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TORONTO – Decorated marathon runner Ed Whitlock, who famously smashed records well into his 70s and 80s, died Monday, just a week after his 86th birthday.

Whitlock’s family said he died of prostate cancer in a Toronto hospital.

“His wisdom, guidance and strength of character will be greatly missed by his wife Brenda, sons Neil and Clive, and sister Catherine,” Whitlock’s family said in a statement distributed by Canada Running Series, the organizer of the annual Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon.

The British-born resident of Milton, Ont., became the first septuagenarian to run a marathon in under three hours when he posted a time of two hours 59 minutes 10 seconds at age 72 at the 2003 Scotiabank event.

READ MORE: Ed Whitlock, 85, smashes world marathon record at Toronto Waterfront race

A year later he improved that record with a time of 2:54:49, a result that, if age-graded, is considered by many to be the fastest marathon ever run.

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Eventually he set world master’s marathon records for age 75-plus, 80-plus and, most recently, 85-plus with a time of 3:56:38 on Oct. 16 at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon.

Alan Brookes, the race director of the Toronto event, called Whitlock a “legend.”

“This is an enormous loss to Canada and the global running community,” said Brookes. “Somehow we thought Ed would just go on setting records forever. We are especially saddened at Canada Running Series.”

VIDEO: 85-year-old Ed Whitlock breaks another world marathon record (Oct. 17)

2:23 85-year-old Ed Whitlock breaks another world marathon record 85-year-old Ed Whitlock breaks another world marathon record

Brookes said Whitlock defined the Toronto marathon

“He will always be a vital part of the identity and spirit of that race,” he said.

Whitlock was known for his daily training sessions at Milton’s Evergreen Cemetery, where he would do laps around the grounds for hours.

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“We travelled many miles together,” said Brookes. “He will be deeply missed, but his indomitable spirit, his love of racing, his modesty and inspiration, and so many unforgettable Ed memories, will be with us always.”

VIDEO: Ontario man, 82, sets new North American record for the mile (June 18)

Whitlock grew up in London and moved to Canada following university. He ran in his teens and then rediscovered the sport in his 40s when he volunteered to coach with a track club just outside Montreal. He often wondered how far he could have gone in the sport had he had proper coaching in his youth.

He said neither of his two sons were serious runners and his wife Brenda had no interest in the sport.

“No, she’s got more sense,” Whitlock said in a 2012 interview with The Canadian Press. “Got to have one sensible person in the family.”

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Whitlock himself professed no undying love for the solitary training that came with being a long-distance runner. There was no runner’s high when he was out in the cemetery. He said his biggest challenge was boredom. He would skip training runs for family commitments and didn’t like to run in the rain.

“I don’t particularly enjoy this daily drudge, it’s something that has to be done if you want to run well,” Whitlock said in 2012.

“I suppose it’s the sense of satisfaction to be able to keep going for one thing. Tweet This

“And to run well, for another (reason). I suppose I’m results-oriented, I’m mainly running for certain times in races, setting records, that sort of thing is what gives me my satisfaction I guess. And I find for me the more running I do the better I’ll race. That’s the incentive.”

The label “role model” never sat well.

“I don’t look upon myself as that,” he said. “I never know how to respond to that. I don’t know, what can one say?”