On Sunday, Vancouver’s Thomas Nobbs ran a speedy 2:08:35 to finish 17th at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. He was the top Canadian finisher and once again moved up the national all-time list to become the third-fastest marathoner, behind national record holder Cam Levins and marathon star Rory Linkletter, who made a surprise appearance.
Ben Flanagan of Kitchener, Ont., was the next Canadian finisher, clocking 2:12:36 for 28th overall. The reigning national marathon champion opted not to defend his title at the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon on Oct. 18, instead choosing the faster course and coming away with a new personal best. In Dec. 2025, Thomas Fafard of Repentigny, Que., smashed the Quebec provincial marathon record in his debut at last year’s The Marathon Project in Arizona with a 2:10:29, but couldn’t set another PB on Sunday. He finished 38th overall, in 2:16:23.
Jacob Kiplimo upset at Bank of America Chicago Marathon
Meteoric rise
Nobbs’s performance is a PB and made him the third-fastest Canadian man ever, surpassing Ben Preisner’s 2024 mark of 2:08:58. He continues to build on a strong start to his marathon career after launching himself from 21st to fourth on the Canadian all-time marathon list in March, when he won the McKirdy Micro Marathon in New York, in 2:09:25, a three-minute personal best at the time. He now holds the ninth-fastest time among Canadian marathoners—Levins and Linkletter share the first-to-eighth times.
Thomas Nobbs leading the 2026 McKirdy Micro Marathon. Photo: Metered Exposure
In only his fifth marathon, Nobbs continues to prove he belongs with Canada’s best road racers and now has the numbers to back it up. He won silver at the Canadian Half Marathon Championships in August and has now shaved nearly another minute off his March PB. His breakout season has seen him keep climbing the national rankings, making him a name to watch in future road races.
Canadian elites
A surprise entrant came from Linkletter, who also raced but appeared to take it easy, finishing in 2:23:59. He owns a marathon PB of 2:06:49, which he set at the 2025 Chicago Marathon, but this year’s event was not on his Fall race schedule since he is building for the Valencia Marathon in December. In Valencia, he hopes to put himself in position to qualify for the 2028 Olympic Games, a performance that may require a Canadian record.
Like Nobbs, Flanagan has become a name to watch in the marathon scene, shaving more than three minutes off his 2:15:41 PB from his debut at the 2025 national championships. While a new Canadian champion will be crowned this year, Flanagan continues to improve at the distance and will remain a name to watch over 42.2 kilometres.
Thomas Fafard and Ben Flanagan at the 2026 Canadian 10K championships. Photo: RunOttawa
Fafard made an impressive marathon debut in 2025. Known for his track prowess and smooth running, his transition to road running appeared seamless until Sunday. In only his second marathon ever, he fell well short of his PB despite Chicago being a notoriously fast course. Regardless, the marathon is an unpredictable distance and even though his Chicago performance may not have gone as he had hoped, the up-and-coming road racer certainly isn’t going away anytime soon.
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