Rory Linkletter had two things on his mind in Ottawa on Sunday. He wanted to close out his marathon season with a race he could be proud of, and he wanted to acknowledge the runner-in-chief watching from the side of the road.
He managed both, finishing third overall at the Tamarack Homes Ottawa International Marathon in 2:09:43 and offering a quick salute to Prime Minister Mark Carney as he passed Rideau Hall, according to reporting from Canadian Running Magazine.
It was Linkletter’s second straight year racing Ottawa just five weeks after Boston, and his second straight podium finish in the Canadian capital. The Calgary runner crossed the line as the top Canadian, holding his ground against a quick international field.
Carney, who took office last year, was once again spotted cheering near his residence at Rideau Cottage. The Prime Minister is a committed runner himself, having recently taken on one of Canada’s toughest trail races and logged morning miles with Finland’s president while in London. Spectating the Ottawa Marathon has become something of a yearly habit for him. Last year he waved at the race broadcast camera. This year, he got a salute back.
A race decided in the closing kilometres
The lead pack stayed tight through most of the morning. Over the final few kilometres, Linkletter tried to take control with a series of surges, but Kenya’s Elvis Cheboi and Ethiopia’s Gizealew Ayana answered each move. Cheboi won in 2:09:22, with Ayana four seconds behind in 2:09:26. Linkletter crossed the line 21 seconds off the winner.
“All I really wanted to do today is execute a really good marathon, compete and close my season here in Ottawa with a race I could be proud of, and I feel like I did that,” Linkletter told Canadian Running after the race.
The performance comes on the heels of a breakthrough run at the Boston Marathon last month, where Linkletter ran 2:06:04 to place 14th, a substantial personal best. Doubling back into another marathon five weeks later is a heavy ask, and he had made clear before the start that the goal in Ottawa was competing well rather than chasing another fast time. Linkletter has not been shy about pushing the Canadian distance scene forward, having recently called out what he sees as “soft” American marathon culture.
More Canadians on the line
Lee Wesselius of Riverglade, N.B., crossed the line in 2:16:21 as the third Canadian and the 14th finisher overall. A strong showing from the domestic field rounded out the day, and the Ottawa course continues to deliver some of the deepest Canadian marathon results of the year.
For Linkletter, the bigger picture is what stands out. He has now run two competitive marathons inside five weeks, set a personal best in one of them, and capped the block with a podium in front of the Prime Minister of Canada. Not a bad way to wrap a season.
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