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In his first marathon, Thomas Fafard set a Quebec record, finished inside the top 10 and beat one of the top United States distance runners of the last decade.
Fafard looked strong and relaxed on a sun-drenched Sunday morning in Chandler, Ariz., covering 42.2 kilometres in two hours 10 minutes 29 seconds to place sixth of 50 finishers in the second installment of The Marathon Project and first since December 2020.
His time was nearly four minutes faster than Alain Bordeleau’s 2:14.18 provincial mark from the 1984 Olympic trials in Ottawa.
It ranks as the eighth fastest by a Canadian male runner and third fastest in history among Canadian men in a debut marathon.
“Our goal was 2:12 or faster,” Fafard’s coach, Félix-Antoine Lapointe told CBC Sports from Arizona. “He was on 2:09 pace until 38 kilometres but the last few kilometres were more challenging but normal for the marathon, especially a first one. It was a good debut.”
Cam Levins and Ben Preisner are the only Canadians to run faster to begin their marathon career. Levins, the national record holder, clocked 2:09:25 in Toronto to beat Jerome Drayton’s 43-year-old Canadian mark by 44 seconds in 2019. Preisner ran 2:10:17 at the inaugural Marathon Project amid the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Sunday, Fafard, with his parents and partner also in attendance, felt good early in the race and with the weather co-operating, decided to run with a group pacing for a 2:10 finish as he eyed the provincial mark.
“[Breaking it by] almost four minutes, that means a lot. I’m really happy,” Fafard told CBC Sports after a post-race dinner of chicken wings and bottle of beer. He added it was special and motivating to have a support group along the course.
“[My parents] were also in Paris [for the 2024 Olympics] and my father usually travels a lot to see me race,” Fafard said. “Overall, the experience was awesome [on Sunday].”
‘I kept telling myself to keep pushing’
Fafard said his legs began to tire at the 33 km mark, which he attributed to a lack of mileage in the distance and experience. But he believed he needed to stay close to eventual winner JP Flavin of Toms River, N.J. through 35 km to secure the Quebec record.
“That was the main goal,” said Fafard. “The legs felt heavy, but I was confident I would be able to finish the race. I kept telling myself to keep pushing.”
Fafard also kept an eye on his watch and he didn’t fall off pace significantly over the final kilometres.
“It was just new territory. I’ve never run more than 33K,” he said. “At that point, it was a new feeling [physically] and new everything,” he said. “I was telling myself it was probably normal, that everyone was feeling the same.”
Fafard, who turned 27 on Dec. 6, finished 26 seconds ahead of American Paul Chelimo, who was seventh. The 35-year-old from Colorado Springs, Colo., is a two-time Olympic medallist on the track in the 5,000 metres.
Flavin won the men’s professional race in 2:09:18 after running the 2024 Chicago Marathon in 2:12:34. He also has back-to-back top-20 finishes at the Boston Marathon. He defeated Turner Wiley of Issaquah, Wash., by 19 seconds.
The versatile Fafard, who hails from Repentigny, Que., has primarily competed on the track in the 5,000 in recent years, but is proven in road racing.
Last November, he was seventh at the B.A.A. half marathon in Boston with a personal-best 62 minute 17-second effort. Fafard has also run cross-country and in 5K and 10K road races since 2019.
He turned to the marathon while looking for his next challenge after reaching the men’s Olympic 5,000 final in Paris, where he placed 22nd.
Nobbs, Broatch crack top 15
Three other Canadians finished the men’s pro race on Sunday.
Vancouver native Thomas Nobbs was 11th in 2:12:27, shaving nearly three minutes off his PB. He won the half marathon at the Toronto Waterfront event in October in 63:28.
Thomas Broatch, also from Vancouver, was 14th (2:13:43). His PB is 2:10:35 from last January in Houston, where he was eighth this year and seventh in 2024. The 27-year-old won the Canadian marathon championship in 2023.
Thomas Toth, a 34-year-old runner based in Boston, finished in 2:17:00 for 29th on Sunday and has run PBs in two of his last three marathons.
Rachel Hannah was top Canadian among the elite women’s runners in Chandler. Her time of 2:41:49 was good for 16th.
Two months ago, the 39-year-old native of Port Elgin, Ont., stopped the clock in 2:33:47 in Toronto to win her first Canadian marathon championship.
Emily Andrews of Vancouver was 17th of 25 finishers (2:43:03) while Leanne Klassen, a Calgary-based run coach finished 20th (2:45:26).
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