Ottawa, ON (Sept. 9, 2024) – New Canadian champions were crowned in Thunder Bay, Ontario, at the Canadian Marathon Mountain Bike Championships (XCM) held on Sept. 7.
Jenn Jackson, who had completed a double at the Canadian Short Course (XCC) and Olympic (XCO) Mountain Bike Championships, was on a mission to complete a hat trick, a mission she accomplished with brio, completing the 90-kilometre course in four hours, 40 minutes and 47 seconds, more than 10 minutes ahead of second-place Laurie Arseneault. The 2023 Canadian champion in the discipline, Haley Smith, finished third.
“I tried to do it like I was doing three XCO races, taking it one lap at a time, making sure I didn’t get in the red and staying on course for refueling,” said Jackson. “I don’t have a lot of experience, but I have friends who do, and I did some research. I knew that eating and having fun on the track would minimize suffering.
In the men’s race, Sean Fincham captured his first national title, completing the course in three hours, 58 minutes and 32 seconds, just one minute 37 seconds ahead of Andrew Lesperance, the 2023 Canadian champion. Tyler Orschel completed the podium, two minutes 56 behind the race leader.
“The race was impressive,” said Fincham. “I had a good battle, especially with my teammate. This is my first Canadian title and I’m very happy to be wearing the maple leaf next year. I’ll definitely be back to defend it. I loved the passion here and everyone was so excited to be here and happy to race, it made the event so special.”
This was the second edition of the Canadian Marathon Championships, the 2025 edition of which will once again be held in Thunder Bay, Ontario.
The complete list of results is available here. The next national championships on the calendar are the Canadian BMX Freestyle Championships, to be held on October 26 in Bromont, Quebec. The complete calendar of national events is available on the Cycling Canada website.
About Cycling Canada
Cycling Canada is one of the oldest national sport organizations in Canada and has one simple purpose: to inspire Canadians to cycle. Cycling Canada administers programs to promote and grow cycling across the country, hosts national and international events and manages the National Team in all levels of international competition. For more information on Cycling Canada, visit https://cyclingcanada.ca/
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