The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
There are any number of reasons to run; the most obvious is that you are being chased. With 396 people behind Sherri Hill upon the completion of her first full marathon, the fact that she is being chased is one more reason to participate in this solo, distance sport. In marathon running, the fewer people in front of you, the better, and it appears that with her 377th place finish in the 26.2-mile Manitoba Marathon, Hill is getting much better. As noted, this was her first full marathon; however, Hill has run the half marathon distance on several occasions. The first of these was on FatherÕs Day 2007, when she did the half in a very respectable two hours and 20 minutes. She says that she got swept up in all the enthusiasm of that first outing and that she truly enjoyed the feeling of accomplishment upon finishing the race and the camaraderie among the runners. Leaving the stadium after that run, she was offered a pamphlet on the Treherne Marathon. She had enjoyed participating in her first 1Ú2 marathon so much; she decided to sign up for another. ÒTreherne was not a flat course like Winnipeg, but offered many hills and was more challenging and tougher route,Ó said Hill in a mid-June interview. ÒHowever, I managed, with some vigorous summer training (which included hill training), to better my time in the half to 2:07.Ó Hill says that she took up running in January 2007, with the specific goal of competing in the Manitoba Half Marathon that summer. Moreover, she states she began running because of a desire to accomplish something in her life. ÒI wanted to realize some sort of an achievement, something that I could say, hey, I can do this. ItÕs doable,Ó stated the 45-year-old mother of three. ÒI was looking for something that was challenging and rewardingÉand running appeared to be challenging to me.Ó After her Treherne run, Hill decided that she needed a greater challenge and decided to sign up for the full marathon in Winnipeg on FatherÕs Day 2008. ÒThis is not to say the half marathon isnÕt a serious distance, itÕs just that I wanted something more personally challenging,Ó Hill said. Throughout the winter, she trained on a treadmill, which Hill says now has upwards of 800 miles on it. ÒI ran short (three to five miles) runs as well as longer runs of 12 to 15 miles,Ó she explained. ÒMy major run was a 20 miler. I still felt strong after that distance, so my enthusiasm was recharged.Ó As soon as the snow was off the road, Hill continued her training outside. When marathon day came, the distance runner was understandably a little nervous; 26.2 miles is a little intimidating, particularly when this was her first full marathon. She says that it went as well as she could have hoped. ÒMy pace times were on target for the first 20 miles,Ó stated Hill. ÒThen they slowed a little, as my legs just could not go as fast. I forced myself to continue and achieved a 4:09:22. My dedication to training paid off.Ó Hill, a vegetarian and self-proclaimed fitness enthusiast, says she will continue to train throughout the summer and fall. She plans to run another half marathon in Treherne and better her time of 2:07. ÒI will also continue to train through the winter and will be running in the Manitoba Marathon in Winnipeg next year,Ó she said. ÒI will be trying to achieve a Boston Marathon qualifying time of four hours or less. I have been bitten by the Boston Bug, so I will be going through the running shoesÉas you only get about 500 miles out of a pair.Ó Sherri Hill is not the only runner in the household, as her husband Brian is also an enthusiast. He ran the Manitoba Half Marathon this year with a time of 2:57, and the couple train together. ÒI consider myself very lucky because my husband, Brian, is also into the sport as well,Ó said Hill. ÒWe are very supportive of each otherÕs running.Ó It is also worthy of note that there were two other former Snow Lake residents in the Manitoba event this year. Mayor Garry ZamzowÕs daughter Christy did the full marathon in 5:01, and Jim and Lil HaineÕs daughter Dawn Haines-Shaw did the 1Ú2 in 2:05. Her picture was actually featured on the results page in the Winnipeg Free Press. My Take on Snow Lake runs Fridays.
