On a cold Saturday afternoon in London, Ont., Canadian distance star Moh Ahmed added a missing line to his running resume: senior national cross-country champion. The 2020 Olympic silver medallist dominated the open men’s 10K to secure the first senior Canadian XC title of his career.

Saturday marked Ahmed’s first appearance at the championships since 2012, when a 21-year-old Ahmed finished second to now-marathon record holder Cam Levins. “It felt good to be back competing at home,” Ahmed said after the race. “This is a short trip for me, and it’s always great to compete on Canadian soil.”

Although he entered as the heavy favourite, Ahmed sat patiently in the pack until the final of four laps. When he made his move, the race was over quickly, surging away in the final kilometre. Ahmed ended up winning by 16 seconds and secured his spot on Team Canada for the 2026 World XC Championships in Tallahassee, Fla., on Jan. 10.

Twenty-year-old Xavier Perras-Phaneuf finished second in 29:46, with 24-year-old Santiago Gaitan close behind in third at 29:48. In Tallahassee, Ahmed will not only be a contender, but also a mentor; he’ll be the oldest member of the Canadian men’s team by eight years.

Ceili McCabe throws down a dominant performance

After missing the summer season with injury, Vancouver’s Ceili McCabe returned in dominant fashion to win the women’s 10K in 32:57.

McCabe took control of the race from the gun and never looked back, cruising to her second national XC crown in three years. She separated early and ultimately won by 56 seconds over Hamilton’s Chloe Thomas, with Penn State University standout Florence Caron of La Malbaie, Que., finishing third in 33:55.

In a post-race interview with Canadian Running, McCabe said her goal was simply to “run strong.” The 24-year-old, who just wrapped up her NCAA career at West Virginia University, acknowledged the 10K distance still feels new to her, but her win today was more about getting in a hard effort (at the distance) ahead of World XC.

Despite graduating from the NCAA system, McCabe remains coached by her collegiate mentor Sean Cleary in Morgantown, W.Va. She will now headline a young, rising Canadian women’s squad in Florida as they look to improve on their eighth-place finish at the 2024 World XC Championships in Serbia.

For full results from the 2025 Canadian XC Championships, see here.