On Saturday, Santiago Gaitan of Welland, Ont., quietly ran one of the fastest half-marathon times ever by a Canadian man—though the mark won’t go into the record books.
Gaitan finished second at Utah’s St. George Half-Marathon in 60 minutes and 55 seconds, a time faster than any Canadian in history besides Cam Levins, who set the national record of 60:18 in 2023.
The St. George Half Marathon is one of Utah’s most popular races, known for its scenic desert backdrop and fast, downhill course. The route drops roughly 580 metres from start to finish, making it ineligible for record purposes. Under World Athletics regulations, record times cannot be set on courses with significant elevation loss or point-to-point routes.
Both Gaitan and race winner Kevin Kirk of Yerington, Nev., smashed the previous course record by more than three minutes. Despite the impressive performance, Gaitan is realistic about where his fitness might be. “Most people estimate this course runs one to two minutes faster than a flat one,” Gaitan told Canadian Running. “I’d estimate my time would be around 62:20 on a record-eligible course.”
Even with that adjustment, the 23-year-old’s effort would still place him among the top 10 Canadian men. Gaitan says he plans to chase a fast time on a legal course soon, though he’s not quite done with the track. “I still have some goals on the track I want to accomplish, but I’ll definitely be doing more road stuff,” he said. “I feel like I have a few more years before I need to make that decision, but who knows.”
Like Levins, Gaitan followed a similar path, attending Southern Utah University, where he was coached by the Canadian record holder’s former coach, Eric Houle. Since graduating, Gaitan has joined a new professional group out of Utah called Phos Performance.
Gaitan says the goal for the fall season is to do what it takes to prepare himself for the 2025 Canadian Cross-Country Championships in London, Ont., on Nov. 29–30. The goal? To earn a spot on Team Canada for the 2026 World Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, Fla., in January.
