Nieuwold, Kabush take first national marathon titles at the 2016 XCM Canadian championships in Quebec

East Hereford, Que. was the site of a pair of firsts on Sunday, when Elyse Nieuwold and Geoff Kabush earned their first Marathon titles at the 2016 XCM Canadian championships in the women’s and men’s marathon categories.

At 82 km, the day’s marathon competition featured a long climb and several sections of singletrack, after which several more climbs led riders to the terrain’s highest point: an 864-m peak at 60 km in, with a steady descent to the finish over the next 22 km.

Nieuwold’s time at the finish—4:29:02—firmly established the Newmarket, Ont., athlete as the strongest in the women’s field.

Her powerful time put her 11 minutes ahead of her nearest competitor, Maghalie Rochette of Luna Pro Team. Holding down second after that steady, downhill stretch to the line, the Saint-Jérôme, Que., rider, in turn, was 6:40 ahead of Caroline Villeneuve of Quebec City, competing in Le Peladier colours.

After owning the day’s marathon, Nieuwold reflected on the course conditions. “It was a fantastic course,” she said, “with gruelling climbs and awesome singletrack descents. Once I got a gap, I tried to increase it steadily on the 8 km climb up Mount Hereford and the technical descent. I was really glad the race organizer suggested pre-riding the technical descent the day before, because it meant I was able to confidently rip those trails on race day.”

“I’m really happy with the win today,” Nieuwold added, “and with earning my first national championship jersey.”

For Geoff Kabush of Courtenay, B.C., meanwhile, the men’s competition allowed less breathing room between himself and the second place finisher, Cory Wallace of Kona Factory Team. Kabush sped to the finish after a lapsed 3:52:21, with Wallace 56 seconds behind. Riding for Focus Bike/iWill Pro Cycling, taking the podium’s third spot, was Jeremy Martin 24 seconds behind Wallace.

Going into the day’s race, Kabush, he said, wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. “But the organizers in East Hereford put on a fantastic event for marathon nationals,” he said. “The 82 km course was definitely a big test with lots of rocky but fun singletrack along with some serious climbing.”

The race, he said, ground to its climax near the top of the Mount Hereford climb, a part of the course where he nearly lost contact with his closest two competitors. “I barely stayed in touch with Jeremy and Cory,” he recounted, “who attacked the climb hard and [I] entered the most technical descent of the day about 10-15 seconds down.”

While he managed get a bit of a gap on Martin and Wallace with 40 minutes left in the race, Kabush said, the track’s sharp, rock-strewn conditions made for an interesting ride.

“I was really happy to finally cross the finish line and win the Canadian marathon jersey for the first time,” the British Columbia-bred rider said. “I’ll definitely be racing more endurance and trail events next near and look forward to wearing the jersey.”