In any race, be it a 5K, 10K or even a full marathon, numbers are crucial. Not as important though as the ones collected by Laurie Penton and Alan Parkin.
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The two Winnipeggers have made sure every Manitoba Marathon since 1990 is exactly 26.2 miles.
“The accurate course is the main thing,” Penton said. “It’s a certified course. Time counts plus people are looking for records.”
The process starts well before the starting gun. It involves careful calculations and is done entirely by bike.
“We spent eight hours out there doing the measurement,” Parkin said. “We’re pretty tired when it’s over.”
The course must be re-measured every decade or, in this year’s case, anytime a change is made. The annual race will now end inside Investors Group Field instead of University Stadium. Moving the finish line shaved roughly 650 metres off the route which then had to be added elsewhere.
“We can make up some difference at the start line,” Penton said. “We can move it back a bit. It’s like a string. You pull it this way and that way but it’s the same length all the time.”
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Groundwork leading to a different kind of runner’s high on race day.
“When those first runners come along, it literally sends a chill down my spine,” Parkin said. “It’s fantastic.”
The Manitoba Marathon takes place June 18 and features six different races.