Inspired Soles

262. Kevin Smith | The Masters Runner Who Refused to Quit — Now a Multiple Canadian M55-59 Record Holder

• Carolyn Coffin • Episode 262

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Kevin Smith is a 56-year-old masters runner and multiple Canadian record holder from Mississauga, Ontario. When he turned 55, Kevin set out on an audacious mission: to chase 12 Canadian road running records in 12 months. He achieved 6 of them — and “failed” at 6 — but Kevin doesn’t see that as a setback. For him, failure is simply the toll we pay for chasing big dreams. And nobody, he claims, has failed more than he has!

Kevin discovered his potential as a high school athlete under the guidance of a coach who helped him fall in love with the sport. But his journey has been far from linear. Kevin has battled more than his fair share of injuries over the years — any one of which could have ended his running career. A physiotherapist once told him he should have never taken up the sport in the first place! Instead, Kevin doubled down on understanding his body, created what he calls "exercise snacks," and learned the importance of the other 23 hours a day when he’s not running.

Those decades of perseverance have paid off. Kevin is now one of the top masters runners in North America… and even the world. Along the way he built a business — Marathon Dynamics Inc.— to help others train smarter, stay healthy, and keep chasing their own finish lines.

If you're an injury-prone runner or someone who feels like you’ve had more setbacks than successes, this episode will inspire you to keep going. Because with enough patience, curiosity, and grit, you too can become a “pretty old runner who runs pretty fast.”

In This Episode, We Talk About:

  • How Kevin reignited his passion for running later in life
  • The mindset behind his “12 records at 55” quest
  • Why failure is a critical ingredient of success
  • How he gamified Strava and embraced “exercise snacks”
  • The key lifestyle habits that matter more than mileage
  • His role as coach and founder of Marathon Dynamics
  • Why it’s never too late to get faster

Kevin’s Canadian M55-59 Records

  • 5 Mile - 27:51 - Waterloo Runway 5 Miler - Aug 2025
  • 15K - 53:19 - (within the) Cherry Blossom 10 Mile (Wash/US) - Apr 2025
  • 10 Mile - 57:29 - Cherry Blossom 10 Mile - Apr 2025 (had broken/set the record previously in Dec 2024 at the Boxing Day 10 Miler in Hamilton)
  • Half Marathon - 1:15:42 - Toronto Waterfront Half - Oct 2024
  • 30K - 1:54:02 - (within the) Toronto Waterfront Marathon - Oct 25

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