© Copyright – 2025 – Athletics Illustrated
[updated 1:01 pm PST]
Cameron Levins and Rory Linkletter virtually tied during the Edmonton Half Marathon and Canadian Half Marathon Championships on Sunday, both credited with finishing in one hour and three minutes exactly. No seconds. Then the times were adjusted, as Linkletter had outkicked Levins at the line.
Fifteen seconds back of first was Ben Preisner for third. Andrew Alexander was another 59 seconds back. All four athletes ran the first 10km together, clocking a split of 31:48/9.
The winner (in a sprint finish) of the 2025 @AthleticsCanada Men’s Half Marathon Championship was @ThePapaLinks in 1:03:00. 2nd @CamLevins (same time), 3rd #BenPreisner (+15s) pic.twitter.com/CGOV94rkAv
— Tim Berrett (@CaminataTim) August 17, 2025
Chip times were 1:02:58 to 1:02:59, whereas gun time is 1:03:00 and 1:03:01, respectively — gun time for elites is official, and Linkletter, Canada’s second fastest in the marathon and half marathon, takes the win. Levins, Canada’s fastest marathon and half-marathon runner, takes second, and Preisner officially gets third.
Levins ran the Tokyo Marathon in 2023 in a time of 2:05:36 to improve his own national marathon record. That same year, in Vancouver, the now 36-year-old clocked a 1:00.18.
In 2024, Linkletter clocked a 2:08:01 in Sevilla, for his pb, to be the second-fastest in Canada. Linkletter, who goes by the social media handle of Papalinks, is also the second-fastest half-marathon runner from his 2025 Muragame, Japan run of 1:00:57.
Preisner is the third-fastest Canadian all-time with his 2:08:58 from Oita, Japan this year. His half best is 1:02:24.
Top women
British runner Lauren McNeil takes the women’s race in a strong 1:11:25 which is approximately one minute off of her best. Natasha Wodak, Canada’s record holder in the marathon and former record holder in the half, took second in 1:11:40. Florence Caron took third in 1:11:57.
Wodak was the first Canadian, therefore takes the Canadian title.
Wodak has run the marathon as fast as 2:23:12 and was the first Canadian under 1:10:00 in the half with her 69:41 former national record, since improved by Andrea Seccafien.
Wodak, like Levins and Preisner, will be racing in the 2025 Tokyo World Athletics Championships in September. The full team is listed here.
Lanni Marchant, former national record holder in the marathon, before Wodak, with her best of 2:28:00, finished in the time of 1:13:15, as the second 40-plus master to Wodak.
