Jenn Jackson secured her third national title of 2024 in dominant fashion at the Canadian Marathon Mountain Bike Championships (XCM) on September 7 in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Having clinched both the Canadian Short Course (XCC) and Olympic (XCO) mountain bike championships earlier this year, Jackson completed her hat trick with a commanding performance on the 90-kilometre course.
Jackson dominates with ten-minute lead
Jackson crossed the finish line in 4 hours, 40 minutes, and 47 seconds, finishing over ten minutes ahead of second-place finisher Laurie Arseneault. Defending champion Haley Smith rounded out the podium in third place. Jackson’s strategy of pacing herself and focusing on refueling paid off, allowing her to maintain her lead throughout the race.
“I approached it like three XCO races, breaking it down lap by lap,” Jackson says. “I knew staying out of the red and keeping on top of refueling would be key. I don’t have a ton of experience with marathon races, but with some research and tips from friends, I knew the secret was eating enough and having fun on the course to minimize the suffering.”
Sean Fincham secures national title in men’s race
In the men’s race, Sean Fincham claimed his first national title with a winning time of 3 hours, 58 minutes, and 32 seconds. Fincham edged out 2023 Canadian champion Andrew L’Esperance by just 1 minute and 37 seconds. Tyler Orschel completed the podium with a third-place finish.
“The race was incredible,” Fincham says. “It was a tough battle, especially with my teammate, but I’m thrilled to win my first Canadian title. I can’t wait to wear the maple leaf next year and defend this title. The passion and excitement from everyone at the event made it a really special day.”
“It was a really well-run event at XCM Nationals in Thunder Bay,” says Andrew L’Esperance. “Big shout out to Blacksheep cycling club for all the efforts they put in! It was an awesome field with some of the World Cup XC guys coming out to race. We had a good group of four at the front with Tyler Orschel and Leandre Bouchard for the first half and then Sean and I were able to get away on the technical singletrack. At the end of the second lap Sean and I had a tangle on the pavement and we both went down. This made the last lap very challenging with road rash, cuts and…
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