Racing at 'new level,' Canada's Rory Linkletter aims for career-best marathon in Boston

Doug Harrison · CBC Sports

· Posted: Apr 19, 2025 9:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 8 minutes ago

While pondering his 2025 marathon schedule, mindful of what would hole him champion for the Los Angeles Olympics successful 3 years, Rory Linkletter identified 2 outpouring races and not the World Athletics Championships aboriginal this twelvemonth successful Tokyo.

He'll tally Boston connected Monday astatine 9:37 a.m. ET successful the nonrecreational men's division, looking to redeem himself aft an "atrocious" debut determination successful 2021 led to a 33rd-place decorativeness aft the Canadian was successful the pb battalion a small implicit halfway done the 42.2-kilometre race.

On May 25, Linkletter volition header the Ottawa Marathon, believing it affords him a "great opportunity" to triumph his archetypal of 12 races successful the distance.

"If I sound some of these retired of the park, person awesome experiences and tin tally accelerated times, worlds mightiness marque sense," Linkletter, who boasts a two-hour eight-minute one-second idiosyncratic best, said this week connected a Zoom telephone with CBC Sports. "If I permission those races wanting to tally thing fast, we cognize Tokyo isn't going to beryllium fast. It's going to beryllium mode excessively hot.

"I privation to effort to tally 2:06 oregon 2:05 successful the adjacent twelvemonth oregon 2 and if I tally Tokyo, that's taking distant 1 opportunity. Where tin I tally accelerated this fall? It mightiness beryllium Chicago [Oct. 12], The Marathon Project [Dec. 19-21], Valencia [Dec. 7]. I can't accidental for definite until aft [Boston and Ottawa] what volition marque the astir consciousness for [my Olympic planning]."

What isn't successful question is Linkletter's fittingness level entering the Boston Marathon

The Calgary-born runner, who accrued his measurement successful grooming and had a six-week agelong averaging implicit 200 km per week, is caller disconnected a 24-second PB connected the way successful the 10,000 metres astatine The Ten lawsuit successful San Juan Capistrano, Calif., wherever helium clocked 27 minutes 48.23 seconds for 3rd spot connected March 29.

"To person that large of a [PB] it would beryllium adjacent to scoring 2 chapeau tricks successful a hockey game. It's rare," said Jon Green, who raced against Linkletter during their American assemblage days and has been his manager since past fall.

"It's impervious successful the pudding I'm acceptable and astatine a caller level," Linkletter added. "Now, tin I enactment it unneurotic connected the day, show on-demand, beryllium the jock I privation to be?"

Became U.S. national successful 2020

That wasn't the lawsuit connected Oct. 11, 2021 successful Boston, wherever Linkletter clocked 2:23:34 successful his 3rd marathon and archetypal of the Abbott World Majors.

The 28-year-old recalled his mentation ranging from shaky to good, but helium entered the contention with assurance due to the fact that determination were immoderate positives.

"I was successful the pb battalion a small implicit halfway done the race, and past everything went wrong," said Linkletter, who became a U.S. national successful 2020 and lives successful Arizona with his woman and 2 children. "I cramped, my tummy was upset, my assemblage was shutting down. First large signifier of my marathon vocation and I was falling level connected my face."

WATCH | Linkletter recalls 'brutal' 2021 Boston Marathon debut:

In hopes of changing his fortunes this clip around, the erstwhile Canadian grounds holder successful the fractional marathon began his Boston physique moving 2 races astatine the 21.1 km region implicit six days — successful , Japan, wherever helium ran a 60-minute 57-second PB connected Feb. 2, and Mesa, Ariz.

"To commencement a physique successful PB fractional marathon signifier was a bully indicator that if [I] physique fittingness week to week similar I planned, there's a accidental you're successful breakthrough signifier by the extremity of the build. I had a seamless physique from that point," said Linkletter, who was 47th (2:13:09) successful his Olympic debut past summertime successful Paris.

Linkletter has besides sought proposal from Scott Fauble, his erstwhile HOKA NAZ (Northern Arizona) Elite teammate who has placed apical 8 3 times successful Boston, and ex-coach Ryan Hall, who ran 2:04:58 successful Boston successful 2011.

'I person spot and speed'

"I've watched it unfold connected TV a twelve times and I've been capable to contention it erstwhile and talked with the experts," said Linkletter. "It gives maine conscionable capable accusation to consciousness assured I person a crippled plan.

"To person the highest level of measurement I've done successful grooming and being successful the champion 10K signifier of my career, I person spot and speed. Boston, due to the fact that of the dynamics of the hills being a batch of up and down, you request to beryllium capable to entree spot and velocity you wouldn't normally. On a level course, your gait saltation is small."

WATCH | Linkletter noncommittal astir World Athletics Championships:

Runners successful Boston are challenged by the Newton Hills, the astir notorious agelong of the course. There are 4 of them and 3 earlier the well-known Heartbreak Hill and its 91-foot climb.

"The communal sentiment I've been told is that if you tin past Heartbreak Hill with immoderate moving near successful your legs, there's a ton of momentum to beryllium gained connected the past 10K. I'm not frightened of the hills successful Boston. Having tally New York and Paris, they propulsion punches passim [the course] whereas successful Boston you conscionable person to past 1 crucially hard portion of the race.

"I'm going to beryllium aggressive, instrumentality the assurance I person from my grooming and racing this twelvemonth against 1 of the champion fields we'll spot assembled this year.

"A palmy marathon is racing for the full contention and not getting into endurance mode," continued Linkletter. "If I genuinely consciousness I'm racing to the [finish] line, I deliberation apical 10 is successful the cards and I deliberation a idiosyncratic best, adjacent connected that course, is successful the cards."

Thomas Toth volition articulation Linkletter successful the men's pro part portion Rachel Hannah, who ran Boston successful 2017, returns to pb a Canadian squad of 3 successful the women's pro part that races astatine 9:47 a.m. Fellow Toronto autochthonal Kylee Raftis and longtime St. John's runner Kate Bazeley, who competed successful Chicago successful 2021 and Boston the pursuing year, are the others.