Canadian Olympian breaks 41-year-old Quebec marathon record in debut

On Sunday in Chandler, Ariz., The Marathon Project returned for its second edition after a four-year hiatus, and Canadian 5,000m Olympian Thomas Fafard, making his marathon debut, took full advantage of the flat, fast course. The Repentigny, Que., native placed sixth in an outstanding 2:10:29, smashing the 41-year-old Quebec provincial marathon record by nearly four minutes.

The former record of 2:14:19 was set by Alain Bordeleau in 1984.

Fafard’s performance ranks as the third-fastest marathon debut by a Canadian; only national record holder Cam Levins and Canada’s third-fastest marathoner, Ben Preisner, have achieved a faster debut. (Preisner debuted in 2:10:17 at the 2020 Marathon Project.) The result also ties Fafard with two-time Olympian Reid Coolsaet as the seventh-fastest Canadian marathoner in history. Coincidentally, Fafard is also tied for seventh on the Canadian all-time list for the half-marathon, at 62:17.

The 2025 Marathon Project was held at Wild Horse Pass Resort, on the same 6.75-km loop criterium-style course used in 2020. It was a tight finishing window for the top 10, with all runners coming in between 2:09 and 2:12; Fafard finished just 71 seconds behind the winner, J.P. Flavin of the U.S. (2:09:18). American Turner Wiley (2:09:27) and South Africa’s Nadeel Wildschutt (2:09:40) took second and third, respectively.

Elite Canadian performances

Four other Canadian men completed the elite race on Sunday. Vancouver’s Thomas Nobbs, running his second marathon, clocked 2:12:27 for 11th, smashing his 2:15:22 personal best by nearly three minutes.

Thomas Broatch, the 2023 Canadian marathon champion, took 14th, in 2:13:43, while Lakefield, Ont.’s Thomas Toth ran 2:17:00 for 29th and Vancouver’s Chris Taylor, also making his debut, took 46th in 2:25:46.

Canadian marathon champion Rachel Hannah led the Canadian women, placing 16th in 2:41:49, followed by Vancouver’s Emily Andrews in 17th (2:43:03) and Calgary’s Leanne Klassen in 20th (2:45:26).

What is The Marathon Project?

U.S.-based marathon coach Ben Rosario initially launched The Marathon Project in 2020 to help marathoners hit Olympic qualifying times during the pandemic, but the event didn’t continue beyond its inaugural edition. In 2024, Rosario quit his coaching job to revive the race, which awards US$10,000 to the top male and female finishers. Rosario said his motivation to bring it back was to provide ordinary runners with “a greater chance to run PRs in beautiful weather on the flattest, fastest course you could imagine.”

See here for full results from the 2025 Marathon Project.