Aiming high for 2028 Olympics, Ben Flanagan eyes Canadian title over record time in marathon debut

Ben Flanagan watched the Chicago Marathon last weekend with greater focus and attention to detail than previous years, primarily for research purposes long-term, but also in preparation for his Toronto Waterfront debut on Sunday morning.

“A lot of guys I’ve competed against ran well, which is intimidating and exciting,” said the native of Kitchener, Ont. “I feel they are a few steps ahead of me because I’m so new to this.

“Guys with similar resumés to me are enjoying a lot of [marathon] success, so it is encouraging.”

One of them, Alex Masai of Kenya, trains with HOKA Northern Arizona Elite. He posted a personal-best time of two hours four minutes 37 seconds for third place in Chicago. Back in March, Masai finished sixth at the New York City Half Marathon, one spot and 14 seconds ahead of Flanagan.

The Canadian, who ran on the track in the 5,000 metres in his 2024 Olympic debut, came out of New York thinking 2:08 or 2:09 for his first marathon, but Flanagan’s priorities for this weekend shifted after a shorter and less-than-perfect build while recovering from a partially torn labrum in his left hip joint.

“I had a slice of humble pie through the spring and summer,” Flanagan told CBC Sports this week from his home in Cape Cod, Mass. “2:08 is already hard but it’s a lot harder when your [marathon] build gets interrupted [by injury], or it’s not long enough.

“The time [on Sunday] means a lot less to me than it did months ago. I’m not in an Olympic or world championship year having to hit [a qualifying standard]. The goal for this marathon is for it to be the worst one [of my career]. I would consider it a success by winning the Canadian championship.”

Justin Kent, Thomas Broatch and Trevor Hofbauer are the Canadian elite men’s champions of the past three years at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon and finished in the 2:11-2:16 range.

Watch live coverage of the Toronto Waterfront Marathon on Sunday from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. ET on CBCSports.ca and CBC Gem.

For Jon Green, Flanagan’s coach the past 10 months, it’s about the athlete enjoying the marathon experience in their debut.

“It can be a daunting task since the next major distance below is half the marathon distance [of 42.2 kilometres],” said Green, who watched another of his Canadian athletes, Rory Linkletter, run a PB [personal best] in Chicago and finish 73 seconds shy of Cam Levins’s 2:05:36 national mark.

“I want Ben to enjoy it and be competing with athletes around him in that final 10 km. Based off what I’ve seen [in his recent workouts] I think he’s ready to be competing for the Canadian championship.”

Former Canadian half marathon record holder

There was a time when Flanagan wondered if he would take the start line in Toronto. He wasn’t running 60 km in training until the end of July and wasn’t in good form until August, but workouts improved in a hurry.

“I ran 150 to 160 kilometres in six days and got use to race pace getting through 35 km and 38 km runs,” said Flanagan, a three-time Canadian 10K champion and former Canadian half marathon record holder. Learning more about the marathon was paramount during this build.

“The pace is faster than I thought. Even at a slower pace, when you’re going that long, it’s harder than I expected,” he said. “Fuelling was a huge learning curve, how to digest [sports drinks] fast. I got to a point where every 5K [in training runs] I would get a bottle, take three sips and toss it.”

Staying patient, getting the proper fuel during the race and challenging himself when it gets tough will be key, noted Flanagan, whose wife and seven-month-old daughter will be among a support group of 20 to 50 family and friends in Toronto.

“I’ve learned a lot and found a lot of areas for improvement. I’m ready for things to be harder than I want,” said Flanagan, who was sick the final two weeks of his build. “I’m not in the best shape of my life, but I feel like I’m ready to have a good race.”

Levins ran 2:09:25 in his marathon debut in Toronto on Oct. 21, 2018 to shatter Jerome Drayton’s 43-year-old Canadian men’s record.

“In my experience, the last 10K [in Toronto] is the hardest part of the race. It feels like the wind is usually against you,” Levins told CBC Sports. “Even though it’ll feel easy to run fast and cook in the first 30K, you gotta have something in the tank for the last 10 or 12K. Or, at least be grouped with someone so you’re able to share the work.”

Broatch, who ran 2:10:35 this past January in Houston, is recovering from appendicitis and won’t compete Sunday. Longtime steeplechase racer John Gay of Kelowna, B.C., also coached by Green, was set to make his marathon debut, but is out with an undisclosed injury.

Alexander, Parrot-Migas could push for Canadian title

In their absence, Toronto’s Andrew Alexander and Phil Parrot-Migas of London, Ont., could shine and pose a challenge to Flanagan’s Canadian title pursuit that begins at 8 a.m. ET.

Alexander, 26, has had a breakthrough season on the road with a 2:12:55 PB in Houston in January and was third at the Canadian 10K road running championships.

The 32-year-old Parrot-Migas recorded a 2:13:24 PB in Houston, over two minutes faster than his previous best, and less than three months later successfully defended his Around the Bay 30K title in Hamilton.

“The Canadian marathon scene has steadily improved the last few years. Seeing Ben Preisner in the 2:08s and another group enter the conversation that [soon] could be under 2:10, I think it’s going to make us all better,” Flanagan said. “But I’m paying attention to 2:06 and 2:05 now and [thinking] about Rory [Linkletter] and Cam [Levins].

“If there’s anything I learned from Tokyo and missing out on the [2021] Olympic team, it’s you can’t expect everything to work out. You have to aim for the best.

“I want to be running 2:05 in that [2028 Los Angeles] Olympic build,” continued Flanagan. “I don’t want to be relying on other people’s performances and not being there. I want to be one of the top guys.”

Meanwhile, Dayna Pidhoresky and Rachel Hannah are two elite athletes to watch in the women’s marathon on Sunday.

Pidhoresky, a 2021 Olympian, is making her fifth appearance in the Toronto Waterfront event. The 38-year-old, who was the top Canadian woman with a 2:29:03 PB in 2019, won the Vancouver Marathon for the third time five months ago.

Hannah, 39, clocked 2:34:42 in the Boston Marathon this year and consistently runs in the 2:34 range. In May, the nutritional consultant from Port Elgin, Ont., was fifth in the women’s race at the Canadian 10K Road Running Championships in Ottawa.