Rob Watson runs 2:18 at Ottawa Marathon

Running his second marathon in just over a month didn't prove to be a problem for Rob Watson.

Running his second marathon in just over a month didn’t prove to be a problem for Rob Watson. The 28-year-old from London, Ont., was the top Canadian at the Ottawa Marathon finishing 10th overall in 2:18:33 on Sunday.
Ethiopia’s Tariku Jufar won the race in 2:08:05, breaking the course record.

Watson made the last-minute decision to switch from Saturday’s 10K to Sunday’s marathon after realizing he had a good chance to win more prize money in the longer distance. The Vancouver-based athlete took home $5,750 for his effort.

It’s unusual for elite marathoners to run back-to-back marathons in such a short span. Most of the world’s top marathons race only two marathons per year. Watson did two in the span six weeks — both at a relatively high level.

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Watson’s 2:18 on Sunday was very controlled, he said, splitting halfway in 1:08:00. “You have to be careful,” Watson said.

“I was running with [Toronto’s] Lucas McAneney for a bit in the first 10 to 12K. Then I noticed him dropping off a bit, so I put in a few hard kilometres.”

From then on, Watson was on cruise control, with the top Canadian position sewn up — and a national title, as the Ottawa Marathon also serves as the Canadian marathon championships. At 30K, he still felt good and didn’t have to much work to maintain the pace.

“I’m very encouraged. Very happy with the way I felt today.”

Watson said he didn’t need to go to “the well” at any point and it was more of a hard training run. With a personal best of 2:13:37 and an 11th-place Boston finish under his belt, he’s aiming for a fast fall marathon. He hinted that it could happen in Toronto alongside some of the country’s other top-ranked runners.

Watson credits a more professional approach to running for his quick recovery after the Boston Marathon. “After [previous] marathons, I drank too much beer and ate way too many cookies.” He maintained a healthy diet after Boston and “continued his momentum.”

McAneney and Robert Winslow of Toronto (2:25:51) rounded out the top three in the Canadian men’s race.

Lioudmila Kortchaguina of Thornhill, Ont., was the top Canadian woman in the marathon, finishing eighth overall in 2:33:10. Ethiopia’s Yeshi Esayias was the overall female winner in 2:25:30, also a new course record.

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