London, Ont. runner breaks Canadian M60+ marathon record in Toledo
Brian Murphy ran 2:46:16 to beat the previous Canadian record of 2:47:02 set by Herb Phillips in 2004
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Brian Murphy/Strava
Over the weekend at the Glass City Marathon in Toledo, Ohio, Brian Murphy, a 60-year-old runner from London, Ont., ran 2:46:16 to set a new Canadian M60+ marathon record.
The previous record of 2:47:02 was held by Herb Phillips, which was set at the Victoria Marathon in 2004. In December 2021, Murphy ran a personal best time of 2:44:23 at the California International Marathon in Sacramento, Calif., but he was three months away from turning 60 at the time.
Although he is twice the age of some of his training partners, Murphy enjoys being pushed by fellow London-based elite distance runners Chris Balestrini (Canadian 50km record holder) and Phil Parrot-Migas. Murphy is currently coached by the two-time Canadian Olympic marathoner and ultrarunner Reid Coolsaet.
Murphy is a marathon coach at Backroads Brews + Shoes, an independent running retailer in London. This Canadian record is his second masters record, as he also set the M60+ Canadian 30km record at the Around the Bay road race last month.
Many Canadian runners make the journey to run at the Glass City Marathon as it’s known for being one of the 25 fastest courses in North America and acts as a qualifier for the Boston Marathon.
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