GENE DYKES

A sub-3:00 marathon at 70. And he's got the record in his sights Running a sub-3:00 marathon is an enormous achievement at any age, but to do so at the age of 70 is extraordinary. So we doff our caps in the direction of US runner Gene Dykes, who clocked a superb time of 2:55:18 at the recent Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon. As quick as he was, his still isn’t the fastest marathon time by a septuagenarian. That honour belongs to British-born Canadian Ed Whitlock, who ran 2:54:48 in 2004, also in Toronto (Whitlock died in 2017, aged 86). Dykes now has that time in his sights. ‘Ed didn’t set that record until he was 73 so I have three years to improve,’ he says. ‘I don’t have anything against [Ed] personally. But goals are goals. Just missing by 30 seconds, I’m contemplating my options now to give it another go.’