Cool, wet weather was what several current and past Snow Lakers met on race day during this year’s Manitoba Marathon.
As a result of the conditions, overall runner attendance at the event was down by about 1,000, but community members and those with a connection to Snow Lake made another strong showing at the 36th annual version of the province’s premier marathon.
Snow Lake’s Judy Peterson ran the 10K this year, saying the rainy weather was a godsend.
“It was the perfect cooling element,” she said. “In training it was taking me one-and-a-half hours and I managed to knock off seven minutes, finishing in one hour and 23 minutes. Fast I am not, but slow and steady...finishes the race.”
Peterson admitted preparation for the race hadn’t panned out as she’d planned.
“I had many bumps in the road in my training, but still managed to have a really good run,” she said. “The course that I ran was really beautiful. That really makes a difference, I think.”
The local relay team of Pamela Stoupe and daughters Elysia Henderson, Ara Stoupe and Logyn Stoupe, teamed up with Pam’s coworker, Kelly Canty.
Stoupe advised their group got off to a good start at the marathon, but got a bit off track so their time wasn’t accounted for.
“However, everyone ran their leg of the relay and we were happy with our times,” she said.
The half-marathon saw four former Snow Lakers take part: Rick and daughter Celine Leclair, and Dawn Shaw and daughter Kathleen Deduke.
Finally, a relay team made up of local runner Sherry Playford and former Snow Lakers Lola Leclair, and Melinda Roy teamed up with a couple of Melinda’s Winnipeg friends, Barry Denesiuk and Vanessa Joe. The team finished with an overall time of 4:46.
Asked to comment, Lola Leclair called it another successful marathon.
“The rain didn’t dampen the spirits of the participants,” she said. “Hats off to all the volunteers who endured cool, rainy conditions working and cheering us on. The only difference after this race was instead of a cold beer out on the patio, it was coffee and Bailey’s inside!”
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