Lanni Marchant and Reid Coolsaet crowned Canadian 10K champions

The Canadian 10K road championships were held in Ottawa's sweltering heat on Saturday evening as part of race weekend in the nation's capital.

Canadian 10K championships

Your Canadian 10K champions, @reidcoolsaet and @lannimarchant! ????

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Lanni Marchant (33:25) and Reid Coolsaet (30:19), the usual suspects on the running scene in Canada, won the Canadian 10K championships, part of the Ottawa 10K, in the sweltering heat in the nation’s capital on Saturday evening.

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The 10K was originally set for 6:30 p.m. local time before being moved back to 7 p.m. to accommodate runners in the extreme heat in Ottawa. Temperatures were 31 C at 5 p.m., with the humidity making conditions feel like 35 C.

RELATED: Must-see moment: Wild finish at the Ottawa 10K as women’s winner collapses.

Marchant told Canadian Running the heat definitely played a role in her race. 

“For the time that it was, it was a lot harder than last year, where I ran a minute faster,” she said. “Today’s effort was not only physically tougher (than last year’s)… but mentally tougher, too. I was on my own for about 4.5K. I would say this has been one of the tougher Ottawa 10Ks.”

Coolsaet told Canadian Running after the race that it’s likely that the time did not meet the Athletics Canada “proof of fitness” requirement he needs to secure his ticket to Rio in the Olympic marathon. Marchant said she will “carbo-load, rest, and hydrate,” ahead of Monday’s big simulation workout as she builds towards the 10K/marathon double.

Post-race interview with Coolsaet following the race:

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The Canadian 10K champions won US$3,000 for their efforts on Saturday evening. The Ottawa 10K is an IAAF Gold Label race, the highest category of road racing in the world. The race regularly attracts some of the world’s best runners in addition to top Canadian talent from across the country.

Mohammed Ziani of Morocco won the overall race at the Ottawa 10K in 28:36 while Peres Jepchirchir of Kenya won the women’s edition in 31:28.

Eric Gillis and Marchant were the Canadian 10K champions in 2015. The race course starts and finishes at Ottawa City Hall, located downtown, with much of the route being flat along the Rideau Canal.

RELATED: National half-marathon championships: Underdog to national favourite in the span of four months.

Canadian 10K results

Men

1. Reid Coolsaet – 30:19
2. Kevin Friesen- 30:30
3. Pier-Olivier Laflamme – 30:44

Women

1. Lanni Marchant – 33:25
2. Natasha Wodak – 33:50
3. Rachel Hannah – 34:35

The Canadian national 10K record is held by Paul McCloy on the men’s side (28:17, 1987) and Lynn Williams on the women’s side (31:44, 1989).

FULL RESULTS.

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