Countless outstanding performances accompanied the return of Under Armour Eastside 10K for its 11th anniversary on Sunday. The event, hosted by Canada Running Series and taking place in the streets of Vancouver’s Gastown and Strathcona, saw 2,844 finishers and raised more than $50,000 for local charities. The top finishers were Canadian marathon record holder Natasha Wodak and Eastside 10K rookie Andrew Davies of Sarnia, Ont., both claiming victory in dominant fashion.
The women’s race
Wodak demolished the women’s field, clocking 32:47 to win by almost a full minute. The two-time Olympian has been on a roll; she won the Vancouver Half Marathon in June and is in the midst of preparing for the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon in October. Her time was just 10 seconds off the course record of 32:37 set by Malindi Elmore in 2022. The strung-out field saw Leslie Sexton of Vancouver finish as runner-up in 33:45 and Eliyah Brawdy of North Vancouver in third in 33:56.
The men’s race
In his Eastside 10K debut, Davies, 23, took the crown from the winners of the past two years; reigning champion Thomas Broatch of Vancouver and 2022 champion Ben Preisner of Milton, Ont., rounded out the podium. At the 5K mark, the lead pack was grouped tightly together–no racer was out of contention. As expected, Davies proved himself as a very significant threat to Canada’s road racing scene following his collegiate career, pulling away from the group and the former champions to establish a commanding lead. He clocked 29:49–the only finisher to break the 30-minute barrier. “I knew by the 8K mark that the race was mine,” he said. Preisner crossed 16 seconds later, clocking 30:05 and edging out Broatch, whose time was 30:06, by just one second.
Geneviève Lalonde to return to racing at Vancouver’s Eastside 10K
The $50,000 raised will be donated to the five local charities that Canada Running Series had partnered with: Promise Vancouver, Urban Native Youth Association, PHS Community Services Society, KidSport B.C. and Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre.
