Just a month after running the second-fastest Canadian marathon in history at the Boston, Rory Linkletter was back making waves over the 42.2K distance at Sunday morning’s Ottawa International Marathon. The 28-year-old claimed the runner-up spot to Kenya’s Albert Korir in a blazing 2:08:31–the fastest time ever by a Canadian on Canadian soil.
Korir’s winning time was 2:08:22, and CJ Albertson of the U.S. took the bronze medal in 2:08:55.
“I’m always trying to be one of the best–if not the best–in this country,” Linkletter told Canadian Running. “Right now, I’m confident saying I’m top two, and I don’t want to be two anymore.”
Korir ran away from the pack early in the race; he built an eight-second gap by halfway, and stretched his lead to 14 seconds by 30K. Linkletter and Albertson held the second and third positions for the majority of the event; in the final stretch, the Canadian made a last-ditch attempt to chase down the Kenyan, kicking hard, but had to settle for second.
Linkletter still managed to shatter Canadian marathoner Cam Levins‘ 2018 performance of 2:09:25 (the previous fastest Canadian marathon on Canadian soil) by nearly a minute.
“Cam’s definitely got the throne,” Linkletter said. “He’s still around and he’s still kicking. I’m gunning for him, but he’s inspired me in everything I’ve done. Seeing him have success over the last several years has really helped me believe I can do this type of stuff. It’s been amazing and I’m really thrilled with the performance.”
Surprisingly, Linkletter’s sixth-place finish and massive personal best of 2:07:02 at Boston, less than five weeks earlier, seemed to have little effect on his performance in Ottawa. “I felt stronger than I ever have in the last bit of a marathon I was running this fast in,” he said. “I’m not going to make a habit out of it, but having a 42K hard effort 34 days ago definitely gave me some callousing in my legs. I can see why CJ never dies in marathons–he’s just doing so many of them.” Albertson also raced Boston, placing 14th in 2:10:16.
The victory marks Korir’s second time winning the event; he also won the Ottawa title in 2019. The Kenyan said he felt strong–great, in fact–and his training was good leading up to the event. However, when the sun came out in the final 30 minutes of the event, the heat got a bit too warm for his liking. But he wasn’t nervous–even Linkletter’s final kick didn’t shake his confidence. “I knew the gap was too far for him to close,” Korir told Canadian Running.
Women’s results
Kenya’s Mercy Chelangat made her long-awaited–and very impressive–marathon debut, clocking 2:23:33 to win by more than four minutes. Visiline Jepkesho, also of Kenya, claimed second in 2:28:09, while Ethiopia’s Meseret Gebre took third in 2:30:46.
Quebec City’s Anne-Marie Comeau was the top Canadian finisher; she fell just short of the podium with a fourth-place finish, but managed a personal best of 2:33:10. “My A goal was 2:30,” she told Canadian Running. “But in the marathon, we need to adapt a bit and see how it’s going on the day. I’m happy about the PB.”
Next on her radar will be the Canadian Half-Marathon Championships in Edmonton in August; she also qualified for the vertical race at September’s 2025 World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Spain.
For full results from the Ottawa International Marathon, click here.
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