Tokyo-bound: Calgary Spartans Marathoner Trevor Hofbauer headed to 2021 Olympics


Trevor will suit up in Team Canada colors after turning in the 2nd fastest time ever run in Canada at the 2019 Toronto Waterfront Marathon

By Aaron Burnett

Before the 2019 Toronto Waterfront Marathon, Trevor Hofbauer’s main “bucket list” item as a runner was to make the Canadian Olympic Team. After smashing his personal best by almost seven full minutes to win the national Marathon Championships, it may be time for a new list. Trevor crossed the line in 2:09:51, less than 30 seconds off the Canadian record of 2:09:25 and more than a full minute under the Olympic standard time.

With less than nine months to go, he’ll be preparing with help from Spartans Coach Deon Flynn, himself an Age Grouper Gold medallist at the nationals in Triathlon. “It was a pretty easy decision to go with Deon,” says Trevor. “As a coach, he strikes a great balance between reassuring you and pushing you. The Spartans are also looking to grow their distance program, and it’s fun to be part of that and pay it forward.”

For now though, Trevor is focused on preparing to run the race of his life in Japan next year, following his triumph in Toronto. “I’m over the moon about the result and I’m really looking forward to representing Canada,” he says.

Running in Japan will see Trevor compete on four continents, with him having run his previous personal best at the 2019 Hamburg Marathon. “In most races, you get a lot of fans lined up to cheer you on in the last 10 kilometres. In Hamburg, people were lined up for the whole 42 kilometres,” he says. “Having so much fan support was a really cool experience.”

Trevor’s other favourite races include running the 10K at the 2016 World Cross Country Championships in Kampala, Uganda—an experience he called “humbling,” even as he finished the event as the top Canadian runner—and Melissa’s Road Race in Banff. “You don’t get to run a lot of races in a beautiful national park,” he says. “You get to appreciate the view while running, and sometimes I go back and take pictures later.”

You can check out some of those pictures on Trevor’s Instagram, and keep up with him on Twitter as well as he prepares for Tokyo. “Fellow Spartans are super excited for Trevor,” says Coach Deon. “He just turned his dream into a reality and that’s really motivated our younger athletes to chase their goals and dreams.”