Canada’s Philibert-Thiboutot ends running career at 34, placing 21st in NYC Marathon

Canadian runner and two-time Olympian Charles Philibert-Thiboutot is looking forward to some rest as he enters retirement.

The 34-year-old capped a 15-year track and road racing career with his marathon debut on Sunday in New York City, finishing 21st in the professional men’s group in two hours 26 minutes 25 seconds.

“The time wasn’t pretty, but I came through the first half with the lead pack in 65:20,” he told Canadian Running. “It was much faster than I wanted to go out, but I felt great.”

However, it wasn’t long before Philibert-Thiboutot began to cramp around 28 or 29 kilometres of 42.2 and nearly stopped.

“All that mattered [at that point] was finishing but it was really hard,” he said.

Philibert-Thiboutot leaves the sport on a high note after achieving three personal-best times indoors across 1,500 metres, the mile (1,609m) and 5,000 to begin his final campaign. He set another four outdoors, highlighted by his victory and 28 minute six-second national record at the Canadian 10K Road Running Championships in Ottawa on May 24.

In early April Philibert-Thiboutot raced the 3,000 and 5,000 metres at the inaugural Grand Slam Track meet in Kingston, Jamaica.

The Quebec City athlete had three top-three finishes on the track, including a silver-medal performance in the 1,500 at the NACAC Championships in mid-August, and was victorious on Sept. 20 at the Canadian 5K Road Running Championships in Montreal.

Philibert-Thiboutot made his Olympic debut in 2016, placing 16th in the 1,500 in Rio before battling injuries for a few seasons.

He didn’t qualify for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics but returned to the Summer Games last year in Paris, where Philibert-Thiboutot ran a 2024 season best of 3:33.29 in his 1,500 semifinal heat.

“I’m