Home > Runs & Races

Levins, Gollish to race NYC Half-Marathon Sunday

This Sunday's NYC Half is a loaded field complete with world record holders and Olympic medallists. The race gets underway at 7:30 a.m. EDT

The 2019 United Airlines NYC Half-Marathon has a truly star-studded lineup. Canadian marathon record holder Cam Levins and 2015 Pan Am Games medallist Sasha Gollish will toe the line against some of the best distance runners in the world on Sunday, March 17. 

United Airlines NYC Half
Photo: courtesy of NYRR

RELATED: Cam Levins wants to break his own Canadian record in London

In the men’s field, Levins is joined by Americans Ben True and Paul Chelimo. Chelimo is an Olympic silver medallist over 5,000m and Sunday will be his half-marathon debut. Chelimo told Let’sRun on Monday that he’s less concerned about time, and aiming for a spot on the podium. True was sixth at the 2015 World Championships in the 5,000m and is the 2018 NYC Half defending champion. 

Levins is targeting the London Marathon at the end of April where he will race against world record holder Eliud Kipchoge. “I’m very excited to meet him, he’s an inspiration to marathoners everywhere, but if he goes out on world record pace I’d hardly even call it the same race.”

Cam Levins after winning Canadian Marathon Championships. Photo: Maxine Gravina

Levins’ half-marathon personal best is a 1:02:15 from the World Half-Marathon Championships last March in Spain, which is less than a minute off of the current Canadian half-marathon record of 1:01:28 set in 1999 by Jeff Schiebler. It would take a very strong run for Levins to knock down this mark, but it doesn’t seem out of the question. 

RELATED: Elmore and Gollish run 2:32 marathon debuts at Houston

On the women’s side, 2:32 marathoner Sasha Gollish is joined by 2018 Boston champion Des Linden, half-marathon world record holder Joyciline Jepkosgei and two-time marathon world champion Edna Kiplagat. 

Gollish’s personal best is from 2018 World Half-Marathon Championships where she was the first Canadian across the line in 1:11:52. Since that championship a year ago the runner moved up in distance, taking a stab at the marathon. She was unable to complete her first marathon in Berlin but came back with an extremely strong debut in Houston earlier this year running 2:32:54. 

The race gets underway at 7:30 a.m. EDT in Prospect Park, Brooklyn.

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