Posted: May 4, 2006

Athletics: Tara Quinn-Smith confirmed to start Sunday's Sporting Life 10K

"Canada's fastest 10K" just got a little faster with the confirmation that Tara Quinn-Smith of Waterdown, ON, will join the Start line of the Sporting Life 10K this Sunday.

The diminutive 5'1", 95 lb. Quinn-Smith is in fine form, having run 32:56 for 10000m on the track at the Cardinal Invitational at Stanford, California, last weekend. She represented Canada at the Commonwealth Games 10000m in Melbourne in March, then immediately came home to win the first Canada Running Series event of the 2006 season, Harry's Spring Run Off 8K, in convincing style.

Quinn-Smith's addition to the Sporting Life field sets up a great battle between her, Canadian Olympian Emilie Mondor of Mascouche, Quebec, starting her comeback after serious injury, Canada's #1 women's marathoner, Lioudmila Kortchaguina, and Kenyan Eunice Chepkirui.

Mondor has a PR of 31:10 for 10K on the road, and is the only Canadian female to go under 15 minutes for 5000m on the track. However, after being off for months with a rare bone disease, she is just starting back, and this is anybody's race on Sunday.

On the men's side, defending champion, Reuben Chebii of Kenya will be hoping to three-peat. He holds the current race record, a sizzling 27:48 from 2004. He will be challenged strongly, in what should be another good battle, by fellow countryman Philip Lagat and Canada Running Series stars Gittah Macharia, Danny Kassap, Norredine Betchim and Bagdad Rachem.

For the best spots to watch, check out the Oasis Entertainment & Cheering Centres, located at strategic points down the Yonge street course: http://www.canadarunningseries.com/sportinglife/sl10kNEWS.htm

Start time is 9am at Yonge and Castlefield. A record number of over 8,000 are expected to be on the line.

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