Brown's late scratch creates wide-open race at Scotiabank Vancouver Half Marathon ; Lioudmila Kortchaguina confirmed to defend women’s crown
VANCOUVER, June 23, 2005 – A late scratch from this Sunday’s Scotiabank Vancouver Half Marathon by Victoria’s Jon Brown has set up a thrilling, wide-open race in what still promises to be Canada’s premier half marathon of the year. Brown’s withdrawal due to a bad case of flu has turned a foregone conclusion into an exciting dogfight. The Victoria resident, who placed 4 th in the last two Olympic marathons while running for his native Great Britain – and who ran a PR of 2:09:31 at this April’s London Marathon – was the odds-on favourite to defend his SVHM title from last year. Now, it’s anybody’s race!
Leading the contenders will be St.Catharine’s Giitah Macharia, the current Canada Running Series Champion, who ran the Niagara Half in 64 minutes flat last October – a time only seven seconds slower than Brown’s winning time in Vancouver last June. On that day, Macharia placed second, and Toronto’s Danny Kassap was third. The 22-year old Kassap then went on to win last September’s Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon in a great debut time of 2:14:51 against an international field. He will also be back in Vancouver and will press Macharia every step of the way this Sunday. Montreal’s Baghdad Rechem also stands a chance. The Algerian newcomer has been competitive throughout the Canada Running Series this year, and likes to go to the front.
In Brown’s absence, the #2 ranked British marathoner, Huw Lobb, is sure to be another favourite after posting a PR of 64:49 at the Bath Half in 2003. He’s also coming off a strong 2:14:33 performance in London, and like Brown, is gearing up for the World Championships Marathon in Helsinki in early August. The Vancouver Half will be one of Huw’s final, major tests of fitness before Helsinki.
Also contributing to the strong international presence this Sunday will be Finland’s Jussi Utriainen, who could be the unknown wildcard, with an impressive 63:45 half-marathon-best run last year in Houston.
Adding further to the competitive mix will be British Columbia’s best, fighting it out for both BC Championship and overall honours: the veteran master, Bruce Deacon; fellow Victorian Jim Finlayson, who was recently crowned Canadian Marathon Champion at the Ottawa Marathon on May 30 th; and Nanaimo’s Steve Osaduik. It should be a thrilling head-to head dual for BC bragging rights. Will Deacon finally be dethroned?
The women’s field further reinforces the fact that the Scotia Vancouver Half will be THE half of the year. Defending champ, Lioudmila Kortchaguina of Toronto, who is Canada’s #1 ranked long-distance female and also became Canadian Women’s Marathon Champion in Ottawa with a 2:32:19 – two days after she received her Canadian citizenship – is the clear pre-race favourite. In addition to her strong current form, Lioudmila is the current SVHM course record holder with a sizzling 1:10:46, set in 2003. However, don’t count out Port Coquitlam’s Tina Connelly and Edmonton’s Sandy Jacobson who, like Kortchaguina, have all run consistently in the 72-73 minute range over the past 18 months, and have set the stage for a three-way contest.
Approximately 4,000 runners are expected to participate in Sunday’s 7 th annual Scotiabank Vancouver Half Marathon & 5k, which also doubles as an important fund-raiser for the VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation. More than$100,000 is expected to be raised for VGH & UBC’s Your Health-Your Choice program where participants can raise funds for the program or cause that means the most to them. Causes include the Breast Cancer Reconstruction Program, the Spine Centre, the Eye Care Centre, the ALS Clinic, the Ovarian Cancer Research Program or the in it for life Fund, which funds top priority needs at the hospitals. For more choices, visit the event website at canadarunningseries.com/svhm.
It’s still not too late to sign up for the Half or the accompanying 5K fun run/walk in Stanley Park! For more information and registration details please visit http://www.canadarunningseries.com/svhm
