3 generations — including 81-year-old grandpa — cross finish line together at 2023 Manitoba Marathon

Not a separated shoulder, a kilt drenched with sweat or even turning 81 years of age could stop some of the thousands of runners that hit the pavement for the 45th the Manitoba Marathon.

The annual race, which is a Father's Day tradition in Winnipeg, returned to form Sunday with around 8,000 runners. It was quite the departure from last year's event, which was cancelled mid-race due to scorching heat.

Rick Bochinski said it was his idea to have three generations of family completing the half-marathon, including his 81-year-old father, Garry.

"I knew he could finish, but I didn't want to push," Rick said. "He's 81, right?"

It's been 11 years since Garry ran the marathon relay, and 30-plus years since he competed in a half-marathon.

On Sunday, he crossed the finish line in under three hours, holding the hands of Rick and his grandson, Michael. 

"I never thought I'd be here," Garry said. "Thanks to [Rick] for putting up with me to start with and providing some incentive to come out." 

Experiencing this moment with family is a "great feeling," Rick added.

"This is my favourite Father's Day I've ever had — to be able to run with these two guys is off the charts."

Joel Verville didn't let separating his shoulder while playing rugby a week ago get in the way of running the 10-kilometre race with his girlfriend, Sydney James.

"We've been training, talking about running, so I figured I would try," Verville said.

"If I couldn't do it, I would just walk and no harm done … but we managed to pull it off."

Not without further injury, however. James hit a divot at one point and fell, scraping her knee and shin, "but it's OK," she said. "I just got back up and kept running."

The first wave of runners set off at 7 a.m. under foggy, misty conditions and a temperature of 16 C — ideal weather for running.

It may have contributed to Jessi Davis, 42, finishing the half-marathon with her fastest time in 20 years.

"The weather was great. It was nice and cool. The crowd was awesome, cheering us on," she said. "It was just the perfect mix."

Rachel Munday, executive director of Manitoba Marathon, said it was a relief to finish the race after the abrupt end to last year's. 

"Our team needed to have a great day today, but I think even more than that, the runners were excited to be here and to have such a perfect day for running," she said.

The 8,000 participants were lower than the roughly 10,000 runners that normally took part before the pandemic, but Munday said much of that difference is attributed to a lack of schools participating. The marathon is trying to build up that program once again.

Half-marathon winner

The half-marathon also served as the Canadian championship.

Cameron Levins, who resides in Black Creek, B.C., said he believes his first-place result of one hour, one minute and 42 seconds in the men's race will lead to his qualification in the World Half-Marathon Championships. 

"I came and ran this last year as well," he said. "To come back here with better conditions and run a bit faster is nice." 

The top finisher in the men's full marathon was Roger Hopper of Chesapeake, Va., who recorded a time of 2:23:46.

He's run "tons of" five-kilometre and 10-kilometre races, dating back to his school days, but has recently upped the ante to full marathons. It's worked in his favour — he's won three of the four marathons he's competed in.

Dawn Neal of Winnipeg won the women's full marathon with a time of 2:57:58.

Moments after crossing the finish line, she exclaimed she couldn't believe she won the race.

"I went out way faster than planned," she said.

Neal said she got a boost at the 18th mile when she saw her husband and four young kids cheering her on.

"They were just saying, 'Go, Mom,'" Neal said. "It was so heartwarming to see them all there, and I hope that I can inspire them to do hard things as well. That's why I do this, try to inspire them to live a happy, healthy life and stay active."

Norton Pigozzo was thrilled to have his wife cheering him on.

She was carrying a framed photo of Norton's face photoshopped onto the body of Forrest Gump, the famous movie character who decided one day to start running from his home in Alabama and keep going. "Run, Norton! Run!" the photo said.

"She's always there for me," Pigozzo said. "She's always kicking me out of home on weekends so I can go train, even when I don't want to."

Lt.-Col. Jon Baker, commanding officer of the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada, ran the half-marathon wearing his regimental kilt, while another eight soldiers from the unit marched the same distance wearing the same rucksacks they'd wear while out in the field. 

"Rather than going out for a rucksack march on our own, or a run on our own, we decided to come out and support this great community event and show our regimental pride and and ultimately be a part of a good cause," Baker said, explaining the marathon runs a fundraiser to support Manitobans living with intellectual disabilities. 

Each runner, and the diverse stories and experiences they bring, contributes to the experience of the marathon, Munday said.

"Every single person that crosses that line has a story or a reason for running, whether they're fundraising or whether they're just living a healthy lifestyle or whether that's for their mental health," she said.

"We've done that almost 450,000 times, which is amazing."