Vancouver’s Dayna Pidhoresky appears to be in great shape leading into the 2026 Toronto Waterfront Marathon, Taking place Sunday, October 18.
The Tecumseh, Ontario native ran a new personal best at the Eastside 10K in Vancouver on Sunday, September 27, clocking 33:15 for the win.
Just two weeks earlier, she had improved her 15-year-old half-marathon personal best at the Windsor Waterfront Half Marathon, finishing in 1:11:37. She won that race as well.
“Two wins and two official PBs in two weeks. [I am] very happy about the fitness currently and how I recovered from the half and my training going into today,” she shared with Athletics Illustrated by email. “Toronto is the next big one so I’m looking forward to targeting another PB there if I can. Lots of momentum going into it! Both of these races I have felt very strong, controlled and steady so that gives me a lot of confidence for the next one in three weeks.”
It was in Toronto in 2019 where Pidhoresky set her current personal best and, at the same time, qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, which, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, did not take place until 2021. Pidhoresky had to either qualify under the usual method at the time, by being a top three Canadian during the qualifying period and run under the qualifying standard. Alternatively, she could win the national championships in Toronto, regardless of her finish time. She did, recording 2:29:03 PB.
Tokyo was another story. She was sequestered by officials in a hotel room because it was feared that someone on her flight had COVID. She was detraining in that hotel room and subsequently had a rough go in her only Olympic competition. It was a hot day in Sapporo, which defeated the purpose of running it there, 800 kms north of Tokyo, as the area experienced the same temperatures as Tokyo, of over 30°C.
Pidhoresky, now 39, continues to train at a high level and is typically in the hunt for a podium position. It is often said in running that consistency may be the most important aspect of training.
Asked what has led to two PBs in three weeks, she replied:
“I think I’ve really built on a solid, uninjured, consistent stretch of running over the last two years. Maybe as I near my twilight years I’m a bit more meticulous and trying to get the most out of everything. I made a good list after my DNF at Toronto last year and we’ve tackled a lot of those things which has helped me race better this year.
“Some things on the list were to race better than I train, race more. I think those two things help each other out, as well as really stay on top of my body, doing all the little things so I’m lining up with the body in balance. Other than that I’ve not really done anything special but I did add a heat protocol this fall. Is it doing anything? Maybe? I’m probably never going to do an altitude stint but this is my version of it. So I’m happy to build upon what was a really, really solid spring for me.”
Meticulous or not, nearing 40 as a marathon racer is nothing to fear. In fact, other Canadians have done their best after 40, including two athletes with very long careers: Malindi Elmore of Kelowna, BC, and Natasha Wodak of North Vancouver.
At age 40, Wodak ran the Canadian record in Berlin, clocking 2:23:12, a record that continues to stand four years later. The following year, Elmore, age 43, ran nearly as fast in Berlin, going 2:23:30 for the second-fastest Canadian run ever.
Likewise, there are examples from around the world. Australian Lisa Weightman, at 44, ran the Osaka Marathon in 2:23:15 three years ago. This year, 46-year-old Kenyan Edna Kiplagat clocked 2:25:44 in Cape Town, RSA. At age 41, American Sara Hall ran 2:23:45 in Orlando, Florida in 2024. There are others.
Toronto is a fast course, with few hills. The organizers do a good job of recruiting international-level athletes, so Pidhoresky is less likely to end up in no-person’s land during the race.
