Competing in a marathon for first time, Cam Levins shaves 44 seconds off Canadian record

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Cam Levins had never even competed in a marathon before, and when he did on Sunday, he beat a Canadian record that had stood for 43 years.

Mr. Levins was certain a record was within his grasp 40 kilometres into the Toronto Waterfront Marathon. The final smidgen of the race – two kilometres – went by so fast for him that it seemed like a sprint.

“It was pretty much a blur, especially the last half-kilometre,” Mr. Levins said after finishing fourth in 2 hours 9 minutes 25 seconds. “Everything was flying by at that point."

The 29-year-old from Black Creek, B.C., did his best to focus on the finish line where his wife, Elizabeth, mother, Barb, and father, Gus, were waiting. As soon as he crossed it, he found them in the crowd and a celebration began.

He eclipsed a national record by former long-distance champion Jerome Drayton – and by a substantial 44 seconds.

“It is such an old record, it is nice to be the one to take it down,” Mr. Levins said. “It’s a good one to check off the list."

Benson Kipruto of Kenya was the overall men’s winner in 2:07:24. Mimi Belete of Bahrain set a women’s course record while winning in 2:22:29. Kinsey Middleton of Guelph, Ont., was the top Canadian woman, in seventh at 2:32:09. Like Mr. Levins, she earned the Canadian women’s title in her first attempt at a marathon.

Among women, Leslie Sexton of London, Ont., was ninth, while Krista DuChene of Strathroy, Ont., was 10th. Reid Coolsaet of Hamilton placed 10th among men.

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It has been a big year for the marathon. Last month, the world record was set in Berlin by Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge, who finished in 2:01:39 to clip nearly 1:20 off the previous best in the 42.2-km race.

On Sunday, more than 25,000 runners from 76 countries braved sub-zero wind chill temperatures during the race, which ended in the shadows of City Hall.

Mr. Levins, whose running career was in doubt after an injury in 2015, earned $6,000 by finishing fourth – and $43,000 in bonus money by setting the Canadian men’s marathon record. That is $1,000 for each year that Mr. Drayton’s mark had endured.

“It is a historic day,” said Alan Brookes, the race director. He draped a Canadian flag around Mr. Levins’s shoulders as soon as he finished. “We have had some incredible Canadian moments here over the last 19 years, but this is the one everyone has been waiting for. It is a massive achievement.”

Mr. Levins, an NCAA champion when he attended Southern Utah University, finished 11th in the 10,000 metres and 14th in the 5,000 metres at the 2012 London Games. That same year, he became the first Canadian to receive the NCAA’s Bowerman Award, granted to the most outstanding collegiate athlete in track and field.

His ascension among distance runners continued in 2014, when he won a bronze medal in the 10,000 metres at the Commonwealth Games. His status among the elite was threatened, however, when he incurred an injury in Edmonton at the 2015 Canadian Track and Field Championships.

Mr. Levins had just finished a heat in the 1,500 metres when he was accidentally tripped from behind by a fellow contestant. He was diagnosed with a torn tendon in his left foot, stress fractures, a bone spur and bone chips that required surgery. He suffered from post-operative dizziness, and didn’t resume running until 2016.

“I think we were all pretty positive at the time, but we came to understand how serious my injury was,” said Mr. Levins, who now lives in Portland, Ore. “It can be a really long road back. Unless you have gone through it yourself, it is really hard to understand how difficult it is.”

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It was only over the past several months that Mr. Levins believed he had returned to being as fit as he was before the injury.

“I felt capable of setting a Canadian record going into the race, but you never know,” he said. “Conditions have to be right, pacing has to go well, you don’t really know how fit you are in relation to running a time like that. For it to happen, so many things have to go right.”

Mr. Brookes said there was a question whether Mr. Levins could run fast enough to set a record over such a long distance. The farthest he had ever run previously was a half-marathon. In March, he finished 30th in the half-marathon at the International Association of Athletics Federations world championships.

“Everyone knew he had the wheels, but the marathon is such a different beast than any other race,” Mr. Brookes said. “We just didn’t know if he was going to smash the record or would be sitting on the sidewalk after 35 kilometres.”

With 10 kilometres to go, Mr. Levins felt fine. The nearer he got to the finish line, the more he knew he would set the Canadian record, which is still nearly seven minutes off Mr. Kipchoge’s world record.

“I felt good and tried to hang in there as strongly as I could," he said. “Having been through what I have been through makes it all that much sweeter.”