04-03-2008, 03:48 PM
ING Ottawa and Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathons partner with Athletics Canada to send Canadian marathoners to 2009 World Cup
OTTAWA âââ‰â¬Å Organizers of the ING Ottawa Marathon and the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon have teamed up with Athletics Canada to help send Canadian marathoners to the 2009 World Cup in Berlin. Canadian athletes reaching the criteria will be part of the first team in eight years to represent Canada at a world championship. It is the first time such action has been undertaken by organizers of road races in Canada.
"We have seen some tremendous performances at our races in recent years," says John Halvorsen, Race Director for the ING Ottawa Marathon. "We feel it is our role to provide the right environment for our athletes to develop into world-class competitors. It is very important for us to partake in initiatives such as this one and go beyond organizing a race and putting our money where our mouth is."
"We're delighted to see this partnership between the private sector and the federation--to see Canada's top 2 international marathons working with Athletics Canada to create some excitement around marathoning, and some tangible goals to reward the pursuit of excellence in Canadian distance running," adds Alan Brookes, Race Director for the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon. "It's too late for Beijing, but if we all work together on projects like this, we could see a strong marathon team running for Canada in London."
Canadian athletes will be selected based on their performance achieved between January 2008 and May 24, 2009. Overall, five athletes per team (five males, five females) will be chosen and selection will be prioritized according to the following criteria:
1. Performance under 2:12:38 (men)/2:29:08 (women) in the 2008 and/or 2009 Ottawa ING Marathon and/or the 2008 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon.
2. Top-ranked athlete, within the Athletics Canada qualifying period, with performance of 2:12:38 (men)/2:29:08(women) in any other IAAF sanctioned marathon.
3. Top Canadian finisher at the 2008 or 2009 Ottawa ING marathon and/or 2008 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon in under 2:15:00 (men)/2:34:00 (women).
4. Other athlete with a performance under 2:12:38 (men)/2:29:08 (women) within the Athletics Canada qualifying period at any other IAAF sanctioned marathon.
5. Winner of the 2008 or 2009 Ottawa ING marathon and/or 2008 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, with 2:18:00/2:43:00 achieved within the Athletics Canada qualifying period.
6. Other athlete (no more than 1 man or woman) identified as a 'Rising Star' under the Athletics Canada regular criteria.
7. 2nd place finisher of the 2008 or 2009 Ottawa ING Marathon and/or 2008 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon in under 2:18:00 (men)/2:43:00 (women)
8. 3rd place finisher of the 2008 or 2009 Ottawa ING Marathon and/or 2008 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon in under 2:18:00 (men)/2:43:00 (women)
9. Performance of 2:18:00 (men)/2:43:00 (women) within the AC qualifying period
"Our goal is to reestablish marathon running in Canada and partnering with the organizers of both Ottawa and Toronto Waterfront marathons was a logical step in that direction," says Martin Goulet, Athletics Canada's Chief High Performance Officer. "They have invested significant efforts in recent years to support the development of elite distance runners in this country and this is only another example of their stellar contribution to the sport."
OTTAWA âââ‰â¬Å Organizers of the ING Ottawa Marathon and the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon have teamed up with Athletics Canada to help send Canadian marathoners to the 2009 World Cup in Berlin. Canadian athletes reaching the criteria will be part of the first team in eight years to represent Canada at a world championship. It is the first time such action has been undertaken by organizers of road races in Canada.
"We have seen some tremendous performances at our races in recent years," says John Halvorsen, Race Director for the ING Ottawa Marathon. "We feel it is our role to provide the right environment for our athletes to develop into world-class competitors. It is very important for us to partake in initiatives such as this one and go beyond organizing a race and putting our money where our mouth is."
"We're delighted to see this partnership between the private sector and the federation--to see Canada's top 2 international marathons working with Athletics Canada to create some excitement around marathoning, and some tangible goals to reward the pursuit of excellence in Canadian distance running," adds Alan Brookes, Race Director for the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon. "It's too late for Beijing, but if we all work together on projects like this, we could see a strong marathon team running for Canada in London."
Canadian athletes will be selected based on their performance achieved between January 2008 and May 24, 2009. Overall, five athletes per team (five males, five females) will be chosen and selection will be prioritized according to the following criteria:
1. Performance under 2:12:38 (men)/2:29:08 (women) in the 2008 and/or 2009 Ottawa ING Marathon and/or the 2008 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon.
2. Top-ranked athlete, within the Athletics Canada qualifying period, with performance of 2:12:38 (men)/2:29:08(women) in any other IAAF sanctioned marathon.
3. Top Canadian finisher at the 2008 or 2009 Ottawa ING marathon and/or 2008 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon in under 2:15:00 (men)/2:34:00 (women).
4. Other athlete with a performance under 2:12:38 (men)/2:29:08 (women) within the Athletics Canada qualifying period at any other IAAF sanctioned marathon.
5. Winner of the 2008 or 2009 Ottawa ING marathon and/or 2008 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, with 2:18:00/2:43:00 achieved within the Athletics Canada qualifying period.
6. Other athlete (no more than 1 man or woman) identified as a 'Rising Star' under the Athletics Canada regular criteria.
7. 2nd place finisher of the 2008 or 2009 Ottawa ING Marathon and/or 2008 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon in under 2:18:00 (men)/2:43:00 (women)
8. 3rd place finisher of the 2008 or 2009 Ottawa ING Marathon and/or 2008 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon in under 2:18:00 (men)/2:43:00 (women)
9. Performance of 2:18:00 (men)/2:43:00 (women) within the AC qualifying period
"Our goal is to reestablish marathon running in Canada and partnering with the organizers of both Ottawa and Toronto Waterfront marathons was a logical step in that direction," says Martin Goulet, Athletics Canada's Chief High Performance Officer. "They have invested significant efforts in recent years to support the development of elite distance runners in this country and this is only another example of their stellar contribution to the sport."