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- Entry list: link here
- Schedule: link here
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- Team Challenge Live Scoreboard: link here
Hot Takes
OKAY. IT’S A-C-X-C time.
A Worlds XC year always brings out the best to the Canadian Championship and this year the entry list DOES NOT disappoint. Unfortunately, the 2026 Worlds XC edition is being hosted by USA’s Track and Field body under an authoritarian government that has been funding outright genocide against Palestinians for two years and is growing increasingly hostile towards its own residents.
Seems like it could be a good call to skip it? Even if USA wasn’t hosting, we’ve written about how it would be good for Canadian athletes to protest our own government instead of participating in sportswashing activities that enhance this country’s international reputation and distract from its human rights abuses. Canada supports USA’s brutal foreign policy, imposes a system of oppression against Indigenous peoples who live here, and doesn’t even guarantee housing for Canadian residents. Rough. Seems worth protesting.
It’s not all bad though, Rush is going on a 2026 tour, Justin Bieber is posting elite meme throwbacks, and we’ve still got HOT TAKES.
Open Women
76 athletes are registered to compete this year which is more than double the 37 from last year. HYPE.
In 2022 we missed 4th place finisher Kate Bazeley in the entries. In 2023 it was silver medalist Glynis Sim, and last year it was 4th place finisher Rachel Hannah. Hopefully we don’t miss anyone who ends up in the top five this year holy jeeze.
Hot Takes
Yeah, Ceili looking pretty solid after a BIG rip at the Cardiff Cross Classic but Glynis is gonna be in(is) it to win(is) it. Everyone at Canadian Running picked Ceili to win so we might as well pick someone else. REGAN YEE. None of the Canadian Running folks even put her in the top THREE. Grace seems absolutely ready to fether in a 10k snow send. How will Florence Caron recover after the NCAA championship last week? That was only 6k though.
Kate throw your hands up in the Ayers-Ay-Ayers was close behind Glynis at the BCXC champs this year. Chloe Thomas the Tank Engine could really steam one. How much wood could a Teschuk chuk? She’s run a couple solid 5ks this fall. We think Cleo Boyd and Elle Baran have the potential to finish in the top 5. Sexton? Wildcard.
Verdict: 1. Yee >> 2. McCabe >> 3. Sim
Entry List Breakdown (in no particular order)
Group A
- Glynis Sim
- BCXC champion. Races about twice per year just to muck everyone. 2nd in 2023.
- Kate Ayers
- Didn’t race last year but was 5th in 2023 and 3rd in 2022.
- Florence Caron
- 14th at the NCAA XC championship last week and the Canadian 10,000m champion this past summer.
- Ceili McCabe
- 2023 champion, 2024 Olympian, and 2025 NCAA indoor 3000m champion.
- Chloe Thomas
- 3rd at the 5000m track championships this year.
- Regan Yee
- Two-time Olympian and 2nd at the 5000m track championships this year.
- Erin Teschuk
- 2nd at the 5km road championships and 4th at the 5000m track championships this year.
- Eleanor Baran
- She almost escaped our radar. Has a 15:33 5k PB and was 3rd at the Canadian 5000m championship in 2024.
- Cleo Boyd
- 2nd at the Canadian 10km championship in 2024.
- Grace Fetherstonhaugh
- Raced at the World Championships in the 3000m Steeplechase this year and sometimes steeplechasers are absolutely nasty at XC.
Group B
- Léane Baril
- 9th at ACXC last year and 12th this year in her debut U SPORTS championship.
- Jade Bérubé
- 19th in 2022.
- Sophie Black
- 4th at the 10,000m championship in Guelph this past summer.
- Courtney Brohart
- 14th last year and 8th at the Vancouver Sun Run in April this year.
- Sophie Courville
- Breakout season at McGill even while their running program is under attack (more on that later). Placed 5th at U SPORTS.
- Marika Couture
- 5th last year and second in the junior division in 2023.
- Aly Ginther
- 8th in 2021, 12th in 2023.
- Holly MacGillivray
- 6th last year and 2025 NAIA 1500m champion.
- Alex McDougall
- U SPORTS bronze medalist.
Wild Cards
- Alyshia Alkerton
- Followed a 13th place U SPORTS finish last year to finish an impressive 3rd at ACXC.
- Anne-Marie Comeau
- World Mountain running championships athlete was 7th in the 5000m on the track this summer and could be filthy on the cross course.
- Makenna Fitzgerald
- 8th in 2023.
- Erin Mawhinney
- Toronto Waterfront Half Champion and third at the 5k road championships this year in Montréal. Hasn’t raced XC in a while.
- Katie Newlove
- 2023 U SPORTS champion coming back from absence due to injury.
- Leslie Sexton
- Defending champion. Hasn’t raced much since then.
Open Men
Hot Takes
Yeah, is Moh Ahmed fully recovered from the mangled state his body was clearly in during the track and field season? Nothing like a sub zero ACXC course featuring snow to test it out!!!!! Guy has raced the open race once in 2012 when Cammy Levs beat him by 0.52 seconds holy wow. The rest of the guys will be battling it out behind him. Will Bannon bring out the cannon? Can Coughler finally crack the XC code? The MoreCar-Laviolette Québec Quombo looks pretty awesome.
Does The Pries have the steez? Does Wheeler have the Deez? Ehab won the 10,000m track championship this summer with a 29:33 and ran a pretty good half in Toronto in widy condishies. Beat Coughler there. Mitchell Ubene was 5th in the 5000m at the track championships this summer and is the top returning from last year where he was third, one place ahead of the lave auto of Morneau-Cartier.
Verdict: 1. Ahmed >> 2. Field
Entry list breakdown (in no particular order)
Group A
- Moh Ahmed
- no notes needed.
- Nick Bannon
- 10th last year. 7th at the 5000m championship this year.
- Jeremy Coughler
- Waterfront half 3rd place. 7th last year.
- Ehab El-Sandali
- Waterfront half 2nd place.
- Thomas Laviolette
- second to morecar at U SPORTS this year.
- Philippe Morneau-Cartier
- Three time U SPORTS champion. 2nd at ACXC in 2023 and 4th in 2024.
- Ben Priesner
- Olympian in the marathon. He was fourth at ACXC in 2019 and I’m pretty sure that’s the last time he raced it.
- Mitchell Ubene
- 3rd last year, 5th in 2022.
- Jude Wheeler-Dee
- U SPORTS bronze. Shared U20 ACXC gold in 2022 with his Queen’s teammate Roman Mironov.
Group B
- Jacob Benoit
- Bronze in the U SPORTS 3000m last March and 5th at the 2024 U SPORTS XC Championship.
- Tristan Coles
- a 3:40 indoor 1500m PB has to be good for something.
- Rob Kanko
- 13th in 2023. 6th at the Hamilton 5k this year.
- Jack Lehto
- 6th at U SPORTS.
- Roman Mironov
- U20 champion in 2022.
- Yemane Mulugeta
- U20 champion last year.
- Jack O’Farrell
- Second at the Hamilton Road 2 Hope 5k.
- Xavier Perras-Phaneuf
- U20 silver last year.
- Félix Quirion
- 4th at U SPORTS.
- Kevin Robertson
- 2nd and 3rd in 3000m steeplechase at the 2024 and 2025 Canadian Track Championships.
- Matt Talbot
- 9th at the 5000m championship in the summer.
- Nolan Turgeon
- 5th at U SPORTS.
Wild Cards
- Evan Burke
- Ran a 28:47 on the track in May but hasn’t raced much since then.
- Connor Black
- 2022 champion was 14th last year.
- Santiago Gaitan
- 6th at the 5000m championship this year.
- Phil Parrot-Migas
- 4th in 2022 and 11th in 2023.
- Jonathan Podbielski
- U SPORTS bronze in 2024. ACXC junior champion in 2023.
Team Challenge Contest
Teams: see instagram post here
- Team 1: The Sacob Crackenburies
- Sam Kinahan
- Jacob Benoit
- Will Cox
- Miles Brackenbury
- Team 2: The Gregan Normandailles
- Grace Fetherstonhaugh
- Regan Yee
- Pierre-Yves Normandin
- Tristan Gazaille
- Team 3: The Patslie Broughlers
- Patrick Dean
- Leslie Sexton
- Jonah Brost
- Jeremy Coughler
- Team 4: The Glynmelia FlemGillivrays
- Glynis Sim
- Amelia Pfohl
- Elysse Fleming
- Sarah MacGillivray
- Team 5: The Jilliam Ubannons
- Jenn Dowling-Medley
- William Boyle
- Mitch Ubene
- Nick Bannon