Running for themselves

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This article was published 22/06/2015 (4087 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

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Each smile, each extension of the arms over their heads and each keeled-over body told a story Sunday at the 37th Manitoba Marathon.

Some 10,223 people lined up along Chancellor Matheson Road at the University of Manitoba at 7 a.m.

Full marathoners, down to the Mini Mites kids run participants, stood in unison awaiting the starting gun as Bill Conti’s Gonna Fly Now pierced their ears.

And as quick as they were off the line, you could almost see Winnipeg’s Abduselam Yussuf turning the final corner in the half-marathon.

The 21-year-old, who claimed the title in 2014, came back with a vengeance in 2015, setting not only a personal best time, but also a Manitoba Marathon record, clocking in at 1:05:28, eclipsing the previous record by a full two minutes. Yussuf, a track star with the University of Manitoba Bisons, collapsed after crossing the finish line and required a lengthy spell with the massage therapy staff.

“It feels amazing,” Yussuf said. “It was a rough race, really hard. I was by myself for most of it. Cramps… I fought through it. When I crossed (the finish line) I was in pain, but it was exciting as well. My goal was to break the record but I didn’t think I had it in me.”

“I’ve been fasting (since the start of Ramadan),” he said, admitting he had to break the fast. “I was dehydrated.”

Michael Middlemiss placed second with a time of 1:12:05.

Daniel Heschuk was a close third with a time of 1:12:31.

Just under 20 minutes later, 2013 half-marathon winner Darolyn Walker streaked across the finish line to claim her second Manitoba Marathon win and the local sweep in the 13.1-mile event.

The race wasn’t without its struggles.

“I’m like, ‘Where’s second? I’m really done,’ ” Walker said. “Up until mile 11, I was good.”

Walker took 2014 off due to the birth of her child and watched from the sidelines as her husband, Brian Walker, placed first in the full marathon last year. Brian’s uncle, Bob Walker, owns the Manitoba men’s record in the full marathon.

Walker’s son, Braedon, 3, greeted her with a hug just a few steps from the finish line.

Braedon had completed the Super Run earlier in the morning with a little help from his aunt’s stroller.

Kristjana Britton came in second with a time of 1:26:56. Third-place finisher Emma Kusch-Dahle recorded a personal best 1:27:05, this despite having her appendix removed just four months ago.

Some of the more than 2,000 volunteers greeted each runner with cheers and high-fives as they crossed the threshold inside University Stadium. Before they could catch their breath, they were adorned with a finisher’s medal and escorted to the water station, a masseuse or some just welcomed shade.

Just more than 21/2 hours into the full marathon, Kenya’s Thomas Omwenga crossed the finish line with a time of 2:34:17. Sunday marked the second time Omwenga has won Manitoba’s largest participant event after his 2012 triumph.

“I’m not at the top shape that I used to be,” Omwenga, 35, said.

Still, the marathon veteran wants to set a personal best before he turns 40. He’s shooting for a time of 2:08:00. His personal best clocks in at 2:10:44.

Winnipeg’s Bradley Keefe finished second with a time of 2:36:53 while Steinbach’s Les Friesen completed the podium in third with a time of 2:48:23.

The women’s full-marathon winner, Heather Magill, drove up from Grand Forks to compete in her first event in Canada. Coincidently, it was her first marathon win after six tries, setting a personal best in the process with a time of 2:54:24.

“The weather was perfect; the course was really nice,” she said. “I had a baby almost two years ago, so I thought it would be a good post-baby marathon.

Reesa Simmonds clocked a time of 3:04:29 to take home second place. Pascale Berthiaume was third after running a 3:17:48.

Meanwhile, Bobbi and Craig Skrynyk completed their 50th half marathon as a couple Sunday.

They began the feat back in 2006 with the goal of completing all 50 before they turned 50. Neither had hit the age of 45 by Sunday.

“I can’t believe we did it; it was a huge sense of accomplishment,” Bobbi said. “It’s not the end of us running, though. We will be back with a new goal; we just need to figure that out.”

The couple’s son, 12-year-old Noah, finished his first half marathon Sunday with a time of 2:01:50.

And no Manitoba Marathon would be complete without seeing Len Rolfson cross the finish line.

Rolfson 67, has completed each full marathon run in Manitoba since it started back in 1979.

“I’m glad it’s over,” Rolfson said. “I’m the only one who has run them all, so I got to keep it going. As long as I’m healthy and can stand upright, I’ll do it.”

The Manitoba Marathon will undergo a few changes — including a reversal of the current route — for the 2016 rendition, some in hopes of bringing more participants to the event after seeing a near 2,000-runner decline from 2014 to 2015.

“It will give the runners something new… it keeps it fresh,” Manitoba Marathon executive director Rachel Munday said.

“Specifically for the full marathon, running it in reverse allows for participants to run in the shaded part of the course over the last half. Safety wise, it makes sense as well.”

scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca