As a member of the Toronto Olympic Club, Brian enjoyed an incredible career as a road racer both across the country and around the world. Indeed, the venerable magazine Track and Field News ranked him 3rd in its annual marathon world rankings at the end of 1973.

It was a year that began with a third-place finish at the Maxol Manchester Marathon in a personal best time of 2:13:30 – a race won by Germany’s Eckhard Lesse, the European silver medalist. This was followed up by a second-place finish at Ottawa’s National Capital Marathon in 2:13:40, an event that served as the national championships that year.

Armstrong shocked the world when he ended 1973 with a second-place finish at the Fukuoka International Marathon in Japan – a race that, in the absence of a world championship, was regarded as the “unofficial” world championship. Only the reigning Olympic champion, Frank Shorter, was able to get the better of him. Track and Field News ranked Shorter number one, Lesse number two, and Armstrong number three in its rankings based on the strength of their achievements.

Two months after Fukuoka, Brian represented Canada at the 1974 Commonwealth Games in Christchurch (New Zealand) finishing eleventh.

Armstrong also won his share of races prior to that sublime year, including the 1972 Detroit Free Press and Culver City (California) marathons.