Latest news with #RoryLinkletter
CBC
26-05-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Canada's Linkletter narrowly close to winning his 1st-ever marathon, placing 2nd in Ottawa
The Ottawa Marathon nearly went according to plan for Rory Linkletter. The Calgary-born runner, who wanted his first-ever victory in the distance to occur on home soil, finished second on Sunday morning in two hours eight minutes 31 seconds. Linkletter charged late in the 42.2-kilometre event and could see the back of leader Albert Korir over the final metres before reaching the finish nine seconds behind the Kenyan, who broke the tape in 2:08:22 and also won the 2019 Ottawa race. Korir, who missed the Boston Marathon a month ago with an ankle injury, was third (2:08:00) in the New York City Marathon last November, while Linkletter was nearly four minutes behind him in 15th. The 28-year-old Linkletter went 2:07:02 for sixth in Boston, a 59-second personal best and fastest time by a Canadian at the event. He also ran 2:08:01 on Feb. 18, 2024 to automatically qualify for the Paris Olympics. Linkletter was 47th in his Summer Games debut last summer, a race that fuelled his determination to become the best marathoner he can be by the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. Linkletter will try to lower the Canadian record in the fall rather than compete at the Sept. 13-21 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. Cam Levins of Black Creek, B.C., holds that title after running a North American record 2:05:36 in the 2023 Tokyo Marathon. Linkletter's next race will be a half marathon at the Aug. 17 Edmonton Marathon, where he's "excited" to perform in front of family. Comeau top Canadian in women's marathon Tristan Woodfine of Cobden, Ont. near Ottawa, was seventh on Sunday in 2:13:21 while fellow Canadians Blair Morgan (2:19:36) and Arnaud Francioni (2:23:07) were ninth and 10th. Mercy Chelangat of Kenya won the women's marathon in 2:23:33, with Anne Marie Comeau of Saint-Ferréol-les-Neiges, Que., grabbing top Canadian honours with a fourth-place finish (2:33:10). Meanwhile, a day after winning his first Ottawa 10K in Canadian record time, Quebec City's Charles Philibert-Thiboutot said it was "one of the best racing experiences of my career." The 34-year-old broke away from Levins in the ninth kilometre and finished in a personal-best 28 minutes six seconds on a chilly Saturday night to lower Ben Flanagan's national mark from last year by three seconds. "It felt amazing to have things fall in place — good weather, fast pace, fitness — and give an effort that produced a win and record," Philibert-Thiboutot told CBC Sports. [It] was a true reflection of the work put in [since] March." The two-time Olympian, who's in his final season of competitive racing, was coming off a sixth-place finish (28:51) in the Vancouver Sun Run on April 27. Levins was second (28:23) in that race following a fast start. "I was expecting the same type of strategy," Philibert-Thiboutot said of Levins, the Canadian record holder in the men's half marathon and marathon. "However, this time my fitness was much better. "Things turned around for me in Flagstaff [Ariz.] during training camp the last few weeks and I was confident I could challenge him for most of the race. He is to be credited for my record as he [pushed] the pace for 8K before I took over." Larkin upends defending women's 10K champ Elmore Philibert-Thiboutot will return to the track June 7 and run the 5,000 metres at the FAST5000 World Athletics Continental Tour Challenger event. From there, he will enter 1,500m races in hopes of qualifying in the distance for the world championships. New dad Flanagan of Kitchener, Ont., had planned to defend his Ottawa 10K title but was forced to withdraw due to a hip/quad flare up. In the women's race, Gracelyn Larkin, who was running only her second road 10K, posted a come-from-behind victory over early leader and 2024 champion Malindi Elmore. Larkin, 24, stopped the clock in 32:43 while the 45-year-old Elmore reached the finish in 33:01. The Kelowna, B.C., resident was hoping to run faster than last year's 32:50 winning time as a "benchmark performance" as she prepares to enter a 10th marathon build for her world championship debut. "On the one hand I'm really pleased that there is some up-and-coming talent that's 20 years younger than me," Elmore, who held a 12-second lead on Larkin midway through the race, told Race Results Weekly. "Because, you know, we need a new generation ready to shine. But, it's always a little disappointing because I wanted to win today." Hamilton's Erin Mawhinney was third in 33:09, while Lanni Marchant of London, Ont. and Toronto's Rachel Hannah were fifth (33:28) and sixth (33:38). Natasha Wodak, who won in 2023, withdrew on Wednesday with lower-body soreness, stating in an Instagram post she had "maybe" one good workout the past month. "I couldn't get through my workout on Wednesday," said the Canadian record holder in the women's marathon. "My glute is still not great. My quad is lighting up. My hamstring doesn't feel good.
CBC
14-05-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Marathoners headline initial Canadian squad for World Athletics Championships in Tokyo
Athletics Canada unveiled its marathon team for this year's World Athletics Championships — three men, three women — but its top qualifier is skipping the event to attempt a national record in the fall. Rory Linkletter, who ran the Boston Marathon in two hours seven minutes two seconds last month, wants to lower that personal best to 2:05 or 2:06 in the next year or two. That wouldn't happen in the men's world marathon on Sept. 15, the Calgary-born runner said, as the Tokyo heat would make it less conducive to achieving a fast time. "I'd like to go for the Canadian record in the fall instead," Linkletter told CBC Sports, rhyming off the potential options of Chicago, The Marathon Project in Chandler, Ariz., and Valencia, Spain. The 2:05:36 national mark is held by Cam Levins, who was added to the Canadian team in Linkletter's place, along with 2024 Olympian Ben Preisner and 2024 Canadian marathon champion Justin Kent. None of the Canadians ran the 2:06:30 entry standard to automatically qualify for worlds. Linkletter was 40th in the world rankings quota among the top 100 to be selected, followed by Preisner (65th) and Kent (67th). Levins was outside the top 100 but the next highest Canadian. On the women's side, Canadian record holder Natasha Wodak, two-time Olympian Malindi Elmore and longtime distance runner Leslie Sexton were also named to the Sept. 13-21 event. They, too, didn't run the 2:23:30 qualifying standard and ranked 56th, 67th and 70th, respectively. The eight-member team also includes four-time Olympian Moh Ahmed in the 10,000 metres and world record race walker Evan Dunfee. Recently, Levins told CBC Sports he was undecided about racing at worlds or a major marathon – Sydney is Aug. 31 followed by Berlin (Sept. 21) and Chicago (Oct. 12). Levins ran 'best road 10K' in Vancouver Levins was the top Canadian over 10 km at the Vancouver Sun Run last month, clocking 28:23 — or 12 seconds off his PB — and will race at the Ottawa 10K with Preisner on May 24. "I think it was probably my best road 10K performance I've put forth, even though it's not my personal best," the 36-year-old told CBC Sports. "I'm feeling good and looking to race more." After last year's 2:11:56 performance at the Paris Olympics, Levins spent much of his time recovering from an Achilles tendon issue and figured the start of another Olympic cycle was a good time to reset. "The Achilles had been a nuisance in training for a couple of years. It's fantastic [now] and [my] body is feeling great in general," he said. For Preisner, Tokyo will represent his third world championship marathon after racing in 2022 (Eugene, Ore.) and 2023 (Budapest, Hungary). The Milton, Ont., native clocked 2:10:32 in Osaka, Japan on Feb. 24. "It's always an honour to compete at the world championships," said the 29-year-old Vancouver resident, who has a 2:08:58 PB. "Getting back to competing with the world's best has been on my mind since missing out on the Paris Games [last summer] so I'm excited to put in the work this summer and prove to myself that I belong." Preisner will also run the Vancouver Half Marathon June 22 before entering a training block for worlds. Kent, from Burnaby, B.C., continues to improve at age 34. On March 30, he lowered his PB by nearly three minutes, winning the McKirdy Micro Marathon in Rockland, N.Y. His 2:09:29 clocking is the sixth-fastest time ever by a Canadian. Ahmed, also, 34, has left the past two world championships without a medal from the track in the 5,000 and 10,000 after earning 2019 bronze in the former event in Doha, Qatar. The 2021 Olympic 5,000m silver medallist is slowly transitioning to road racing and was forced to withdraw from a half marathon in New York City in March due to back spasms and adductor issues suffered in his final workout. Dunfee set Canadian race walk mark at 2023 worlds Dunfee set the world record in the 35 km race walk in March, posting a time of 2:21:40, surpassing the previous record by seven seconds. At the 2023 worlds, he was fourth in the men's 20 km and 35 km races, running a Canadian record in the former (1:18:03) that he has since lowered to 1:17:39. "This will be my seventh world championship representing Canada and the program continues to build towards one of the top athletics nations in the world," Dunfee told Athletics Canada. "Japan fully embraces the endurance events so we know the crowds will be lining the streets to cheer us on. This for me is maybe one of the first times I'm heading into a global championship as a favourite. … I am looking forward to taking on this new challenge." Athletics Canada said additional athletes may be added in the 10,000 and 35 km race walk when the remainder of Canada's team is announced Aug. 28. "The group that we selected [Tuesday has] a lot of experience. We're looking for them to … [be] prepared to go after personal bests, season's bests, top-eight 8 finishes and even the [medal] podium," Athletics Canada head coach Glenroy Gilbert said in a statement. Wodak, 43, and Elmore, 45, will battle in Tokyo after facing each other in the Ottawa 10K later this month. Wodak, who was 15th in the 2023 women's world marathon, will return to Japan after placing 13th among women in the 2021 Olympic marathon in Sapporo. Elmore is coming off a 2:26:05 effort on Dec. 1 in Valencia, where she finished 17th. Sexton of Markham, Ont., made her national team debut at the 2022 worlds and a stubborn, never-give up-mentality led to a better-than-expected 13th-place finish (2:28:52). Last October, was second (2:33:15) in the Canadian standings at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon.
Boston Globe
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
The cheering starts long before Wellesley — or even the starting line. The marathon tradition you might not know about.
It's a little less screaming than you'll find in Wellesley and a little more clapping. But it breaks the tension, introducing a little fun and levity to the start of such an important day. 'It's just one more thing that is special about Boston,' said Canadian Rory Linkletter, who ran a personal best of 2:07:02 to finish sixth. 'I said it in the days leading up, the Boston Marathon is to running what the Masters is to golf. Advertisement 'It has so much history and so many small things that make it different and separate it. It's amazing.' The Boston Marathon morning walkout, one of the coolest parts of Marathon Monday. — Amin Touri (@Amin_Touri) Every competitor has a different approach to race morning. As the athletes are corralled into a meeting space at the Fairmont before they head to the buses that will take them to Hopkinton, some are silent and stoic. Others keep it light. 'I'm more of a social person in the morning before the race, I like to keep my mind loose and off the race,' said Linkletter. 'I'm not too stoic and locked in, I like to have fun and stay loose. 'The marathon's long. You can be too hyper-focused, in my opinion, for too long.' Advertisement 'There's a [Joan] Didion quote — I'll butcher it — but she said something like, 'It's hard to be emotional with your head in a paper bag,' " Linden said later. 'It's hard to be emotional grinding out 26.2 miles.' Some keep it cool amid the applause, but some of the athletes that were headed for the most successful days were all smiles in the morning. Kenya's Hellen Obiri was grinning ear-to-ear on her way out the door and Ethiopia's Yalemzerf Yehualaw couldn't stifle a smile — both finished on the podium. A late arrival to the procession was 'It was really fun,' Mantz said. 'My wife was there, gave her a hug and a kiss, and she wished me good luck. It was exciting. 'Everyone's different about the morning. I like to talk to people, I had a lot of friends running in the men's elite field, training partners in the masters and women's elite field too. It's fun to be there with everyone.' Advertisement 'It's good to start the day crying,' Feller joked. 'I think what these athletes do is remarkable. They work so hard, they run so fast, and it's hard for a lot of us to comprehend. And so I think to be able to celebrate them up close and personal like that, and send them to the start with a lot of love . . . I think it's the best. I think that tradition is so cool.' It's over soon after it starts, the applause slowly fading as the last of the elites walks through the Dartmouth Street exit of the Fairmont Copley, a nerve-wracking bus ride to Hopkinton and a much more grueling trip back ahead of them. But for a moment, the pressure and anxiety are broken by Marathon Monday's first little moment of joy. Amin Touri can be reached at
CBC
19-04-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Racing at 'new level,' Canada's Rory Linkletter aims for career-best marathon in Boston
Social Sharing While pondering his 2025 marathon schedule, mindful of what would prepare him best for the Los Angeles Olympics in three years, Rory Linkletter identified two spring races and not the World Athletics Championships later this year in Tokyo. He'll run Boston on Monday at 9:37 a.m. ET in the professional men's division, looking to redeem himself after an "atrocious" debut there in 2021 led to a 33rd-place finish after the Canadian was in the lead pack a little over halfway through the 42.2-kilometre race. On May 25, Linkletter will headline the Ottawa Marathon, believing it affords him a "great opportunity" to win his first of 12 races in the distance. "If I knock both of these out of the park, have awesome experiences and can run fast times, worlds might make sense," Linkletter, who boasts a two-hour eight-minute one-second personal best, said this week on a Zoom call with CBC Sports. "If I leave those races wanting to run something fast, we know Tokyo isn't going to be fast. It's going to be way too hot. "I want to try to run 2:06 or 2:05 in the next year or two and if I run Tokyo, that's taking away one opportunity. Where can I run fast this fall? It might be Chicago [Oct. 12], The Marathon Project [Dec. 19-21], Valencia [Dec. 7]. I can't say for certain until after [Boston and Ottawa] what will make the most sense for [my Olympic planning]." What isn't in question is Linkletter's fitness level entering the Boston Marathon The Calgary-born runner, who increased his volume in training and had a six-week stretch averaging over 200 km per week, is fresh off a 24-second PB on the track in the 10,000 metres at The Ten event in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., where he clocked 27 minutes 48.23 seconds for third place on March 29. "To have that big of a [PB] it would be close to scoring two hat tricks in a hockey game. It's rare," said Jon Green, who raced against Linkletter during their American college days and has been his coach since last fall. "It's proof in the pudding I'm ready and at a new level," Linkletter added. "Now, can I put it together on the day, performance on-demand, be the athlete I want to be?" Became U.S. citizen in 2020 That wasn't the case on Oct. 11, 2021 in Boston, where Linkletter clocked 2:23:34 in his third marathon and first of the Abbott World Majors. The 28-year-old recalled his preparation ranging from shaky to good, but he entered the race with confidence because there were some positives. "I was in the lead pack a little over halfway through the race, and then everything went wrong," said Linkletter, who became a U.S. citizen in 2020 and lives in Arizona with his wife and two children. "I cramped, my stomach was upset, my body was shutting down. First big stage of my marathon career and I was falling flat on my face." WATCH | Linkletter recalls 'brutal' 2021 Boston Marathon debut: Canadian runner Rory Linkletter discusses his 1st Boston Marathon experience 2 days ago Duration 1:06 In hopes of changing his fortunes this time around, the former Canadian record holder in the half marathon began his Boston build running two races at the 21.1 km distance over six days — in , Japan, where he ran a 60-minute 57-second PB on Feb. 2, and Mesa, Ariz. "To start a build in PB half marathon shape was a good indicator that if [I] build fitness week to week like I planned, there's a chance you're in breakthrough form by the end of the build. I had a seamless build from that point," said Linkletter, who was 47th (2:13:09) in his Olympic debut last summer in Paris. Linkletter has also sought advice from Scott Fauble, his former HOKA NAZ (Northern Arizona) Elite teammate who has placed top eight three times in Boston, and ex-coach Ryan Hall, who ran 2:04:58 in Boston in 2011. 'I have strength and speed' "I've watched it unfold on TV a dozen times and I've been able to race it once and talked with the experts," said Linkletter. "It gives me just enough information to feel confident I have a game plan. "To have the highest level of volume I've done in training and being in the best 10K shape of my career, I have strength and speed. Boston, because of the dynamics of the hills being a lot of up and down, you need to be able to access strength and speed you wouldn't normally. On a flat course, your pace variation is small." WATCH | Linkletter noncommittal about World Athletics Championships: Linkletter remains uncertain about running the marathon at this year's World Athletics Championships 2 days ago Duration 1:08 Canadian marathoner isn't sure if he'll compete at the World Athletics Championships this September in Tokyo, saying racing at the last 3 global championships wears on an athlete year after year. Runners in Boston are challenged by the Newton Hills, the most notorious stretch of the course. There are four of them and three before the well-known Heartbreak Hill and its 91-foot climb. "The common sentiment I've been told is that if you can survive Heartbreak Hill with some running left in your legs, there's a ton of momentum to be gained on the last 10K. I'm not scared of the hills in Boston. Having run New York and Paris, they throw punches throughout [the course] whereas in Boston you just have to survive one crucially hard part of the race. "I'm going to be aggressive, take the confidence I have from my training and racing this year against one of the best fields we'll see assembled this year. "A successful marathon is racing for the whole race and not getting into survival mode," continued Linkletter. "If I genuinely feel I'm racing to the [finish] line, I think top 10 is in the cards and I think a personal best, even on that course, is in the cards." Thomas Toth will join Linkletter in the men's pro division while Rachel Hannah, who ran Boston in 2017, returns to lead a Canadian team of three in the women's pro division that races at 9:47 a.m. Fellow Toronto native Kylee Raftis and longtime St. John's runner Kate Bazeley, who competed in Chicago in 2021 and Boston the following year, are the others.
Forbes
17-04-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Why Rory Linkletter Could Be Canada's Next Marathon Legend
There was a brief time, right after his Olympic performance in the marathon for Canada, when Rory Linkletter considered returning to Utah. Who would have blamed him? The 28-year-old from Calgary had come of age in Utah, had graduated from high school in Herriman, and even starred at Brigham Young University, where he was among an esteemed crop of athletes like Clayton Young and Conner Mantz who built the Cougars into a modern-day distance running powerhouse. His coach at the time, the former American record-holder in the half marathon Ryan Hall, had decided to step away, so there was a small opportunity for Linkletter, who had built a life in Flagstaff, Arizona, to link up with his former teammates at the Run Elite Program (REP), a professional training group based out of Provo, Utah. Linkletter gave it a long, hard thought. And then he made the biggest decision of his professional life. 'I kind of felt like that part of my life was behind me, and it would have felt like moving backwards instead of moving forward,' said Linkletter, who is married to a former BYU gymnast, with whom he has two kids. 'So I considered a lot of things in that brief period where I was considering my future and coaching and training after the Olympics. But I was pretty sure I wanted to try to figure out how to stay in Flagstaff.' Instead, he hired Jon Green, a former collegiate athlete at Georgetown University who coached Molly Seidel through breakthrough marathon performances in 2020 and 2021, and then he joined the Verde Track Club, signaling the next phase of his career. It's pretty much been six months since, and now Linkletter, who is Canada's second-best half marathoner and marathoner in history, will put that decision to the test. On Monday, Linkletter will return to the Boston Marathon, where he last raced in 2021. Unfortunately, his last performance on the course did not go well. He blew up and finished 33rd in 2:23:34. 'It was like, what could go wrong did go wrong in the race,' said Linkletter, who will be racing in a new Puma supershoe. 'I cramped, I felt all sorts of glycogen depletion. I missed on fueling, I missed on pacing, I missed on the mental energy I expended. Like, I made a lot of rookie mistakes.' Luckily for him, the race was just his third professional marathon. Linkletter's return will mark his 12th marathon overall, and he is fast becoming very proficient at the 26.2 mile distance, with six performances under 2:13 and his second best mark at 2:10:24 – Linkletter has also featured in two World Championships for Canada at the marathon. A more confident Linkletter will toe the line in Boston with aims on shattering his former mark on the course, which tails its way from Hopkinton to downtown Boston in a point-to-point race that will have $705,000 in prize money up for grabs. The 2019 BYU graduate also isn't far removed from his career best marathon time of 2 hours, 8 minutes and 1 second, which he achieved in Spain at the Zurich Seville Marathon in February of last year. That effort was part of a busy year at the distance – Linkletter ended up running the marathon four times in 2024, adding Chicago and New York to his calendar following his 47th-place finish in the Olympics in 2:13:09. His 26.2-mile PB was a career-making performance that, in fact, qualified him for the Olympic marathon, dipping just nine seconds under the standard. 'You know, the whole race I was just focused on following this pace, following this group that was set up for the Olympic standard,' Linkletter said of his performance in Spain. 'And I was the most locked in I've ever been. I had just one objective.' Linkletter was experienced enough at that point to understand what he needed to do. 'I was just able to get really tough and gritty and just focus on finishing,' he said. Perhaps a tip of the cap has to go to BYU, where Linkletter developed as a runner and notched a handful of championship performances under head coach Ed Eyestone, including a runner-up finish in the 10,000 meters on the track in 2017. He qualified for the NCAA Championships nine times and was a two-time All-American in cross country, helping the Cougars score a third-place finish in 2017. Surprisingly enough, though, Linkletter opted against a professional track and field career following graduation. He instead ran his first marathon in 2019 in Toronto at the age of 23. 'There's two reasons I became a marathoner,' said Linkletter, who began his career with HOKA's NAZ Elite. 'The cooler one is that I just really liked the idea of being a marathoner and was fortunate enough to be around Jared Ward's ascent while he was in Provo and training with Coach Eyestone.' The second reason never came to fruition. Linkletter's aspirations were to qualify for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. While he came up short there, the Canadian's decision did prove to be fruitful, because it jumpstarted a career that might now see him chase after the country's national record of 2:05:36, which is owned by Cam Levins. 'For a while, I was like, 'That record is so hard, I don't know how I'm going to get that,' Linkletter said. 'It's one of those times where it used to feel untouchable. But like I said before, I had only run 2:10 and now I've run 2:08 and I feel like I can totally taste a 2:06. And then it's like, once you've done something like that, then it's like, 'What's 2:05:30, right?' Marathon times have changed drastically in recent years. A total of 28 men globally broke 2:05 a year ago, while the late Kelvin Kiptum broke the world record in 2023, clocking a time of 2 hours and 35 seconds at the Chicago Marathon – for reference, Eliud Kipchoge broke two hours in the marathon in 2019, securing a time of 1:59:40 during a project orchestrated by Nike, but that record is unofficial. Supershoes have also helped. Globally, brands are developing high-level racing shoes at breakneck speeds, all vying to outdo one another on course. Linkletter will put a new pair under the microscope on Monday, too. So, there's no shortage of intrigue there. But he says he's also not getting swept away by those ever-changing dynamics. 'You know, the whole race I was just focused on following this pace, following this group that was set up for the Olympic standard. And I was the most locked in I've ever been. I had just one objective.' 'I think the No. 1 thing is to focus on racing,' he said. 'Like, if you just think about times that have been run and times that you've run, you'll get trapped in what you've done before.' Linkletter instead has narrowed a singular focus on training and his marathon block. In Flagstaff, where he refined his approach at 7,000 feet of elevation, he found a steady rhythm under Green, logging some of his best weeks over the training cycle. Recently, he finished his last major session and says 'it's like fine-tuning to make sure I'm not flat on race day.' All signs point to a potentially career-effort. In March, Linkletter claimed a personal best time in the 10,000 meters at The Ten in California, getting under 28 minutes for the first time. That performance followed career highs in the 3K and mile over the last two years. 'That's one of the big misconceptions,' Linkletter said, 'is people think once you start your marathon clock, you're done on the track.' Now what's left is a chance at digging in and going after a big finish at Boston. Linkletter's teammates from BYU, Young and Mantz – the top two Americans at the Olympics in Paris – will both be in the race. While Linkletter didn't ultimately steer his life back to Utah, his burgeoning marathon career will continue to put him in touch with his former teammates, who are currently among the U.S.'s top athletes at the distance. And if you're wondering, there are no casual text groups between friends. 'I think they're almost too much of a competitor at this point,' Linkletter said of his Boston Marathon plans. 'At this point it's a friendly rivalry where I'm like, 'Oh man, I really want to beat those guys.''
