LARKIN, PHILIBERT-THIBOUTOT TAKE CANADIAN 10-K TITLES IN OTTAWABy David Monti, @d9monti(c) 2025 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved, used with permission.
OTTAWA (24-May) — On a cloudy and chilly evening here in the Canadian capital, Gracelyn Larkin and Charles Philibert-Thiboutot won the Athletics Canada 10-K road running championships in exciting races. Larkin, 24, running in only her second road 10-K, came from behind to pass early leader and defending champion Malindi Elmore and break the tape on Queen Elizabeth Driveway in 32:43. Philibert-Thiboutot, 34, broke away from marathoner Cam Levins in the ninth kilometer to win in 28:06, a new Canadian record. Both athletes won CAD 6000 in prize money.
ELMORE TRIES TO RUN AWAY
Not even two minutes into the race, Larkin and Elmore opened up a big lead on the rest of the field. It looked like they would work together, but with three minutes and 45 seconds on the clock Elmore began to pull away. The three-time Olympian, who is still running strong at 45 years-old, cruised through 3-K in 9:32 and hit the halfway split in 16:06. At that point she had a 12-second lead on Larkin, who is 21 years her junior. Larkin was worried at first.
“I was thinking it’s 1-K in and I’m alone,” Larkin told reporters. “I was thinking, oh no!”
But Larkin –who lives and trains in Flagstaff, Arizona, under coach Stephen Haas– kept her cool. She tried to stay calm and focused on Elmore ahead.
“I was focused on her back the whole time, trying to stay strong in the middle, in the hard parts,” she said.
Early in the second half, Elmore’s form began to break down. The high knee lift she showed in the first half of the race was gone, and Larkin started to gain ground. In the middle of the eighth kilometer, Larkin caught Elmore then gently pulled away.
“It was still kind of far out; it was, I think, two and a half K out,” said Larkin, who had never won a national title before. “I was like, oh no, am I going to make this move, am I not? But I just stuck to it. My high school coach was out there and… he was just screaming at me.”
The move stuck and Larkin had 18 seconds on Elmore by the time she finished. Elmore’s time of 33:01 was nonetheless outstanding for a 45 year-old.
“On the one hand I’m really pleased that there is some up-and-coming talent that’s 20 years younger than me,” Elmore told Race Results Weekly. “Because, you know, we need a new generation ready to shine. But, it’s always a little disappointing because I wanted to win today.”
Erin Mawhinney took third in 33:09, and fourth place went to Salome Nyirarukundo in 33:23. Veteran Lanni Marchant, 41, rounded out the top five in 33:28.
LEVINS SETS THE PACE IN THE MEN’S RACE
In the men’s competition Levins, the Canadian record holder for the marathon, went right to the front and set an aggressive pace. He motored through 5-K in 13:55, and only Philibert-Thiboutot and Andrew Alexander were able to keep up with the three-time Olympian who lives and trains in Portland, Ore. Philibert-Thiboutot knew the second half of the race was going to be tough and that Levins would not let up.
“I’ve looked up to Cam all these years, you know,” said Philibert-Thiboutot. He continued: “I know he’s tough and he’s training for a marathon (the World Championships in September), so for him a 10-K is not supposed to be crazy-hard. I knew I really had to tough it out and stick with him.”
Alexander fell back and would finish third in 28:17. Philibert-Thiboutot stayed behind Levins and waited for the right moment to strike, which came in the ninth kilometer when he ran a 2:41 split. Levins could not match that.
“I made a decisive move there,” Philibert-Thiboutot said. “I’ve got to thank Cam. If it weren’t for him there’s no way I would have run that record today. Cam is a fierce competitor.”
Levins finished second in 28:14. He appreciated that he had run well, but was disappointed not to win.
“I thought I was going to pull it off and I just sort of stitched-up,” Levins told Race Results Weekly. “I couldn’t keep up with Chuck over the last couple of kilometers. All things considered, I think I still finished pretty well.”
Philibert-Thiboutot’s time beat the previous Canadian record of 28:09 set by Ben Flanagan at this race last year.
“It was such an unreal experience out there today,” said Philibert-Thiboutot. “It’s my last year on the professional circuit and I wanted to have more fun this year. Running more road races was part of the plan to make things more fun. To run a Canadian record in front of such a loud crowd… it’s heartwarming. I had an amazing day.”
