Spring Fever

There’s nothing like a long distance race in the spring. The flowers, the fresh air, the scenery, the blizzards.

Yep, Saturday’s Minot Family YMCA Marathon was cut short due to a blizzard.

“There were a couple of times the wind blew me sideways,” said runner Allan McGeough. “You needed a pair of ski goggles out there. You had ice in your face, and it was very difficult to see. I was thinking to myself ‘this is dangerous.’”

Some runners pressed on anyway.

“I got on the bus,” said Lloyd Sehn. “I knew I was only 14k away from the finish line. There were two other guys behind me. I said, ‘I don’t know, but I want to finish the race.’ The bus driver shrugged his shoulders and opened the door and I ran. Ironically, I think that’s when the conditions started to improve.”

Sehn ended up winning the race in 3:47:38.

The runners in Winnipeg were pretty hardy, too. The Winnipeg Police Service Half Marathon went on despite a temperate of -6 C and the 55 km/h wind gusts. I’m not sure what these guys say when they’re asked if they ran a spring race.