Canada’s most competitive 10K expected at 2005 Ottawa Race Weekend.

Two of Canada’s running elite, Bruce Deacon and Emilie Mondor, have confirmed that they will be at the start line of the MDS Nordion 10K, one of the Ottawa Race Weekend’s most disputed titles. Over 10,000 runners are expected to participate in the MDS Nordion 5K and 10K events on May 28th, events that have been growing in popularity and in competition in recent years.

Deacon, 38, a former Ottawa resident now living in Victoria, B.C., is a two-time Olympian (1996 and 2000), a silver medalist in the Pan American Games (2003), and winner of the 2000 Ottawa Marathon, making him the Canadian Marathon Champion for that year. Deacon retired from marathon running in 2004, running his last 42 km course in Victoria in October. Since then he has turned his focus to shorter distances. Deacon is no stranger to the MDS Nordion 10K: he is a two-time winner of the event (1995 and 1996). The 2005 race will be his first return to that race since 2003 when he placed 11th with a time of 30:15. Last year, the race was fiercely competitive as Kenyan Duncan Kibet’s time of 28:59 beat Eric Chirchir by just one second. In 2005, Deacon will face stiff competition from Kenya, Morrocco and Australia, in addition to other top Canadian runners.

While Deacon is a familiar face to the Ottawa Race Weekend, Emilie Mondor, 23, is a newcomer to the event but not to the sport.  In fact, Mondor holds the title of being the first Canadian woman to ever run 5000 m in under 15:00, a feat she accomplished in 2003 at the World Championships in Athletics. She also led Team Canada to a bronze medal in the 2004 World Cross Country Championships, just a few months before she finished 17th in 5000m at the Athens Olympics. 

Mondor’s personal record for a 10K is a phenomenal 31:10, the second fastest time by a Canadian woman in that distance, and the third fastest in the world for 2004. Mondor’s main competition at this year’s event will be returning 2004 champion, Ethiopian Aster Demissie.

“Thanks to MDS Nordion’s ongoing support, we've assembled the most competitive 10K field in Canada, if not one of the best international fields in North America,” says Rodrigues.  “This year, we are hoping to witness a new course record in both the men’s and the women’s category, in addition to celebrating a new Canadian 10K road record from Emilie.” For 2005 the long-time race sponsor has increased their support to create MDS Nordion Race Day – which includes both the 10K and the new MDS Nordion 5K event.

source Emilie Mondor.com