As if running 42.2 kilometres wasn’t enough of a task, those who run Sunday’s TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon may also have to do it in the pouring rain.
That’s the forecast for one of Canada’s biggest race weekends that will see more than 30,000 runners take to the streets of Toronto in races ranging from five kilometres to the marathon. But that won’t stop one Canadian runner from making his highly anticipated marathon debut.
Kitchener, Ont.’s Ben Flanagan will run his first marathon, marking his move up to the longer distance after a solid career at shorter ones. The 30-year-old represented Canada at the 2024 Paris Olympics in the 5,000 metres and has captured the Canadian 10k championship three times.
But advancing to the marathon is a step he felt was inevitable.
“At this point it was like ‘Okay, what event do I think is going to maximize my chances to make a big move at the Olympics?’ and I always thought the marathon would be my best event. So, I think this was a late move, but better to do it now three years before [the] L.A. [Olympics].”
In addition to being a significant event for international runners, the TCS Toronto Marathon doubles as the Canadian Marathon Championships. That’s where Flanagan’s focus has been during his training. It would, he said, give him a good indication of where he is in his training and where he needs to get to.
“My main goal is to win the Canadian title,” said Flanagan. “I feel like that’s a very realistic goal and that’s mostly what I’ve trained for.”
Most of that training has been done in Cape Cod, Mass., where he resides. It’s not exactly a marathon training hub such as those in Arizona, but it is home for Flanagan and his wife and their six-month-old child.
Without many pro runners in the area, he leans on friends who pace him while riding their bikes alongside, handing him water bottles as they go.
He also works remotely with his coach, Jon Green, who also coaches fellow Canadian Olympian Rory Linkletter, who has the record for the second-fastest marathon time for a Canadian. With Green based in Arizona, the two work together remotely, a system that so far has been trouble-free.
As he gets set to race his first marathon, Flanagan is hearing lots of words of wisdom from his peers.
“The best advice I’ve gotten is that 32k is halfway,” he said. “Once you get to 32k or 20 miles, that’s when you really find out how good the decisions you made early in the race are. I’m really going to try and not make any major mistakes, and when I hit it I want to feel like I have another gear.”
Flanagan will face a solid international field vying for the $25,000 first prize. On the men’s side, the top three finishers from last year’s race are back. Defending champion Mulugeta Uma of Ethiopia, who won with a time of 02:07:16, and Kenyans Dominic Ngeno and Noah Kipkemboi, who finished second and third respectively, are expected to be among the fastest runners.
Other top Canadian men are Toronto’s Andrew Alexander and Phil Parrot-Migas of Mississauga, Ont.
The women’s field is headed by two-time Toronto champion Shure Demise of Ethiopia, who has a career-best time of two hours 20 minutes and 59 seconds. She last won the race in 2019.
“I have very fond memories of Toronto,” stated the 29-year-old. “I like the city very much—the course is excellent, and the people are always welcoming and supportive.”
Other notables in the field include Kenya’s Cynthia Chemweno and Almaz Kebebe of Ethiopia.
Notable Canadians vying for the national title are Dayna Pidhoresky of Windsor, Ont., Rachel Hannah of Brampton, Ont., Salome Nyirarukundo who resides in Ottawa and Eliyah Brawdy of Smithers, B.C.
Among the non-elites are several who will attempt to set world records for their finishes in costumes. One will try to set the record for the fastest marathon by someone wearing full hockey gear (minus the skates).
All the runners are expected to face the wet conditions in the forecast and that could have an impact as to who crosses the finish line first.
“A lot of the Kenyans and Ethiopians don’t run in rain that much,” said Reid Coolsaet, a two-time Olympian in the marathon for Canada. “We have seen it really affect them, whereas for someone coming from the Maritimes, it’s just another Sunday.
“It will rattle some athletes and some athletes will be fine with it.”
Coolsaet, who now coaches top runners and works recruiting top athletes for the TCS Toronto Marathon, added that because the temperatures are not expected to be that cold, the rain may not be as much of an impact.
The marathon starts Sunday at 8 a.m. with runners traveling up Yonge Street, across Bloor, down Bathurst Street before spending most of the rest of the race on the waterfront. It ends next to Toronto City Hall.
