At solely 26, Canada’s Rory Linkletter is not any stranger to the marathon distance, operating six of them since he made his debut in 2019. With expertise comes confidence, and Linkletter doesn’t draw back from a problem–he’s able to tackle the 2023 London Marathon.
“I’m excited to be again in a significant marathon discipline,” says Linkletter. “I wish to run quick, and London presents a possibility to take action within the 2024 Olympic qualifying window.”
This previous summer time, Linkletter introduced himself as certainly one of Canada’s finest marathoners, with a high 20 end on the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Oregon. His time of two:10:24 was the fifth quickest ever by a Canadian and the second quickest at a significant championship.
After his profitable run at Worlds, Linkletter hopped again into coaching to organize for the 2022 Canadian Marathon Championships 12 weeks later, on the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon. He ended up seventh general and second Canadian, in a time of two:13:32.
Linkletter presently lives and trains in Flagstaff, Ariz., below coach and former marathoner Ryan Corridor (who holds the American marathon document of two:04:58). “I’m excited all the things is beginning to come collectively. I really feel stronger and stronger each exercise,” says Linkletter.
Linkletter could have a possibility to run quick, going up in opposition to a particularly deep discipline of earlier champions, nationwide document holders, and Olympic champions.
4-time Olympic champion Mo Farah headlines the boys’s elite checklist; the 39-year-old introduced that London will likely be his final marathon, and is pondering retirement on the finish of 2023. Farah is the British marathon document holder, with a time of two:05:11 from his 2018 Chicago Marathon win. He presently holds each British distance document from the 10K to the marathon and is broadly thought-about probably the greatest tactical racers of all time.
Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia is one other well-known title on the elite checklist, constructing off his success on the 2022 London Marathon, the place he positioned fifth in a masters (M40+) world document of two:05:53. His huge run in London final yr instructed the operating world that he isn’t achieved but. Bekele is a four-time Olympic medallist within the 5,000/10,000m and is the second quickest marathoner in historical past behind Eliud Kipchoge (2:01:41, Berlin 2019).
Kenya’s Kelvin Kiptum was comparatively unknown six months in the past, till he ran the third-fastest time ever (2:01:53) on the 2022 Valencia Marathon. Moreover just a few sub-60-minute half-marathons, Valencia’s was actually Kiptum’s first breakthrough efficiency. At solely 23, will probably be fascinating to see how he fares in opposition to a deep and skilled discipline in London.
The strongest runner within the males’s elite discipline must be defending champion Amos Kipruto of Kenya. After ending second to Kipchoge on the 2022 Tokyo Marathon, Kipruto bounced again and placed on a dominant show to win the 2022 London Marathon in 2:04:39. Kipruto is presently probably the greatest tactical marathoners on the earth and has a lethal ending kick within the closing levels.
The sector additionally options two-time world XC champ and 2019 NYC marathon champion Geoffrey Kamworor and a robust Ethiopian contingent that includes 2022 world champion Tamirat Tola (2:03:39), 2019 Tokyo champion Birhanu Legese (2:02:48) and world 2019 silver medallist Mosinet Geremew (2:02:55).
You may see the total elite announcement for the 2023 London Marathon and males’s elite discipline right here.
