Toronto, Ont. – The inaugural Canadian 5k Championships hosted by the Bang & Olufsen Yorkville Run takes place Sunday September 7 in Toronto’s Yorkville district. The elite field will see over 30 athletes battle it out for the first-ever Athletics Canada Canadian Championship titles in the 5km road race distance. The event also serves as the national championship event for the Canadian Masters Athletics.
Event schedule
9:00 am – Canadian 5k Championships (elite field)
9:45 am – B&O Yorkville Run (mass participation field)
10:45 am – Awards ceremony
Among the field is Jessica O’Connell of Calgary, Alta., who placed tenth in the 5000-metres at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. She enters the race with a track 5km personal best of 15:12. Jessica was recently named to the Americas team that will compete at the IAAF Continental Cup. O’Connell will face stiff competition from a deep women’s field that includes Rachel Hannah (track personal best of 15:50) of Toronto. Hannah is looking for her second national title of the season after taking the win at the Canadian Half Marathon Championships in Montreal.
Andrew Nixon of Guelph, Ont., headlines the men’s field with a personal best of 13:55 (track). Sami Jibril of Toronto is hoping to capture gold following a silver medal performance at the 2014 Canadian Half Marathon Championships. Jibril enters with a track 5km personal best of 14:09.
Canadian Championship Prize money
1st place (male & female) - $2,000
2nd place - $1,000
3rd place - $500
Masters Championship Prize money
1st place (male & female) - $300
2nd place - $200
3rd place - $100
Chiba Ekiden Road Relay Qualification
The male and female winners at the 2014 Canadian 5k Championships will be guaranteed a place on Athletics Canada’s Chiba Ekiden Road Relay team. The 2014 Chiba Ekiden takes place November 24 in Chiba City, Japan. The Chiba Ekiden is a mixed gender road race relay where men and women alternate legs to cover the full marathon distance of 42.195-kilometres (men’s 5km, women’s 5km, men’s 10km, women’s 5km, men’s 10km, women’s 7.195km).
For the latest on the Canadian 5km Championship click here.
About the Bang & Olufsen Yorkville Run
The B&O Yorkville Run is a premier, boutique, 5k race that unites local runners and businesses to raise funds for local charities. The run provides a luxurious experience to its 1,000 participants – from its high-end race kit, to its oversized finishers medals and après-run hors d’oeuvres served by white-gloved waiters, courtesy of Yorkville restaurants. Since its inception in 2010, the B&O Yorkville Run has raised more than $200,000 for YWCA Toronto’s women’s shelters.
-AC-
Emily Hooper
Coordinator, Marketing and Communications
Athletics Canada
(613) 260-5580 x.3332