{"id":694337,"date":"2026-05-26T07:10:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T07:10:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/694337\/"},"modified":"2026-05-26T07:10:12","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T07:10:12","slug":"cheboi-aregawi-win-wet-and-cold-ottawa-marathon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/694337\/","title":{"rendered":"CHEBOI, AREGAWI WIN WET AND COLD OTTAWA MARATHON"},"content":{"rendered":"

CHEBOI, AREGAWI WIN WET AND COLD OTTAWA MARATHON
By David Monti, @d9monti
(c) 2026 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved, used with permission.\u00a0<\/p>\n

OTTAWA (24-May) \u2014 On a chilly and rainy morning here, Elvis Cheboi of Kenya and Abeba Aregawi of Sweden won the 50th edition of the Tamarack Homes Ottawa International Marathon in 2:09:22 and 2:23:12, respectively.\u00a0 Those finish times were very good given the wet roadway (with some standing water), the 10C\/50F temperature, intermittent rain throughout the race, and gusty winds.\u00a0 It\u2019s noteworthy that conditions were better than originally forecast.\u00a0 Environment Canada had predicted heavy rain as recently as Friday.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot a perfect condition, but could be worse,\u201d said former Toronto Waterfront Marathon race director Alan Brookes, who watched the race from the finish area.<\/p>\n

Race organizers had hoped this year\u2019s field could challenge the race records of 2:06:04 for men and 2:22:17 for women, but pulled back from those goals as the weather situation evolved.\u00a0 The pacemakers went out sensibly for both men and women, which kept the lead packs together longer than usual in a big marathon.<\/p>\n

That was especially true in the men\u2019s race, where eight contenders, plus three pacemakers, were together at the halfway mark in 1:04:24.\u00a0 Behind lead pacer Peter Njeru of Kenya, Cheboi was joined by compatriots Luke Kibet Cheruiyot, Kipsambu Kimakal, Canadian Rory Linkletter, and Ethiopians Gizealew Ayana, Afework Mesfin, Gebretsadik Abraha, and Mulugeta Debasu Mereh.\u00a0 Njeru kept the pace very steady.<\/p>\n

\"\"Rory Linkletter takes third in Ottowa Marathon, photo by Jane Monti for RRW<\/p>\n

Linkletter, who lives and trains in Flagstaff, Ariz., and ran 2:06:04 at the Boston Marathon last month, actually liked the conditions.<\/p>\n

\u201cHonestly, I felt like it was a beautiful day to run a marathon,\u201d Linkletter said.\u00a0 \u201cThe streets were alive with a little bit of rain and a little bit of wind.\u00a0 I felt like the competition brought the best out of the entire field.\u201d<\/p>\n

Njeru stayed at the front throughout 35-K, keeping the lead pack intact.\u00a0 After Njeru motioned to the field that he was stepping off, it was Linkletter who first cycled to the front, then Cheboi.\u00a0 Abraha and Mereh fell back, and Cheboi saw his opening.\u00a0 The winner of the Marathon de La Rochelle in France last November decided to up the pace.<\/p>\n

\"\"Elvis Cheboi of Kenya winning the 2026 Tamarack Homes Ottawa International Marathon in 2:09:22 (photo by Jane Monti for Race Results Weekly)<\/p>\n

\u201cAt 35 kilometers, the body was feeling good, so I decided to push a bit,\u201d Cheboi told Race Results Weekly.<\/p>\n

Cheboi\u2019s mini-surge wasn\u2019t good enough to break up the race, but his next one was.\u00a0 He ran 2:59 for the 41st kilometer, and only Ayana could hang with him.\u00a0 That set up a long sprint for home where Cheboi was able to pull away from Ayana to win by four seconds.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the finish line I did not expect (to win),\u201d said Cheboi, who won CAD 24,000 in prize money.\u00a0 \u201cI thought the second guy was winning.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ayana clocked 2:09:26, and Linkletter took third in 2:09:43. The Canadian record holder for the half-marathon (59:49) was satisfied with his race, especially given the one-month turnaround since Boston.\u00a0 He did the same double in 2025 and finished second here.<\/p>\n

\u201cBack-to-back years on the podium again,\u201d said Linkletter.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d love to win it for Canada one of these years.\u00a0 I\u2019ll just keep taking swings until it breaks my way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mesfin (2:09:57) and Abraha (2:10:05) rounded out the top five.\u00a0 Ethiopia\u2019s Shura Kitata, the 2020 London Marathon winner who fell off the pace early and appeared to struggle, finished seventh in 2:11:12. American Patrick Cullen qualified for the 2028 USA Olympic Trials with a ninth-place finish in a personal-best 2:13:18.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Abeba Aregawi of Sweden, after winning the 2026 Tamarack Homes Ottawa International Marathon in 2:23:12 (photo by Jane Monti for Race Results Weekly)<\/p>\n

In the women\u2019s race, Aregawi was a surprise winner.\u00a0 The 35-year-old, who won the silver medal in the 1500m at the London 2012 Olympics and the gold medal at the 2013 World Athletics Indoor Championships, was making her marathon debut today.\u00a0 Her race was going well in the first half (she was in a four-woman lead pack clocked at 1:10:54), but later took a turn for the worse.\u00a0 When the pack broke up after 30-K, she was dropped by Ethiopia\u2019s Tahir Kuftu and her male pacemaker.\u00a0 She was left to run alone and appeared to be running in second.<\/p>\n

\u201cI did not feel good, but I tried to follow them,\u201d a shivering Aregawi told Race Results Weekly.<\/p>\n

Indeed, she did.\u00a0 Aregawi overhauled the slowing Kuftu and put more than two minutes on her by the finish, 2:23:12 to 2:25:33. She seemed shocked to have won.<\/p>\n

\u201cI get them,\u201d she said of Kuftu and her pacer.\u00a0 \u201cMy feeling is good, and I won!\u201d<\/p>\n

Betty Chepkorir of Kenya, who came from a minute back at halfway, took third in 2:25:51.\u00a0 She was followed by a pair of Ethiopians, Meseret Belete and Meskerem Assefa, who finished fourth and fifth in 2:26:39 and 2:27:04, respectively.<\/p>\n

\"\"Elissa LeGault was first Canadian finisher for women, Ottowa, photo for Jane Monti, RRW.<\/p>\n

Elissa Legault from Quebec was the top Canadian in 2:29:13, good for ninth place.\u00a0 The 31-year-old was about 20 seconds behind Canadian marathon record holder Natasha Wodak at halfway, but passed Wodak early in the second half when the 44-year-old began to struggle.\u00a0 Her time was only eight seconds off of her personal best of 2:29:05, which was run in much better conditions in Valencia last December.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt means a lot, especially since Natasha was on the starting line,\u201d said Legault of being the first Canadian.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m very proud of my race.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wodak was downcast about her race.\u00a0 She finished 11th in 2:33:15 and had said before the race that she had targeted 2:28.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you have to stop and walk, it\u2019s not really your day,\u201d Wodak told Race Results Weekly.\u00a0 \u201cI keep getting these cramps.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know why, because I don\u2019t get them in training.\u00a0 Halfway, I just couldn\u2019t take any fuel and had to walk around 28-K.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013<\/p>\n

The Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend saw over 40,000 entrants across all events, their highest total post-pandemic.\u00a0 While the total finishers for Sunday\u2019s marathon and half-marathon were still being tabulated, last night\u2019s 5-K and 10-K had 8058 and 6984 finishers, respectively.<\/p>\n

\"Race <\/p>\n

Race Results Weekly is the news service of record for global road racing, published by David and Jane Monti, with support of Chris Lotsbom. RunBlogRun publishes their stories with permission.<\/p>\n


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