Ben Flanagan watched the Chicago Marathon last weekend with greater focus and attention to detail than in previous years, primarily for long-term research purposes, but also in preparation for his debut at the Toronto Waterfront on Sunday morning.
“A lot of the guys I’ve competed against ran well, which is intimidating and exciting,” said the Kitchener, Ont., native. “I feel like they’re a few steps ahead of me because I’m so new to this.
“Kids with resumes similar to mine are really enjoying [marathon] success, so it is encouraging.”
One of them, Alex Masai of Kenya, trains with HOKA Northern Arizona Elite. He posted a personal best time of two hours, four minutes and 37 seconds to take third place in Chicago. In March, Masai finished sixth in the New York City Half Marathon, one place and 14 seconds ahead of Flanagan.
The Canadian, who ran track in the 5,000 meters in his Olympic debut in 2024, left New York targeting 2:08 or 2:09 for his first marathon, but Flanagan’s priorities for this weekend changed after a shorter, less-than-perfect build while recovering from a partially torn labrum in his left hip joint.
“I had a piece of humble pie over the spring and summer,” Flanagan told CBC Sports this week from his home in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. “2:08 is already difficult, but it is much more difficult when you [marathon] construction is interrupted [by injury]or it is not long enough.
“The time [on Sunday] It means a lot less to me than it did months ago. I’m not in an Olympic or world championship year having to hit. [a qualifying standard]. The goal of this marathon is for it to be the worst. [of my career]. “I would consider it a success to win the Canadian championship.”
Justin Kent, Thomas Broatch and Trevor Hofbauer are the Canadian elite men’s champions for the past three years at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon, finishing in the range of 2:11-2:16.
Watch live coverage of the Toronto Waterfront Marathon on Sunday from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. ET on CBCSports.ca and CBC Gem.
For Jon Green, Flanagan’s coach for the past 10 months, it’s about the athlete enjoying the marathon experience on his debut.
“It can be a daunting task as the next important distance ahead is half the marathon distance. [of 42.2 kilometres]” said Green, who watched another of his Canadian athletes, Rory Linkletter, run a personal best in Chicago and finish 73 seconds behind Cam Levins’ national mark of 2:05:36.
“I want Ben to enjoy it and compete with the athletes around him in those last 10km. From what I’ve seen [in his recent workouts] “I think he’s ready to compete for the Canadian championship.”
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Former Canadian half marathon record holder
There was a moment when Flanagan wondered if he would take the starting line in Toronto. He didn’t run 60km in training until late July and wasn’t in good shape until August, but training improved quickly.
“I ran 150 to 160 kilometers in six days and got used to race pace in 35 and 38 km races,” said Flanagan, a three-time Canadian 10 km champion and former Canadian half marathon record holder. Learning more about the marathon was essential during this build.
“The pace is faster than I thought. Even at a slower pace, when you go that far, it’s harder than I expected,” he said. “Feeding was a huge learning curve, how to digest [sports drinks] fast. I got to a point where every 5K [in training runs] “I would pick up a bottle, take three sips and throw it away.”
Staying patient, getting the right fuel during the race and challenging yourself when the going gets tough will be key, said Flanagan, whose wife and seven-month-old daughter will be among a support group of 20 to 50 family and friends in Toronto.
“I learned a lot and found a lot of areas for improvement. I’m ready for things to be harder than I want them to be,” said Flanagan, who was sick the last two weeks of his development. “I’m not in the best shape of my life, but I feel like I’m ready to have a good race.”
Levins ran 2:09:25 in his marathon debut in Toronto on October 21, 2018 to break Jerome Drayton’s 43-year-old Canadian men’s record.
“In my experience, the last 10K [in Toronto] It is the hardest part of the race. It feels like the wind is generally against you,” Levins told CBC Sports. “While it will be easy to run fast and cook in the first 30 km, you have to have something in the tank for the last 10 or 12 km. Or at least group up with someone so you can share the work.”
Broatch, who ran 2:10:35 last January in Houston, is recovering from appendicitis and will not compete Sunday. Veteran steeplechase runner John Gay of Kelowna, BC, also trained by Green, was set to make his marathon debut, but is out with an undisclosed injury.
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Alexander and Parrot-Migas could fight for the Canadian title
In his absence, Toronto’s Andrew Alexander and London, Ontario’s Phil Parrot-Migas could shine and pose a challenge to Flanagan’s Canadian title quest that begins at 8 a.m. ET.
Alexander, 26, has had a great road season with a time of 2:12:55 in Houston in January and was third at the Canadian 10K Road Race Championships.
Parrot-Migas, 32, clocked a PB of 2:13:24 in Houston, more than two minutes faster than her previous best, and less than three months later successfully defended her Around the Bay 30K title in Hamilton.
“The Canadian marathon scene has steadily improved over the last few years. Seeing Ben Preisner at 2:08 and another group get into the conversation that [soon] could be under 2:10, I think it will make us all better,” Flanagan said. “But I’m paying attention to 2:06 and 2:05 now and [thinking] about rory [Linkletter] and camera [Levins].
“If there is anything I learned from Tokyo that I missed in the [2021] Olympic team, you can’t expect everything to go well. You have to aim for the best.
“I want to run 2:05 in that [2028 Los Angeles] Olympic construction,” Flanagan continued. “I don’t want to rely on other people’s performances and not be there. “I want to be one of the best.”
Meanwhile, Dayna Pidhoresky and Rachel Hannah are two elite athletes to watch in Sunday’s women’s marathon.
Pidhoresky, a 2021 Olympian, will be making her fifth appearance at the Toronto Waterfront event. The 38-year-old, who was the top Canadian woman with a time of 2:29:03 in 2019, won the Vancouver Marathon for the third time five months ago.
Hannah, 39, clocked 2:34:42 at the Boston Marathon this year and consistently runs in the 2:34 range. In May, the nutritional consultant from Port Elgin, Ont., placed fifth in the women’s race at the Canadian 10K Road Racing Championships in Ottawa.
