Canadians are making the grade in a world-class marathon.
Two Canadian marathoners who train at Guelph's Speed River club - Reid Coolsaet of Hamilton, Ont., and Eric Gillis of Antigonish, N.S. - were named Thursday among the elite starters for the April 17 Virgin London Marathon.
Coolsaet was the top Canadian, 10th overall, at the 2010 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon in 2 hours 11 minutes 23 seconds, beating the Canadian Olympic Association's qualifying standard for London 2012 of 2:11:29. Eric Gillis finished just behind Coolsaet in 2:12:06, 11th overall, and said after the Toronto race that getting the Olympic standard was his spring priority.
He'll have lots of fast company to tow him along. Not only will reigning champions Tsegaye Kebede of Ethiopia and Liliya Shobukhova of Russia return to defend their London Marathon titles, but organizers point to six men in the field quicker than 2 hours 6 minutes, and no fewer than 14 women with sub-2:24 personal bests. All six medal winners from 2010 will be on the Blackheath start line as both lineups feature both Olympic and world champions, champions of the World Marathon Majors series, and past winners at Berlin, Chicago and New York.
There's a deliberate effort to put Canadians among the elite in world-class races, says Alan Brookes, race director of the Scotiabank Waterfront Marathon race.
"We've worked closely with Athletics Canada and the Ottawa Marathon over the past three years, to build a joint public-private partnership to develop the endurance and marathon component of athletics in Canada," Brookes said. The Toronto waterfront and Ottawa marathons underwrote sending a five-man Team Canada to the World Cup Marathon last year, part of the world championships in Berlin last year.
"The [London] trip is an extension of this. It is an official Team Canada trip, with an accompanying coach, manager and physio. Athletics Canada and the marathons along the Toronto waterfront and Ottawa are trying to give our guys every incentive, and every support possible so they can compete at the highest levels against the best in the world."
"We expect they will also be able to stay on an extra couple of days to check out the London 2012 course."
Canadian marathoners are giving chase to the 35-year-old mark at Jerome Drayton that still stands, 2:10:18. Dylan Wykes of Kingston, Ont., who won the California International in 2:12:39; cross-country star Simon Bairu of Regina; Rob Watson of Lonton, Ont., who paced Reid along the waterfront; Matt Loiselle of Toronto and Andrew Smith of Toronto give Canada new-found depth in the men's marathon.