On a rainy Friday night, Canadian distance star Cam Levins put a racing bib on for the first time since November, taking sixth in a speedy 10K at the Asics Festival of Running in Paris, clocking 28:11—tying the national record, set by in 2022 Kitchener, Ont.’s Ben Flanagan at the B.A.A 10K event in Boston. “Really great atmosphere getting to race on the streets of Paris,” Levins wrote on Instagram post-race.
Levins, from Black Creek, B.C., currently holds both the Canadian marathon record and half marathon mark of 60:18, which he ran at the Vancouver First Half in February 2023. A month later, he hit the 2024 Paris Olympic marathon standard at the Tokyo Marathon, where he clocked a personal best and North American area record of 2:05:36.
This was Levins’s first race since the New York City Marathon in November, when he dropped out before the halfway mark. He had opted to race New York in preparation for the hilly Paris Olympic marathon, which he had already qualified for. The 34-year-old had high expectations heading into NYC but ended his race near the 20 km point, later disclosing that he was not injured but did not feel well at the start of the race, and things didn’t improve.
🇹🇷 Istanbul #HalfMarathon (28 Apr) elite fields:
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Solomon Berihu 🇪🇹 PB 59:17
Edmond Kipngetich 🇰🇪 PB 59:25
Dinkalem Ayele 🇪🇹 PB 59:30
Solomon Kipchoge 🇰🇪 PB 59:37@CamLevins 🇨🇦 PB 1:00:18
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Gladys Chepkurui 🇰🇪 PB 1:05:46@FtawZeray 🇪🇹 PB 1:06:04
Sheila Chelangat 🇰🇪 PB 1:09:38 https://t.co/XQyGvFecnG— Marathon News (@Marathon_N) March 26, 2024
Levins recently announced that he will run the Istanbul Half Marathon on April 28 in Turkey. The Istanbul Half Marathon attracts some of the fastest distance runners in the world, and has featured four sub-one-hour men’s champions in the last five years.
Levins is one of two Canadian men to have hit the Olympic standard in the marathon, and has received early nomination for Team Canada at the Paris Olympics.”Can’t wait to be back here this summer for the @paris2024 Olympics,” Levins wrote on social media after the 10K.
Ethiopian runners top the 10K podium
Ethiopian runner Jemal Yimer won the 10K event in 27:43, fresh off a 2:06:08 win at the Seoul Marathon in March. He was followed by Kenya’s Hillary Kipkoech in 27:44 and compatriot Vincent Kibet in 27:48.
The women’s race was also tight, with Ethiopia’s Likina Amebaw taking a win (and a PB by more than a minute) in 29:56. Compatriot Loice Chemnung took silver in 29:57, also a PB, and Kenyan star Miriam Chebet from Kenya took third in 30:51.
For full results of the Asics Festival of Running, which featured the Paris Marathon on Sunday morning, click here.
