North Vancouver resident Natasha Wodak was part of a record-smashing day in distance running Sunday, becoming the first Canadian woman ever to complete a half marathon in less than 70 minutes.
Wodak clocked a time of 1:09:41 in the Houston Half Marathon, beating the old Canadian record of 1:10:06 set by Rachel Cliff just one month ago in Okayama, Japan.
Gave it 100% today(almost puked lol) in Houston & was rewarded with a Canadian Record in the half marathon! 1:09:41! Thx for all the support & kind words! I’m one happy- & exhausted lady! @HoustonMarathon pic.twitter.com/rCErSAZZjw
— Natasha Wodak (@tasha_wodak) January 19, 2020
Wodak, however, wasn’t the only record setter in Houston. Kelowna’s Malindi Elmore raced the full marathon and set a new Canadian record of 2:24:50. The old record of 2:26.56 was also set by Cliff last March.
Wodak, age 38, finished 17th overall in the Houston Half Marathon while 39-year-old Elmore placed third in the marathon. The two Canadians celebrated their new national records together at the finish line.
Wodak is coming off a fast 2019 season that saw her win gold and set a new meet record in the 10,000-metre race at the Pan Am Games in Lima, Peru. She also won the Vancouver Sun Run for the third time and won gold at the Canadian 10,000 m Championships. She is the Canadian record holder in the 10,000-m race, having set that mark in 2015.
