Ben Flanagan lowers Canadian half marathon record, beating Cam Levins in Valencia

Ben Flanagan ran to his third Canadian road race record of the year on Sunday, completing the Valencia Half Marathon in 61 minutes for 18th place, a few strides ahead of Canada's fastest-ever marathon runner.

Flanagan took 38 seconds off his previous best effort over 21.1 kilometres from Jan. 16 in Houston, where Rory Linkletter ran 1:01:08 in the same race to lower Jeff Schiebler's 23-year-old Canadian mark.

Four months ago, Flanagan took down Paul McCloy's 1987 Canadian 10K record by six seconds, reaching the finish line at the B.A.A. competition in Boston in 28:11. In the process, he became the fastest Canadian man over 8 km (22:31).

The 27-year-old Flanagan set his first Canadian record on Dec. 8, 2018, clocking four minutes in the men's mile in Honolulu.

A native of Kitchener, Ont., based in the United States, Flanagan had previously stated the 5,000 metres on the track is an option for the 2024 Paris Olympics, as is the marathon, though he has yet to make his debut in the latter.

"I feel comfortable on the road and have had more natural success on the road," the former University of Michigan track star in the 10,000 told CBC Sports in October 2021. "I just want to make that [Olympic] team."

Flanagan came up short in qualifying and missed out on his Summer Games debut last year in Tokyo.

Cam Levins, a two-time Olympian, placed 19th on Sunday in 1:01:04. The native of Black Creek, B.C., shattered his own Canadian marathon record in July with his fourth-place result (2:07:09) at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Ore.

The 33-year-old ran 2:09:25 at the 2018 Toronto Waterfront Marathon to beat Jerome Drayton's 43-year-old mark by 44 seconds.

Kenya's Kandie victorious in 58:10

Kibiwott Kandie of Kenya won Sunday for the second time in three years. The reigning world half marathon silver medallist stopped the clock in 58:10, short of his 2020 world record performance of 57:32 that has since been broken.

Flanagan won his debut half marathon in 1:03:19 on Dec. 6, 2020, in Hardeeville, S.C.

"Honestly, I was a little bit intimidated stepping up a distance," said Flanagan, who was focused on the 5,000 or 10,000 at the time in his pursuit of the Tokyo Olympic standard.

"I consulted some athletes with more experience, including my [Reebok Boston Track Club teammate Colin Bennie. … He reassured me [the half marathon] is about staying patient, getting in a groove and holding back for the first half of the race."

The day before the Houston half marathon in January, Flanagan signed with On Running, his second professional contract after joining Reebok Boston Track Club in 2018 following graduation, and has enjoyed a breakthrough season.

He went on to win the outdoor 5,000 at the Jesse Owens Classic on April 22 in Columbus, Ohio, his first of eight victories over 12 races in 2022 that range from the 1,500 to 10K.

In May, he successfully defending his Canadian 10K road race title, clocking 28:40 in Ottawa after going 28:42 in his 2021 event debut in Toronto.

Fast forward three months to Falmouth, Mass., where Flanagan won for the third time in four years, completing the 11.3 km course in 32:25.

He followed up with a 13:38 personal best on Sept. 11 at the Canadian 5K road running championships in Moncton, N.B.