Natasha Wodak and Matthew Hughes win Canadian 5K Road Championships

Copyright – 2015 – Athletics Illustrated

The Canadian 5K Road Race Championships took place Sunday, September 13th in Yorkville, Ontario and appeared to be an unofficial battle between Greater Vancouver and the Greater Toronto Area. Half of the top-12 male finishers were from Southern, Ontario, while the other half were from Greater Vancouver. Although there are no city-based teams in the competition Southern Ontario would have narrowly won.

The race was run on a flat and fast course that offered just three 90 degree turns and five softer turns with long stretches of straight runs for several hundred metres each.

Matt Hughes of Toronto won the men’s race in the time of 14:16.20 the second place finisher was Even Esselink from Courtice, Ontario, he finished in the time of 14:19.40 and third was Vancouver’s Justin Marpole-Bird who crossed the line in the time of 14:25.80.

Matt Hughes is the Canadian record holder in the 3,000m steeplechase (8:11.64) and seven time IAAF World Championships competitor including cross-country, junior track and three times at the senior world championships including the 2015 Beijing worlds. Earlier this summer he won gold at the 2015 Toronto Pan American Games.

The Vancouver-Toronto battle was not so close in the women’s race, as Ontario women took most of the top positions, however, Vancouver’s Natasha Wodak was the winner, and she finished in the time of 15:57.10. She was followed in by Toronto’s Rachel Hannah who finished in the time of 16:14.50. Laura Batterink finished third in 16:19.90, Batterink is from Port Perry, Ontario.

Wodak is the Canadian 10,000-metre and 8K road record holder, the former she accomplished this past May at the Payton Jordan Invitational in Palo Alto, California. She finished in the time of 31:41.59. She has represented Canada three times in the world championships, twice in cross-country and once in track at this summer’s Beijing worlds. She won the North American, Central American and Caribbean Cross Country Championships and is also a national cross-country champion.

When asked about her win, Wodak said, “I’m very happy to win my first Canadian road race championship!”

Hannah told Athletics Illustrated, “I went out more conservative this year compared to last which benefited me in the last kilometre. I felt strong coming into the finish. It was helpful to have Dayna (Pidhoresky) and Laura there to push the pace. Natasha had a fantastic start and I was not able to bridge the gap. Overall I am happy with my performance and know there is still lots of work to be done. It is nice to race shorter since my summer marathon.

Hannah finished fourth the in the 2015 Toronto Pan American Games, however, there is a chance she will move up as the gold medallist had an adverse analytical finding in a doping test. The case is currently under review.

A total of 16 men ran under the 15-minute benchmark, while a further six more ran under the 16-minute mark, while 11 women ran under 18-minutes and a total of 24 ran under 19-minutes.

Oakville, Ontario’s Laszlo Orosz won the masters division and competes in the 45-49 age-category; he finished in 16:10.80. Toronto’s Lindsey Tessier who was competing the 35-39 “masters” age-group won the masters division in the time of 17:31.20, while the first women over 40 was Leslie Black with the result of 18:03.20.

The 5K championship event was run in conjunction of the sixth annual B&O Yorkville Run.

The male and female winners each earn $2000, while second place earns $1000 and third $500, prizing goes to fifth place.