Canadians can try beating the best runners around in the Virtual Canadian 10K Championships taking place on Canada Day.

Canada鈥檚 elite 10K runners are going to celebrate Canada Day by racing in the first ever Virtual Canadian 10K Championships. At least one national champion will be doing the run in 91原创.

The event is to make up for cancelled runs.

The original date of the 2020 Canadian 10K Championships was to be May 23, 2020, as part of the Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend, which was cancelled due to the global pandemic.

鈥淥ur goal is to offer a fun and competitive racing environment for Canada鈥檚 best 10K runners during a time when no real races exist,鈥� said Dylan Wykes, 2019 10K Canadian champion and Elite Athlete Coordinator for Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend.

Registered runners will have a 12-hour window, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time, to complete a course of their own choosing. The runner鈥檚 route must consist of an out-and-back course.

The 2018 national champ, Rachel Cliff, will run in 91原创 while other elite athletes may also use 91原创 facilities. Natasha Wodak, who was crowned Canadian 10K champion in 2019, plans to run in Vancouver.

The top five female and male runners will receive the following prize money, with a matching donation made to the charity of their choice for the Scotiabank Charity Challenge. The top prize is $500 with the fifth place winner getting $100.

Eligibility will follow the same time qualification standards as the real world 10 km championships, outlined on the Run Ottawa website.

Canadians can take the Beat the Champ challenge during July. This open competition will invite runners to beat this year鈥檚 winning time (male-male, female-female) by running 10 x 1K intervals, and combining individual segments to beat the winning 2020 10K result. All competitors who best the champ鈥檚 time will be entered into a draw for a number of prizes provided by Athletics Canada.

The virtual championships are being organized by and the Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend.

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