How an elite marathon runner packs when he travels | Canada Voices

Cameron Levins doesn’t pack light. When Canada’s fastest marathoner boards a plane, it’s with enough gear for three daily runs; because that’s exactly what his training demands. Holding North America’s marathon record at 2:05:36, Levins travels with more shoes, fuel and sweaty laundry than most runners see in a week.

Supporting that routine on the road means hauling exercise equipment, massage gear, a supply of running shoes and a deep trove of snacks and clothes. And just to be sure, he always packs more underwear than he needs. “You hear of these people wearing them once on each side,” he said, “but I’m not about to do that.”

Born in Black Creek, B.C., and now based in Portland, Ore., Levins admits to sometimes needing to check a bag at the gate to manage his luggage. To cut down on travel to high-altitude training camps – a staple for elite distance runners – he brought the mountains to him. His third run of the day typically takes place at home on a treadmill sealed inside a hypoxic chamber, mimicking the low-oxygen conditions of high elevations.

Yet, when you are a world-class athlete, there is no getting around globe-trotting for races. Over the course of his career so far, Levins, 36, represented Canada at Olympic Games in London, Tokyo and Paris, and world championships in Moscow, Beijing and Eugene, Ore. These days, he has made packing a science: His running gear (usually from his sponsor, ASICS) goes in one checked oversized duffle, clothes go in a carry-on and essentials such as his passport and racing shoes go in a backpack.

After years on the circuit, Levins lives by a simple rule: In racing, it’s better to have and not need, than to need and not have.