‘Winning is the cherry on top’ Zajac repeats, Tuse gets his flowers in 48th Manitoba Marathon By: Grace Penner Posted: 2:29 PM CDT Sunday, Jun. 21, 2026

Fists were bumping, hands were high-fiving and people were hugging at the finish line — even the weather was shining down on Winnipeg Sunday with perfect running conditions.

More than 14,000 runners came out to Princess Auto Stadium, along with their families and over 2,000 volunteers for the 48th Manitoba Marathon — the largest Manitoba Marathon to date. Even the Winnipeg Blue Bombers drum line and cheer squad welcomed the athletes crossing the finish line.

On the men’s side of the full marathon, Calgary-based distance runner Nageso Nyafaro Tuse won the race. The 39-year-old finished with a time of 2:18:50 — nearly eight minutes faster than last year’s winner and averaging 3:18 minutes per kilometre.

And Tuse had skin in the game, having placed second in last year’s marathon.

There was a bit of a scary moment after crossing the finish line when Tuse had to be wheeled off for medical attention. But the champion was able to show up at the award ceremony to accept his flowers and first place trophy.

“I love Winnipeg, I’ll come back again. It was a good day,” he said.

Tuse had also placed first three weeks prior in the Calgary Marathon with a time of 2:22:18. An Ethiopian refugee, Tuse is busy trying to make the Los Angeles 2028 Refugee Olympic team. After taking second last year in the Manitoba Marathon, it was clear he came back to beat his personal best.

On the women’s side, Winnipeg’s own Janine Zajac is officially the back-to-back champion.

The 29-year-old crossed the finish line at 2:52:49 with tears of joy. Zajac beat her own time from last year’s win — which was already a triumph as she had smashed her own personal best during the 47th running — crossing the finish line six minutes faster for a new personal best in her home province’s race.

“I’m speechless. I really wanted to just run my own race. Winning is the cherry on top,” Zajac said. She was head-to-head with second and third place winners, Jessica Wylychenko and Jaclyn Loewen for the first 20 kilometres, but felt a second wind kick in around the 37-kilometre mark.

“I love to run,” Zajac commented. “I ran Boston in April, it wasn’t what I wanted so to be able to come out and do this, it makes it all worth it.”

Marathon racing is in Zajac’s blood. Having been a participant in the marathon from a young age, Zajac had spent her childhood cheering on her dad and participating in the Super Run at the age of five with her parents. She then graduated to the relay at age 10. She placed 15th in her first Manitoba Marathon back in 2023 and sixth in 2024.

And now, reigning as the 2025 and 2026 champion, the day proved to be monumental for the distance runner.

“The Manitoba Marathon has a special place in my heart,” she said.

Whether or not Zajac will three-peat is a thrilling storyline to follow in next year’s race.

Of course, the full marathon isn’t the only race on the third Sunday in June. Racers start around 7 a.m. with different programs including the five kilometre, 10 kilometre, half marathon and relay on top of the main full race — and the half marathon had another current Manitoba star in the making.

The men’s half marathon winner was former Manitoba Bison Simon Berubé, who already made a name for himself back in November by taking the men’s Indianapolis Marathon in a time of sub 2:20:00 — the third-best time by a runner from Manitoba. In the half on Sunday, the 28-year-old posted a time of 1:05:37.

On the women’s side of the half, Sasha Gollish finished with a time of 1:17:52. And in the relay category, the first place mixed team from Niverville — the Pink Panthers — lived up to their ferocious name, finishing at 3:09:21.

The marathon was also a family affair for many, including the Boulet’s. Gerald (50) and his sons Colin (12), Vincent, (17), Dominic (22), Robert (24) from Ile-des-Chênes all met back at the finish line to celebrate their respective races. Gerald and Colin ran together in the 10-kilometre race while the other three competed in the half.

“Feels great,” Gerald remarked. “I ran with [Colin], I can’t run with these guys anymore,” he chuckled, while pointing to his three oldest.

And smiles abounded as each runner came across the finish line, whether it was their first race or just another one for personal bragging rights.

George Steciuk and fellow 89-year-old runner Art Chow were the two oldest competitors in this year’s marathon, both competing in the 10-kilometre race. This was Chow’s 48th year participating in the marathon. He is known as one of the “Original ’79ers” and runs to raise money for Manitobans with intellectual disabilities.

For Steciuk, this was an accomplishment like no other. The 89-year-old’s advice to others was simple: “If I could do it at 89, anybody could do it.”

Hearing his name echoing through the stadiums sound system was an emotional accomplishment for him. And, although he had initially planned to do the half, Steciuk decided the 10-kilometre was a better fit for him this year.

“It was a really nice day to run. I enjoyed it very much,” he said.

sports@freepress.mb.ca