New mother completes marathon, brings baby along

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This article was published 19/06/2016 (3560 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It took Dr. Reesa Simmonds an extra hour to run the full Manitoba Marathon this year but she had an excellent excuse. She gave birth to a baby boy 83 days ago and carried him over the finish line.

“I feel like I won,” said the MD, holding her 12-week-old son David Kozier. “A healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby is … is the biggest win,” Last year, the medical doctor came second in the women’s full marathon. This year, she wanted her husband Chris Kozier to hand their infant son to her when she arrived in the stadium at the University of Manitoba for the last dash to the finish. Wearing a tank top that said “I gave birth 83 days ago,” Simmonds beamed with pride running with her baby while some other runners could barely crawl across the finish line.

“It’s doable,” she said enthusiastically after running 26.2 miles. Her husband Chris didn’t doubt she’d finish the full marathon carrying their baby. He said Simmonds commuted to work daily at a clinic in the North End on foot from their home in Wolseley, running 15 kilometres there and back then taking their dog for a four-kilometre run at night. After giving birth to David on a Monday she ran four kilometres the following Friday, he marvelled, while waiting with baby David for her to arrive at the home stretch of the Manitoba Marathon Sunday morning.

“That’s her dream – to carry him over the finish line,” he said.

Not everyone was able to cross the finish line. A young woman running the half-marathon collapsed just before the finish line and was crawling in the hope of getting a finishing time. Volunteers tried to help her walk the rest of the way but she couldn’t do it and was taken away for medical treatment in a wheelchair. Another young woman running in the relay also collapsed and was taken away in a wheelchair for medical treatment.

Several runners – including first-place Bradley Keefe – complained that the high humidity slowed them down. By 1 p.m. the temperature was 24 C but felt like 33 with the Humidex. Thunderstorms overnight passed through the city rinsing off the course and leaving just a little debris on the route to be cleaned up before the marathon began, said Manitoba Marathon executive director Rachel Munday.

Longtime volunteers said there were fewer runners wearing elaborate or festive costumes this year, likely because of the damp weather and high humidity.

“There’s no ballerina, no Santa,” said Michelle Angus, who has helped out with at least 13 Manitoba Marathons. “I think it’s the humidity,” she said while presenting medals to runners finishing the Free Press 10-kilometre run. She was one of nearly 2,000 marathon volunteers ready to get to work before the sun came up.

“It’s nice to see everyone so alive at five or six o’clock in the morning while everyone else is asleep,” said Angus.

“It’s a long day,” said Wilma Chase who was with her sister Donna Dagg volunteering on the marathon’s “green team,” dealing with garbage and recycling duties “We’re here at six and don’t leave until everything’s cleaned up,” said Chase. “It’s the right thing to do,” said Dagg. “All the money raised goes to help people with intellectual disabilities,” Dagg said.

Veteran volunteer Marilyn Fraser said she wouldn’t be anyplace else.

“I’ve been involved since the beginning,” said Fraser who dressed up like Minnie Mouse to help with the children’s Mini Mites run then changed into a neon yellow regular volunteer shirt to shadow the winner of the men’s full marathon.

“It’s where I have to be on Father’s Day,” said Fraser, who helped with the first Manitoba Marathon in 1979. She moved to Calgary in 2015, but came back to volunteer at the event. She cheered for Winnipeg’s Bradley Keefe as he won the men’s full marathon for the first time after coming in second and third over the last five years. “It’s his turn,” said Fraser, who as the first-place shadow was there to note his bib number and time, round up his bag of clothes and get him some food.

The one big change to the Manitoba Marathon in more than 30 years – the reversal of the course – was welcomed by most of the runners.

“I loved it,” said Gary Gobeil after running his ninth half marathon. He said he was happy to “fly” down Pembina Highway towards the end.

“I loved the reversal,” said Gail McMillan-Law after running the half. “You’re in the shade at the hottest time of the day.”

For competitive athletes like Winnipeg’s Emma Kusch-Dahle who runs for North Dakota State University in Fargo, the reversal of the course didn’t matter. “It was pretty much the same,” said Kusch-Dahle who finished second in the women’s half marathon.

For Vern Kratz, who has run the full marathon a dozen times, running in the opposite direction this year was a welcome change. “It’s like running a brand-new course.”

Last year’s marathon finished with 10,265 runners. This year, a full slate of 10,800 runners had registered, said marathon executive director Munday.