The timing couldn’t have been better for Cam Levins to run the Royal Victoria Half Marathon.
Last month, he visited family and friends on Thanksgiving weekend and raced near his hometown of Black Creek, B.C. The 21.1-kilometre course of mostly rolling hills, of which he didn’t have previous knowledge, proved to be the ideal training ground for his next marathon.
“After finishing, I was like, ‘Man, I’m so glad I took that on before New York.’ Getting into that effort range for that long, learning how to gauge yourself going up and down hills and manage that effort, is definitely a learning experience,” Levins said this week from his home in Portland, Ore.
Despite expending energy on some hills he believed were shorter, Levins adapted and won in one hour one minute 18 seconds, breaking the 21-year-old record (1:02:32) held by Jon Brown, who was fourth in the men’s Olympic marathon representing Great Britain in 2000 (Sydney) and 2004 (Athens).
The half marathon is tricky, Levins told CBC Sports, because athletes are on the threshold the entire race of running too hard. But he was pleased with his effort in Victoria, where he opted not to go too hard but also didn’t take it too easy throughout.
“Staying away from what the watch is saying and listening to how I’m feeling going up and down hills is the big thing in trying to keep that even effort,” he explained.
On Sunday at 9:05 a.m. ET, Levins will tackle hill running on a different level in his first New York City Marathon, which twists and turns through the five boroughs of the city and ends with a tough, rolling finish through Central Park.
Canada’s Krista DuChene has completed all six World Marathon Majors and lists New York among the toughest. Two years ago, she placed 25th (2:52:56) in the elite women’s race.
Sunday’s event begins on Staten Island on the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, through Brooklyn to Queen’s before runners head to Manhattan on the Queensboro Bridge. Once there, it’s off to the Bronx and back to Manhattan before arriving at Central Park.
Some New York race experience
“It’s not like Chicago, which is known to be fast and flat. [The hills] make it fun and interesting,” DuChene said in a phone interview from her Brantford, Ont., home. “The start is neat going up the bridge and through the boroughs. There’s nothing like it [in marathon running] and Central Park is rolling and seems to last forever.”
It’s mostly about knowing where the hilliest sections are, especially over the last 12 kilometres. That’s when important moves are going to be made.— Cam Levins on the New York City Marathon
The 34-year-old Levins has some experience racing a portion of the New York marathon course, having competed in the 5th Avenue Mile in 2012 and 2019 NYC Half Marathon.
He said the wind, which can be challenging on the winding course, could be important when deciding to make a move on the competition.
“For me, it’s mostly about knowing where the hilliest sections are, especially over the last 12 kilometres,” the lone elite Canadian runner in this year’s race said. “That’s when important moves [by the top athletes] are going to be made. Knowing when [to make them] and what’s ahead of me is what I want out of my research.”
Levins admitted it was a “difficult adjustment” adding hill training to his ninth marathon build. Initially, he and coach Jim Finlayson needed to make sure Levins had recovered sufficiently entering daily workouts.
“[I struck] a good balance as I got further into the build,” said Levins, who ran 2:05:36 on March 5 in the Tokyo Marathon to set a North American record and lower his Canadian mark.
“I feel good right now. I think part of that is I run so much mileage [about 170 per week]. Even turning half of it into hilly [miles] is significant extra strain. It was tough but I’m glad I had half the year to adjust and figure it out.”
Running New York is all about Levins’s preparation for a third Olympics next summer in Paris, where the near-loop course will vary in elevation from a low point of 27 metres and high point of 183, gaining 438m in elevation and descending 436m to the finish.
Olympic race plan altered
In the spring, the former track star changed his race plan for Paris, withdrawing from the World Athletics Championships marathon in August after watching world-record holder Eliud Kipchoge struggle on the hills of his Boston Marathon debut.
“That was a major factor. I thought, ‘That could be me’ [in Paris],'” said Levins, who will have his wife, Elizabeth, and Finlayson in attendance Sunday. “Obviously, I don’t want to struggle in New York, but no matter what, getting the experience on that course is going to be important.”
Some of Lanni Marchant’s favourite racing memories are from the energy of the weekend in New York — the course, race staff and fans.
Her first New York Marathon was in 2016 (6th in women’s race) and she returned in 2021 at age 37, finishing 11th in 2:32:54 and taking top Canadian honours.
The former national record holder described the crowd support as “vital” in the middle miles and helpful when running solo for portions of the race.
“NYC is all about grit and strength,” said Marchant, a native of London, Ont., now living in Denver. “Cam has both and races like he’s been running marathons his whole career. I’m excited to see what he does [Sunday].”
Levins noted he’s at least in similar shape to his record-setting performance in Tokyo while some workouts indicated he’s in better fitness.
But without pacers in New York, improving his North American record is not a priority.
“Ideally, I’m looking at a podium spot, if not the win,” said Levins, who was fourth at worlds in 2022 and fifth in Tokyo this year. No Canadian has ever won the New York City Marathon.
His chances of a top-three finish have probably improved with the recent withdrawals of defending champion Evans Chebet and fellow Ethiopian Geoffrey Kamworor, who won New York in 2017 and 2019.
“I’m prepared to run as fast as I did in Tokyo if I need to,” he said. “I’m thinking of [Sunday’s] race more like I would with world championships last year in Eugene [Ore.] where it’s feeling out the race and being prepared to move hard when a big move [by my competitors] is made.”