By Paul Gains
Once again, the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon (October 18, 2026), a World Athletics Elite Label race, will serve as the official Athletics Canada Canadian Marathon Championship.
Not only are Canadian marathoners drawn to the $8,000 CDN winners’ prize, but precious World Athletics points are up for grabs, which can help when it comes to qualification for next year’s World Athletics Championships in Beijing.
Rachel Hannah is the defending Canadian women’s champion, having finished 6th overall a year ago at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon in 2:33:47, her fastest time in a decade. She recorded her personal best 2:32:09 at the 2015 Houston Marathon and claimed the Pan Am Games bronze medal later that same year.
At the age of 40, the Port Elgin, Ontario resident provides inspiration to younger women as she continues to manage training volumes of up to 180km a week and remains competitive. Eight months ago she finished 4th at the Vancouver Half Marathon, finishing a little over a minute behind Dayna Pidhoresky in a race won by Natasha Wodak, the Canadian marathon record holder.
Pidhoresky, of Vancouver, returns to Toronto Waterfront. It was here that she secured a place on Canada’s 2020 Tokyo Olympic team when she won in 201recording a personal best of 2:29:03 on the day. A month away from her 40th birthday, she believes she is still capable of a personal best, but winning another title is of paramount importance.
The winner of the 2022, 2023 and 2024 Vancouver Marathons, she also won the McKirdy MicroOTQ Marathon in Congers, New York, earlier this year in 2:31:24. Her consistency makes her a favourite.
Making their debuts at the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon are a pair of women deserving attention. Cleo Boyd, 33, a former standout at the University of Virginia, finished third at the 2026 Canadian 10K Championships, then placed fourth at the Pittsburgh Half Marathon just three weeks later. Her time in the latter race was 1:12:26, a personal best and a good indicator that the Kingston, Ontario, native will be in the hunt for the medals.
The youngest of these challengers is Florence Caron, 25, who hails from the town of La Malbaie, Quebec. A year ago, she graduated from Penn State University after finishing a credible 14th at the 2025 NCAA Cross Country Championships for the Nittany Lions. She has since signed with HOKA and is training with Northern Arizona Elite in Flagstaff, Arizona. The move has already paid dividends.
Caron won the 2026 Canadian 10K Championships in Ottawa by 44 seconds and represented Canada at the World Athletics Road Running Championships, where she ran a personal-best half-marathon time of 1:11:03. She will be accompanied by her husband, Olivier Desmeules, also a Penn State graduate, who will serve as one of the official pacers.
The men’s championship race is expected to be an equally competitive battle. On paper, Thomas Broatch (2:10:35) and Tristan Woodfine (2:10:39), ranked 10th and 11th, respectively, on the Canadian all-time list, are favourites. Both had planned to run at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon a year ago, but serious health issues forced them to withdraw.
Broatch was crowned Canadian champion at the 2023 Toronto Waterfront Marathon while finishing a credible sixth overall. That race was his marathon debut. The Vancouver native experienced a suspected case of appendicitis two weeks before the 2025 Toronto Waterfront Marathon, which landed him in hospital for four days. Now in good health, the 27-year-old has successfully fought to regain peak fitness, and a podium finish is his goal.
In the summer of 2025, Woodfine suffered a tick bite and was diagnosed with Lyme disease. Fortunately, the condition was diagnosed quickly, but he still had to take a few weeks off, which cost him a place at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon. In August of this year, he and his wife welcomed their daughter, Wren, and it took him a couple of weeks to return to a consistent training schedule. Nevertheless, he is confident he can be competitive with the top Canadians.
Lee Wesselius, a full-time large-animal veterinarian in eastern Ontario, recorded his personal-best time of 2:13:52 while finishing ninth overall at the 2024 TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon. He also claimed the Canadian championship silver medal that day. A year ago, he finished second at the Vancouver Half Marathon in 64:28, just 11 seconds off his personal best, demonstrating that he can successfully balance a full-time work schedule with marathon training. He is expected to be a medal contender.
Another athlete forced to withdraw for medical reasons a year ago was John Gay, who had planned to make his marathon debut in Toronto. A 2021 Olympic finalist in the 3,000m steeplechase, he ran 2:14:16 at the Ottawa Marathon this past May. Now, he says he wants to “swing for the fences” and produce a great performance. A native of Kelowna, B.C., he increased his mileage to roughly 200 kilometres per week in preparation for Toronto.
Among several debutants, Vancouver’s 25-year-old Andrew Davies is particularly deserving of attention. A year ago, he beat Lee Wesselius by more than a minute to win the Vancouver Half Marathon in 63:05. He also won the 2024 Royal Victoria Half Marathon in 63:19, making his debut at that distance. His move to road racing is relatively recent. In fact, he competed in the 1,500m at the 2024 Canadian Athletics Championships.
The two Canadian Championship elite fields promise compelling viewing at this World Athletics Elite Label race.
