Vancouver Island runner smashes Canadian marathon record
Cam Levins of Black Creek, B.C., crossed the marathon's finish line at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Ore., on Sunday, setting a new record.
"I placed fourth which is the highest ever by a Canadian man," said Levins. He set a new Canadian record for the marathon with a time of 2:07:09.
"It’s weird to hear that I broke the Canadian record because it’s like, well, I just beat my personal best, which was also the Canadian record," said Levins.
In 2018, Levins finished 10th in the international competition. On Sunday, he managed to shave a whopping two minutes off his old record, making the fastest Canadian ever even faster.
The race was tight throughout. With three kilometres left, Levins was running in a group of four, competing for second place. In the end he missed medaling by a mere 20 seconds.
"It’s not as if I’m disappointed but there is that feeling of like, ugh, I was right there," said Levins.
First and second place went to Ethiopian runners. Third went to a Belgian.
"It’s a massive deal to be competitive in the marathon which is just one of those events that captures the imagination of everybody," said Simon Nathan, performance director with Athletics Canada.
Levins’ result is seen as a huge win for marathon athletes in Canada.
"When there’s a Canadian in these events then you better watch them and they’re going to be competitive," said Nathan. "They’re not just there making up the numbers, they are there to do well."
The Vancouver Island man fell in love with running at a young age but his career hasn’t always broken records.
"I’ve had some really low lows and really high highs," said Levins.
Competing in the Tokyo Olympics last year, he finished in 72nd place.
"So I really took a lot away from that and went, I need to improve across the board," said Levins.
He made some major changes in his training. Now after setting a new personal best and solidifying the title of the fastest marathoner in Canada, he has his eyes on the Paris Olympics in 2024.
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