For the second year in a row, the men’s race at the Ottawa 10K produced a new Canadian record. On Saturday night, two-time Olympian Charles Philibert-Thiboutot stormed to victory along the banks of the Rideau Canal, clocking 28:06 to win his first national 10K title—and rewrite the record books.
It was Philibert-Thiboutot’s debut at the Ottawa 10K, and he didn’t just win—he smashed his previous 10K best by 46 seconds, taking three seconds off Ben Flanagan’s former national record of 28:09, set at this same event last year.
From the start, Canadian marathoner Cam Levins tried to push a fast pace to separate himself from the field. A pack of four chased Levins, passing the halfway mark below 14 minutes, well under the Canadian record (10K) pace. Around the 8K mark, Philibert-Thiboutot surged away from Levins and never looked back.
“I owe it to Cam for setting up such a fast race,” Philibert-Thiboutot said afterward. “He was on the gas from a mile in. The rest of us were lined up like it was a track race. I just kept telling myself, ‘make it as far as you can.’”
Just a month ago, at the Vancouver Sun Run, the 34-year-old from Quebec City finished four spots behind Levins, running 28:52. But in Ottawa, Philibert-Thiboutot had an extra gear.
“My training flipped a switch in the last month,” he told Canadian Running. “Today was one of the most fun races I’ve ever done. It was hard, but I had the most fun I could out there.”
Levins finished eight seconds behind Philibert-Thiboutot for second in 28:14, his second runner-up finish in three years at these championships. Andrew Alexander of Toronto rounded out the podium with a personal best of 28:17.
For full results from the Canadian 10K Championships and Ottawa 10K, see here.
Ontario runner pulls off major upset at Canadian 10K Championships
