WINNIPEG — Home-town runners swept the top spots in this year’s Manitoba Marathon.
Winnipegger Brian Walker won the 26.2 mile race with a time of 2:36:44. The victory is a first for the 32-year-old at the Manitoba Marathon. His previous best finish was second place the last two years.
“It’s a huge relief in a way because it was really hard out there today,” said Walker. “I didn’t go that hard but I hit the wall pretty good. The last 10 miles, I was just trying to hold on.”
Winnipeg’s Alice Sherwin was the top female finisher in the full marathon, finishing in 3:04:38. This year’s race was Sherwin’s second Manitoba Marathon and her first-ever win.
“It was so difficult,” said the 26-year-old. “I wanted to stop so badly. I trained really hard this year. I put in a lot of hard work. It’s my first year as a teacher so I’m exhausted. A few times I thought about my class and drew inspiration from them.”
Abduselam Yussuf won the men’s half marathon in 1:09:32 while Cathy Cullen won the women’s half marathon with a time of 1:25:22.
More than 12,000 runners took part in one of the Manitoba Marathon’s five events — the full marathon, the half marathon, the relay, the 10 kilometre or the super run. Racers battled rain and cool temperatures the entire morning.
The Manitoba Marathon has taken place every year since 1979 and raises money to help those living with an intellectual disability.
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