With world events top of mind, Sasha Gollish to run for peace in Sunday's Toronto marathon

It has been difficult for Canadian runner Sasha Gollish to concentrate on her usual preparation for this weekend's TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon.

Recent world events, most notably the surprise attack on Israel by Hamas nearly a week ago, have been on her mind.

"I'm Jewish and there has been a lot of unrest for a long time, but in the last six days it has really been heightened. It's a privilege to know that you have safety in the ability to run," Gollish said. "So, on Sunday, I'm going to step up on the course and I'm going to run for peace.

"I'm going to run for peace in Israel and in Gaza and think about all of the people that don't necessarily have the choice or the safety to leave their homes Sunday morning when I do."

The marathon, which is scheduled for 8:45 a.m. ET, will be live streamed at CBCSports.ca, the CBC Sports App and CBC Gem. Event coverage begins at 8 a.m.

Gollish, a 41-year-old engineer with a PhD, came out of retirement at 32 after a decade away from running and has since competed for Canada at several global events.

She finished 61st at the world championship last August with a season-best time of two hours 45 minutes nine seconds. Gollish has also eclipsed several masters records including the world indoor and Canadian outdoor records in the 1,500 metres.

Last year in Toronto, Gollish was eighth overall (2:31:40) and third among Canadian women in her hometown race.

"I think sometimes we take for granted the safety that we have, particularly in the city of Toronto," she said. "Yes, every city has its challenges.

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"But with what's going on in Israel, what's going on in Ukraine, what's going on globally, it really is a