Levins sets Canadian mark in marathon
TORONTO• Cam Levins chased a mark that had eluded Canada’s fastest marathon men for more than four decades Sunday.
And in the process, he wrote his own comeback story with every powerful step.
The 29-year-old from Black Creek, B.C., shattered the Canadian marathon record — in his debut at the distance — at the Toronto Scotiabank Waterfront Marathon, erasing the pain and frustration of three injury-plagued seasons.
“Entering the last 10 kilometres of this race I was thinking to myself: ‘I’m going to take back my career. I’m going to be back to the athlete I know I can be,’ ” Levins said through a wide smile, a Canadian flag draped around his shoulders. “That was huge motivation.”
Levins, who often considered quitting after a fluke foot injury in 2015 derailed his career, ran two hours, nine minutes, 25 seconds to finish fourth overall.
He was also crowned the national marathon champion as the first Canadian across the finish line.
Jerome Drayton set the previous record, one of the oldest on the books, of 2:10:09 in 1975.
“With 3K left I knew I could do it and with half a kilometre left, I was certain it was going to happen,” said Levins. “I was just enjoying the moment.”
Levins earned a bonus of $43,000 — $1,000 for every year the record stood — for breaking the mark.
Organizers were attempting to connect Drayton and Levins by phone after the race.
Benson Kipruto of Kenya won the gold in 2:07:24. Hamilton’s Reid Coolsaet was 10th in 2:17.37.
Kinsey Middleton of Guelph, Ont., won the Canadian women’s title in 2:32:09 in her marathon debut. She was seventh among all women. Leslie Sexton of London, Ont., was ninth, while Krista DuChene of Strathroy, Ont., who won bronze at the Boston Marathon earlier this year, was 10th.
Race winner was Mimi Belete of Bahrain in 2:22.82.
Levins, meanwhile, was Canada’s best distance runner on the track for several seasons, finishing 11th in the 10,000 metre race and 14th in the 5,000 at the 2012 Olympics.
He also captured bronze in the 10K at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
He was still on the rise when he injured his ankle after he was shoved from behind at the finish line of the 1,500 metres at the 2015 Canadian championships. The injury, which included a torn tendon and two stress fractures, required surgery and wiped out the better part of the next two seasons.
The marathon is known for the unexpected. Marathoners will tell you the “second half ” of the race actually hits with about 10 kilometres to go. Even the most experienced runners have been felled by those final gruelling steps.
The final seven kilometres were tough, Levins said. But as he headed west toward the finish line, Levins told himself: “I have to do this. I’ve come too far not to do this.”