If Cam Levins of Black Creek needed any extra inspiration for today’s Olympic men’s marathon race (3 p.m. PT), he got it with fellow-Canadian Mo Ahmed’s stunning breakthrough silver medal Friday at Tokyo in the 5,000 metres.
Levins was a finalist in the 5,000 and 10,000 metres at the 2012 London Olympics before the Island runner delivered a stunner of his own in 2018 by switching to the road, and in his first marathon (2:09:25) eclipsing Jerome Drayton’s hallowed Canadian record of 2:10:09, which had stood for 43 years.
The former cross-country runner out of G.P. Vanier Secondary in Courtenay will be looking to add to that legacy today in Sapporo, the northern city in which the Olympic marathon is being held to escape the soaring temperatures and high humidity of Tokyo.
“It will potentially be more humid in Sapporo than Tokyo,” said Levins, former NCAA champion in the 5,000 and 10,000 metres, and 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games 10,000 metres bronze medallist.
“I will race smart and see where I can place.”
He knows the stakes are high, and how unforgiving will be any loss of pace for any reason, weather or other.
“Everyone out there is dreaming of a medal and expecting to do great things,” said Levins.
So is he.
“I’m in a really good place. My coach [Jim Finlayson of Victoria] has been great at keeping me going and focusing just on day-to-day,” said Levins.
“Jim adjusted my mentality by asking: ‘How successful do you want to be?’”
If you’re good enough to be in the Olympics, there’s only one answer to that question, regardless of the odds and daunting competition, all of whom have the same goal of gold.
Levins is used to running under pressure, only reaching the Olympic qualifying standard in the last days before the cut-off in June.
“I’m not taking being here for granted,” said the former youth runner in the Comox Valley Cougars Track Club.
Joining Levins on the Canadian men’s Olympic marathon team today are Trevor Hofbauer of Calgary and Ben Preisner of Milton, Ont.
In the women’s Olympic marathon Friday in Sapporo, 2019 Times Colonist 10K runner-up Malindi Elmore of Kelowna was ninth in 2:30:59, Natasha Wodak of the Prairie Inn Harriers 13th in 2:31:41 and Dayna Pidhoresky of Ontario, back-to-back winner of the Times Colonist 10K in 2017 and 2018, 73rd in 3:03:10 after quarantining for 14 days in Japan because somebody on her flight from Vancouver tested positive for COVID.
Kenyans Peres Jepchirchir and Brigid Kosgei were across 1-2 in 2:27:20 and 2:27:36 with Molly Seidel of the U.S. taking bronze in 2:27:46 and Roza Dereje of Ethiopia fourth in 2:28:38.
cdheensaw@timescolonist.com
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