Ben Flanagan, Leslie Sexton capture their 1st Canadian 10K road race titles

Ben Flanagan won his first-ever 10-kilometre road race on Sunday while Leslie Sexton captured her second Canadian women's running title in a month.

Flanagan made a late move and held off Luc Bruchet to take the men's race in 28 minutes 41 seconds at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon 10K, which doubled as the Canadian 10K Championships and moved from Ottawa for this year.

Bruchet was eight seconds back after winning the men's national 5K title a month earlier, while Ben Preisner covered the looped course on Lakeshore Rd. in 28:53 on a breezy morning. They will return home to B.C. with an extra $3,000 and $1,500 in their respective pockets.

Sexton of Markham, Ont., came in at 32:04, six seconds behind race winner Sarah Inglis of Scotland, who wasn't ineligible for the Canadian title and $5,500 top prize. The physical education teacher in Langley, B.C., who isn't a Canadian citizen, ran a 31:58 personal best after taking the women's virtual 5K title in 15:37, also a PB.

"I did what I could. Sarah is super fit and I was lucky to have her dragging me," Sexton said after the race. "It's great to be a part of the [in-person] running scene again."

Sunday marked Sexton's fourth Canadian 10K Championship race with her previous best finish in Toronto on Sept. 21, 2013 when she was fifth in 35:24.

The 34-year-old's recent 5K and 10K runs have been good preparation for the Philadelphia Marathon on Nov. 21.