Thousands of runners lace up for 59th annual Calgary Marathon

Calgarians run in marathon The Calgary Marathon returned this year and many Calgarians laced up for the challenge. Mark Villani reports.

Thousands of runners laced up their shoes and toed the line for the 59th annual Calgary Marathon Calgary Marathon on Sunday, including a 92-year-old rookie, a pair of world record setting runners handcuffed to each other, and a Ukrainian runner who paid tribute to her homeland.

The event welcomed more than 9,200 participants, who competed in the five-kilometre, 10-kilometre, half-marathon, full marathon and 50-kilometre ultra-marathon distances.

Interim executive director John Bird said his team was thrilled with the turnout that was much higher than pre-pandemic levels, along with a little cooperation from Mother Nature.

"Certainly the last couple of weeks have been challenging as we've had lots of poor air quality and smoke inquiries with lots of athletes changing their distance and asking us how to run and be safe out there but it all came together," he said.

"Some of our team members call this ‘Christmas day for running’ and to see all the familiar faces and people achieving their goals, it’s really so special to see people come across the finish line," he said.

FIRST RACE AT 92

One of those special runners on Sunday was 92-year-old Margaret McReavey who made it her goal to run a race before she dies.

At first, she committed to the five-kilometre distance, but that didn’t quite work out for her schedule.

"I trained for the five kilometres, but when I found out it started much later than I wanted at noon, I decided to move up to the 10 kilometres," she said.

"This is such a special community, I had so much fun."

WORLD RECORD

Most people use the swinging motion of their arms to pump themselves forward during a 42.2-kilometre marathon, but a Calgary couple decided to challenge themselves in a much more unique way.

Richard and Megan MacDonald celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary by handcuffing themselves together in an attempt to break a Guinness World Record.

The pair did just that on Sunday, finishing the race in 3:18:44, all while raising critical funds for Mito Canada, an organization that assists Canadians with mitochondrial disease.

"For our 10-year anniversary I got her diamond earrings, but for our 20-year anniversary I made her do this," Richard joked.

"Calgary puts on such an amazing marathon. It was just good to be a part of it and see all our friends out there running and all the crowd support was amazing, we appreciate all the support and donations for Mito Canada."

Megan adds that it brings her closer to her husband (literally) as the couple had already broken five Guinness World Records in the past.

"It’s not too bad running together, lots of jostling in the shoulders, but we just kept in such a positive headspace."

The MacDonalds' goal was to raise $100 for every kilometre run and they achieved that on Sunday following the race.

RUNNING FOR UKRAINE

Olena Sadovnik moved to Calgary from Ukraine in July of last year to escape her war torn country and provide a better life for her daughter in Canada.

Each day is incredibly harder than the next as she still sees family members back home who are in the line of fire as Russia’s invasion continues.

However, in an effort to find comfort, Sadovnik has turned to running and decided to compete in her first race on Canadian soil at the Calgary Marathon 10-kilometre event.

"Today I ran for Ukraine. Last night, Russia attacked our capital with over 54 drones, you cannot have events like a marathon in such a war zone and that’s why I run to support my Ukrainian family," she said.

"Running keeps me grounded, it’s my coping mechanism and always has been since I moved to Canada with my daughter. I felt like I lost everything, but I always knew I could still run like I did back home. It’s a lifeline for me."

HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS RAISED FOR LOCAL CHARITIES

The Calgary Marathon had 93 charities participating in this year’s event which had raised a total of $415,000 this year.

Over the last 10 years, $9.7 million has been raised.

Shamel Elsayed was injured in a car crash 38 years ago and diagnosed with paraplegia. He moved to Calgary for a better life and has been involved in fundraising by competing in wheelchair racing events ever since.

Elsayed competed in the 10-kilometre event Sunday to once again support Spinal Cord Injury Alberta. He helped raise more than $23,000 this year alone with a combined total of $275,000 since 2014.

"We usually don't worry about the time it takes to compete, because usually what we're trying to do is raise as much money as we can," he said.

"I just think this is such a great way to get out there, participate and help others. If you want to do something to be more fit and active while supporting your favourite charity, it’s a great opportunity."

Others like Austin Sedgwick stumbled upon the idea of raising money for charity while going for a run.

It all happened in 2019 when a best friend of his was volunteering at the Calgary Marathon and dared him to run the marathon the following year.

Sedgwick did not disappoint and ran an ultramarathon during the COVID-19 pandemic. He ended up raising more than $10,000 for mental health and has run the marathon every year since.

Most recently Sedgwick ran across Alberta from the British Columbia border to Saskatchewan to raise funds.

"This is such an amazing community, I had never been in it before, but once you join you really appreciate the atmosphere and all the positive vibes," he said.

"It doesn't matter what distance you're running, whether you're walking or running. If you're just running for a charity, there's no judgment at all, it’s just a great thing to see."