BERLIN – Reid Coolsaet recorded the fastest marathon time by a Canadian in 40 years on Sunday.
The 36-year-old from Hamilton crossed in two hours 10 minutes and 29 seconds to finish sixth among a strong field at the Berlin Marathon.
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He’s now the second fastest Canadian ever behind Jerome Drayton, whose elusive national record of 2:10.09 set in 1975 remains intact.
“Very happy with sixth at Berlin Marathon and (personal best),” Coolsaet said. “Feel better about Rio (next summer’s Olympics), as well beating a lot of quality athletes.”
Coolsaet was on Canadian-record pace through the first 25 kilometres.
“Then one pacer dropped out, and the other slowed,” he said. By 30 kilometres I was too far behind pace. I was able to pick it up for the last 12.2 kilometres, but it was too late.”
Canada’s Dylan Wykes previously held the fastest time behind Drayton — he ran 2:10.47 at Rotterdam in 2012.
Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya won in 2:04.01, despite developing problems with his insoles around the 20-kilometre mark. Kenya’s Eliud Kiptanui in second on 2:05:22 and Feyisa Lilesa of Ethiopia in third in 2:06:57.
Kipchoge shaved three seconds off his previous personal best time and 41 seconds off the previous fastest mark of the year that he set at the London Marathon on April 26.
Conditions were ideal on a cool, crisp autumn morning in Berlin. More than 41,000 runners from 131 countries were registered to run.
— With files from The Associated Press
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