Kip Kangogo represents Canada for first time at Pan Am Games Marathon

July 25, 2015
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Watson and Kangogo

Saturday morning’s men’s Pan Am marathon was a dramatic race for all spectators who came out to watch the 18 men battle it out on the 42.2K course.

This week’s marathon was a hot one feeling like 28C by the finish and nearly just as hot at the 7:05 a.m. start. Toronto’s humid summer conditions along with a tough hill (to be climbed four times by runners) took a toll on many of the athletes. Though 18 were set to run, one didn’t start. Four runners did not finish.

The pre-race favourites were Peru’s Raul Pacheco and Brazil’s Franck De Almeida. American runners Craig Leon and Tim Young were also supposed to be main competitors on the course today. The win came down to a sprint finish between Pacheco and Richer Perez from Cuba. Perez took the win in 2:17:04. Pacheco finished second running 2:17:13. The third place runner took spectators by surprise today. Mariano Mastromarino slid into third place running 2:17:45. De Almeida dropped out with hamstring issues.

As for the Canadian runners, Rob Watson competed for the country today. With him was Kip Kangogo. Both runners spent much of the race in the lead pack but dropped back after the halfway point. Watson placed eighth running 2:23:43 with Kangogo in ninth with a time of 2:24:02. It was Kangogo’s first time representing Canada.

“I cracked the top ten, number nine,” said Kangogo. “That’s not what I wanted but I wear the Canadian flag with pride.”

Play-by-play of the race

The lead pack of the race stayed bunched together for quite some time. The race started out with Kangogo and Watson safely tucked in front. Rather than spreading out, it stayed this way for awhile with more than a dozen runners running close together 8K into the marathon.

On the first downhill is when Raul Machachuay (Peru) and Watson started to push the pace. They broke away and by the 10K mark, both runners were in the lead. Kangogo trailed just slightly behind. 

“I just wanted to put myself in a position to run as well as possible,” said Watson. “I put myself at risk of falling apart a bit and I guess I did.”

Runners passed the 15K mark at 49:22. Kangogo made it up to the top pack. On the second downhill of the course, the top group consisted of ten runners. Both Canadians were part of that group with Watson now running in the middle but by the finish of the third loop, Watson and Kangogo were in the front of the pack. That didn’t last for long as both runners slipped back with Peru now up front. By the halfway mark, Watson was in the lead with Kangogo still within reach.

It was a race that had spectators paying close attention though as the lead position kept changing. At the top of Parkside, four runners were in the lead. Kangogo pulled ahead of Watson and was 1o seconds behind running in fifth whereas Watson fell back to being one minute behind the front runner.

Soon after, Watson held 13th place with Kangogo in fourth. That’s when Brazil’s De Almeida dropped out hamstring issues. Pacheco, Perez and Mexico’s Daniel Vargas ran up front.

“It was a hard day,” said Watson. “Mentally it was challenging but the crowd was so good, so amazing. If I were anywhere else, I’d have fallen apart a lot more.”

The group passed the 30K mark at 1:37:19 with Kangogo 30 seconds back. Watson moved into 10th. The race looked to be between Pacheco and Perez and Vargas started falling back. Kangogo moved back to seventh with Watson up in ninth and suffering at 38K.

“Marathons are hard. That’s just the nature of the game,” said Watson. “You run yourself into the ground sometimes.” He says overall though, today’s experience on the course was a good one and that he has no complaints and is especially thankful for the crowd support. “The course it challenging, but it’s challenging for everyone,” he says. “You can get really lonely and get into a dark place but I never felt alone.”

Kangogo says today’s unforgiving conditions got to him as the marathon went on.

“I was with them in the front and feeling good,” said Kangogo. “After 30K I started losing ground. The heat got the best of me.”

The top two runners held together. The finish of today’s marathon was an exciting one that came down to the final kick at the end. Cuban and Peruvian fans in the crowd watched in anticipation as Pacheco and Perez battled it out in a sprint finish that landed Perez in first with the 2:17:04 and Pacheco a fraction of a second behind.

Watson placed eighth (2:23:43) and Kangogo placed behind him with his time of 2:24:02. Both runners are especially pleased about today being Kangogo’s first time running for Canada.

“To be on the team with him his first time, I was honored,” says Watson. “We’re part of Team Canada out here and I’m just trying to represent as well as I can.”

For Kangogo, this has been a long time coming.

“Running Pan Ams on Canadian soil was wonderful,” he says. “I made a promise. I wanted to run for Canada one time on day and that day was today, so my dream was complete.”

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