10-Year-Old Toronto Area Boy Wins 5K Race With 20 Minutes Break

On Saturday morning, the crowd at Toronto’s Oasis Zoo Run was shocked as a pint-sized runner. Sawyer Nicholson She won 5K in 19:25 and became the first woman to cross the finish line.

The 10-year-old from Stauffville, Ontario beat 1,400 runners in her first road race. “At first, I was shocked by the number of people on the starting line,” says Nicholson. “Usually I race with a lot fewer runners, but once the race started all the tension was gone.”

Nicholson says he was surprised to find out he won. He has seen a race on television where the winner breaks the ribbon at the end. I never thought it would happen to me. ”

In 2020, her dad Leviran her to stay soccer season shapeLevi used to go running with his daughter, but when she started going faster, he struggled to keep up. Now he rides his bike to keep up with his daughter when she runs.

Nicholson ran for the Durham Dragons Track Club and won two Athletics Ontario junior gold medals in the 600m and 1,000m this summer. She scored her 1K in her Ontario tournament record time of 3:18.09 for the Athletics.

After her track success, her father wanted her to try road racing. “I thought it would be fun to run at the zoo without realizing how hilly the course was,” says Nicholson.

Nicholson has no immediate plans to choose between soccer and running, with the goal of one day receiving a full sports scholarship and representing Canada at the Olympics.

“I like both sports because they offer different challenges and lessons,” she says. “In football, I’m often the smallest player on the field, so changing people’s perception that size doesn’t matter is always a battle,” she says. “In running, I like to finish no matter how hard I try.”

Her first 5K success led to her signing up for two more races this fall. “She will be competing again in October at the TCS Toronto She Waterfront 5K and her 5K at Niagara Falls,” she says. She also hopes to finish on the podium at the Athletics XC meet in Ontario in November.