It was a busy weekend for two-time Canadian Olympian Charles Philibert-Thiboutot, who served as a race ambassador on the 2024 Beneva Montreal Marathon. Philibert-Thiboutot triumphed within the one-mile race on Friday, claimed victory on the Canadian 5K Championships on Saturday, after which paced a whole bunch of runners to non-public bests within the half-marathon on Sunday.
When Philibert-Thiboutot took on the function of race ambassador two years in the past, his aim was to extend the occasion’s recognition. “This 12 months, the race added the Quebec Mile Championships and revived the Canadian 5K Championships, which amplified my involvement with the marathon,” says Philibert-Thiboutot. “Being a pacer within the half-marathon was at all times a part of how I needed to contribute as an envoy.”
Philibert-Thiboutot received the inaugural Quebec Mile Championships in 4:08, ending 9 seconds forward of runners-up Thomas Laviolette and Matthew Beaudet. He adopted that victory with a formidable Canadian nationwide 5K highway title the following morning, clocking 14:14.
“As quickly as we knew these occasions had been on the schedule, I used to be excited to commit and make it the ultimate race of my season,” Philibert-Thiboutot shared.
The 33-year-old middle-distance runner hopes that the inclusion of latest occasions will entice extra elite athletes to compete in Montreal subsequent 12 months.
On the Paris Olympics, Philibert-Thiboutot was certainly one of six runners to succeed in the lads’s 1,500m semi-finals via the repechage spherical. Within the semis, he ran a season-best 3:33:29, putting eleventh.
After an intense season, Philibert-Thiboutot now plans to take a well-deserved break earlier than ramping up for the 2025 indoor season, with the World Indoor Championships in China on the horizon. “It’s been an extended and intense few years, so I’m planning on taking an extended trip than common,” he says.