Natasha Wodak and Ben Preisner crushed the Marathon Project
Two more Canadians nabbed Olympic marathon qualifiers in the Arizona race, which was held the day after the state set COVID hospitalization records
Hello,
This past weekend saw the biggest running event we’ve seen in months: the Marathon Project. The 100-person race had the hype of a major, thanks to the lack of other races happening right now and because it’s rare for this many Americans and North Americans to race head-to-head like this — that usually only happens at the Olympic trials, which is a once every four years event.
I recap it all below, so let’s get to it!
Natasha Wodak runs 2:26:19, second fastest all-time Canadian women’s marathon
Natasha Wodak didn’t get a ton of coverage on the broadcast because she was nestled in the third women’s pack, and then when the race strung out, the cameras focused on the top three. But she dropped a stunning marathon performance on Sunday.
She ran 2:26:19 to finish fifth. The time is almost a nine-minute PB (Wodak ran her only other marathon, a 2:35:16, in Toronto in 2013) and the second fastest marathon ever run by a Canadian woman, behind only Malindi Elmore’s record-setting run of 2:24:50 in Houston in January.
On the Shakeout Podcast in November, Natasha talked about how much better she is now than she was in 2013. She’s much fitter, physically, but she’s also in a better place financially and emotionally. She also has a great and special relationship with her coach, Lynn Kanuka-Williams. All these things helped her be in an amazing position to crush her return to 42.2K, and she absolutely did.
“I am so happy! That was really hard,” Natasha said on her Instagram stories after the race. “I’m so grateful for this opportunity. I was able to run well today.”
She also confirmed that she will have to quarantine for 14 days when she returns to Canada.
The other Canadian woman in the race was Kinsey Middleton, who started off strong, hitting the halfway point in 1:15:20, but ended up dropping out before the 30K mark. On her Instagram stories, Kinsey said her bursitis in her achilles had flared up. She thought she had handled it and was good to go for the Marathon Project, but it turned out not to be the case.
Sarah Inglis, the Scottish runner who lives and trains in B.C., ran 2:29:41 in her marathon debut. The time is a mere 11 seconds off the Olympic standard.
Ben Preisner runs 2:10:17 in his debut, fourth fastest all-time Canadian men’s marathon
Ben Preisner was the top Canadian man at the Marathon Project, running 2:10:17 to finish seventh overall.
The time puts Ben at #4 on the Canadian men’s all-time marathon list (behind Cam Levins, Trevor Hofbauer and Jerome Drayton) and earned him the Olympic marathon standard.
The 24-year-old started to make waves in Canadian running last year, returning after he graduated from the University of Tulsa. He won a handful of half-marathons, including Vancouver and Toronto, before deciding to turn his attention to the marathon distance this year.
The Marathon Project was Ben’s first true marathon. He as set to make his debut in London in the spring. But when COVID meant London got postponed until October, Ben decided to run a marathon time trial, which he completed in 2:15:24.
“So I ran under the Olympic standard this morning... Super elated that things came together on the day. Owe so much of it to all of the people in my corner, especially my family, @vanessalinton and my great coach Rich. Going to take a few days to process it all, and also lay in bed for most of it,” Ben wrote on Instagram after the race.
He also spoke to Doug Harrison at CBC Sports after the race:
"In terms of race execution and the time I achieved, it is definitely up there in terms of career highlights," Preisner, who represented Canada at the 2019 world cross-country championships, told CBC Sports. He also won his debut half marathon last year in Vancouver and four months later the half at the TWM.
After spending the final five weeks of his marathon build training at altitude in Flagstaff, Ariz. — 270 km north of Chandler — Preisner was told by BC Endurance Project head coach Richard Lee to run his own race against a deep men's field on Sunday that included five of the top 10 finishers from the 2020 U.S. Olympic marathon trials.
"I trusted the training we [had] done and didn't feel the need to be right in the middle of the front group," he said. "Staying slightly behind the main pack, but within striking distance, through [32 km] allowed me to focus only on myself and keep mentally focused. I believe the consistency I maintained helped tremendously in the last 10K."
Cam Levins was the lead Canadian for much of the race, even going through 30K at at Canadian record 1:31:44. That was 1/100th of a second faster than the previous record of 1:31:45, set by Art Boileau on March 7, 1982. But Cam faded in the last 10K, crossing the finish line in 2:12:15, which put him in 15th place and off the 2:11:30 mark needed to qualify for the Olympics.
“Ran a Canadian best for 30k at @marathonproj before the wheels completely fell off. Beyond frustrated and disappointed. My training had indicated better things but unfortunately it didn’t happen today,” Cam wrote on Instagram after the race.
His coach, Jim Finlayson, told CBC Sports they may not have given Cam enough recovery time after his DNF at London, which contributed to his legs just giving out.
Rory Linkletter was the third of the four Canadian men competing to finish, running 2:12:54 for a four-minute PB in his second marathon, good for 17h place. Rory’s first marathon was 2:16:42, which he ran in Toronto in 2019. “Had a nice puke across the line. No doubt, I gave it all I had!” Rory wrote on Twitter after the race.
Rory talked about his marathon building and training with NAZ Elite with Lindsey Hein on I’ll Have Another the week before the race. The conversation covers his running career, his personal life, attending Brigham Young University as a non-Mormon Canadian, the rise of Canadian distance running and more. It’s a great conversation to listen to if you want to get to know Rory better.
Justin Kent put together a solid debut, running 2:17:22 to finish 37th. “A privilege to suffer out there,” he tweeted after the race.
What do these performances mean for the Olympic marathon team?
It means Athletics Canada is going to have some tough choices to make — but there’s still time for more runners to add their names to the conversation.
The winners of the Olympic trials at Toronto in 2019 are guaranteed a spot on the team. The other two spots will be chosen by Athletic Canada from all the qualified athletes.
There are now five women with the Olympic standard for the marathon:
Dayna Pidhoresky (auto-qualifier, 2:29:03, Toronto 2019)
Malindi Elmore (2:24:50, Houston 2020)
Natasha Wodak (2:26:19, Marathon Project 2020)
Rachel Cliff (2:26:56, Nagoya 2019)
Lyndsey Tessier (2:42:03, 9th place, Doha world championships 2019)
It’s not guaranteed that the remaining to spots will go to the two fastest qualifiers, but it does feel like the most straightforward way to approach this decision. There are other factors Athletics Canada considers, like fitness and competitive readiness.
But Natasha’s focus has long been the 10,000m. So Natasha may have a choice to make: the 10,000m or the marathon. She has not yet officially qualified for the 10,000m for the 2021 Olympics, but her world ranking has her in a good spot. Plus she will have all spring to try to improve that mark. She can’t even think about doing the double because the events are on the same day, 800K apart.
Lanni Marchant ran the marathon/10,000m double in 2016, but had to fight with Athletics Canada to make it happen, and the events were three days apart.
On the men’s side, Ben becomes the third Canadian man to run an Olympic qualifying mark. The other two are Trevor Hofbauer (2:09:51, Toronto 2019) and Tristan Woodfine (2:10:51, London 2020). Countries can send three athletes of each gender to the marathon so if no one else qualifies, all three are set.
Because Trevor’s spot is guaranteed with his Olympic trials win, Tristan is now on the chopping block: if someone can run faster than 2:10:51 by the end of the qualification period, they will probably get selected.
The qualification period is open until May 31, 2021. So marathoners will have more shot, a spring 2021 marathon, to add their names to the mix. COVID-permitting, of course.
American Sara Hall wins women’s race in 2:20:32, Canadian pacer Calum Neff was with her for 26 miles
Everyone had one thing on their mind when it came to Sara Hall signing up for the Marathon Project: was she going to go after Deena Kastor’s 2006 American record of 2:19:36? Several have tried in the 14 years the record has stood, including Shalane Flangan and Jordan Hasay.
Sara went out on record pace, and, surprisingly, Kellyn Taylor went with her. The two ran together, with four male pacers, until Kellyn fell off Sara and the pacers just after halfway. The pacers all stayed with Sara, leaving Kellyn to run alone.
Two of the pacers took Sara through 26 miles, including Canadian Calum Neff.
Calum is a Canadian who currently lives in Houston. He does a lot of fun things with his running. He participated in the Quarantine Backyard Ultra this summer and holds three stroller running world records: in the marathon (2:31:22), half-marathon (1:11:27) and 10K (31:43). In January of this year, he decided to start the Houston half-marathon dead last, and tried to pass as many people as possible. Each person he passed raised money for the the Houston Marathon Foundation. Calum ran 1:09:59 and passed 13,280 people.
When they hit the turn to the finish the Marathon Project, Calum was doing his best to pump Sara up, pointing and cheering. I loved seeing him be so invested in her performance.
Sara did her best to kick it to the finish. She missed the record by a little less a minute, finishing in 2:20:32. The time is a personal best for the 37-year-old Hall, and the second fastest marathon time ever run by an American woman. Sara has put together two fantastic marathon performances in just three months: in October, she unleashed a killer kick to finish second at the London marathon in a then-personal best performance of 2:22:01.
Sara took home $5,000 for the winner. Keira D’Amato came second, winning $2,000 (more on her below), while Kellyn Taylor took third to earn $1,000.
Here is the complete women’s top 10:
Sara Hall (2:20:32)
Keira D’Amato (2:22:56)
Kellyn Taylor (2:25:22)
Emma Bates (2:25:40)
Natasha Wodak (2:26:19)
Andrea Ramirez Limon (2:26:34)
Page Stoner (2:28:43)
Ursula Patricia Sanchez Garcia (2:29:11)
Sarah Inglis (2:29:41)
Bria Wetsch (2:29:50)
You can see the full results here.
American Keira D’Amato runs monster 12-minute PB to finish second, capping off an amazing 2020
The story of the women’s race is Keira D’Amato. In a year without races, the 36-year-old realtor from near Washington, D.C., has turned up the heat on her own running.
After placing 15th at the American Olympic marathon trials in February, she has PBed in every distance from the mile to the marathon, setting up time trials and unconventional races along the way.
In October, she won the Michigan pro half-marathon, a pro race created to fill the running gaps created by COVID, in a PR run of 1:08:57.
In November, she organized a 10-mile American record attempt, featuring a handful of American women. Keira did the organizing and put her own money into making that event happen, which she called the Up Dawg 10-Miler. She won that handily, setting the record of 51:23.
At the Marathon Project, Keira started in the second women’s group, alongside Emma Bate and Stephanie Bruce. She eventually broke away from them, powering forward with pacer Ben Bruce, and eventually caught Kellyn Taylor in the last miles.
Her finish time of 2:22:56 is nearly 12 minutes faster than her previous PB of 2:34:24. It is also the eighth-fastest marathon ever run by an American woman.
Keira also now holds the fastest marathon PB in her household, bettering her husband’s PB of 2:31:49 by nearly nine minutes.
If you want to get to know Keira better, I recommend listening to her conversations with Ali Feller on the Ali on the Run Show and Chris Chavez on the Citius Mag podcast. She’s fearless, funny and approaches running as if she has nothing to lose - and it’s paying off big time.
Marin Hehir, an American med student who has been working with COVID patients, wins mens race in 2:08:59
It feels very fitting that in this race, where more than a dozen men who could have pulled out a victory, the person who broke the tape was a runner who put his pro racing career on the back burner so he could go to medical school.
Martin Hehir is a 28-year-old who is studying at Sidney Kimmel Medical College in Philadelphia, with plans to become an anesthesiologist.
Martin ran 2:08:59, to become the 12th American man ever to break 2:09.
The lead pack of men was huge for the first half of the race, featuring more than 15 runners, including all four Canadian men. Eventually, people began to drop off, but the pack remained an impressive size through 35K.
After that, Martin made a move, breaking away. Noah Droddy was hot on his heels for a while. In the final breakaway, it looked like Noah had enough space to catch him. But Martin held on to break the tape, and Noah proved he left everything out on the course by puking right across the finish line — and right in front of the broadcast camera.
Martin currently trains with Reebok Boston Track Club, which includes Canadians Justyn Knight and Ben Flanagan. (Ben was one of the Marathon Project pacers, working with the 2:11:30 men’s group.)
Martin’s finish time is the 12th fastest all-time American men’s marathon. On Twitter after the race, he dedicated the run to frontline health care workers.
It was also a birthday present to himself: he turned 28 the day before, on Dec. 19.
Martin placed sixth in the Olympic trials back in February, running his then PB of 2:11:29.
Since then, he has been spending the past nine months working in an ICU with COVID patients as part of his medical school training. He will graduate from med school in 2021. He balances running and med school with a family. He is married and has two young daughters, the youngest was just born in July.
If you want to get to know Martin better, I recommend listening to his conversation with Lindsey Hein on I’ll Have Another. It was recorded after his Olympic trials performance and right when things with COVID were getting bad. He was also profiled by Runner’s World two years ago.
Martin took home $5,000 for the win. Noah Droddy, the runner-up, earned $2,000, while third place Colin Bennie won $1,000.
Here is the complete men’s top 10:
Martin Hehir (2:02:59)
Noah Droddy (2:09:09)
Colin Bennie (2:09:38)
Scott Fauble (2:09:42)
Ian Butler (2:09:45)
Scott Smith (2:09:46)
Mick Iacofano (2:09:55)
Benjamin Preisner (2:10:17)
Nathan Martin (2:11:05)
C.J. Albertson (2:11:18)
You can see the full results here.
The problems with racing in a time of COVID
I know the Marathon Project put together COVID protocols, and I appreciate this. But between the runners, their supporters, the organizers and the support staff, there were hundreds of people there for the race — in a state where COVID cases as exploding. Arizona hit daily COVID hospitalization records the same weekend the Marathon Project took place.
We can talk all day about how inspiring this event was, how much it was needed for the running community’s morale and how runners needed it to fulfill contract obligations and make money. And all that can be true. But is that worth the possibility of contributing to a pandemic that is out of control?
American pro runner Kaitlin Goodman wrote a good article for Runner’s World about why she’s not racing during the pandemic.
And the Burn It All Down podcast did a great episode about the ethics of sports during the pandemic, and I recommend listening to it.
Strides: Other stuff to watch, listen to and know about
🏕 Canadian racewalker Evan Dunfee has signed up for the virtual distance challenge Camp KM. His goal? To walk 600K in January. He’s doing it to raise money for KidSport, an organization in B.C. that works to ensure kids from all backgrounds are able to play sports. His fundraising goal is $6,000. You can learn more or donate here.
📺 Des Linden, who was on Marathon Project broadcast duty alongside Paul Swangard, shared her remote setup on Twitter. Bernard Legat was the sideline reporter. All three did a fantastic job.
🗓 Canada Running Series founder Alan Brookes wrote a 2020 recap, and outlined what racing in Canada might look like in 2021. They are hopeful in-person races can return in a modified format by fall 2021. But it depends on several factors, so it’s too early to commit to much. Spring 2021 will see a full calendar of virtual races.
👟 CBC Radio host Tom Power continues to get media love for discovering running in 2020. He was interviewed by Ben Kaplan for iRun. The two talked about why Tom’s foray into running this time is different than the time he tried a couch to 5K and his next big running goal: the Tely 10-miler in his hometown of St. John’s.
🎧 A few weeks ago, I wrote about how Canadian runner and aspiring Olympian Corey Bellemore opened up on social media about his struggles with RED-S and disordered eating. He shared more of his story on the Shakeout podcast with Kate Van Buskirk.
🚴🏻♀️ Devin Heroux at CBC Sports profiled triathlete Paula Findlay. Paula finished dead last at the triathlon at the Olympics in London, a finish that she was embarrassed by and impacted her deeply. Ever since, she’s been working her way back up to the top of her sport and now her eyes are on Olympic redemption in 2021.
🎽 Dayna Pidhoresky talked to iRun about how she’s been spending her pandemic. At the beginning of the pandemic, she was injured and had to focus on rehab. And now she’s back in serious training with the same problem every runner has: no races in sight and no idea when they’ll return.
That’s it for this week!
If you’re reading this online or it was forwarded to you by a friend, you can subscribe to Run the North here:
Run the North comes out on Monday mornings.
Next week, I will recap the top 10 moments in Canadian running in 2020.
Then I have decided I am going to take the first week of 2021 off, so there will be no newsletter on Jan. 4.
When I return on Jan. 11, I have something special planned. Why? Because it is issue #100! Two years of Run the North in your inbox, I can’t believe it either.
Thanks for reading. Stay safe, and keep on running — alone.
I’ll see you next week!