Ontario’s Ben Preisner becomes the second fastest Canadian marathoner
Preisner ran 2:08:58 to finish fourth at the Beppu-Ōita Marathon in Japan
Photo by:
Kevin Morris
Canadian Olympian Ben Preisner ran a 2:08:58 marathon on Saturday at the Beppu-Ōita Marathon in Japan, finishing fourth and claiming the title of the second-fastest Canadian marathoner in history. “2:08:58 for a nice and shiny marathon PB!” the Milton, Ont. native said on Instagram. “I felt like this one’s been due and happy I could put it together and compete on the day.”
Preisner was the top Canadian marathoner at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, finishing in 2:19:27 for 46th place in what was only his second marathon, climbing 26 positions from the halfway mark to the finish. Fellow Team Canada athlete Cam Levins of Campbell River, B.C. holds the Canadian record and North American marathon of 2:05:36, set at the Tokyo Marathon in March 2023.
Preisner lowered his former fastest time of 2:10:17, set in his marathon debut at The Marathon Project in Chandler, Ariz., in December 2020. He finished in 28th place at the World Athletics champs in August 2023, running 2:15: 02.
Ben Preisner, 2:08:58, 2nd fastest Canadian male all-time this morning in Japan. https://t.co/dlSgy8p3UK
— Reid Coolsaet (@ReidCoolsaet) February 4, 2024
The 2024 Paris Olympic marathon standard for men is a speedy 2:08:10, and so far has only been achieved (among Canadians) by Levins. Canada can send three marathon contenders to the 2024 Paris Olympics, so while Preisner would have to race another marathon and achieve the standard to be assured of selection for a spot on Teach Canada., proving his abilities in this race has increased pressure on other Canadian Olympic hopefuls Rory Linkletter and Trevor Hofbauer.
Linkletter will be hoping to achieve the standard and better his fastest time of 2:10:24 (from the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Ore.) at the upcoming Sevilla Marathon on Feb. 18 in Spain. Runners can also qualify for the Olympics by placing in the top five in a platinum-level race or having a high enough world ranking.
“That Olympic auto standard fell through the fingertips in the last few km, which stings, but overall can’t complain about the performance,” Preisner said post-race on Instagram.
While Preisner doesn’t know what race he will tackle next, he’s optimistic and will be toeing the line again. “There are still ~15 spots open on WA points (since I last checked) so I think it’s quite likely there will be people in on points this year,” Preisner told Canadian Running. “I will definitely line up for a race again, whether it’s a half marathon or full marathon (or both) I’m not sure. And how fast I need to run to get in will be determined within the next few months of racing—depends what things look like for both the Canadian and World rankings.”
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