By: Jonathan Yue
The first ever Canadian Virtual 10K Championship is set to offer a new experience for both organizers and athletes alike. For 2019 champion Dylan Wykes, runner-up Justin Kent, and 2017 champion Rachel Cliff, it has given them something to look forward to during the weeks leading up.
“I’m really looking forward to being able to run in front of my friends and family,” Kent says. “It’ll be a fun way to kick off the rest of Canada Day. You’ve got to earn the party.”
The new format where runners will have a 6-hour window to complete their run, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. EDT, the race must be tracked by a GPS device, while a portion of each race must also be recorded on video.
Although it is a different process than other years, Dylan Wykes, who will not be taking part in the festivities this year, is still excited to see how things play out, especially with the virtual aspect of the competition.
“Everyone has home field advantage for this race,” explains Wykes, who has taken on the role of Elite Athlete Coordinator. “Being able to control a lot of the variables that elite athletes usually fret over – travel, course, race schedule – is a good thing. The athletes should gain a lot of confidence from that and allow them to go out and focus on simply running their best.”
Kent adds, “It’s so nice to be able to stay in your routine and wake up in your own bed on the same day of your race. It’ll be interesting to see where athletes decide to race across Canada. We’ve got a route in Fort Langley that our coach, Richard Lee, has used for years. It’s fast, and familiar so I’m excited to see what I can do on it.”
Joining Kent in this unique Canadian championships will be his training partner and 2018 Canadian cross country champion Lucas Bruchet, reigning women’s champion Natasha Wodak, 2017 champion Cliff, 2019 Toronto Half Marathon winner Ben Preisner, as well as 2015 Pan American Games marathon bronze medal winner Rachel Hannah, to name a few.
This will be Cliff's first "virtual" race, making it an interesting experience for the Vancouver-native.
"I’m curious to see how the format works," said Cliff. "It will definitely be a different stimulus, not racing side-by-side against your competitors or traveling to the race, but I’m excited about other aspects of the competition."
"It’s obviously sad that we can’t be racing in Ottawa together – the 10k championships are one of my favourite races each year – but I’m excited that the race directors have found a creative way to hold the event anyways. I love that they’ve included a charity challenge as well. It will be fun having our coach, teammates and friends around to cheer us on. Plus, if we’re lucky, we’ll get to avoid Ontario’s humidity," added Cliff.
With so many elite athletes looking to toe the line on Wednesday, it is hard think about the competition aspect of the race, but Wykes says a lot of these athletes are close friends and when it all begins, there will be some light-hearted competition, as well as possibly new race strategies.
“It'll be fun to see as the times trickle in across the country throughout the day,” Wykes adds. “The folks out west might have a bit of an advantage as they will likely know what they have to go out and run to end up the champion. So maybe there will be a bit of strategy there too.”
Kent is expecting the competitive banter to heat up during the days leading up to the big Canada Day race too. “Dylan just messaged me saying I can get some redemption on losing to him last year in Ottawa,” Kent jokes.
With the event on Canada Day, it is expecting to be a great competition with athletes showing off their form and at the end of the day, there’s a Canadian title on the line.
“It’ll be extra special to try and win a national title on your country’s national holiday,” says Kent. “Let the fastest time trial-er win, eh!”
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