As 25,000 participants prepare to hit the road in Sunday’s Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, organizers trumpet the event’s growth from a race for the not-quite elite to a destination for world-class performers.In 2015, the event earned the IAAF’s gold-label designation, reserved for prestigious big-city road races. But this year’s edition is missing a key feature we’ve seen in the past: a clear-cut favourite.Organizers say that’s by design.While the waterfront race has never splurged on appearance fees for super-elite performers, organizers say this year they were able to spend on depth. For the first time, the women’s marathon features an athlete — Ethiopia’s Amane Beriso — with a personal best faster than two hours, 21 minutes. And the men’s event will field eight runners who have run faster than 2:10, including course record-holder Philemon Rono and 2012 Olympic champ Stephen Kiprotich.Canadian long-distance track star Cam Levins, a three-time national champion and record-holder over 10,000 metres, will also make his marathon debut Sunday.Most other years a runner such as Jake Robertson, who ran 2:08:26 in his marathon debut in March, would easily qualify as a favourite to finish on the podium. But the Kenya-based New Zealander says this year’s deep field means he’ll likely need to smash several records for a top-three finish.Read more: Major downtown road closures, TTC diverting for Scotiabank Marathon this weekendEvery runner has a story at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon‘I can’t stop my life.’ Toronto Marathon runners remember, honour victims of van rampage“Everybody in this elite field has come here ready for this course record,” said Robertson, who will race in Toronto for the first time. “If the weather’s right, it’s going to take a course record to win.”This weekend’s event fits in midway through a busy fall s ...
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