Stories of hope and inspiration

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 21/06/2010 (5607 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There was a Predator in the University of Manitoba Stadium on Sunday.

World champion boxer Olivia "The Predator" Gerula, who will fight on July 8 in the 10-round main event at the Winnipeg Convention Centre in the King John Boxing Hometown Heroes card, ran her first half-marathon on Sunday in the 2010 Manitoba Marathon to help increase her fitness.

"It was my first time running 13 miles, I’ve been doing eight. I’m fighting on July 8, so my whole thought was if I can run 13 miles, I can train and spar for hours!" said Gerula, who holds the WBC female super featherweight belt. "I kept a steady pace, I’m injury-free and I finished it! I’m so happy! It’s just an amazing thing to be part of."

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A little lady named Sadie was the inspiration for former Olympic swimmer Rhiannon Leier who ran in her fourth half-marathon.

Leier, a two-time Olympian (2000 and 2004), is now a second-time mom as she and her husband, John Blacher, have six-month-old daughter, Sadie, and two-year-old son, Jackson.

Leier said running has now replaced competitive swimming for her.

"I love the atmosphere with running. You can hear people cheering, you can see people, wave to people. In the water, it’s just you. So this is a great fit for me," Leier said.

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Dean Archibald got double high-fives from his pint-sized running partner after the 2.6-mile Super Run.

Dean, 39, and his six-year-old daughter, Meghan, scooted across the finish line together and held an impromptu celebration.

"Yay, we made it, yay, we made it," Meghan shouted in unison with her dad.

"It’s been a great day for us. Aside from the health benefits of being active, it’s pretty cool for me to be able to run on Father’s Day with my little baby girl!" Dean said proudly, adding it was Meghan’s idea to run together after she joined the running club at her school, Ecole St. Germain.

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There was no podium waiting, but six-year-old Megan McClymont looked every bit the champion perched on dad Guy’s shoulders after the Mini Mites Fun Run.

"I won!" she said with a grin as wide as the finish line.

McClymont broke away from the hard-running throng of children who got up extra early to take part in their own little "marathon."

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Crossing the finish line of the half-marathon with a neon yellow cape fluttering behind him, Altona’s Andrew Rempel, 34, dedicated his run to a big fan waiting in the stands.

The cape, which said Andrew was running "because Dad can’t," featured a picture of his father, Ken, of Elm Creek.

"A few weeks ago he had an internal pacemaking defibrillator put in," said Rempel, 34, noting his dad ran the Super Run two years ago but had to watch this year from the hill at the end of the stadium.

"It’s Father’s Day and we’re just glad he’s still with us, because the doctors said he should be dead," said the younger Rempel.

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An alter-ego like SuperSlow might not have the appeal of Superman or The Flash, but at least it’s modest.

That was the name emblazoned on the cape of Larry Linnick — evidently a master of low expectations — who, along with running partner Tara Kenny, also donned red underwear and lightning bolt-adorned sunglasses for the half-marathon.

"Just 10 days ago I had an umbilical hernia operation," said Linnick, adding he ran most of the race holding his side.

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Christine Dmyterko made sure she would be impossible to miss for her niece and nephew as they competed in the marathon relay.

Dmyterko carried huge hand-painted signs on her back as she cycled to different points along the course to cheer them on.

It’s the first time the kids have run in the marathon, but it’s the 10th time Dmyterko has cheered on runners.

"It means something to all the runners to see people cheering them on, even if they’re total strangers," she said.

"They need someone uphill to cheer them on and keeping them going."

 

— Compiled by Ashley Prest, Andrew Evans and Matt Preprost