More than 21,000 people ran in the Montreal Marathon on Sunday. (CBC)A record 21,000 people ran in the 20th edition of the Montreal marathon on Sunday.

The finish was a dramatic one, with Kenya's Choge Julius Kirwa squeaking past leading runner Colombian William Naranjo in the last second of the race.

Kirwa finished the marathon in 2:17:41, beating Naranjo by three-tenths of a second.

Montreal's marathon event has many competitions, including the full 42.2 km marathon, a half-marathon, a 10 and 5 km run, and the p'tit marathon, for children aged 3 to 12.

Runners departed from the Jacques Cartier Bridge, made their way through downtown Montreal and the Plateau Mont Royal neighbourhood, before ending the race at the Olympic Stadium.

Marathon organizers were pleased with the record number of participants, especially since when the marathon was resurrected only seven years ago in 2003, when it attracted slightly more than 2,000 runners.

"My goal was for the 20th year of the marathon was 20,000 and we got 21,000, so I'm very happy," said the marathon's CEO Bernard Arsenault.

Questions over medical care

Second-place runner, William Naranjo, collapsed after he crossed the finish line and had to be taken away in a stretcher.

He was treated for severe dehydration and vomited in the first-aid section of the Olympic Stadium.

A journalist with the French-language daily, La Presse, François Cardinal, also ran the race, and was critical of how the event was organized.Kenya's Choge Julius Kirwa won the marathon in a dramatic finish, beating Colombian William Naranjo by three-tenths of a second. (CBC)

He wrote in a column posted La Presse's website Sunday that he also collapsed as he arrived at the Olympic Stadium and had to wait more than 20 minutes before being taken to get medical treatment.

"It's true, it's not such a scandal — just an organizational problem that in my case, didn't result in any major consequences," wrote Cardinal. "But still."

Arsenault said having to wait for care is unacceptable.

"I'm in complete agreement with Mr. Cardinal," Arsenault told Radio-Canada's morning show, C'est bien meilleur le matin. "We need, over the whole course, to make sure staff is ready to provide medical attention as rapidly as possible," Arsenault added.

Runners proud to cross finish line

Bhoomi Pathak was running the 10 km marathon for the first time.

"I had to set a goal for myself, and you know, something you could work towards, to take you away from work or tension, or whatever else is going on in your life," Pathak said.

Another runner, Jake Indriks, injured himself while training for the 10 km marathon, but said it was worth it.

"It feels good to see the Olympic Stadium in the distance," Indriks said. "Regardless of injury, you just keep going .… I nearly broke down in tears when I saw the place."

Laval's Michel Lavoie had the best Canadian finish among the men, coming in 12th, while on the women's side, Longueuil's Myriam Grenon came in second.

Ethiopia's Serkalem Abrha was the first woman across the finish line, with an end time of 2:35:46.