Cam Levins bows out of 2019 London Marathon

© Copyright – 2019 – Athletics Illustrated

Cameron Levins has officially withdrawn from the 2019 Virgin London Marathon. Citing a potential patellar tendon issue, the Canadian marathon record holder decided it was best to avoid pushing his luck having already dealt with foot surgery in 2017 and the long recovery process from it.

“I think it’s a bit of patellar tendinitis, but it’s definitely enough to where I haven’t been able to train since NYC,” shared Levins. “There is just no way I can take care of this and also be ready to run well come London.”

Word had spread rapidly as he only let the London organizers know on Monday. By Monday night, word had spread to popular running forums.

“I’m not going to make any mistakes that lead to me needing surgery on anything again.”

And he added, “it’s not so major.”

Levins ran the national marathon record in Toronto in October 2018, finishing the race in the time of 2:09:25. He broke Jerome Drayton’s near 43-year-old record that stood at 2:10:09. Drayton set his in Fukuoka in December 1975.

Levins previously held the national 10,000-metre record at 27:07:51, which has since been improved by nearly five seconds by St. Catharine’s Mohammed Ahmed at 27:02.35.

Levins’ debut in the marathon in Toronto suggests that there is more to come from the Black Creek, BC native.