Queen City Marathon runners find motivation, inspiration from the sidelines – Regina Leader-Post

Angelika Nixdorf was embraced in a hug, her face a mix of exhaustion, relief and pride.

She had just walked 21 kilometres in three hours, a personal best.

“You have to dig deep,” said Nixdorf after finishing the half marathon Sunday morning. “Those last four to five kilometres are mentally very demanding.”

Her daughter came running, Nixdorf’s 21.1-kilometre finishing medal squished between them as they hugged.

“You did it!” her daughter yelled excitedly.

“It’s my family that keeps me going,” explained Nixdorf. “But the community certainly does help.”

Whether they were lined up along neighbourhood sidewalks or clustered at water stations, supportive bystanders shouted words of encouragement as participants in the Queen City Marathon (QCM) worked their bodies to the limits on Sunday morning.

The Wheelhouse Cycle Club set up class at the 10-kilometre marker, their energy and excitement spilling out into the crowd of runners.

A group of Bollywood dancers entertained around the 18-kilometre mark.

Together, they pushed the runners, walkers and wheelers to finish what they started.

“We knew that the route was going past our house so we decided to make the morning of it and come out and cheer everyone along,” said Charlene Shaw, from her spot on Lakeview’s McCallum Avenue.

Having run a half marathon a few years back, she knows how much it helps to break up the monotony of running when there’s people cheering you on.

She said it’s good for her kids to see people getting out and being active. She hopes one day they might be inspired to take up running.

“I came out here to say to the runners try your best and give it your all,” said her young son, John.

Shaw and her kids weren’t the only ones out in the Lakeview neighbourhood to cheer on the runners. Many others dotted the sidewalk up and down McCallum Avenue, including former marathon runner Mark Furlan.

“I know what it’s like and how much it motivates people,” he said from his lawn chair, music coming from a portable speaker nearby. “It’s extra incentive to keep going and to do better and stay healthy.”

After getting injured two years ago, Furlan hasn’t been doing any long distance running, but has run in marathons in Boston, Victoria and Winnipeg.

“You miss it,” he said. “You see it (and) you want to be participating.”

But if he couldn’t run, he wanted to cheer, and so this year he sat on the sidelines clapping for every runner who came along.

“Good job guys! Good Work! Looking good! he yelled.

“I think it helps a lot,” said an out of breath Norm Hill, just moments after finishing running the full marathon event, 42.2 kilometres. “In that last 10 kilometres, you’re maxed right out. You have nothing left and just (having) somebody say your name or whatever when you’re coming in, it really brings your spirit up.”

This was Hill’s fourth marathon and his first in Regina. He placed 13th in the full marathon overall with a time of three hours seven minutes and 52 seconds.

For Louise Cumpstone, the support from the community just made the whole experience more fun.

“It’s so different than when we run at home,” said Cumpstone, who came from Saskatoon with her daughter to run the half marathon. “We get up early in the morning and you’re running by yourself and there’s nobody around and then you come here.”

“There’s all kinds of kids along the way and they’ll come out and they’ll slap your hand, and then the music and everything,” she said. “It just makes it fun.”

This is her fifth half marathon in Regina. She recalled being surprised during her first QCM at how many people came out to watch and cheer.

“There’s certainly lots of support, even amongst the runners,” she added.

Sunday was Cumpstone’s 65th birthday.

The 2019 QCM took place Sept. 6 to 8 and included a five-kilometre night run on Friday night, a mini-marathon and five-kilometre family run on Saturday, and the 42.2-kilometre walk, wheelchair and run, the 21.1-kilometre walk and run and the 10-kilometre run on Sunday.

Les Friesen from Steinbach, MB finished first in the 42.2-kilometre run with a time of two hours 41 minutes and 46 seconds.

Second place went to Richard MacDonald from Calgary, AB with a time of two hours 44 minutes and 40 seconds.

Third place went to Greg Penner, also from Steinbach, with a time of two hours 45 minutes and 40 seconds.

The top placing woman in the full-marathon event was Rhonda Loo of Lake Newell, AB.

jackerman@postmedia.com