Home > Runs & Races

Cam Levins targets record time at 2023 Tokyo Marathon

Levins is ready for "something special" after his historic marathon performance at the 2022 World Championships

cam levins world championships 2022 Photo by: Kevin Morris

On Sunday, March 5, the spring marathon season begins with the 2023 Tokyo Marathon. Headlining the race is none other than Canada’s marathon record holder, Cam Levins, who recently ran a half-marathon best (and national record) in the build-up to Sunday’s marathon. Since Levins has already qualified for the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, he will have his eyes on the 2024 Olympic standard of 2:08:10, and his Canadian record time of 2:07:09–but he has said he thinks he can go much faster. Watch for Levins to run 2:06 or better on Sunday.

Cam Levins Asics
Cam Levins ran to a personal best and Canadian record time of 60:18 at the Vancouver First Half in early February. Photo: RUNVAN

“I am excited to head back to Japan for another opportunity to compete in a major marathon,” Levins said on Canadian Running’s The Shakeout Podcast. “I am ready for something special.”

The last time Levins was in Japan, it was for the 2020 Olympic marathon in Sapporo, where he ended up finishing a disappointing 72nd in a career-worst 2:28:43. But he learned some important lessons there, and went home fired up to revamp his training in almost every way. Levins bounced back in a record-setting 2:07 performance at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Ore., where he finished fourth.

Levins came out of the Olympics with a new perspective. “He was more focused on training, recovery and fuelling,” says his coach, Jim Finlayson. “Cam has shown everyone that he has a lot of potential, and we have to figure out how to get it out of him.”

Cam Levins
Levins lives and trains in Portland, Ore. Photo: Cam Levins/Facebook

Throughout his career, the 33-year-old marathoner has been known for his ridiculously high mileage; he’s now running more than ever, averaging 170 miles a week during this Tokyo Marathon build. “One thing we did after the Olympics was reduce training intensity to proactively build a bit more recovery between bigger workouts,” says Finlayson.

This will only be Levins’s second time competing at an Abbott World Marathon Major (he DNF’d at the London Marathon in 2020).

His recent half-marathon record of 60:18 at a windy, rainy Vancouver First Half indicates that he has the speed to battle and contend with the best in the world. 

The competition

This year’s Tokyo Marathon doesn’t have the same firepower it had in 2022, when Eliud Kipchoge cruised to a course record of 2:02:40; Ethiopia’s Sisay Lemma is the only runner with a major marathon victory on his resume (London 2021). Lemma had a lacklustre season in 2022, posting a DNF at Boston and finishing seventh in London. If Lemma can return to sub-2:05 form, he will be the favourite, but this race is wide open, which could work in an experienced runner like Levins’s favour. 

Ethiopia’s Sisay Lemma at the 126th Boston Marathon. Photo: Kevin Morris

Lemma’s compatriot Tsegaye Getachew has won three of his last four marathons, which include a personal best of 2:04:49 at the 2022 Amsterdam Marathon. At 26, Getachew has shown promise, and is bound to shine in his world marathon major debut. Another Ethiopian to watch in Tokyo is rising star Deso Gelmisa, who came onto the scene in 2021, when he finished second at the Valencia Marathon in 2:05:16. Five months later, he backed up that time at the 2022 Paris Marathon, taking the win in 2:05:07. Although Gelmisa has had some tough luck in his only major marathon start (he ran a disappointing 2:24 at Chicago in 2021), he has the wheels to contend for the podium.

There will also be some home representation in the lead pack from two of Japan’s fastest marathoners, former national record holder Suguru Osako and Yuta Shitara. Osako used to train with Levins under Alberto Salazar at the Nike Oregon Project from 2012-2017. 

The top Canadian at the 2020 Olympics, Ben Preisner, was supposed to compete in Tokyo, but became ill recently and returned to his home in Vancouver after a few weeks of altitude training in Flagstaff, Ariz.

How to watch

Good news Canada–the 2023 Tokyo Marathon will be on during sports prime time on Saturday, beginning at 7 p.m. E.T. FloTrack will provide live coverage of the race, which you can stream or live-cast from your desktop, mobile or TV with a FloTrack subscription. You can also follow live updates of the race on @CanadianRunning Twitter, which will feature live updates and news from the marathon.

Check out the latest buyer's guide:

The best trainers in Canada under $150

We curated the best performance trainers under $150 to meet your 2024 running goals, while staying on budget