Geoffrey Birgen defends his Montreal Marathon title as 47-year-old Kip Kangogo finally wins the Royal Victoria Marathon

Kenya’s Geoffrey Birgen defended his title at the Marathon Beneva de Montréal on Sunday, winning in 2:16:29, nearly two minutes faster than his winning time of 2:18:12 in 2025, Canadian Running Magazine reported. Ethiopia’s Haile Kindiya Tesfaye was second in 2:16:47 and American David Reynolds third in 2:21:36. Arnaud Francioni of Montreal was the top Canadian man, finishing seventh in 2:30:49.

Birgen, 41, held an average pace of 3:15 per kilometre over the 42.195-kilometre course, Radio-Canada reported, and his personal best is 2:11:22, set in 2024 at the Buriram marathon in Thailand. It was the fourth straight win in Montreal for a Kenyan man, according to the broadcaster, which said the last Canadian victory in the men’s race came in 2015.

In the women’s race, Ethiopia’s Alem Gebremariam won in 2:29:17, ahead of Kenya’s Rita Jelagat in 2:34:04 and Morocco’s Lalla Aziza Alaoui Selsouli in 2:40:49, Canadian Running Magazine reported. On Saturday, Olympian Julie-Anne Staehli won her fourth consecutive women’s title at the Canadian 5K Championships in 15:49, while Quebec’s Matthew Beaudet edged Jean-Simon Desgagnés for the men’s title, with both officially timed at 14:18.

Radio-Canada said the weekend drew 35,000 participants, including 21,500 in Sunday’s marathon and half-marathon, 6,000 of them in the full marathon. Total prize money was $61,000, including $5,000 for the marathon winner. The course started at Espace 67 in Parc Jean-Drapeau, crossed the Pont de la Concorde onto the island and passed along Notre-Dame Street, the La Fontaine Park area and boulevards Saint-Joseph and Saint-Laurent before finishing at Maisonneuve Park near the Olympic Stadium. Spectators gathered at 21 cheering stations, CityNews reported, including one at the 19.76-kilometre mark marking the 50th anniversary of the Montreal Olympic Games.

“It warms our hearts to see 35,000 runners get up at dawn to come run with us,” Alex Ratthé, general manager of race organizer COURONS, said in a statement quoted by CityNews. “The Marathon Beneva de Montréal is much more than just a race: it’s the community that builds around it, the connections that are made, the Montreal crowd cheering along the course, the hundreds of volunteers who make this extraordinary experience possible, and the seasoned team that shares its passion year after year.”

On the West Coast, Kip Kangogo, 47, a native of Kenya and Canadian citizen who lives in Lethbridge, Alta., won the 46th Royal Victoria Marathon in two hours, 24 minutes and 28 seconds, the Times Colonist reported. The win came after earlier close calls, including two second-place finishes, among them last year’s race. “This is so sweet after so many times here knocking on the door,” Kangogo said. “I have been consistent and proved today I can run with the younger guys.” Michael Zahara of Calgary was second in 2:28:30, and Alex Bowns of Maple Valley, Wash., was third in 2:32:15.

Fawn Whiting of Duncan, B.C., 40, was the first woman across the line in 2:48:48, according to the Times Colonist. She ran with her triplet brother, Dan Whiting, for 36 kilometres before pulling ahead, and both qualified for next April’s Boston Marathon. The siblings dedicated their run to their late triplet brother, Kevin, who died in an avalanche. “It was the perfect day in a great running community,” Whiting said. Charlotte McNair of Banff, Alta., was second in 2:49:27 and Tessa Ladner of Calgary third in 2:52:02.

Natasha Wodak, the Canadian women’s marathon record-holder and a two-time Olympian, won the women’s half-marathon in 1:14:32 for her fourth title in the event, the paper reported. “In a world of craziness, we are all out here as a community doing the one thing we can all agree on, regardless of political views,” said Wodak, 44. Former University of Victoria runner Brandon Vail won the men’s half-marathon in 1:05:39.

A record 17,596 participants took part in the Victoria races over the weekend, more than 2,000 above the previous high set last year, including 4,927 in the marathon, 7,389 in the half-marathon and 3,396 in the 8K, the Times Colonist said. Race director Cathy Noel said 10,000 participants came from off Vancouver Island. “It just keeps getting bigger and better,” she said. The race’s charity pledge program raised $180,000 for 25 charities this year, according to the paper.

Sources: Canadian Running Magazine (Oct. 11, 2026); Radio-Canada (Oct. 11, 2026, in French); CityNews Montreal (Oct. 11, 2026); Times Colonist (Oct. 12, 2026).