Justin Kent becomes Canada’s fourth-fastest marathoner
The Burnaby, B.C., native shattered his personal best by nearly three minutes at Sunday's McKirdy Micro Marathon in New York state
Photo by:
Canada Running Series
What a day for Canadian marathoner Justin Kent. At Sunday’s McKirdy Micro Marathon in Rockland Lake State Park, Congers, N.Y., the 34-year-old shattered his personal best by nearly three minutes, winning the event in 2:09:29–the sixth-fastest time ever by a Canadian. The performance cements Kent as the fourth-fastest Canadian marathoner in history and just the fifth to break the elusive 2:10 barrier.
View this post on Instagram
The elite event, called the “Road to Tokyo,” saw a small field of just 16 men. Three pacers led the group through the 30-km mark, running at a pace of 3:01/km.
Kent won by a nine-second margin, with Haftu Knight of the U.S. taking second in 2:29:39, and Aaron Gruen of Austria claiming the bronze medal position in 2:09:53. Fellow Canadians Benjamin Raymond (2:18:12), Matthew Hope (2:22:56) and Aaron Manning (2:25:58) finished in sixth, ninth and 14th, respectively.
Canadian 2:13-marathoner Lee Wesselius of River Glade, N.B., who set a two-minute personal best at the event last year, pulled out of the race after 23 km. Full results can be found here.
View this post on Instagram
Sunday’s race marks Kent’s second personal best in a row–a rare and highly-coveted achievement in the marathon. His most recent attempt at the 42.2K distance was at October’s Toronto Waterfront Marathon, where Kent won his first national marathon title with his former personal best time of 2:12:17.
“This one means a lot!! Stoked!” Kent wrote on Strava after the race.
The Burnaby, B.C., native, is aiming to qualify for September’s World Championships in Tokyo, where the standard is a blistering 2:06:30. The event has an entry quota of 100 athletes, so Kent could still qualify by securing top spot in the World Athletics rankings.
Top Canadian marathon performances
- Cam Levins, March 2023 – 2:05:36
- Cam Levins, July 2022 – 2:07:09
- Rory Linkletter, Feb. 2024 – 2:08:01
- Ben Preisner, Feb. 2024 – 2:08:58
- Cam Levins, Oct. 2018 – 2:09:25
- Justin Kent, March 2025 – 2:09:29
View the complete list here.
Check out the latest buyer's guide:
