IAAF Gold Label Ottawa 10K start list unveiled
Dream Team challenge returns with four Canadian as team captains
May 21 update: Emmanuel Kipsang, Edith Chelimo and Ben Flanagan have scratched.
Ottawa, May 13, 2019 – The 2019 IAAF Gold Ottawa 10K start lists have been released and organizers are predicting another fast year with 12 men boasting 10K personal bests (PB) under 29 minutes.
Returning to Ottawa is 2016 champ, Mohammed Ziani of Morocco. Ziani won the 2016 Ottawa 10K in 28:37 despite that year’s intense heat and humidity. Kenyan Emmanuel Kipsang, who has a PB of 27:47, and his countryman Moses Kibet, who has been having a very good year so far, will also be chasing the $5,000 prize purse.
Also not afraid of returning to Ottawa following the intense heat of 2016 is Peres Jepchirchir of Kenya who won the Ottawa 10K that year in 31:29. She will be facing her compatriot Edith Chelimo who finished second in Ottawa last year in a time of 31:47.
The men and women in the Ottawa 10K will be looking to win Ottawa’s unique mixed competition bonus. In Ottawa, the women are given a 3 minutes 40 seconds head start. Whoever crosses the finish line first – man or woman – wins a $2,000 bonus.
The 2019 Ottawa 10K will again play host to the 10K Canadian Championships where Evan Esselink will be returning to defend his title. Chasing that title, and the $3,000 Canadian prize, will be the Canadian 10,000m record holder (31:41.59) Natasha Wodak. Kitchener’s Ben Flanagan will be making his first attempt at the title after winning the 2018 NCAA 10,000m in an impressive PB of 28:34.53.
Canadian elites pick teams to win money for local charities!
Organizers today announced the return of the unique Dream Team challenge. Four Canadian elite runners have been selected as team captains. Each captain will pick three elite runners from the Ottawa 10K field to form their Dream Team.
In addition to winning prize money based on their finishing position, the winning team members will also be awarded $6,000 to be split evenly among them as well as $1,000 for the Scotiabank Charity Challenge charity of their choice. The teams will be scored based on their finishing position against the other teams, regardless of gender.
The four team captains and the charities are:
- Sasha Gollish – Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario
- Justin Kent – Canadian Cancer Society
- Jessica O’Connell – Mito Canada Foundation
- Natasha Wodak – Ottawa Humane Society
The teams will be drafted throughout this week and announced on runottawa.ca. Members of the public are invited to choose their own Dream Teams!
How to watch
The IAAF gold-label Ottawa 10K will take place Saturday, May 25 at 6:30 p.m. as part of the Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend. The event will be broadcast live at www.runottawa.ca and on Rogers-TV in Ottawa with world-renowned racing commentator Tim Hutchings and Run Ottawa Board Chair Mark Sutcliffe in the commentators’ seat.
Related information
Quote
“The Ottawa 10K is a truly unique race. Not only do we recruit the world’s fastest runners thanks to our gold label status, but with our mixed gender competition and the Dream Team challenge, we put on a fun event that the runners and spectators can truly enjoy.”
-Manny Rodrigues, Elite Athlete Coordinator, Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon