Two half marathon runners suffered cardiac arrest at the finish of the event on Sunday, during the 31st^e Edition of the Beneva Montreal Marathon. However, the organization of the event showed that they were doing well.

“They were immediately treated and resuscitated by the Beneva Montreal Marathon medical team and then transported to the event medical clinic,” the organization said in a written statement to the organization Duty. Both men were then taken to hospital as their condition stabilized.

“With the plans we have, we can react quite quickly [en cas d’urgence] », explained Alex Ratthé, executive producer of the Beneva Montreal Marathon. Almost 300 healthcare workers were deployed along the entire route. The latter extends from Espace 67 on the island of Sainte-Hélène to the esplanade of the Olympic Park.

Sunday’s event began at 7:45 a.m. In bright sunshine, almost 12,000 people set off for the marathon and half marathon. Around 8,000 participants took part in the 1 km, 5 km and 10 km runs the day before.

Kenyan Felex Cheruiyot Rop was crowned champion of this edition of the Beneva Montreal Marathon, crossing the finish line in 2:23:20 on Sunday. He was followed in second place by Canadian Simon Leblanc, who finished the event in 2:23:52.

In third place we also find a Canadian, Ahmed Mainy, with a time of 2 hours 24 minutes 15 seconds.

In the women’s race, Kenya’s Monicah Cheruto took first place, completing the 42.2 km in 2 hours, 53 minutes and 47 seconds. Behind her, Canadians Joelle White (2:58:37) and Andréanne Sansoucy (3:02:51) took second and third place, respectively.

The two Kenyan winners of the marathon, Mr. Rop and Ms. Cheruto, will each receive a $5,000 scholarship.

Optimal temperature and route

Mr Ratthé is pleased with the “wonderful temperatures” in which the event took place. He also believes that the route of this year’s race is optimal. “We are very interested in continuing to work with this route,” he emphasizes, adding that it passes through iconic locations in Montreal.

As they arrived on the Olympic Park esplanade on Saturday, the runners were able to sway to the sounds of electro-pop singer Claudia Bouvette’s music. On Sunday they were treated to performances by singer-songwriter Pascale Picard and funk group The Brooks.

Registrations are now open for the 2024 edition of the marathon, which will take place on September 21st and 22nd. “We’re going to have the big end-of-season running party,” says the executive producer.

To watch in the video