Canadian marathoner Malindi Elmore achieves Paris Olympic standard in Berlin

One hundred and twenty hours of running the past 10 weeks, along with 10 physiotherapy appointments and 22 weight training sessions, paid off big-time for Malindi Elmore on Sunday.

The 43-year-old from Kelowna, B.C., achieved the qualifying standard for the women's Olympic marathon next summer in Paris, finishing 13th among female participants at the Berlin Marathon in two hours 23 minutes 30 seconds.

"The key to success is healthy and consistent training layered with solid recovery, some long [and] work with sprinklings of speed. And always gratitude for all the help and support along the way," she wrote in an Aug. 13 Instagram post.

A two-time Olympian, Elmore took 80 seconds off her 2:24:50 previous best to win the Masters (40-and-over) women's title and finished 11 minutes ahead of her closest competitor.

Elmore owns the second fastest time in history by a Canadian woman, trailing only good friend Natasha Wodak, the Vancouver resident who took down the former's national record in Berlin last Sept. 25 in 2:23:12.

The women's world mark fell on Sunday, with Tigist Assefa of Ethiopia shattering the 2:14:04 set by Kenya's Brigid Kosgei at the 2019 Chicago Marathon by over minutes in 2:11:53.

The Berlin course is a favourite for runners chasing world records because of its flat terrain and cool weather. It's seen a succession of men's records tumble over the last two decades, but Assefa was the first to break the women's world record in the German capital since 2001.

Elmore, the oldest marathoner in Berlin this weekend, covered the first half of Sunday's 42.2-kilometre race in 1:11:50, reached 30 km in 2:23:31 pace and remained there 10 km later.

In August 2021, Elmore placed ninth in the women's Olympic marathon,