Athletics Canada is pleased to send a team of three women and three men to the NACAC Half Marathon Championship in San José, Costa Rica on May 22.
The team of six, which comprises first-time national team athletes, a world record holder and a mountain running specialist, will be led by distance running events coach at Club Vainqueurs Plus and Coaching Education Manager at Athletics Canada John Lofranco.
“This is a team with some experience and some up and comers who are getting an opportunity to wear the maple leaf for the first time,” said Lofranco. “The depth in this event is growing in Canada and it will be fun to see if it translates to some strong marathon performances down the line.”
meet the athletes
Women
Sasha Gollish - Toronto, ON – Royal City AC– Terry Radchenko
Earlier this year, Gollish qualified for these championships by posting a time of 1:14:11 at the First Half Vancouver half-marathon, and two weeks later set a world record of 4:38.73 in the women’s 40+ indoor mile. A versatile runner who also is no stranger to representing Canada, Gollish comes into the competition with a lifetime best of 1:11:05.
Laura Desjardins - Montreal, QC – Monarch Athletics – Malindi Elmore
Desjardins has used much of the last year to transition from middle-distance track races to the roads, and was rewarded for it last fall by finishing sixth at the Canadian 10 km Championship and crossing the line in 34:09. Then, last month, she took gold in the Montreal Half-Marathon, running to a new personal best of 1:14:47.
Colleen Wilson - Halifax, NS - Halifax Roadhammers - Lee McCarron
Wilson joins team Canada just four months removed from a personal best of 1:15:49 at the Houston Half Marathon. While this will be her first appearance on Canada's national half-marathon team, the Halifax-based Wilson has represented the country in the past at the World Mountain Running Championship.
Men
Lee Wesselius – River Glade, NB – Unattached – Self-coached
Wesselius comes into the championship fresh off a victory at the Montreal Half-Marathon in a personal best time of 64:47. The 28-year-old also re-wrote his personal bests in the 10 km and marathon last fall, which now sit at 29:13 and 2:16:37, respectively. The River Glade, N.B. native who now lives and trains in Mountain, Ontario, will represent Canada internationally for the first time.
Phil Parrot-Migas - London, ON – London Western – Dave Mills
Parrot-Migas has already showed great prowess on the roads this Spring, running to a marathon personal best of 2:18:39 at the Rotterdam Marathon in April. The 29-year-old was coming off a strong fall, which saw him clinch top-10 finishes at both the Canadian 10 km Championship and the Canadian Cross-Country Championships. No stranger to the half distance, he holds a lifetime best of 1:03:56.
Kieran McDonald – Halifax, NS – Halifast Athletics – Rich Lehman
Like Wesselius, McDonald has set most of his personal bests in the last calendar year. Last summer, he ran to a 14:10 5,000m and followed that with a top-ten finish at the 2021 Canadian 10 km Championship in 29:35. Recently, the Edmonton, AB native and Halifax, NS, resident finished second behind Wesselius in the Montreal Half in a personal best time of 1:05:10.
Athletes will get to contest for prize money on an individual and team basis, with the winner in each the male and female races taking home $2,000 USD, and the winning teams taking home $3,000 USD. Scoring for the teams race takes into account only the first female and first male to cross the finish line, but the teams cash prize will be split between all racing members.
