Ben Flanagan ran to his third Canadian street race report of the 12 months on Sunday, finishing the Valencia Half Marathon in 61 minutes for 18th place, just a few strides forward of Canada’s fastest-ever marathon runner.
Flanagan took 38 seconds off his earlier finest effort over 21.1 kilometres from Jan. 16 in Houston, the place Rory Linkletter ran 1:01:08 in the identical race to decrease Jeff Schiebler’s 23-year-old Canadian mark.
Four months in the past, Flanagan took down Paul McCloy’s 1987 Canadian 10K report by six seconds, reaching the end line on the B.A.A. competitors in Boston in 28:11. In the method, he grew to become the quickest Canadian man over 8 km (22:31).
The 27-year-old Flanagan set his first Canadian report on Dec. 8, 2018, clocking 4 minutes in the boys’s mile in Honolulu.
A local of Kitchener, Ont., based mostly in the United States, Flanagan had beforehand acknowledged the 5,000 metres on the monitor is an choice for the 2024 Paris Olympics, as is the marathon, although he has but to make his debut in the latter.
“I really feel comfy on the street and have had extra pure success on the street,” the previous University of Michigan monitor star in the ten,000 advised CBC Sports in October 2021. “I simply need to make that [Olympic] group.”
Flanagan got here up quick in qualifying and missed out on his Summer Games debut final 12 months in Tokyo.
Cam Levins, a two-time Olympian, positioned nineteenth on Sunday in 1:01:04. The native of Black Creek, B.C., shattered his personal Canadian marathon report in July together with his fourth-place end result (2:07:09) on the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Ore.
The 33-year-old ran 2:09:25 on the 2018 Toronto Waterfront Marathon to beat Jerome Drayton’s 43-year-old mark by 44 seconds.
Kenya’s Kandie victorious in 58:10
Kibiwott Kandie of Kenya gained Sunday for the second time in three years. The reigning world half marathon silver medallist stopped the clock in 58:10, in need of his 2020 world report efficiency of 57:32 that has since been damaged.
[The half marathon] is about staying affected person, getting in a groove and holding again for the primary half of the race.— Canadian report holder Ben Flanagan
Flanagan gained his debut half marathon in 1:03:19 on Dec. 6, 2020, in Hardeeville, S.C.
“Honestly, I used to be a little bit bit intimidated stepping up a distance,” stated Flanagan, who was targeted on the 5,000 or 10,000 on the time in his pursuit of the Tokyo Olympic commonplace.
“I consulted some athletes with extra expertise, together with my [Reebok Boston Track Club teammate Colin Bennie. … He reassured me [the half marathon] is about staying affected person, getting in a groove and holding again for the primary half of the race.”
The day earlier than the Houston half marathon in January, Flanagan signed with On Running, his second skilled contract after becoming a member of Reebok Boston Track Club in 2018 following commencement, and has loved a breakthrough season.
He went on to win the out of doors 5,000 on the Jesse Owens Classic on April 22 in Columbus, Ohio, his first of eight victories over 12 races in 2022 that vary from the 1,500 to 10K.
In May, he efficiently defending his Canadian 10K street race title, clocking 28:40 in Ottawa after going 28:42 in his 2021 occasion debut in Toronto.
Fast ahead three months to Falmouth, Mass., the place Flanagan gained for the third time in 4 years, finishing the 11.3 km course in 32:25.
He adopted up with a 13:38 private finest on Sept. 11 on the Canadian 5K street operating championships in Moncton, N.B.