FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Mississauga Marathon presented by Canon sees record
participant numbers for 5th Anniversary Celebration!
Mississauga Ont. The 5th Anniversary of the Mississauga Marathon presented
by Canon was a huge success, drawing more participants than ever before.
By the end of race weekend over 11,114 runners and walkers took part in the
Canon Marathon, Reebok Half Marathon, Grand & Toy Corporate/Team Relay,
Desjardins General Insurance 10K and 10K Student Relay, Biovail's "The
Hazel" 5K and The Mississauga News 2K. In addition to the runners, over
40,000 spectators and 1,500 volunteers lined the 42 kilometre course.
Terry Gehl of St Charles, Quebec was the champion of the Canon Marathon
with a finishing time of 2:28:01. Terry was thrilled to take the win after
finishing second for the past two years. Not far behind, Estaban Vanegas
and Mike Strano were the second and third place finishers.
Nathalie Goyer of St Bruno, Quebec, won her third straight Canon Marathon
with a time of 2:53:20. She was very happy with her run and is hoping to
be back again next year.
"The endless hours of preparation are all worth it when you see the
excitement on the faces of thousands of runners crossing the finish line
and the spectators cheering them on" commented Joe Hewitt, Race Director.
"This was definitely a banner year for the event. Everyone involved in
this event should be aware that they had a hand in being part of people's
dreams today. We owe a great deal of the success of this race to our
partners, our volunteers and a great group of runners."
Race weekend kicked off with perfect weather at Biovail's "The Hazel" 5K
race on Saturday. Mayor Hazel McCallion was there to start the race and
cheer on the participants. Bruce Raymer of Toronto set a new course record
with an impressive 15:13:02 finish. Annie Bunting won the women's open,
crossing the finish line at 18:37:00. The Desjardins General Insurance 10K
and 10K Student Relay was equally exciting with fast races by winners
Josephat Ongari of Hamilton and Josiane Aboungono of Toronto, 30:33:4 and
35:11:2, respectively.
Sunday's races; the Canon Marathon, Reebok Half Marathon and the Grand &
Toy Corporate/Team Relay began with clear skies and Scott Russell of CBC
sports announcing, Michael Burgess singing the National Anthem and Mayor
Hazel McCallion starting the race.
2007 champion Danny Kassap regained his title in the Reebok Half Marathon
with a time of 1:07:34 and Christina Clark crossed the finish line at
1:23:27 as the female winner.
The windy weather down by the lake didn't deter the families and students
from joining in on The Mississauga News 2K Family Fun Run/Walk and MaraFun
as registration numbers were higher than in all previous years.
The 6th annual Mississauga Marathon presented by Canon will take place on
May 9th and 10th, 2008.
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