TORONTO — After a “whirlwind” 18 months attempting and ultimately failing to qualify for the Paris Olympics, Natasha Wodak arrived at Sunday’s TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon with some pressure off.
Yes, she wanted to become Canadian champion — a goal she accomplished with ease, completing the 42.2-kilometre street course in two hours 27 minutes 54 seconds.
She had a time goal of 2:25, but a bout of nausea around the 22-kilometre mark and some headwind over the final stretch conspired to prevent.
But Wodak, the 42-year-old from Surrey, B.C., also just wanted to enjoy herself.
“A little frustrating to not have the time reflect the workouts that indicated kind of where I was, but to say you’re disappointed after you’ve won a national title sounds kinda stupid, doesn’t it?” Wodak said after the race.
The victory marked Wodak’s first career national marathon title, which she now combines with her status as Canadian record holder (2:23:12) and adds to previous national championships in the 5k, 10k (road and track) and half marathon.
In the men’s race, fellow Surrey native Justin Kent, 32, also claimed his first career Canadian marathon title in a personal-best time of 2:12:17.
Kent’s wife Lindsay Butterworth, who competed at the Tokyo Olympics, and five-month-old daughter Willa were in attendance in Toronto. Butterworth made her return to competitive race in Saturday’s 5k, placing fourth.
“I was definitely getting emotional just seeing what Lindsay’s done," said Kent. "To be able to come back and sacrifice for us, I’m forever indebted. It’s really nice to see her get back into her groove and feel good and be able to have Willa there was kinda the cherry on top."
Ethiopians dominated the international ranks.
After missing out on the gold medal by one second last year, Waganesh Mekasha earned some redemption, winning the women’s title in a runaway, course-record time of 2:20:44. Second-place finisher Roza Dereje (2:21:26) and third-place Afera Godfay (2:21:50), also of Ethiopia, also smashed the previous course record.
Mulugeta Uma claimed the men’s overall championship in a time of 2:07.16, his second career title after winning the Paris Marathon earlier this year. Kenyans Domenic Ngeno (2:07:23) and Noah Kipkemboi (2:07:31) rounded out the men’s podium.
Three-time Paralympian Josh Cassidy won his third straight Canadian and overall title in the wheelchair race, crossing the finish line in 1:38.09.
Wodak said she endured waves of nausea, forcing her to slow her pace at times.
“A little frustrating to have a lot of good builds and not be able to put it together on race day but that’s the marathon for you,” Wodak said. “You really need a perfect day to PB and to show off that fitness but this was my fastest time since [setting the Canadian record in 2022 in] Berlin so that’s a huge win for me.”
Despite the illness, Wodak said she found moments of joy throughout the gruelling race.
She credited the crowd for providing energy and high-fives, and said a quick handshake with a friend entering the final stretch was the final boost she needed.
“I knew at that point I knew I was gonna win unless I fell because I was like five minutes ahead. But I was still just like, ‘This is fun, don’t think about being sick, what a privilege to be out here doing this, you’re out here winning a national title, this is really cool,'" said Wodak.
“So yes, I absolutely did enjoy myself despite wanting to vomit.”
Leslie Sexton of Markham, Ont., placed second in the Canadian standings at 2:33:15, while Toronto’s Rachel Hannah took the third spot on her home course in 2:34:33.
Like Wodak, Kent spent most of the race on his own. After speeding to an early lead, the University of British Columbia graduate said he attempted to zone out and follow his pacer.
The plan nearly backfired through the middle stretch as a chase pack closed the gap. But Kent said that was just the wake-up he required.
“I knew from 33k onward was gonna be tough and if I was reaching before then it would be even tougher, so I just tried to focus on my own race and knew that I had the fitness to get back on pace the last 10k, which I think I managed to do until hitting the wind.
“So definitely lit a fire in me and I was running scared knowing that these guys were hunting me down and were champing at the bit.”
Ottawa’s Lee Wesselius was second among Canadian men at 2:13:47, while Toronto’s Andrew Alexander rounded out the podium in his marathon debut with a time of 2:14:13.
Cool temperatures and some headwind down the final stretch prevented many athletes from achieving their time goals as the sun shone down on the Toronto course.
Organizers said nearly 30,000 runners from 70 countries participated in the weekend’s events, which included Saturday’s five-kilometre race and the marathon, wheelchair marathon and half marathon on Sunday.
The World Athletics elite-labelled race is also an opportunity for athlete to collect ranking points toward qualification for the 2025 world championships in Tokyo.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 20, 2024.
Myles Dichter, The Canadian Press