either through their performance or through improving their ranking in terms of placing), as compared to the performance(s) the athlete achieved in qualifying for nomination to the team.”

The criteria also states that “failure to achieve competitive readiness requirements will render an athlete ineligible for nomination,” unless the head coach, currently Peter Eriksson, deems otherwise.

Earlier attempts of proving fitness came up short. She needed to run 1:46:30 at Hamilton’s Around the Bay, a challenging time on the course, on April 3. She crossed the line in 1:47:47. Earlier in the winter, she needed to run 1:13:13 at the Chilly half-marathon in Burlington, Ont. but finished in 1:16.

In an interview in early April, DuChene told Canadian Running that “unfortunately, myself and other athletes may be forced to chase proof of fitness and risk burnout or peaking too soon before Rio.”

DuChene suffered a broken femur when she was 37 at the site of today’s half-marathon in Montreal. Her Olympic qualifying run in Rotterdam took place just a year after suffering the near-career-ending injury.

The face of a winner! @kristaduchene wins #scotia21kmtl and confirms Rio qualification #running

A photo posted by Nathalie Bergeron (@nathalie_bergeron) on

Pan Am Games marathoner Kip Kangogo won the men’s race in 1:06:48, 14 seconds clear of Sami Jibril, the race’s second-place finisher (notable results can be found at the bottom of the page). It was Kangogo’s second race of 2016 following his half-marathon opener at Vancouver’s First Half in February.

Footage from Kangogo’s finish can be found below:

Top-five results (gun time)

Women
1. Krista DuChene – 1:12:30
2. Catherine Cormier – 1:20:17.8
3. Bianca Premont – 1:21:19.1
4. Tanis Smith – 1:22:14.3
5. Julie Lajeunesse – 1:22:22.0

Men
1. Kip Kangogo – 1:06:48
2. Sami Jibril – 1:07:02
3. Josh Bolton – 1:07:41
4. Francois Jarry Lachine – 1:07:42
5. Anthony Larouche 1:07:50

Full results

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