Top Canadian results from the 125th Boston Marathon

Thanksgiving Monday saw the first-ever fall edition of the 125th Boston Marathon, where thousands of Canadians took to the Hopkinton start line seeking glory. Toronto’s Brittany Moran was the first Canadian woman to finish. She came across the line in 2:39:29 for 29th, just off her personal best of 2:36:23.

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Moran came into the race with the goal to run under 2:40 and to stay with the pack for as long as she could. This race marked a special occasion for her, as Boston was the last race her dad got to see her run. “This race has a lot of emotional attachments for me, and I am overwhelmed with gratitude,” says Moran. With her time of 2:39, she improved on her previous Boston performances. She is currently the head coach StrideWise run club in Toronto.

The second-place Canadian woman was Carolyn Buchanan, who finished 40th overall and fifth in the mass start race (2:43:56). This was the second time the Toronto-based athlete has run Boston, improving her marathon personal best by six minutes.

Jen Moroz of Fraser Valley, B.C., was the third Canadian across the finish line in 2:49:34. Moroz is coached by Canadian Olympian and distance runner Jonathan Brown. Brown participated in the 10,000 metres at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and the marathon at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Another notable finish is Rosalind Smye Morton, who finished second place in the F45-49 age category, sneaking under the three-hour mark for a time of 2:59:04.

In the F75-79 age category, Diane Leonard of B.C. finished in the top spot running 4:27:26.

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The top Canadian male today was Ontario’s Thomas Toth, who finished 24th overall, in 2:21:01. Toth worked together with fellow Canadian Dylan Wykes for most of the race. Toth currently trains as a part of the Boston Athletic Association. Wykes was the third Canadian across the line in 2:21:45. Rory Linkletter, who trains with NAZ Elite in Flagstaff, Ariz., was the fourth Canadian to finish, in 34th place in his first Boston Marathon appearance (2:23:34).

Patrice Labonte of Montreal, Que., was a surprise second-place finish among the Canadian men in Boston (2:21:27). Labonte was only 11 seconds shy of his personal best of 2:21:16, which he ran at the 2019 Toronto Waterfront Marathon.

In addition to other great Canadian results, Keijo Taivassalo successfully defended his M80+ age category title, winning in a time of 4:10.23. Born in Finland, he now lives in Toronto with his wife Elke. Keijo is a retired small business owner and a runner who trains with University of Toronto Track Club.

Paul Huyer of Toronto improved on his time by three minutes to run 2:57:46 and place third in the M60-64 age category. Huyer was fourth his catgeory in 2019.

RELATED: Boston Marathon 2019: Canadian age group results

In the pushrim wheelchair race, Josh Cassidy of Guelph, Ont. finished in fifth place, with a 1:28:56 finish. Cassidy was ninth in 2019 and improved on his time on the course by a minute. (Cassidy won this race in 2012.)