Ben Flanagan breaks his national record at Canadian 10K Championships
Flanagan broke his own record (jointly held with Cam Levins) by two seconds in Ottawa
Photo by:
Sean Burges/Mundo Sport Images
It wasn’t obvious from the start that he was going for the Canadian record, but Ben Flanagan made a move halfway into the Canadian 10K Championships at Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend (also known as the Ottawa 10K, putting distance between himself, marathoner Rory Linkletter and Jeremy Coughler, and held on for the win, squeaking past his Canadian record by two seconds, to finish in 28:09. (The previous record, held jointly with Canadian marathon record holder Cam Levins, was 28:11.)
“I wanted to stay on the gas and in that final kilometre I gave it everything I had,” Flanagan told Canadian Running post-race. His final kilometre was a split of two minutes and 38 seconds. Linkletter finished second in Ottawa, in 28:40 (a new personal best) and Coughler third, in 28:55 (also a personal best).
It was overcast and about 18 C in Ottawa Saturday–slightly warmer than ideal for racing, but less hot than it has been in recent years, which was a relief for the runners and made fast times possible. The race began with a fairly sedate 2:57 split, but got progressively faster (the third-kilometre split was 2:45). Flanagan took advantage of the hard downhill turn where the race crosses the canal, to make his move. It was a $6,000 payday for Flanagan, who will get $5,000 for the win and an additional $1,000 bonus for the national record.
Linkletter will be disappointed not to take the national championship, something he has yet to accomplish in his career; he is Canadian, but lives and trains in Flagstaff, Arizona, under former American marathoner Ryan Hall. Linkletter has been named to the Canadian marathon team for the Paris Olympics, along with Levins. Flanagan is also qualified for the Olympics (in the 5,000m), but has not yet been officially selected.
Coughler won his third consecutive Spring Run-Off 8K in Toronto’s High Park in April; in 2023, he won the Canadian 10,000m Championships.
“I saw 14:10 on the clock, and I told myself I had to get going!” – Ben Flanagan on breaking his 🇨🇦 record in Ottawa.
He lowered his previous mark of 28:11 by two seconds!#ottawa10K pic.twitter.com/LNPTXPchlh
— Canadian Running (@CanadianRunning) May 25, 2024
For Flanagan and Linkletter, Saturday’s race was almost a repeat of the 2022 event, which Flanagan also won (in 28:40), with Linkletter finishing second.
Top 10 Men
- Ben Flanagan 28:09 PB, NR
- Rory Linkletter 28:40 PB
- Jeremy Coughler 28:55 PB
- Thomas Nobbs 29:32
- Dylan Alick 29:44
- Miles Avalos 29:55
- Robert Kajuga 30:04
- Joey Stel 30:28
- Maxime Leboeuf 30:29
- Blair Morgan 30:32
For full results of the Canadian 10K Championships, click here.
Check out the latest buyer's guide:
