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OTTAWA – The 2008 Canadian Marathon and Wheelchair Marathon Championships take place this Sunday May 25 in the nation’s capital as part of the ING Ottawa Marathon. The wheelchair marathon begins at 6:45am with the marathon starting at 7:00am.
A number of strong competitors will line up to race for the Canadian crown. Matthew McInnes from Toronto will look to defend his Canadian title and will be pushed by fellow Torontonian Andrew Smith who captured the Canadian Half Marathon Championship title in April. Strong competition will also come from Jerry Ziak of Courtney, BC, James Nielsen of Port Stanley, ON, Mark Bomba of Vernon, BC and Taylor Murphy from Napanee, ON.
The women’s elite field vying for the Canadian title will feature the top three finishers from the 2008 Half Marathon Championships. Tara Quinn-Smith from Waterdown, ON will be looking to do her part in bringing both titles to the same household; Tara is Andrew Smith’s wife. She will face stiff competition from Nicole Stevenson of Hamilton and Lauren King from Toronto.
Of note the event is part of Athletics Canada’s pilot project with the ING Ottawa Marathon and the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon. The objective of the project is to enter a team in the 2009 IAAF World Marathon Cup.
At the time of the pilot projects announcement, Martin Goulet, Athletics Canada Chief High Performance Officer said, “Ultimately our objective is to re-establish Canadian marathoning to meet the levels of performance necessary to be competitive at the world level.” Goulet added, “We have noted the significant efforts to support Canada’s elite distance runners by our two road race partners and, more recently, the emergence of strong distance running programs lead by proven coaches. With the Berlin 2009 World Cup coming up, the timing is right for Athletics Canada to send a signal to our developing and ambitious distance runners, providing a path to excellence in marathoning”. Athletes will be selected based on performances, until the team is complete (5 per team), in the priority order listed at the following link - Marathon Selection Process: www.athletics.ca/files/NationalTeamPrograms/Events/2009/MARATHONSELECTIONFEB08FINAL.PDF
Athletes registered to compete in the ING Ottawa Marathon are eligible to contest for the Canadian title in their respective division if they are a Canadian citizen, and are an Athletics Canada member through their respective provincial branch. The wheelchair competitors must be classified by the IPC’s classification system for athletics and road racing.
You can find more information about the 2008 Canadian Marathon Championships at: Athletics.ca. Athletics Canada is the national sport governing body for the sport of track and field, cross-country running, road running and road racing.
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