Vivian ChuiOmineca Express
Two Vanderhoof athletes snatched spots in the top ten at Prince George’s long-distance run on Sept. 6.
In the 17 Mile Run division, Glenn Currie and Michael Reed finished sixth and ninth respectively at the city’s 42nd annual Labour Day Classic event, which hosted more than 100 regional runners of all ages this year.
It’s part of the two marathon runners’ plan to stretch their legs beyond the West Coast, said Currie.
“We started this plan three years ago,” he said. “Mike and I wanted a run in every province and territory.”
Having participated in marathons hosted by Kelowna, Regina, and Mayo in Yukon, Currie said his favourite run was the Mayo Midnight Marathon, where the race starts at 8:30 p.m. and finishes by midnight on a Saturday closest to June 21 — the longest day of the year.
“It’s the uniqueness of running in the middle of the night,” he said. “And how well it was organized for a town of 500 people.”
The Labour Day Classic is also Currie’s third last run before reaching another goal — to run five half-marathons and five full-marathons before turning 50.
“Five halves done, two more fulls to go,” said Currie, with his next run at Prince George’s Mad Moose Marathon.
Training with Currie through weekly runs, Michael Reed said the two athletes first had a different aim for their running career.
“Originally Glenn and I wanted to qualify for the Boston marathon,” Reed said.
“Far too slow for that, and this is what we come up with.”
He added, “I have a deadline, before I die.”