Cam Levins at the moment holds the title of Canada’s quickest marathoner. Nonetheless, on Sunday, he has the chance to cement his place as Canada’s best marathoner if he wins the 2023 TCS New York Metropolis Marathon—one thing a Canadian has by no means executed within the race’s 53-year historical past.

In his final two marathons, Levins has lowered the Canadian file to a outstanding 2:05:36, ending within the prime 5 on the 2023 Tokyo Marathon. Nonetheless, he says his goal in New York isn’t to pursue any file time. “I’ll run no matter it takes to be aggressive,” Levins mentioned throughout Thursday’s elite press convention.

After his record-breaking run in Tokyo, Levins thought-about taking a shot at a medal on the 2023 World Championships in Budapest. Nonetheless, his marathon plans took a flip as he watched the 2023 Boston Marathon from his house in Portland, Ore. “I noticed [Eliud] Kipchoge wrestle with the hills in Boston, and thought, if I don’t get extra acquainted with them, that could possibly be me in Paris,” says Levins.

Levins is a large monitor and discipline fan, and considers himself a scholar of the game. His final aim is to medal in Paris, and he strongly believes New York will give him the competitors crucial, and will likely be a stepping stone, for the hilly marathon course on the 2024 Olympics.

Cam Levins’s bonkers exercise forward of New York Metropolis Marathon

The 34-year-old from the small city of Black Creek, B.C., says he hasn’t modified in coaching for NYC and has saved the identical quantity since his 2:07:09 run on the 2022 World Athletic Championships. “I’m nonetheless doing 180 miles (290 km) per week, and I run triples 4 occasions per week,” he says.

Levins begins his day with a morning run round 9 a.m., then heads out for an additional run within the afternoon and concludes with a treadmill run in an altitude chamber round 8 p.m., earlier than heading to mattress. “It’s loads of napping,” Levins laughs.

One factor he and his coach, Jim Finlayson, have tried to include to arrange him for New York is extra each day hill coaching. “We transformed loads of the straightforward mileage into hillier routes,” says Levins. “It took some time to get used to, however I’ve had loads of time to make the adjustment—I’m feeling good.”

Of the six Abbott World Marathon Majors, New York and Boston are thought-about probably the most difficult. New York’s problem is attributed primarily to the 4 bridges individuals should cross as they wind by way of the town’s 5 boroughs, with the Verrazzano-Narrows and Queensboro Bridges each extending to a distance of greater than a kilometre. 

The boys’s elite discipline in New York isn’t as deep as the ladies’s, leaving the lads’s race vast open after defending champions Evans Chebet and Geoffrey Kamworor withdrew a number of weeks in the past. Levins is conscious of the stakes, and is aware of the challenges that lie forward. “Profitable any of those majors isn’t simple,” says Levins. “I’ve raced Tamirat Tola and I understand how good he’s.”

Ethiopia’s Tola gained the marathon on the 2022 World Athletics Championships, ending three spots forward of Levins and setting a brand new championship file. Levins says that though Tola outperformed him in Eugene, he believes he’s a special and higher athlete than he was two years in the past.

The best way to watch

The 2023 TCS New York Metropolis Marathon will likely be aired in Canada on TSN, with protection starting at 8:00 a.m. ET Sunday. You can too stream the occasion reside on-line through the TSN app or through TSN.ca/reside.

All of the motion for the 2023 TCS New York Metropolis Marathon will likely be dropped at you by Canadian Operating and New Steadiness. Observe us on Twitter on Instagram for in-depth protection, live-tweeting and up-to-date unique information and content material.