“Just do it.”
Nike may have the trademark, but Toni-Lee Johnstone was living it on Sunday as she completed her first marathon at the Woody’s RV World Marathon.
She dedicated every passed kilometre to a loved one and her whole race to a friend who committed suicide.
“I was running for him.”
Mustering a weary smile just minutes after she crossed the finish line at about 4:52, Johnstone said the experience was unforgettable.
“It was painful. It hurt. But the sense of pride I’m feeling right now is pretty incredible,” said the 37-year-old mother of one.
Despite the aches and a wonky knee that gave her trouble after 35 km of the 42.2-km race, she had some advice for those dreaming of running a marathon:
“Do it. Make it happen. Just do it.”
Johnstone was among several runners interviewed in April by the Red Deer Advocate ahead of their big races.
Another was Les Simpson, who was running for his first half-marathon, after cheering on his running wife Carol for years.
The pair both competed this year with Les coming in with a time of two hours and two minutes.
“It went really well for me,” he said. “After I was a little sore.”
He was pleased with his time. Early in his training, he mentally set a 2:15 goal for himself, and then lowered it as his running improved to 2:05.
Simpson said he will be back for next year’s half-marathon and is already considering other races this year.
He recommends those interested in tackling the half-marathon to take a running clinic, such as the one he took at the Running Room.
It’s well worth it to take a clinic,” he said, adding it offered camaraderie and provided a lot of useful information. “I swear by the clinics.”
Marathon co-chair Jason Hazlett said this year’s race couldn’t have gone better.
“Absolutely incredible is the way I can describe it,” he said, as the final marathoners came in one by one.
The weather was almost perfect, with comfortably cool temperatures in the morning.
“Now we’ve got a little bit of breeze to keep the racers cool. It’s like we ordered the weather.”
Once again the numbers showed the event is becoming one of the premier running events in Alberta.
More than 1,600 people were registered to run in the 10-km, half-marathon or marathon.
There were 506 registered for the 10-km, 937 for the half-marathon, and 184 tackled the marathon.
Registration for the 10 km was capped at 500, a 150-runner increase over last year. The race is now in its third year at the event.
“It filled up in about three months.”
More than 350 volunteers took part and the starter was Colin Ingles, a Calgarian who has volunteered for every one of the 15 years.
pcowley@www.reddeeradvocate.com