Levins back on track for marathon debut

Cam Levins doesn’t take any pain-free step for granted anymore.

Three years after a fluke fall in a race derailed his career, the 29-year-old from Black Creek, B.C., will make his marathon debut on Sunday. While he’s set a speedy time goal — he has a pacer to take him through the first 30 kilometres at Canadian-record speed — getting to the finish line in one piece will be worth celebrating.

“I have an appreciation, especially just for being able to go out even for an easy run, it’s something that for a little while wasn’t even really a viable option, being able to enjoy the sport that I love in its most basic form,” Levins said.

“That’s been nice. It’s been nice to be like, ‘Yup, I appreciate every step I get to take,’ even though sometimes I feel better doing it than other days, but I’m always happy that I can go out and do it.”

Levins’ career was on the rise in 2015. He won both the 5,000 and 10,000 metres at the 2012 NCAA championships, raced at the London Olympics that year, then captured bronze at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. But he injured his ankle while crossing the finish line of the 1,500 metres at the 2015 Canadian championships. The injury required surgery and wiped out the better part of the next two seasons.

Levins is finally feeling better than he has in years.

“I think I’m in a good place, and I feel healthy and really fit,” he said. “It’s a combination of two things I haven’t had in a while.”

Some 25,000 elite and recreational runners from more than 70 countries will race in Sunday’s 29th edition of the Toronto Marathon. The top Canadian men such as Reid Coolsaet will be chasing Jerome Drayton’s national record of two hours, 10 minutes and nine seconds, set in 1975. Coolsaet has come closest to that mark, running 2:10.28 three years ago in Berlin.

Krista DuChene of Strathroy, Ont., the bronze medallist at this year’s Boston Marathon, headlines the women’s field. The 41-yearold mother of three will be chasing Lanni Marchant’s Canadian women’s record of 2:28.00 set at the 2013 Toronto marathon.

Levins was renowned for putting in mega-mileage in any given week, so moving up to the marathon didn’t require a major mileage bump.

“I’ve been running about 20-30 miles most days. I’m probably close to 170 miles most weeks,” he said.

“I just want to play things by how I feel and listen to my body better.”