Rory Linkletter (born 12 August 1996) is a Canadian

long-distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires endurance, stamina as well as mental strength. Within e ...

. He represented Canada in the marathon at the

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

and 2023 World Championships. He holds a personal best of 2:08:01 set at the 2024 Seville Marathon making him the second fastest Canadian of all time over the distance. He formerly held the Canadian half marathon record from January to October of 2022 set at the 2022 Houston Half Marathon.

Early and personal life

Born in

Calgary, Alberta Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Canadian Prairies, Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,30 ...

, Linkletter moved to

Herriman, Utah Herriman ( ) is a city in southwestern Salt Lake County, Utah. The population was 55,144 as of the 2020 census. Although Herriman was a town in 2000, it has since been classified as a fourth-class city by state law. The city has experienced rapi ...

at the age of 5. While a freshman at

Herriman High School Herriman High School (HHS) is a public high school in Herriman, Utah, United States. It is a part of the Jordan School District and serves students from the cities of Herriman, South Jordan, and Riverton. The school is a two-level facility, sit ...

, he was introduced to running after his friend brought him to a summer practice. After graduating high school, he enrolled at

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

where he would compete for the Cougars track and field and cross country teams. At BYU, he met fellow BYU athlete Jill van Dielo, who competed for the Cougars gymnastics team. In 2019, the two would get married. As of 2024, the couple have two children. Linkletter lives and trains in

Flagstaff, Arizona Flagstaff ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Coconino County, Arizona, Coconino County in northern Arizona, in the southwestern United States. In 2019, the city's estimated population was 75,038. Flagstaff's combined metropolitan area has ...

Collegiate career (2015–2019)

2015

During his freshman year at BYU, Linkletter was selected to compete for Canada at the

2015 IAAF World Cross Country Championships The 2015 IAAF World Cross Country Championships () was the 41st edition of the global championships in cross country running, organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations. It was held in Guiyang, China on 28 March. It was the ...

in Guiyang, China. He would go on to place 84th in the junior men's race.

2016

In 2016, his first full track season for BYU, he qualified for the outdoor NCAA Championships at

Hayward Field Hayward Field is a track and field stadium in the northwest United States, located on the campus of the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon. It has been the home of the university's track and field teams since 1921, and was the on-campus ho ...

where he would go on to place 19th in the 5000 m. The following cross-country season, he placed 32nd at cross country nationals in

Terre Haute Terre Haute ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, about 5 miles east of the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a ...

as the 2nd finisher on the 7th place Cougars team.

2017

In March 2017, he competed in the senior men's race at the

2017 IAAF World Cross Country Championships The 2017 IAAF World Cross Country Championships was hosted in the city of Kampala, Uganda's capital. This 42nd edition was held on 26 March 2017. The venue was Kampala Airport, commonly known as Kololo airstrip, or officially, the Kololo Ceremoni ...

held in Kampala, Uganda. He finished in 76th place. Linkletter would run a 5000 m personal best of 13:49.00 to qualify for 2017 indoor nationals before going on to place 11th at the national meet College Station. Outdoors, he finished as the runner up over 10,000 m at nationals, just 1.42 seconds behind first place finisher

Marc Scott Marc Scott (born 21 December 1993) is a British long-distance runner. He took his first global medal with bronze in the 3000 metres at the 2022 World Indoor Championships. He is the current European record holder in the indoor 5000 metres and ...

2018

At the 2018 NCAA Indoor Championships in

College Station, Texas College Station is a city in Brazos County, Texas, situated in East-Central Texas in the heart of the Brazos Valley, towards the eastern edge of the region known as the Texas Triangle. It is northwest of Houston and east-northeast of Austin. ...

, he contested the 5000 m, placing eighth. At the NCAA Outdoor Championships, he doubled in the 5000 m and 10,000 m. After a poor showing in the 10,000 m, placing 24th, Rory rebounded in the 5000 m, placing eighth.

2019

In 2019, he finished in 5th place in the senior event at the

2019 NACAC Cross Country Championships The 2019 NACAC Cross Country Championships took place on February 16, 2019. The races were held at the Queen's Park Savannah in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. A detailed report of the event was given for the IAAF. Medallists Race resu ...

held in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. A few weeks later, he competed in the at the

2019 IAAF World Cross Country Championships The 2019 IAAF World Cross Country Championships were hosted in the city of Aarhus in Denmark. It was the 43rd edition of the championships and was held on 30 March 2019. A part of the course was run on the grounds and grass roof of the Moesgaard ...

held in Aarhus, Denmark. He finished in 82nd place. During the 2019 outdoor track season, his final year competing for BYU, he ran personal bests of 13:36.41 over 5000 m in April and 28:12.42 over 10,000 m in May. At the

NCAA Championships The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

, he chose to solely contest the 10,000 m, placing 15th.

Professional career (2019–present)

Hoka (2019–2021)

After graduating from BYU, Linkletter turned professional signing with

Hoka One One Hoka One One (stylized as HOKA) is an athletic shoe company originating in Annecy, France that designs and markets running shoes. The brand first gained attention in the running industry by producing shoes with oversized outsoles, dubbed "maximal ...

and joining Northern Arizona Elite, a training group based in

and coached by Ben Rosario. In June 2019, Linkletter placed 3rd at the Canadian 10,000 m Championships. Later that summer he competed at the Pan American Games in Lima, where he placed 6th in the 10,000 m. Just 10 weeks after the Pan Am Games, Linkletter made his marathon debut in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, running a time of 2:16:42. At his second marathon ever in December of 2020, Linkletter ran a four minute personal best of 2:12:54 at the

Marathon Project The Marathon Project was an elite-only marathon held on the Gila River Indian Reservation in Chandler, Arizona. December 2020. It was created by Northern Arizona Elite coach Ben Rosario together with Josh Cox and Matt Helbig to provide a race after ...

Chandler, Arizona Chandler is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, and a suburb in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). It is bordered to the north and west by Tempe, to the north by Mesa, to the west by Phoenix, to the ...

. After a disappointing

2021 Boston Marathon The 2021 Boston Marathon was the 125th official running of the annual marathon race held in Boston, Massachusetts, and 123rd time it was run on course (excluding the virtual event of 2020, and the ekiden of 1918). It took place on October 11, 20 ...

where he finished 33rd in 2:23:34, Rory rebounded with a two second personal best and second place finish at the 2021 California International Marathon where he ran a time of 2:12:52. In December 2021, Linkletter announced he was leaving Hoka Northern Arizona Elite and coach Ben Rosario to pursue other opportunities.

Puma (2022–present)

In early 2022, Linkletter signed with

Puma Puma or PUMA may refer to: Animals * ''Puma'' (genus), a genus in the family Felidae ** Puma (species) or cougar, a large cat Businesses and organisations * Puma (brand), a multinational shoe and sportswear company * Puma Energy, a mid- and d ...

and began being coached by American half marathon record holder Ryan Hall, remaining in Flagstaff, Arizona. In January 2022, Linkletter set a Canadian half marathon record of 1:01:08 at the

Houston Half Marathon The Houston Marathon is an annual marathon usually held every January in Houston, Texas, United States, since 1972. With thousands of runners and spectators, it is the largest single day sporting event in the city. It is run concurrently wit ...

running over a 30 second personal best in the process. In 2022, Rory was selected to compete in the marathon at the

2022 World Athletics Championships The 2022 World Athletics Championships was the eighteenth edition of the World Athletics Championships. It was held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, United States, from July 15–24, 2022, with the country hosting that competition for the f ...

Eugene, Oregon Eugene ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast. As of the 2020 United States Census, Eu ...

. He go on to run a two minute personal best of 2:10:24, placing 20th and finishing as the second behind

Cam Levins Cameron Levins (born March 28, 1989) is a Canadian long-distance runner. He won the bronze medal in the 10,000 meters at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Levins had the best-Canadian finish ever of fourth in the marathon at the 2022 World Champi ...

' Canadian record of 2:07:09. In October 2022, Linkletter finished 7th at the

Toronto Waterfront Marathon The Toronto Waterfront Marathon is an annual marathon held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in October. The race day also includes a half marathon and 5 km race. The race has quickly become an elite level marathon and is one of just five World A ...

in 2:13:32, three minutes off his personal best from Eugene. After pulling out of the

2023 London Marathon The 2023 London Marathon was the 43rd running of the annual London Marathon on 23 April 2023. It was the first time since 2019 that the event was run in the spring, as the previous three races were run in autumn due to the COVID-19 pandemic. T ...

due to injury, Linkletter shifted focus to the marathon at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest. Amidst humid conditions in the Hungarian capital, Linkletter finished 18th in a time of 2:12:16, the second fastest marathon of his career. In fall of 2023, Linkletter finished 4th at the

Manchester Road Race The Manchester Road Race is a 4.748 mile (7.641 km) footrace held annually on Thanksgiving Day in Manchester, Connecticut. Race proceeds are donated each year to Muscular Dystrophy research and about 18 other local charities. Beginning prompt ...

and broke the four minutes in the mile for the first time, running 3:59.05 in Boston, becoming the 74th Canadian to run sub-4 and only the second to have done so whilst also having run a sub-2:12 marathon. In January 2024, Rory ran a half marathon personal best of 1:01:02 at the

. The following month in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

he ran a personal best of 2:08:01 at the

Seville Marathon The Zurich Seville Marathon is a marathon held annually in the streets of Seville since 1985. It is organized by the department of sports of the town hall and sponsored by both public and private organizations. It was used as a host of the 1999 Wor ...

, achieving the Olympic standard of 2:08:10, making him eligible to be selected for the

2024 Summer Olympics The 2024 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 2024), officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad (french: Jeux de la XXXIIIe Olympiade, links=no) and also known as Paris 2024, is an upcoming international multi-sport event that is s ...

, and becoming the second fastest Canadian of all time over the distance.

Competition record

International Competitions

Marathons

Other Road Races

References

External links

*
Running Rivals podcast

Rory Linkletter BYU Cougars track profile

Rory Linkletter BYU Cougars cross country profile

Rory Linkletter TFRRS
{{DEFAULTSORT:Linkletter, Rory Living people 1996 births Canadian male long-distance runners Canadian male cross country runners Athletes (track and field) at the 2019 Pan American Games Pan American Games track and field athletes for Canada BYU Cougars men's track and field athletes Brigham Young University alumni