No records were set on a rainy Sunday as two Kenyans and a Canadian soldier led more than 1,800 runners in the Canadian International Marathon.
Thousands of others ran a half marathon covering part of the 42.2-kilometre course, which touched Steeles Avenue in the north and Front Street in the south, winding through North York, Forest Hill, Rosedale, the Don Valley and downtown, ending at Queen's Park.
The winners of the long race were Jackson Omweri of Kenya (with a time of 2:22:22), Joseph Kamau of Kenya (2:26:47) and Victor Hickey of Canadian Forces Base Borden, near Barrie (2:38:59). He is a former Canadian Ultramarathon champion and Canadian Forces male athlete of the year.
The top women were Karen Cowling of Hanmer, Ont. (2:56:02), Julie Heidt of Calgary (3:05:58) and Allison McKenzie of Toronto (3:06:48).
None approached the record times for the event, 2:15:17 for men and 2:37:52 for women.
Marnie McBean, a three-time Olympic gold medalist in rowing, ran in the half marathon, finishing in the top half at 1,241st.
It was the seventh annual Canadian International Marathon, a qualifying event for the Boston Marathon. Among those expected were about 200 Canadian military personnel, with another 80 military staffers and 350 Toronto police on marshalling and traffic duty.
The slow pace meant no money for even the top runners. To get the cash, runners had to beat the previous records; the leaders stood to earn $1,000 for each minute by which they did so.
Traffic was slowed or snarled in many parts of the city by the river of runners, but no untoward events were reported. The race draws athletes from more than 35 countries around the world and is described as Canada's fastest growing marathon.
Some U.S. runners cancelled because they were unwilling to fly or because they were called up for military service.