Home > Racing

Canadian triathlete beats elite running field at Vancouver First Half; former triathlete Malindi Elmore tops women’s field

Elmore, one of the few women to have gone under 9 hours for an Ironman, takes the women's title in Vancouver

Photo by: RUNVAN®
February 12, 2024
Share on SMS

On a wet Sunday morning at Vancouver’s First Half, Canadian triathlete Jeremy Briand stunned the field as the top finisher of the half marathon. Briand, from Sainte-Julie, Que., beat a field of top Canadian talent and up-and-coming distance stars in 64:27. He was joined on the top of the podium by Olympian Malindi Elmore, who turned to triathlon for a time before returning to running and will represent Canada in Paris this summer.

The men’s half marathon came down to the wire with Briand edging out U Sports XC medallist Andrew Davies and 2:14-marathoner Lee Wesselius by 10 seconds. Canadian Olympic marathoner Trevor Hofbauer finished fourth in 64:49.

In recent years, Briand has been one of Canada’s top triathletes, representing Canada at the World Triathlon level. During his undergrad, the 28-year-old was a middle-distance runner with McGill University’s track and field program. After graduating, Briand began his triathlon career and quickly made his mark by winning Canadian tri nationals in 2019.

Briand’s winning time was 28 seconds shy of his personal best he ran earlier this year at the 2024 Houston Marathon, where he was 25th in 63:59.

Jeremy Briand
Canadian triathlete Jeremy Briand at the SuperLeague Triathlon Arena Games. Photo: Kevin Mackinnon

Sub-9 Ironman finisher takes the women’s race

It truly was a day for triathletes as runner-turned-triathlete-turned-runner Malinda Elmore took her first win at the Vancouver First Half. Days after receiving an early nomination to her third Canadian Olympic team,Elmore threw down an impressive performance to win the women’s race at the Vancouver First Half. Elmore crossed the finish line in 1:11:57, coming in nearly two minutes ahead of Samantha Jory of Vancouver (1:13:34). Kate Bazeley of St. John’s crossed the line for third in 1:14:41.

Elmore is one of a few Canadian women who have broken the nine-hour barrier for a full-distance (Ironman) race. A 2004 Olympian over 1,500 m, the 42-year-old retired from the track in 2012 after representing Canada at the 2006 Commonwealth Games and the 2011 Pan Ams. After having her first child she turned to swimming and biking to stay fit and it wasn’t long before she turned to triathlon. Her race results were impressive – she won the Great White North triathlon in 2015 and took second at Ironman 70.3 Calgary that year, too. In 2016 she was second at Ironman 70.3 Victoria and Augusta, then went a blazing 8:57 for third at Ironman Arizona. The list of Canadian women faster than Elmore over the full-distance is short – Jen Annett, Lori Bowden, Angela Naeth and Sara Gross.

Sub-9-hour Canadian Ironman athlete Malindi Elmore finishes 11th at Boston Marathon

In 2022 Elmore finished second to Natasha Wodak in 2022 in 1:11:58 at the Vancouver First Half. Both Elmore’s times rank within the top five performances in the history of the race. The Kelowna native is currently gearing up for the 2024 Boston Marathon on April 15, which she will run in preparation for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

You can view the full results from the Vancouver First Half here.