Canadians are known for being polite, and thus Cam Levins could be Canada’s spokesperson. He is incredibly humble, unassuming, and does not take his success for granted. He might also be one of the hardest working runners out there. Levins logs in excess of 600 miles in a month in his Saucony Shadow Genesis. That is upwards of 1000 kilometers for the Canucks out there, or from Windsor to Montreal, or Detroit to New York City.

Cam Levins said that his parents Barb and Gus Levins have been incredibly instrumental in his success. He also has an older brother whom he admits might possess more talent than him. The Levins family is from Black Creek, British Columbia, which is approximately 2.5 hours from Victoria. Levins’ high school did not have much of a track program, so he joined The Comcox Valley Cougers Track and Field Club, which he credits for his early development. He spoke very highly of his club coach, John May, and plans on representing his club for years to come.

When I asked if Levins was enjoying his newfound fame, he laughed, as to avoid the question, but said he was surprised by the interest, and appreciative of the support. The past few weekends have been nothing short of incredible for Levins, running the 13:42 (5k)/7:48 (3k) double, followed by the 7:45 (3K) in Boston. There is no denying that he was in good company in both races, and beat a handful of guys who have better credentials than him on paper. This is not the first time Levins has competed with guys older and more experienced.

His first running memory dates back to second grade or grade two as we say in Canada. He remembers having the opportunity to race the grade threes. I didn’t ask how he did but I’m sure the opportunity to race the ‘big boys’ last weekend in Boston provided a flashback or two.

I am going to go out on a limb and say there are several coaches around the NCAA kicking themselves because they passed on Cam Levins. He promoted himself via berecruited.com and was sought after by several DII schools, nevertheless, Levins was set on competing with the ‘big boys’. Notice the pattern of behaviour?

Cam Levins is an incredibly loyal and committed individual. His girlfriend, Elizabeth Butler, who is a half miler at Southern Utah, is providing added incentive to stay south of the border for another year, while he sets forth on a promising professional career. Levins would like to see the Southern Utah program flourish and perhaps become a pipeline for other Canadians. The coaching staff might not be big, but Levins believes they are very committed to development, and he has certainly created some buzz, which should not hurt their recruiting efforts.

Although it will be bittersweet as his collegiate career comes to an end, it was with a childlike enthusiasm that Levins said, you will be able to find him at The Canadian Olympic Trials at the end of June and taking his first stab at The Canadian Olympic Standard at The Payton Jordan Invitational hosted by Stanford.

If you think that is exciting, check out the start list for this weekend’s NYRR Wanamaker Mile at The Millrose Games in New York City.

1 Batty, Miles BYU (U.S.)
2 O’Hare, Chris Tulsa (Great Britain)
3 Van Ingen, Erik Binghamton (U.S.)
4 Heath, Garrett Saucony (U.S.)
5 Merber, Kyle Columbia (U.S.)
6 Boylan-Pett, Liam NJ-NY TC (U.S.)
7 Kisorio, Silas Oklahoma Christian (Kenya)
8 Centrowitz, Matthew Nike (U.S.)
9 Milne, Taylor New Balance (Canada)
10 Olmedo, Manuel Nike (Spain)
11 McCarthy, David Providence (Ireland)
12 Levins, Cam Southern Utah (Canada)
13 Wieczorek, Mark U.S.

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