Less pressure means more fun for Wodak in Toronto marathon return after grind of Olympic pursuit
B.C. runner prioritizes winning 1st Canadian title Sunday over lowering her national mark
Five days from her ninth marathon, Natasha Wodak looks happy, healthy and relaxed in the company of her cats in the backyard of her home in North Vancouver, B.C.
It's a refreshing change for the 42-year-old, who arrived nine days before the Hamburg Marathon last April in Germany, where anxiety had time to build up before her third race in eight months and last attempt at the Olympic qualifying standard.
"In Hamburg, everything was about the race," Wodak told CBC Sports. "Here, I'm [living my everyday] life. I'm feeding my cats, going outside, having a coffee, cleaning the house. It feels like less pressure and less to think about."
Wodak reached the finish in Hamburg in two hours 30 minutes 24 seconds, over three minutes shy of the automatic entry standard for the Paris Games. She experienced stomach cramping in the days before and during the race. Wodak and her coach, Trent Stellingwerff, determined not being able to properly fuel with drinks and energy gels caused her quads to seize after 30 kilometres.
But a healthy Wodak is excited for her first 42.2-km race in Canada since 2013 on Sunday at the Toronto Waterfront event (Streaming live at 8 a.m. ET on CBCSports.ca, CBC Gem, and the CBC Sports App). Wodak's marathon journey began there 11 years ago with a 2:35:16 clocking.
Initially, she planned to run Sunday's half marathon in Toronto in preparation for the Dec. 1 Valencia Marathon in Spain, considered the fastest marathon in the world.
But the two-time Olympian didn't like the idea of feeling pressure, again, to run a specific time. The women's marathon standard is 2:23:30 for the World Athletics Championships next September in Tokyo.
"I thought, 'I want to have more fun this time,'" said Wodak, who appeared Friday on CTV talk show The Social in Toronto. "Every marathon I've done the last two years has been so serious with so much on the line."
WATCH | Wodak seems 'to be getting faster as I get older':
The Toronto marathon doubles as the Canadian championships and is labelled an elite race by World Athletics, meaning there's an opportunity with a strong performance to secure significant rankings points for worlds rather than having to run standard.
"It's a fast course, not a lot of travel and to be honest, the opportunity [is there] to make good prize money," Wodak said. "It's $8,000 for being the Canadian champion, $1,000 for the Masters (over-40) winner, plus [additional] prize money [for overall placing] and my bonuses from [my sponsor] Asics for it being a national championship."
Canadian mark not a goal for Sunday
On Sept. 25, 2022, Wodak lowered Malindi Elmore's Canadian record, stopping the clock in 2:23:12 in the Berlin Marathon, five weeks before the Paris Olympic qualifying window opened. From there, she endured illness or injury at subsequent marathons in Budapest, Houston and Hamburg.
It's about the win, enjoying myself and running a marathon I'm proud of that reflects two years of hard work.— Natasha Wodak on Sunday's Toronto Waterfront Marathon
The national mark is not a goal for Wodak in Toronto, despite the fact she'll run with a group paced for a 2:22 finish. The former track standout says she would be happy crossing the line in the 2:25-2:26 range and placing top-three or five among women.
"I will go after the Canadian record another time. I'm not in that shape, but good shape," said Wodak, whose attempts at making the Paris Olympic team were featured prominently in the CBC documentary, Running A Revolution.
"It's about the win, enjoying myself and running a marathon I'm proud of that reflects two years of hard work."
African runners are expected to lead the elite women, at least for much of the race, with Waganesh Makasha of Ethiopia aiming for Magdalyne Masai's course record of 2:22:16 from 2019. Ethiopian runners Roza Dereje (2:18:30 personal best) and Meseret Gebre (2:23:11 PB) will probably be part of that group as well.
For much of her Toronto build, Wodak was joined on 60 to 70-minute "easy runs" by her friend Dayna Pidhoresky, who won't compete in Sunday's race for a fifth time as she is nursing a patellar tendon issue in her left knee.
While Wodak has concerns about the often-challenging wind off Lake Ontario affecting her performance, Pidhoresky cited her friend's toughness on the road.
"She's strong, mentally tough and she'll have a couple of pacers," Pidhoresky said, "so if it's windy, it's a good opportunity to tuck [behind them] and work with them. She's also done a lot of work on a hilly, loop course close to where I live, so she'll be prepared for any undulation.
"You think of those magical days and wonder, 'Am I ever going to have that again? She had that in Berlin," Pidhoresky told CBC Sports. "She's going to have another day like that. Maybe it'll be Toronto."
Other Canadians to watch include Leslie Sexton (2:28:14 PB) and Rachel Hannah (2:32:09), while Erin Mawhinney, 28, will make her debut in Toronto, where she captured the women's half marathon a year ago.
🗣️ “My ‘A’ marker of success is just to run a controlled race and not have anything devastating happen in the last 15K. <br><br>Because it’s a Canadian Championship, I’d like to be able to respond to moves and try to place high. Podium would be great and then anything in the low 2:30s… <a href="https://t.co/7z1KLmM8zY">pic.twitter.com/7z1KLmM8zY</a>
—@CitiusMagBroatch back to defend Canadian men's title
Last October in Toronto, Thomas Broatch was the first Canadian man to cross the finish line in 2:16:25 for sixth overall in his marathon debut.
Three months later, the 25-year-old from Vancouver set a 2:11:54 PB in Houston, where he finished seventh.
"I definitely would like to improve my Houston time [in Toronto]," he said recently. "I think going under 2:11 and getting into that 2:10 club would be a pretty good result."
WATCH | Broatch captures 2023 Canadian men's title in debut marathon:
Broatch should be pushed by Tristan Woodfine and Justin Kent. Woodfine, 31, is looking to win and lower his 2:10:39 best time, while Vancouver's Kent could fall in that range as he enters Sunday's race with a 2:13:07 PB.
Kenya's Elvis Cheboi returns after placing first overall last year in 2:09:20 on a windy day. Mulugeta Uma, the 2024 Paris Marathon champion, arrives in Toronto with a 2:05:33, while fellow Ethiopian Abdi Fufa (2:05:57) will compete in his first Toronto race after missing the 2023 campaign with a calf injury.
WATCH | Cheboi battles the wind to take 2023 men's race in Toronto:
As the Toronto Waterfront Marathon celebrates its 35th anniversary, organizers said there would be 35 cheer sites along the course. For the first time, the 5K will be held Saturday, creating a full weekend's worth of events.
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With files from The Canadian Press
