After making his marathon debut in his hometown of Toronto three months in the past, the place he completed tenth, Andrew Alexander is keen to step again as much as the plate. On Sunday, Alexander might be one in every of 4 Canadian runners within the elite discipline aiming for a breakthrough efficiency on the 2025 Houston Marathon.
Though Alexander’s 2:14:13 marathon debut was spectacular, he anticipated rather more. “Once I completed, I felt I had extra to present,” he says.
He revealed to Canadian Operating that he needed to cease close to the 35km mark resulting from overloading on carbs and gels. “I used to be consuming double the beneficial carbs per hour,” says Alexander. “It was an excessive amount of.”
He aimed to absorb 150mL of Maurten 320 drink combine each 5K, and a Gel 100 each 10K. His physique was taking in round 370 grams of carbohydrates each hour, which proved extreme given his inexperience with the space.
The 25-year-old, smart past his years, has a constructive outlook and sees every marathon as a lesson for the subsequent. “I’ve in the reduction of on what I’m utilizing for Houston,” he says. “I assumed I all the time wanted to be fueling and overdid it.”
Alexander trains largely solo, underneath the steerage of former Canadian Olympic steeplechaser Matt Hughes and distance runner Dave Reid by means of Rhythm Athletics in Toronto. Though he excelled as a 5,000m/10,000m runner within the NCAA, he all the time had his sights set on shifting as much as the 42.2 km distance when the timing felt proper.
Unsure of his marathon potential, Alexander targets a 2:10 end time if he’s feeling good. “I do know I’m nonetheless comparatively new to the space, however I feel it’s lifelike,” he says. “I really like competing and I’d love to present it a shot on race day.”
Throughout his construct for Houston, which included 200-kilometre coaching weeks, Alexander discovered motivation in an surprising supply—competing for the Strava Native Legend title on the “Excessive Park-Higher Loop.” “I’d get the Native Legend crown throughout my peak weeks, however there’s this one runner who all the time takes it from me after I begin my taper,” he laughs. “I don’t know who they’re, however possibly sooner or later we’ll do a lap of the park collectively.”
Natasha Wodak and Andrew Alexander storm to course data at BlackToe Vacation 10K
With practically 1,000 miles logged within the final 12 weeks, Alexander feels ready for Sunday’s marathon. “I’ve put within the work every single day, and I really feel prepared,” he says.
Alexander will face a well-known face in Vancouver’s Thomas Broatch, who completed simply behind him (in eleventh) on the Toronto Waterfront Marathon in October with a time of two:14:51. Broatch, who ran Houston final yr three months after he completed as the highest Canadian in Toronto (in 2023), cracked the highest 10 in a private finest 2:11:51.
Within the ladies’s elite race, Windsor, Ont.’s Dayna Pidhoresky, who holds a private finest of two:29:03, will make her return to the marathon after greater than a yr away from the space. Becoming a member of her is Port Elgin, Ont.’s Rachel Hannah, the 2024 Across the Bay Highway Race champion and a bronze medalist on the 2024 Canadian Cross Nation Championships in November.
How you can watch
The 2025 Chevron Houston Marathon might be broadcast dwell on ABC 13 and YouTube on Sunday morning, with protection starting at 7:00 a.m. ET.