Cam Levins to Run First Half Marathon at Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon

By Adam Kopet

Cam Levins will make his half marathon debut Oct. 22 at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, according to Paul Gains and the Canada Running Series.

Levins' goal is to qualify for the 2018 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in March.

This is a marked change in Levins' training and racing plan. He left the Nike Oregon Project this summer and is training again under his college coach, Eric Houle.

The training change came after Levins missed over a year with a foot injury and a subsequent surgery. His first race back was a 5,000-meter race at the Stumptown Twilight. His time was 14:10.92, nearly a minute off his personal best, but it was a start.

More recently, Levins ran 29:24 for 10 kilometers at the Beach to Beacon road race. That was a step in the right direction for the former Canadian 10,000 record holder.

Levins has recently been training alongside marathoner Ryan Vail. Vail recently finished eighth at the BMW Berlin Marathon. The pair train under different coaches, but they are neighbors and are able to train together frequently.

The eventual goal will likely be for Levins to tackle the marathon distance, but his coach is working to hold him back and keep him healthy. In the meantime, Levins also wants to qualify for the IAAF World Indoor Championships, which will also be held in March.