Lanni Marchant

Sends Strong Message at Around the Bay

The 119th running of Around the Bay featured an outstanding female performance and some insensitivity from a few sub-elite men. Lanni Marchant of London, Ont., set a new women’s record for the historic 30k event on March 24, finishing in 1:44:39. She was less than nine minutes behind men’s winner Terence Attema, the closest a women has ever come to the top male. It’s not surprising that Marchant ran so fast given that she ran 2:31:50 at last year’s Rotterdam Marathon. It’s also not unusual for the lead woman to run in the middle of a men’s pack at a major road race. But what is surprising is the reception she received from a few male runners around her.

Marchant told reporters after t he race that a few of the men in her pack complained that she was drafting too much and not sharing the pacing duties. She also told a local reporter she would have preferred some female company, if only to give her added incentive to run faster. “I wasn’t certain I would have that adrenaline rush to keep pushing without having a girl near me,” she says.

Women have been competing in Around the Bay since 1975, though unofficially at first. The first women’s winner, Burlington, Ont.’s Tersilla Komac, finished nearly an hour slower than Marchant’s time, coming home in 2:41. Just four years later, Louise Adamson won in a shade over two hours, 2:02:34 to be precise. That was a better time than the first three male winners (1894–96) managed. Marchant’s time would have been good enough to beat the men’s field at every Around the Bay up until 1958.

It was a nice start to the year for Marchant after a frustrating 2012, when she and Krista DuChene failed to meet the very stringent Olympic qualifying standards set by Athletics Canada and didn’t get to go to the London Games. She’s certainly rebounded well and putting together a strong season en route to the world championships this summer.

The Around the Bay event also has a fast 5k race that attracted nearly 2,500 runners, a record turnout for the shorter distance. Peter Corrigan outsprinted Allan Brett to win the men’s race in 14:42, while Chantelle Groenewoud raced home in 17:03 to top the women.– Larry Humber