The streets of Toronto were buzzing on Saturday as Ottawa’s running community stole the show at the 2025 Under Armour Toronto 10K. With a record 8,500 runners on the course, local athletes pushed through a stiff headwind to earn big wins—and a little redemption.
Nyirarukundo breaks through
For Salome Nyirarukundo, this victory was a long time coming. After finishing second in both 2023 and 2024, the 27-year-old finally claimed the top spot, crossing the line in 34:05. The conditions weren’t exactly kind, with runners battling headwinds along Lake Ontario, but Nyirarukundo didn’t back down, Canadian Running Series reported.
“It feels amazing. I’ve been chasing this win for three years,” Nyirarukundo said post-race. Living in Ottawa for the past five years, the Rwandan Olympian knew she had to push early to stay clear of veteran racer Rachel Hannah, who chased hard, finishing second in 34:17. Ottawa’s Teagan Robertson rounded out the podium in 34:52.
Nyirarukundo, who still holds Rwanda’s national records in the 5,000m and 10,000m, said the win was extra special because she had to make her move early and hold it. “After 3K I was really pushing because I know Rachel is so strong,” she said. “Usually, I don’t finish well, so I knew I couldn’t wait.” Hannah is no stranger to the Under Armour Toronto 10K, having finished third here in past years. “This was my best run at this race,” Hannah said. “It’s always great to have someone like Salome to chase. It keeps you sharp.”
Nobbs nails it
In the men’s race, it was another Ottawa win. Thomas Nobbs surged in the final kilometre to break away from Lee Wesselius, taking the tape in 29:35. Nobbs, a former UBC standout who is originally from Vancouver, recently ran to a solid sixth-place finish at the Canadian 10K Championships. He found himself leading early, against his coach’s advice.“I was at the front before I even realized it,” Nobbs said. It wasn’t the smoothest morning: a poor night’s sleep and shoelace trouble at the start could have derailed him, but he kept it together.
Wesselius, who works full-time as a large animal vet, finished five seconds back in second, happy with his improvement from Ottawa’s national championships a few weeks earlier. Toronto’s Alex Cyr took third in 29:45.
