Fundraising on track

Runners took their mark, got set and took off in the first Thunderwolves’ indoor marathon.

Nearly 100 runners participated in the marathon, which was held at Lakehead Athletics hangar Sunday afternoon. The event saw the Thunderwolves partner with the Children’s Centre Foundation. The fundraising event separated runners into a full marathon, half marathon and a 10-km run. All money raised goes to the Children’s Centre.

John Martinsen, 39, finished first overall in the men’s full marathon with a time of 3:18:04.

"I feel a little sore right now, but I’m glad I finished," Martinsen said. "I’m pretty happy with my time because I wasn’t sure what to expect. This is my first indoor marathon and it was a little tough running around the track 211 times."

Martinsen has run more than 10 outdoor marathons. Martinsen competed in the Siouxland Marathon in Sioux City, Iowa in October. Martinsen said he noticed how much more space a runner has during an outdoor marathon compared to the weekend’s indoor event.

Each time Martinsen ran a lap he would look at the screen and countdown how many more laps he had left to do. He said the music and watching other runners helped to keep him going.

"When you first start you don’t feel too bad. When you ran so far you start to think I’ve ran this far…I’m not stopping now," he said.

Martinsen said he would participate in future Lakehead Athletics runs. He is already registered in the Green Bay, Wis., marathon and plans to compete in the Thunder Bay marathon in September.

Keli Cristofaro, 36, is another seasoned runner who has also participated in 10 marathons. She came in first overall in the women’s full marathon with 3:38:58. Each runner participating paid a $20 registration fee. Hearing the event was a fundraiser, Cristofaro took pledges and raised more than $300 for the Children’s Centre.

"It’s a great event and I loved every minute of it," Cristofaro said. "My calves started to cease about an hour ago. I just knew to be conservative. I just went as fast as I could on the last lap to take it around and come in strong."

Cristofaro got a personal best, beating her previous personal record by two minutes. Runners have a down time during the winter months and the indoor marathon helps to keep the training regiment going year round, she said.

Cristofaro would like to see another indoor event next year.

Cristofaro added that the difference between running indoors and outdoors comes down to the support.

"A lot of outdoor marathons have support but this is crazy. You see everybody every 60 seconds. It is fun just seeing everybody," she said.

Runners could also compete in a six-person relay team. Laura Meisner, public education co-ordinator with the Children’ Centre Foundation, said there were 20 relay teams that came out to run.

Meisner said the idea for a marathon came from John Friday, director of management services with the Children’s Centre, who is an avid runner.

"We thought it was something that could really appeal to a lot of people in Thunder Bay," Meisner said. "We got a great running community and we approached Lakehead Athletics and they have been amazing."

Meisner said she was glad to see both competitive and non-competitive runners participate. She said the relay team option allows people to run despite their fitness level.

Meisner said this event helps to encourage people to be more physically active. Having a balanced active life helps with mental health, she said.

Tom Warden, athletic director with Lakehead Athletics, said although he knew how many people were going to participate it was still impressive to see.

"This is probably one of the nicest community events we do," Warden said. "You’re getting people in the hangar that wouldn’t normally be in here. Everyone gets a good chance to see what we do here at the university."

Warden said the event is a success and would like to see more indoor marathons in the future as long as the Children’s Centre was interested.

The marathon finished with an award ceremony in the afternoon.