B.C. runners set Canadian course records at Boston Marathon

Malindi Elmore from Kelowna, B.C. shared this photo before competing in the Boston Marathon. She finished 11th overall among women.

Two runners from British Columbia set Canadian course records at the Boston Marathon Monday.

Malindi Elmore, an Olympian and mom from Kelowna, B.C., finished in 11th place among women at the Boston Marathon Monday.

With a time of 2:27:58 she set the record for professional women, an achievement she says was poignant given it was the 50th anniversary of women being allowed to participate. The first race was in 1897, making it the world's oldest.

And Elmore says she's never experienced anything like it.

"The crowds were electric. It was 26 miles straight of people cheering their hearts out. It was so cool to be part of this legendary race," she told CTV News.

"There's 30,000 other participants. It is a grueling course. It is relentless with the ups and downs. It was one of those days that, for me, I really had to dig deep to have the performance that I did."

Elmore says she had to sprint to the finish line in order to make it in under 2:28, and came in just four seconds ahead of the runner on her heels.

"I pretty much ran as fast as my little legs, at that point, would go. They were pretty sore and beat up because it's a very hilly course ... your quads are just shot," she said.

"I was motivated to get to the clock under a certain time, but I would hate to have been passed in the last 100 meters of the race."

Elmore has been to the Olympics twice, most recently placing ninth in the marathon in Tokyo in 2021. Her previous trip to the Games was in 2004 where she ran the 1500m and finished 32nd.

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Malindi Elmore (@malindielmore)

For the men, it was Burnaby's Trevor Hofbauer who broke the record. With a time of 2:10:52 he placed 15th.

He said it was a good day overall for him and his fellow Canadians.

"I feel pretty good right now, to be honest," he told CTV News from Boston.

"I'm happy with my performance. I'm happy with the day we had out here."

Hofbauer, who also competed for Canada in the Tokyo Olympic Games, was the Canadian marathon champion in both 2019 and 2017, and the Canadian half-marathon champion in 2018.

Hofbauer said it's impossible to compare the Games to the Boston Marathon, but both have the infectious energy brought by athletes bringing their all to a competition.

As for what's next? The 2024 Paris Olympics are on the horizon, with qualifying starting in less than a year. But for the short term, Hofbauer is just going to enjoy his accomplishment.

"I have this huge Tony's chocolate bar, and I'm definitely going to be spoiling myself tonight. I might go for a run this week, but I might not. We'll just take it day by day."