Running pals,
This will be the sixth year in a row that I will pace the Scotia Waterfront Marathon. If you have not caught the buzz yet, you may want to set your alarm clock for this Sunday morning. Records are due to be broken, and Olympic dreams made or shattered.
Jerome Drayton (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerome_Drayton) has held the Canadian marathon record long enough, since 1975 to be exact. His time of 2:10:09 is more than likely going to be beaten by any number of Canadians racing this year’s waterfront marathon. They are also hoping to clear 2:11:30 which is the A-standard for the 2012 London Olympics. This is a tough standard to make and the reason why few Canadians have entered the Olympic marathon in recent years.
Pay close attention to Reid Coolsaet, Eric Gillis, Rob Watson and Dylan Wykes. If they can stay on record-breaking pace, they will be running sub-5 minute miles from start to finish! I ran this pace for ¼ mile (one lap of the track) and hurt myself seriously enough for four weeks of injury recovery. Needless to say I won’t be pacing THEM.
There is $1000 for every year the Canadian record has stood – $36,000 going to the new record setter. Only Canadian citizens can win it. The Kenyans of course will be faster, but not by much, and may also produce a new all-comers’ record as well. This will be simply the best marathon ever held on Canadian soil. The number and quality of our elite athletes have never been better.
The marathon starts at 9:00 am sharp. Shortly after 11:00 am the results will start coming in. For details, check out:
- Live TV starts at 8:30 am ET, October 16th, on CBC’s digital channel BOLD.
- Live web streaming will be available on www.cbcsports.ca until 2pm.
- Live results (5k splits as they cross each timing mat) will be available at Sport Stats (http://www.sportstats.ca).
- Later the same day at 3.00pm local time, a highlights program will run on CBC [main channel, national network], including special features and stories on the Canadian professional athletes’ pursuit of the Olympic qualifying standard.
Watch history in the making! Better yet, come down and be a part of it.
Dan M.
Scotia 3h25 pacer
