Running: Scotia Bank Waterfront Marathon Race Recap

Friday, October 01, 2004 - 05:00 AM

Cinderella story captures Toronto marathon hearts....

I had the pleasure of being on the course for a good part of the marathon
(men's), on my bike watching my good friend Danny Kassap finally mature
and execute a great race. As I was attaching my banners to the overhead
walkway at the west-entrance to the CNE (guerilla marketing at it's best!)
the lead pack of three elite "invited" runners raced by, the lone
Canadian Bruce Deacon in hot pursuit. Kenyans Joseph Kahugu, Paul Gaitha
and defending champ Joseph Nderitu were with Bruce as they sped by the 6km
mark.

Danny was in the second, chase pack, only 10 seconds behind, but this was
a good sign, he was finally showing maturity as he waited patiently for
his opportunity. At the 10.5 km mark, as the runners headed south into
Queen's Quay, Danny was now shoulder to shoulder, in his marathon debut,
with the "big" boys. He looked fresh, happy and eager, great signs in the
early stages of a race.

Later, still on my bike, at the 23km mark, it was Nderitu, Kahuga and
Danny, clearly these three were looking to be the betting choice to finish
1-2-3, but in what order? The crowds were vocal and enthusiastic, little
did they know how much more exciting the race would become...

After the out-and-back on the Leslie Street Spit, and the out-and-back
section in the Beaches, along Lakeshore, Nderitu was dropped, so with 10
km to go, it was the rookie Kassap up against a world-class experienced
Kenyan in Kahuga. I was excited, telling the official bike pacers all
about Danny's story, and before long, we were all cheering him on. "How
fast are we going", I asked the cyclists - I knew they had those
speedometres on their bikes. "18km's per hour, for most of the day was the
reply". Wow, imagine that, 2plus hours at this pace, these guys are
indeed fit.

Danny looked fresh, tired but hungry, you could see it in his eyes, while
Kahuga was tiring, showing signs of fatigue that normally wouldn't show up
until later in the race. For 5-6 km's they exchanged the lead, but it was
clear that Kassap had that something "extra" in the tank, and he was
waiting for the right moment to unleash it.

"C'mon Danny, we yelled, in unison, 5km left, you can win this, this is
YOUR RACE!"

Along Commissioners, with the sun beaming down on our backs, Kassap made
his move, subtle yet strong, and very quicjkly as they turned back north
towards Lakeshore Road, Danny had 10 meters on his rival. I called the
finish line, relaying the situation to Jamie Black, one of the suportive
crew from U of T Track who have gone out of their way to lend assistance
to Danny in the form of rides to races, gear, food, advice - you name it.
"Jamie, Danny's in first, tell the crowd..." . It was pandemonium, I could
hear Kevin Smith (race announcer), in the background, relaying the message
from me on the bike, via cell phone to Jamie, then to the waiting crowd of
thousands, "Danny Kassap from the U of T, in the lead, 4km to go..."

Now his lead widened to 20, then 30 metres, we approached the 39km mark -
"C'mon Danny, you've broken him, pour it on, pretend you're in the 3km
indoors, 9 more laps to go....". Danny was tiring, his face was
contorting, eyes reddening, but the legs and arms wouldn't quit, he could
smell blood, and no matter how tired he was, he wouldn't let up. We pass
the Marathon Dynamics Water Station, just over 2km left -the lead was now
50 meters, the race looked to be over. "C'mon Danny, don't quit, one last
surge and you'll break his spirit. Less than 2km, you can do this!"

One last call to the finish line, we're approaching Bay Street, the crowds
are cheering, the half-marathoners still coming in are yelling too -
"Jamie, he's got it, 200 metres now, I can't see 2nd place...."

The swing up Bay and along Wellington was awesome, I couldn't see Danny
now as I had to watch and maneouver my way thru the crowds and barricades,
but what a feeling, what a race.

Later, in the VIP tent, Danny had the look of a champion, his shirt
slightly bloodied, but a look in his eye that this was only just the
beginning....


Peter Donato