London, Ont. runner breaks age group record at Chilly Half Marathon
This is Brian Murphy's fifth Canadian masters record on the roads
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Chilly Half Marathon/VRPro
The Chilly Half Marathon in Burlington, Ont., marks the start of the spring road race season in Eastern Canada, and one masters runner from London, Ont., Brian Murphy, kicked off his 2024 season with a new Canadian half-marathon record in the men’s 60-64 age category.
Murphy, 62, finished the race in an impressive one hour, 17 minutes and 52 seconds, breaking his own previous mark from 2022 by 45 seconds. He also won the M60-64 age category by a staggering 10 minutes, and would have also won the M55-59 division at the Chilly Half Marathon.
“I am incredibly grateful to Backroads and StayAbove Nutrition for their assistance today in achieving a new Canadian M60-64 record in the Chilly Half Marathon,” Murphy wrote on Instagram. “More good things to come in 2024.”
This is not Murphy’s first Canadian masters record; he holds five age-group records in the men’s 60-64 category. He also holds the M60+ marathon record of 2:44:20, which he set at the 2022 London Marathon, and holds the 30 km record from the Around the Bay Road Race in 2022.
Murphy told Canadian Running that it’s hard to pinpoint one secret to running fast in his sixties. “I’d say it’s lots of work, maintaining a positive attitude, and having a good coach,” says Murphy. “I’ve also increased my protein intake and found it’s helping me get faster and faster. Plus, being retired allows me to run a lot more.”
Murphy is currently coached by former Canadian Olympian and 2:10 marathoner Reid Coolsaet and serves as a marathon coach at Backroads Brews + Shoes, an independent running retailer in London.
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