What a day – scratch that – weekend at the 46th Waterloo 10 KM Classic!
This race is Run Waterloo’s marquee event, and as such we are always looking for ways to improve and make it the best running event it can be. This year we took a leap and tried out a two-day format, running the 5 KM on the Saturday night and the 10 KM and 3 KM at the usual Fathers Day morning time. This change allowed an ambitious group to challenge themselves to the new Big Dipper (5 KM + 10 KM) and Little Dipper (5 KM + 3 KM) competitions, and brought focus back to the 10 KM as our main event on Sunday morning. All features of these changes were well received and we have to say we are thrilled with the results and response. With 1200 registered participants, this was the biggest Run Waterloo event since 2014, and we couldn’t get enough of the fantastic energy and love of sport that you all brought to the weekend.
One of the least predictable factors in racing is the weather, which is why we always breathe a sigh of relief when we get a beautiful weekend like this to come together and celebrate our sport. Thanks for coming out to enjoy what was a cooler-than-usual race day with us!
Quick thanks to our partners and sponsors
Of course events like these could not happen without the hundreds of volunteer hours we rely on to plan and execute our races. Thank you to Waterloo Region REACT, all of our volunteers – especially Young Athletics and Laurel Creek track clubs – and all of our sponsors – including NEW sponsor ASICS! We’d also like to extend a thank you to everyone who made a donation to the University of Waterloo’s Athletics Development fund. This money goes toward cross-country scholarships, to fund the running aspirations of talented young runners in our community. We had Runners’ Choice, Domino’s, Waterloo Brewing on-site handing out high-fives and Guava Lime Radlers.
Results and photos
Let’s go in order; for the first time we had results rolling in on Saturday evening. Moving the 5 KM to Saturday evening was a big change that resulted in a slightly smaller field than we’re used to, but did not diminish the quality or spirit of the event. It also allowed close to 100 individuals to attempt the new “Big Dipper” and “Little Dipper” challenges. The race winner, Sandy Freeland, bettered his 2018 winning time in the same event, to land 6th on the all-time records list for this race (15:48).
Photos have started uploading for the 5k, and we will continue top update with more photos and finish line video.
Next up, let’s talk about the 3 KM & Little Dipper. When we were forced to move one of the events out of the Sunday morning slot, rather than cancel it entirely, we kept the older 3k in place and moved the 5k. That allowed what is our more accessible distance to flourish while paired with the historic 10k.
The inaugural Little Dipper competition (5 KM + 3 KM) was won by Jordan Van Dyk and Erin Schmidt, each having a substantial lead over the next finishers. Van Dyk’s 3 KM time was the 4th fastest ever recorded in the history (since 2008) of the Waterloo Classic 3k.
We will upload 3k photos and finish line video ASAP.
And now, because you haven’t waited long enough … the 10 KM & Big Dipper!
In addition to being one of our biggest fields in a decade, it was also one of our deepest. The top 10 finishers were all faster than 35 minutes; a feat that was last accomplished in 2002!
Speaking of Father’s Day, it’s worth noting that race winner Lucas McAneney is not just a great runner but also a great dad, and he is notable for putting these together by winning the 2022 Buffalo Marathon while pushing his son in a running stroller, in a time of 2:33:32. That’s 3:38 per kilometre!
A new Open team record was set by StrideWise, with an average finishing time of 34:46 by their top 5 finishers. They narrowly beat out H+P MEN by less than 2 minutes (22 seconds per runner)!
The inaugural Big Dipper (5 KM + 10 KM) was won by Robert Brouillette and Sarah Heesaker.
We have uploaded an initial batch of photos, but stay tuned for thousands more. Finish line video is embedded in the results.
Related News
We are a small nonprofit but we are always listening closely to your feedback, iterating our events to be the best versions of themselves, and introducing new elements like stickers, bouncy castles, and Double Dippers to keep you intrigued, happy, coming back, but most of all, just loving the community and lifestyle that running can bring. So on that note we have this weekend opened up two new races:
Fall Classic 2023 registration is now live! Join us on October 22nd to check out our new course and location in Riverside Park, Cambridge.
Waterloo Classic 2024 registration is also live. Following on the success of this year’s event, we will be continuing with the same two-day format for next year
RW Boost…The Dipper competitions were a major factor in how Boost leaderboards changed over the weekend.
- In the Under 40 Female category, Sarah Heesaker made a big move from 4th to 1st.
- Previous leaders in the other categories (Jordan Van Dyk, Erin Schmidt, Marius Florea) all maintained their 1st place positions thanks to their participation in the Dippers.
- The current Boost leaders have higher point totals than have been seen after the Waterloo Classic in past years.
