Record-Breaking Canadian Marathoner Ed Whitlock Dies At 86; Tributes Pour In

Ed Whitlock, an English-born Canadian runner who was the first septuagenarian to run a marathon in under three hours, died Monday at age 86.

Canadian Marathon Runner Ed Whitlock Dies at 86

Whitlock, who also ran a 3:56.38 marathon at age 85 in Toronto last October, was raised in London and then moved to Canada after college. He died of prostate cancer in a Toronto hospital (Princess Margaret Cancer Centre) one week after his 86th birthday, his family said in a statement.

In 2003, he ran the Toronto Waterfront Marathon in two hours 59 minutes 10 seconds at age 72 to become the first septuagenarian marathoner to break the three-hour mark.

“This is an enormous loss to Canada and the global running community,” Alan Brookes, race director of the Toronto Waterfront Marathon said in a statement.

“He was a very funny guy,” said Paul Gains, a journalist and publicist for the Canada Running Series, which includes the Toronto Marathon. “He was always dressed in a suit and tie when he wasn’t running. All the elite athletes would be in their gear. He would show up, always well dressed, prim and proper. A celebration for him was opening up a bottle of wine and having a dinner of sole with his wife.”

After college, Whitlock temporarily stopped running in order to pursue an engineering career in Canada. He returned to running in his 40s. Whitlock was also known for being a very humble guy who had stated several times that he was uncomfortable with all the attention he received from other runners, several of whom looked to him as an inspiration.

“I don’t know how to respond to them. Well how do you respond to that?” he once said. “I suppose it’s nice for people to say I inspire them but I am somewhat embarrassed and I don’t know what the appropriate response is to that.”

Whitlock is survived by his wife Brenda, sons Neil and Clive, and sister Catherine.

Former Olympic track and field runner Sheila Reid, 27, who is also Canadian, posted this touching tribute to Whitlock on Instagram, describing the first time she met him.

Clearly, Whitlock was beloved by many in the running world.