{"id":639845,"date":"2026-05-01T01:58:14","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T01:58:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/639845\/"},"modified":"2026-05-01T01:58:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T01:58:14","slug":"ottawa-marathon-releases-loaded-2026-elite-start-list","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/639845\/","title":{"rendered":"Ottawa Marathon releases loaded 2026 elite start list"},"content":{"rendered":"

With Canadian stars Rory Linkletter and Natasha Wodak<\/a> headlining the 2026 Tamarack Homes Ottawa International Marathon elite field, we knew we were in for an exciting race on May 24. But on Wednesday, the event released its official elite start list,<\/a> featuring a strong Ethiopian contingent that will challenge the Canadians for the race title and the accompanying $24,000 prize.<\/p>\n

Five additional top Canadian elites have been named, including Canadian Running\u2018s own debutant John Gay<\/a>, joining Linkletter and Wodak on the start line.<\/p>\n

\"RoryRory Linkletter finishing 130 Boston Marathon. Photo: Nick Iwanyshyn
\nLinkletter to bounce back after Boston<\/p>\n

For the second straight year, Linkletter will race in Ottawa just five weeks after competing at the Boston Marathon. This year, he\u2019s fresh off another personal best of 2:06:04 and a 14th-place finish. Now, he looks to better last year\u2019s runner-up result.<\/p>\n

Kenya\u2019s Albert Korir was last year\u2019s winner; he was later suspended for a positive doping test<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ethiopia enters with a six-strong contingent of athletes; only two own faster marks than Linkletter:\u00a0Shura Kitata and Asrar Hiyrden, both with PBs of 2:03:59. Kitata is a five-time world major medallist, including a win at the 2020 London Marathon. He also took second at the 2018 London and New York City Marathons, second at NYC 2022 and third in 2023. He set his PB en route to the win at February\u2019s Seville Marathon, finishing neck-and-neck with Hiyrden, who won the event in 2022.<\/p>\n

\"ThomasThomas Broatch wins the Canadian Marathon Championships at TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon 2023. Photo: Todd Fraser\/CRS<\/p>\n

Vancouver\u2019s Thomas Broatch will also toe the line; he ran his 2:10:35 personal best for eighth at the 2025 Houston Marathon. His career highlights also include a win at the 2023 Canadian Marathon Championships (part of the Toronto Waterfront Marathon; he placed sixth overall among international competitors), in 2:16:25. More recently, in fall 2025, he won the Vancouver Under Armour Eastside 10K.<\/p>\n

River Glade, N.B.\u2019s Lee Wesselius<\/a> enters with a 2:13:52 personal best from his runner-up finish at the 2024 Canadian Marathon Championships (ninth place among international Toronto Waterfront Marathon competitors). Wesselius was also the top Canadian at the 2023 Ottawa race<\/a> and the 2024 Copenhagen Marathon.<\/a><\/p>\n

Gay to make his debut<\/p>\n

The Shakeout Podcast host and Canadian Olympic steeplechaser Gay will be making his marathon debut. \u201cTaking a proper crack at the marathon distance has always been something I wanted to do during my \u2018prime,’\u201d Gay said. \u201cWith my eyes on making it back to another Olympic Games, I believe the sooner I can begin learning the ropes of the distance, the better my chances of putting together a qualifying run for LA.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gay represented Canada at Tokyo 2020 and several world championships. So far in 2026, Gay has put down strong efforts, taking second to Broatch at the Vancouver St. Patrick\u2019s Day 5K<\/a>\u00a0and again at the Vancouver Sun Run.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cMarathoning in Canada and globally is at an unprecedented high right now, something that makes pursuing one of just three Olympic spots both incredibly daunting\u2013but also very exciting,\u201d Gay said. \u201cThe competitor in me is fired up by the notion that the privilege of representing Canada at the Olympics will be hard-fought.\u201d<\/p>\n

Men\u2019s elite field<\/p>\n

Shura Kitata (ETH) \u2014 2:03:59
Asrar Hiyrden (ETH) \u2014 2:03:59
Rory Linkletter (CAN) \u2014 2:06:04
Gebretsadik Abraha (ETH) \u2014 2:06:16
Mulugeta Debasu (ETH) \u2014 2:06:36
Gizealew Ayana (ETH) \u2014 2:06:48
Afewerk Mesfin (ETH) \u2014 2:07:08
Daniel Mesfun (USA) \u2014 2:08:24
Luke Kibet Cheruiyot (KEN) \u2014 2:08:45
Elvis Cheboi (KEN) \u2014 2:09:20
Kipsambu Kimakal (KEN) \u2014 2:09:41
Ben Rosa (USA) \u2014 2:09:47
Elkanah Kibet (USA) \u2014 2:10:02
Thomas Broatch (CAN) \u2014 2:10:35
Lee Wesselius (CAN) \u2014 2:13:52
John Gay (CAN) \u2014 Debut<\/p>\n

\"NatashaNatasha Wodak in the women\u2019s marathon at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. Photo: Nick Iwanyshyn
\nWodak up against a fast Ethiopian field<\/p>\n

Despite having raced the Ottawa 10K countless times, this will mark Wodak\u2019s Ottawa Marathon debut. It will be her first marathon since taking 31st at September\u2019s 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. So far in 2026, she\u2019s raced several times, including two half-marathons (1:11:51 for the win at Vancouver\u2019s First Half, and 1:10:56 in Berlin) and two 10Ks in Vancouver.<\/p>\n

Wodak will be up against 11 Ethiopian athletes, three of whom boast sub-2:20 bests: Meseret Belete, Rahma Tusa and Yebrgual Melese. Belete, who holds the fastest time in the field, 2:18:21, from her win at the 2023 Amsterdam Marathon, is also the world U20 half-marathon record holder, with a 1:07:51 best. Tusa won the 2024 Houston Marathon in her best of 2:19:33. Melese placed second at the 2015 Chicago Marathon and ran her 2:18:21 best in 2018 before taking a hiatus from competing from 2020 to 2024. Her more recent performances include an eighth-place result from the 2024 Berlin Marathon (2:21:39).<\/p>\n

Rising Canadian stars<\/p>\n

The 2023 Canadian half-marathon champion, \u00c9lissa Legault, has also been on a recent tear. She ran her sub-2:30 personal best of 2:29:05 at December\u2019s Valencia Marathon (the ninth-fastest in Canadian history), and her half-marathon best of 1:11:25 (Canadian No. 8) at the Project 13.1 event in March. Former Universit\u00e9 Laval athlete Jade B\u00e9rub\u00e9, who has moved up to road events over the past two years, will be making her marathon debut.<\/p>\n

Women\u2019s field<\/p>\n

Meseret Belete (Ethiopia) \u2014 2:18:21
Rahma Tusa (Ethiopia) \u2014 2:19:33
Yebrgual Melese (Ethiopia) \u2014 2:19:36
Meskerem Assefa (Ethiopia) \u2014 2:20:36
Kidsan Alema (Ethiopia) \u2014 2:22:28
Tahir Kuftu (Ethiopia) \u2014 2:22:53
Meseret Gebre (Ethiopia) \u2014 2:23:11
Natasha Wodak (Canada) \u2014 2:23:12
Birke Debele (Ethiopia) \u2014 2:23:19
Elfinesh Demise (Ethiopia) \u2014 2:23:30
Abebech Afework (Ethiopia) \u2014 2:23:33
Betty Chepkorir (Kenya) \u2014 2:23:45
Anna Dibaba (Ethiopia) \u2014 2:23:56
\u00c9lissa Legault (Canada) \u2014 2:29:05
Abeba Aregawi (Sweden) \u2014 Debut
Jade B\u00e9rub\u00e9 (Canada) \u2014 Debut<\/p>\n

Prizes<\/p>\n

Prize money will be awarded to the top eight finishers in both the men\u2019s and women\u2019s races, with each winner taking home $24,000. Canadian athletes will also be eligible for a separate bonus pool, with $5,000 awarded to the top Canadian finisher.<\/p>\n

Additional incentives are on the line for record-breaking performances: a $10,000 bonus will be awarded to any athlete who eclipses the course record or any Canadian who breaks the national mark.<\/p>\n

The men\u2019s course record of 2:06:04 was set by Andualem Belay Shiferaw in 2022, while the women\u2019s mark stands at 2:22:17, set by Gelete Burka in 2018. Cam Levins (2:05:36, 2023) and Wodak (2:23:12, 2022) are the current Canadian record holders.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With Canadian stars Rory Linkletter and Natasha Wodak headlining the 2026 Tamarack Homes Ottawa International Marathon elite field,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":639846,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194295],"tags":[238854,49,48,238855,238856,20739,238857,128588,29412,238858],"class_list":["post-639845","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ottawa","tag-2026-ottawa-marathon","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-elite-field","tag-natasha-wodak","tag-ottawa","tag-ottawa-elites","tag-rory-linkletter","tag-running-news","tag-tamarack-ottawa-race-weekend"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/639845","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=639845"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/639845\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/639846"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=639845"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=639845"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=639845"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}