Rachel Hannah fourth at Pan Am Games marathon, Catherine Watkins ninth

Rachel Hannah Yonge Street 10K
July 18, 2015
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Rachel Hannah Yonge Street 10K

The women’s marathon at the Pan Am Games saw a new Games record today despite the fact that athletes ran through brutal heat and humidity this morning in Toronto. Athletes headed to the start at 7:00 a.m. with temperatures already feeling close to 30C and climbing fast.

Peru’s Gladys Tejeda is the champion of the women’s marathon. She ran a 2:33:03 marathon battling 90 per cent humidity through to the finish setting the new Pan Am record. Tejeda came in 2:46 ahead of Adriana Da Silva from Brazil. Lindsay Flanagan from the U.S. team placed third running a time of 2:36:30.

Rachel Hannah and Catherine Watkins represented Canada today. Hannah placed fourth running a 2:41:06. Watkins came in ninth running 2:51:23.

Today’s course had athletes complete four loops featuring a nasty hill runners had to climb four times in the sweltering heat. Several athletes did not finish today’s marathon thanks to the rough conditions. U.S. runner Sarah Cummings dropped out in the second half of the race. Ines Melchor, Peru’s other athlete in the marathon also dropped out soon after the halfway point. She started in the lead pack. There were five DNFs today with one athlete who didn’t start.

Canadian performances

Hannah and Watkins ran well today toughing out tough hills, heat and humidity. Hannah placed fourth running 2:41:06 less than two months after making her marathon debut in Ottawa.

“This was a lot more tough,” says Hannah. “The toughest part was the hills and the heat. That’s the biggest factor. This one hit me 25K in,” she says.

Watkins placed ninth running 2:51:23. The 43-year-old found out just three weeks ago that she would be running the marathon for Canada at the Pan Am Games. She says that the humidity was the worst factor today followed by the hills and then heat. She says the crowd helped he keep going.

“When I was feeling down, they were all in the right spot. You can’t get better than that,” says Watkins.

Hannah started in the front pack today and was running close to the top at 2.2K into the marathon. Watkins trailed slightly behind a few seconds later in the second group. Hannah ran the first group still up with the leaders. Watkins appeared positive smiling on the inclines today.

“Going up the hills was tough but the steep downhill when the legs are tired, that was really tough,” says Watkins.

By the 16th kilometre, Hannah fell back from the lead group coming in a couple seconds behind. Lindsay Flanagan, Adriana Da Silva, Gladys Tejeda and Ines Melchor held the top four places. Hannah managed to muscle her way back to the front keeping in fifth and clocking 1:18 at the halfway point. Watkins looked to be running strong coming into the second half.

Around the 30K mark is when Tejeda managed to break way. Her teammate Melchor dropped out. Hannah moved into the third place and appeared to be struggling but hoped to hang on.

“I got excited at that point,” says Hannah. “I was like ‘It would be great if I could hold on,’ but then I was in fourth. I wish I could have held onto her but but she had a fantastic race.” It was around that point that Hannah started feeling sick which she thinks could have been a hydration issue. “I was trying to get in my fluid and I felt like I was going to throw up,” she said.

Starting into the last 10K, Hannah was running alone. At 36K both Canadian runners looked to be suffering from the heat but both pulled through for the last few kilometres to the finish. For several athletes, it was straight to the medical tent at the finish today.

“I did it off three weeks notice and I’m so proud and grateful,” says Watkins.  Toronto was amazing.”

 

 

 

 

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