It was a chilly Saturday evening in Ottawa, but Rosseau, Ont.’s Gracelyn Larkin didn’t shy away from bringing the heat. The 24-year-old made a statement in her Canadian 10K Championships debut, throwing down a blistering 32:43 for a decisive victory.
Kelowna, B.C.’s Malindi Elmore claimed the runner-up spot in 33:01, while Hamilton’s Erin Mawhinney rounded out the podium in 33:09.
Although the event was stacked with elite competition, the top two women pulled away from the pack after just a kilometre. Elmore blamed the move on her impatient tendencies, admitting that after clocking an initial split of three minutes and 12 seconds, she took off. Larkin followed closely behind.
“I have this tendency–still from my track days–where I just like to go hard from the gun, and I just try to hold on,” Elmore told Canadian Running. “And if I blow up, I blow up. I inevitably always blow up, and it’s ideal if it’s closer to the finish line than 3K out.”
Larkin overtook Elmore and ran away with the lead with 2.5 kilometres to go. “I was focused on her back the whole time and trying to stay strong in the middle in the hard parts,” she said. “I was trying to close as much of the gap as I could. I just went with it and stuck to it.”
“I’m really, truly happy we’ve got some upcoming young talent,” Elmore said, giving a nod to Larkin’s outstanding run. “I’m excited for this Canadian running season.”
The run marked Larkin’s third-ever road race–she’s fresh off the B.A.A. 5K in Boston last month, and in December, she soared to a win in her professional debut at the Honolulu 10K in Hawaii. Her time from Saturday crushes her former 10K best by nearly 50 seconds.
“[The 10K] is definitely a different beast,” she told Canadian Running. “But I really enjoyed it, so I’ll come back next year hopefully. This is a bit of a confidence boost going into the season.”
Larkin, who graduated from Northern Arizona University (NAU) last spring, signed a pro contract with Under Armour’s Dark Sky Distance team. She formerly competed for the University of New Mexico (UNM) from 2019-2023, holding an impressive collegiate resume. Her career saw her earn All-American status seven times, before she went on to represent Canada in the 5,000m at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Ore. Larkin boasts personal bests of 15:23.63 in the 5,000m and 32:32.61 in the 10,000m.
The performance also marks Larkin’s second national title; she won the 5,000m at the 2022 Canadian Track and Field Championships.
Larkin’s high school coach, Mark Harris, made the trip to cheer her on. “I thought, I have to do it for him,” she said. “He came out to watch me race for the first time since high school–it was really special. My family is here too, so that’s also a huge moment.”
Larkin currently trains with her new professional team in Flagstaff, Arizona. “The [training] group that I have–I’m so grateful for them,” she said. “It’s been an amazing group to work with since the fall–they push me every day, we pull on each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and we help each other–that’s the biggest thing that’s come out of turning professional.”
The runner will compete next at the Canadian 10,000m Championships on June 18 in Guelph, Ont. She says she’ll be covering all distances this summer, adding in some 5,000m and 3,000m races on the track as well.
For full results from the Canadian 10K Championships and Ottawa 10K, see here.
Charles Philibert-Thiboutot breaks Canadian 10K record in Ottawa
