American Gene Dykes has topped a 14-year-old record held by late Canadian marathoner Ed Whitlock.
The 70-year-old Dykes beat Whitlock’s record for the fastest marathon in the 70-74 age category when he completed the Ameris Bank Jacksonville Marathon in 2 hours 54 minutes 23 seconds on Saturday.
Whitlock, who died last year at the age of 86, had the previous record of 2:54.48 from the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon in 2004.
Dykes just missed the record at this year’s Toronto Waterfront Marathon in October, finishing in 2:55.18.
The official record is still pending approval from USA Track and Field.
A retired computer programmer, Dykes didn’t take up running seriously until he was 58.