Canadian runners set to leave it all on fast track at Payton Jordan Invitational

Six months after his second-place finish at the NCAA Division I men's cross-country championships, Justyn Knight had the eyes of many on him during the 5,000 metres at the 2017 Payton Jordan Invitational last May in Stanford, Calif.

Earlier that season, the Toronto native had also set a course record in an eight-kilometre race in Earlysville, Va., and cruised to victory at the Atlantic Coast Conference championships in North Carolina, recording personal bests in the indoor 3,000 and outdoor 5,000.

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• Knight wins his 1st NCAA Division I track title

"I knew that pro athletes and pro coaches were watching me and getting an idea of who this Justyn Knight kid was, but I knew the goal I had for myself that day and just went out there and did it," the Syracuse University senior said in an email to CBC Sports ahead of this year's Payton Jordan meet on Thursday, starting at 9 p.m. ET.

Knight went out and ran a world standard for the season in the 5,000 and broke a school record, clocking a personal best and winning time of 13 minutes 17.51 seconds on Cobb Track to beat Australia's Sam McEntee by four 100ths of a second.

The 21-year-old, who was named the school's male athlete of the year for a third time earlier this week, will try to defend his title in a race that begins at 12:44 a.m. ET on Friday. Some believe Knight has a chance to shatter the NCAA record of 13:08.28.

He is among many elite Canadian runners competing at Payton Jordan, considered one of the most competitive annual domestic track meets. Canadian women's half marathon record-holder Rachel Cliff, Canadian indoor mile record-holder Kate Van Buskirk, 2016 Olympian Jessica O'Connell and 2018 All-American First Team runner Rory Linkletter are some of the others.

Shatters Syracuse record

Natasha Wodak, a two-time Canadian cross-country champion, was forced to withdraw due to illness. The 36-year-old native of Surrey, B.C., ran 31:41.59 in the 10,000 at the 2015 Payton Jordan Invitational  to break Courtney Babcock's national record of 31:44.74, set at the same event in 2003.

Two weeks ago, Knight broke his own school record in the 1,500 at the Bryan Clay Invitational in Los Angeles, where he placed second in 3:36.07 against 250 of the best professional and collegiate runners in the United States. In early March, Knight won his first Division I track title, capturing the men's indoor 5,000 in 14:14.57 at College Station, Tex., to become only the second Syracuse athlete to win an NCAA indoor title.

"Winning the 5K helped my confidence going into the outdoor season," he said, "but at the same time I lost the 3K the next day and underachieved. I've been training and focusing on every little detail so I can execute it in a race. With no Olympics or world championships this summer, Thursday is all about running the fastest time possible."

Knight added several records have fallen on the nine-lane, all-weather track at Stanford University.

"The track is very historic and it makes any collegiate athlete feel as if they can achieve anything they set their mind to in the right race," Knight said. "Nine times out of 10 we are racing in perfect distance weather with no wind and warm temperatures.

Canadian flavour in men's 5,000

"Records are made and records fall. I know I am in a good spot, however I am not focused on running a specific time. My only focus is winning the race."

Joining Knight on the track will be Vancouver's Luc Bruchet, Quebec City's Charles Philibert-Thiboutot and Mike Tate of Heatherton, N.S., who finished 1.2 seconds behind Knight in the 5,000 at the NCAA indoor championships.

Rachel Cliff (women's 10,000, 1:02 a.m. ET)

The 30-year-old placed ninth in the 10,000 at her Commonwealth Games debut last month (32:11.11) and followed it up with a third-place showing in her hometown in the Vancouver Sun Run. Last August, Cliff was 20th at her world championship debut in a personal-best 32:00.03.

• Coach tells Canadian runner Rachel Cliff to 'think world class'

Kate Van Buskirk (women's 5,000, 12:24 a.m. ET)

At the indoor world championships in March, the Brampton, Ont., native ran a personal-best 4:09.42 in the 1,500 but didn't advance to the final. Earlier this year, the 30-year-old Van Buskirk became the second-fastest Canadian 3,000 runner of all-time. She also won a bronze medal in the 1,500 at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Jessica O'Connell (women's 5,000)

The Calgarian's personal best of 15:06.44 in the 5,000 was set at the 2015 Payton Jordan Invitational. O'Connell, 29, recently attended a training camp at altitude with her teammate, Kate Van Buskirk. O'Connell, who has a master's degree in exercise physiology, won a silver medal at the 2017 University Games.

Rory Linkletter (men's 10,000, 1:40 a.m. ET)

The lone Canadian in the 10,000 at Payton Jordan, the Calgary-born Linkletter posted a personal-best 13:37.98 in the 5,000 at the Mt. SAC Relays on April 20 in Torrance, Calif., a time that will probably qualify the Brigham Young University junior for the upcoming NCAA outdoor championships, where he finished second in the 10,000 last June.

Other Canadians competing:

• Women's 800 (11:08 pm. ET) — Jenna Westaway (Calgary), Lindsey Butterworth (North Vancouver, B.C.), Ashley Taylor (Burlington, Ont.) and Addy Townsend (Coquitlam, B.C.)
• Women's 3,000 steeplechase (10:31 p.m. ET) — Erin Teschuk (Winnipeg) and Charlotte Prouse (London, Ont.)
• Men's 800 (11:13 p.m .ET)  — Scott Buttinger (Waterloo, Ont.) and Cameron Proceviat (Burnaby, B.C.)