It’s not every day that a runner born, raised and currently training in Toronto gets to make his marathon debut at his hometown race. But that’s exactly the case for 25-year-old Andrew Alexander, who grew up in Toronto’s Beaches community in the city’s east end. Alexander is not only aiming for a fast 2:10 finish, but also has his sights set on the Canadian national title.
Alexander knows his goals are ambitious, and it’s a lot of pressure for someone who’s never raced beyond the half-marathon distance. “I feel like I’m going into the unknown,” Alexander told Canadian Running. “In a 5K, I know the last two kilometres are going to be hard; with the marathon, I have no idea what’s coming or what it feels like. I’m excited for that.”
Alexander began training under former Canadian Olympic steeplechaser Matt Hughes and distance runner Dave Reid two years ago, after graduating from Notre Dame University in South Bend, Ind. He says the plan was always to move up to the 42.2-km distance. He sat down with his coaches to decide where he wanted to make his debut, and the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon made perfect sense. He arrived at the elite press conference on Friday morning in downtown Toronto, taking the streetcar from the city’s east end.
“It’s going to be awesome to see so many family and friends cheering me on,” Alexander says about running in Toronto. “I won’t be lacking any support out there.”
When Alexander’s family asked him where he wanted them to cheer, he told them to stay put in the Beaches, a spot on the marathon course that runners reach around the 35-km mark—often the toughest stretch of the race. “Any support I can get out there will mean the world to me,” he says.
Alexander comes into Sunday’s marathon as the defending TCS Toronto Waterfront Half-Marathon champion, winning last year in 62:42. Regardless of Sunday’s outcome, he knows he’s in for a new experience. “I want to live in the moment and take it all in,” he says. “Until you run a marathon, you have no idea where you’re going to be.”
He will face strong Canadian competitors, including defending national champion Thomas Broatch of Vancouver, the top Canadian finisher at last year’s race (which was also his marathon debut). Broatch has since run two more marathons, including a top-10 finish at the 2024 Houston Marathon, where he set a personal best of 2:11:51. A key adjustment in his training was moving his long runs from dirt trails to paved roads, a strategy he maintained for his Toronto build.
Also aiming for his first national marathon title is Justin Kent, who also hails from the Vancouver area. Kent told Canadian Running that running the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon had always been part of his plans, and he revealed he had committed to the race to his coach, Richard Lee, in March. “As a Canadian marathoner, given how historic the event is, you always want to have a good day here,” says Kent. “I’m stoked. I know a lot of guys are fit, but I’m excited to test it out and see what I can do.”
Kent, 32, is a veteran in this young Canadian field; Sunday’s marathon will be his seventh. He has run 2:13 twice, but feels he’s ready to make a leap toward a 2:10 performance. “The 2:10 has been there in my legs; I just haven’t had an opportunity to take advantage of it,” he says.
He’ll have a new supporter at the finish line—his newborn daughter, Willa, who will turn five months old next week. “Knowing that Willa and my wife [Canadian Olympian Lindsey Butterworth] will be at the finish line is like a secret weapon for the final 8K,” Kent says. “Any pain I’m in can’t compare to what my wife went through.”
The fastest Canadian man in the men’s elite field, Tristan Woodfine of Cobden, Ont., was confirmed as a scratch for Sunday’s marathon; he’s been dealing with sickness and injury in the final few weeks leading up to the race.
Kenya’s Cheboi looks to defend title
Kenya’s Elvis Cheboi has returned to Toronto to try to defend his title, after winning last year’s race in 2:09:20. He told media at Friday’s press conference that he hadn’t expected to win the race last year, but was glad he did.
Despite the confidence that comes with being the defending champion, Cheboi was reserved when asked what it would take for him to retain his title. “I am very happy to be here and to have the opportunity to win again,” says Cheboi. “I know it’s very difficult to defend.” Cheboi hopes to follow in the footsteps of his Kenyan compatriot, course record holder Philemon Rono, aiming to become only the third athlete to win back-to-back Toronto Waterfront Marathon titles.
The Kenyan will face tougher competition in this year’s men’s elite field compared to last year, including 2:05 marathoner Mulugeta Uma of Ethiopia. Uma arrives in Toronto fresh off his best performance, having won the 2024 Paris Marathon in April. He is the fastest man in the 2024 Toronto Waterfront Marathon field. “I have prepared well, and I want to go for the course record [of 2:05:00],” says Uma.
For the first time in the race weekend’s history, the 5K race has been moved to Saturday; the 5K has already raised more than $3,000,000 for the TCS Charity Program.
TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon elite field announced for 2024
How to watch
The 2024 TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon and Canadian Marathon Championships can be streamed on Sunday, Oct. 20, on World Athletics Inside Track, CBC Sports, or the CBC Gem app. The TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon is one of the first North American marathons to be featured on the WA Inside Track worldwide feed. This year, 30,000 participants from 70 countries will take part in Toronto’s race weekend (a record). All runners can be tracked using the official TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon app, available for download on the App Store and Google Play.
