A marathon in under three and a half hours would satisfy plenty of runners. At 70, Jennifer MacDonell has a more demanding number in mind.
The Ottawa runner is preparing to challenge the women’s world marathon record for the 70 to 74 age category at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon. With the race taking place on Sunday October 18th, she has an opportunity to turn months of preparation into a performance with international significance.
The target is 3:27:00, the mark recorded by France’s Laurence Dupont Alnet in La Rochelle in November 2024. That requires averaging approximately 4:54 per kilometre for the full 42.195km. A brisk enough pace for a single parkrun, never mind maintaining it for another seven and a bit.
MacDonell brings a substantial racing background to the attempt. Athletics Canada lists her marathon best as 3:24:16, achieved in Toronto in 2019. Her more recent performances include 21:23 over 5km in October 2025 and a 1:36:03 half marathon the following month.
Those results give useful context to her ambition. She has previously covered the marathon distance faster than the current W70 record, although reproducing that performance seven years later presents a fresh challenge.
In an interview with Canadian Running, MacDonell explained that her motivation goes beyond the prospect of finishing ahead of anyone else.
“If nobody else was there, and I did it by myself, I would still be thinking, how fast can the human body go?” she said.
According to the publication, she has spent months considering the attempt, contacting race organisers and studying the course as part of her preparations.
There is something familiar in that approach for runners with a target time scribbled on a training plan. The calculations, the preparation and the uncertainty remain much the same. Only the number on the clock changes.
Toronto’s course takes runners through the city centre and along its waterfront, with the marathon beginning at 8am local time. For MacDonell, the challenge will be to sustain the necessary pace long after the early excitement has passed.
A world record attempt comes with no guarantee. Weather, pacing and the final kilometres can undo the most careful preparation.
But MacDonell will arrive with a clear sporting ambition. At 70, she still has a time to chase and a reason to see what another start line might bring.
