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.
For eight area residents competing in the Manitoba Marathon on Father's Day in Winnipeg, it was a rat race against themselves. Linda Guthrie was among eight and the 54-year-old completed the half-marathon in one hour 54 minutes 49 seconds to place 874 out of 3,482 For Guthrie it was her sixth marathon. "It's just a challenge and trying to get a better time," she said. "It's just a personal thing." Guthrie said she managed to complete the race 10 to 11 minutes faster than the previous year. "I was aiming for under two hours," she said. "I'm happy with that." Being part of the event was very exciting for her as thousands of people waited to take off. "It was kind of a very festive atmosphere," she explained. Sixty-four-year-old Nazir Ahmad is the eldest of the competitors and he competed in the half-marathon with his 37-year-old daughter Suffia, who participated in her first. "It was great. The day was good. I'm happy about it" Ahmad said. "Participation was tremendous. I was happy that there was a strong contingency from the area. I was so delighted to see the young people." Ahmad mentioned 15-year-old Taylor Davis, who ran the half-marathon in one hour 49 minutes 22 seconds. "I was very much impressed that he did very well," said the chartered accountant. "It was exceptional for that age." Taylor's finish placed him 570th out of 3,482 runners. "I was pretty pleased," Taylor said. "I didn't know I was going to break one hour 50 minutes." Taylor said the weather was awesome as it rained and was cool and that helped. "I feel very proud." he said. Next year he intends to run in the event again. "I surpassed my goal I wanted to do," he said. "I got so many congratulations. I'm still getting them now." For Ahmad, when it came to his own performance, he was pleased to record a time of two hours, 12 minutes. "I felt everyone did well and I congratulate them." Ian Cooper and his friend Ken Entwhistle were the only ones who competed in the full marathon. Cooper completed it in three hours 43 minutes 12 seconds good for 194th overall out of 765. Entwhistle did it in four hours 30 minutes 38 seconds. "It was actually good," Cooper said. The time he ran is also his best. "Like any marathon, it's hard shooting for three hours 45 minutes," he noted. This was the fourth time Cooper competed in the marathon. He's also signed up to run in London, England in April 2007. "I've been running for five years Ð I'm hooked," said the 49-year-old. "It's something I do everyday Ð though I never thought I could do it." Before he did starting running, Cooper weighed 235 pounds. Since then he has trimmed those numbers to 180. He credits the weight loss to eating better and getting in shape. The Manitoba Marathon is already marked on Coopers calendar next year. For him finishing felt great. "You see that big clock and it's good to see you reach that goal," he explained. "It's a milestone in my life. It's something I've trained for." With over 12,000 people running, Cooper finished in the top quarter of the full marathon. The other runners results are: Kerrilynn Behrman-Laderoute, one hour 51 minutes 39 seconds, 680th Amanda Hill, two hours seven minutes 21 seconds, 1753rd Laurie Shaw, two hours eight minutes 56 seconds, 1876th.
