marathon weekend takes over calgary streets
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thousands came out to run or cheer on loved ones during day 1 at the servus credit union calgary marathon that runs through the weekend.
darren makowichuk
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postmedia
at 7:30 a.m. on a saturday morning, throngs of people of all ages weaved their way through city streets, some keeping time with radio bops playing through the speakers at the stampede grounds and others at a stroll with friends.
this weekend marks the 61st servus calgary marathon, and organizers say it might be the most popular one yet.
approximately 17,300 runners are slated to show up for the races saturday and sunday, which is 23 per cent more than registrations recorded last year, according to kristen fleming, executive director for the calgary marathon.
“the vibes are very high. people are excited,” she said of this morning’s races. “it’s great to see so many smiles.”
saturday morning saw runners participate in a 10-kilometre and a 5-kilometre race, with a 1.2-kilometre dash for kids aged 12 and under.
the kids weren’t forgotten on day 1 of the calgary marathon.
darren makowichuk
/
postmedia
crowds of runners thronged at the starting line for the 10-km race, sharp at 7:30 a.m., with many jumping up and down to warm up the muscles and others eagerly waving at their friends and families cheering on the sidelines.
carolyn stopa said this was her first race in calgary. “i’ve been training for three months and i’m very very excited,” she said, grinning widely.
the idea to participate in the race came out of a new year’s resolution with her friend and husband. “my husband woke up at 3:40 a.m. today,” she said, with a chuckle. “he woke up before the dog.”
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training for the run has been intense, she said. “i have a coach back in brazil who has been assisting me with all the training and the workouts. i run four times a week.”
once the run is over, she plans to celebrate by visiting a bakery. “get some carbs,” she said.
day 1 of calgary marathon weekend was all about the 5k and 10k races.
darren makowichuk
/
postmedia
not everyone has opted to train for the race beforehand. arkan khamis said he was convinced to try it out thanks to his friend julia katrip, who is experienced in long-distance running.
“i’ve been trying to push myself out of my comfort zone and i think this might be a good way to do that,” khamis said, adding that he is “not a runner.”
his goals are lofty — “i want to finish and i want to run consistently,” he said, and perhaps even more so after he confessed he hasn’t actually trained for the race.
“i told julia that if this were a test, i opened the textbook and went ‘nope’,” he said, to which katrip laughed.
“i think he’s underestimating himself, i believe he’s going to do better than he thinks he would,” she said.
katrip, on the other hand, is fairly confident of her own abilities. “i did consistently run once or twice a week, although i never pushed beyond 10 kilometres,” she said. “i’m sure it’ll be fun, it’s such a gorgeous day today.”
‘without a hitch’
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at start time, the races went off without a hitch, fleming said, with runners pouring across the starting line in waves. starting at bmo centre, runners explored a route that took them through downtown calgary, into inglewood and bridgeland before ending up at enmax park, where food trucks, benches, and a band awaited them to celebrate the festivities.
emma neigel was the third woman to cross the finish line. “i definitely got a cramp halfway through so i had to keep thinking that hopefully somebody is worse off than me,” she joked.
a longtime runner, neigel has completed a handful of 10-km races in the past, as well as a half-marathon. “it was a hard race,” she said. “it was hillier than i expected.”
blue and silver glitter shone along her arms and face, which she said she put on right before the race began. “there was some glitter girls at the start and they had glitter glue and i asked if i could have some,” she said. “i think it did make me faster.”
the marathon, according to fleming, has grown more popular in recent years thanks to more people developing an interest in running as a physical and social activity. “running is just such an accessible, easy way to get fit and stay healthy and with so many run crews fuelling the boom and young people taking up running at an unprecedented rate. they’re calling it the quarter-life crisis,” she said.
10k women’s winner leanne klassen
darren makowichuk
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postmedia
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winners of the 10k and 5k get a prize package, a trophy and some celebratory champagne. this year’s winning titles for the 10k went to andrew davies and leanne klassen for the title of male and female winners respectively, and for the 5k, to adam stang and claire romani.
10k winner andrew davies
darren makowichuk
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postmedia
formerly a male-dominated endeavour, fleming said she has seen many more women participating in the marathon over the years, with recent editions seeing an equal split between male and female participants.
“our sport is all about representation,” she said. “there’s no better marketing than being at a marathon, because the day after the race, we have so many people who are inspired because they saw people who look like them finish something that they’re like if they can do it, i can do it.”
reasons for running
olivier bergeron attributes his own inspiration to his wife francesa theberg.
“i used to come and see francesca,” he said of his wife, who plans to run the half-marathon on sunday. “it gave me the pep to do it.”
it was his first time running the 10k, and theberg joked he had the jitters earlier in the morning before the race.
“he was going to do great,” she said. “i had (faith) in him.”
having run a slew of races before, theberg said she felt fairly calm for tomorrow. “we’ll take it relaxed for today,” she said. “and i’ll try to be calm, not nervous.”
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paula besas said she took up running for her health and convinced two of her friends to participate in the races in this weekend. “they’re running today and i’m doing the half-marathon tomorrow,” she said.
to cheer them up, she brought a poster, bedazzled in pink and silver gems, which read “hot girls run 10 kms. go la & clarisse!”
“i wanted something cute,” she said. “that’s what my girls stand for.”
gabby domingo and vanessa dantes joined in on the fun saturday to support their respective partners with witty posters that read “hurry up so we can drink!” and “you’re almost there! (i’m bad at math)”
“we wanted that one right at the beginning (of the race)”, dantes said jokingly.
while their partners ran in the 10k, the two said they planned to walk the 5k race. “i hate running, but the 5k walk is a really good way to get into it,” she said. “i’m trying to get more into running.”
winners of the 10k calgary race are:
men: andrew davies (30:39), nageso nyafaro tuse (30:54), matthew travaglini (31:33)
women: leanne klassen (36:19), yasmin austridge (37:05), emma neigel (37:41)
winners of the 5k calgary race are:
men: adam stang (15:38), kris anand (17:21), anatoliii korpan (17:32)
women: claire romani (19:49), carla rodriguez dimitrescu (20:11), alice schroeder (20:12)
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for a full list of all the race winners please visit here.
rylan laplante finishes the 10k after having been in a wheelchair for over 12 years.
darren makowichuk
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postmedia
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