Crowsnest Pass resident Tracy Wakaluk recently competed in the annual
Athens Classic Marathon in
Athens, Greece, raising more than $11,000 in support of the
Canadian Arthritis Society.
“I wanted to do something special to celebrate my health and give back to the Arthritis Society,” said Wakaluk, who has been living with
rheumatoid arthritis since November 2000. “I have seen firsthand how research is helping make advancements in treatments for people living with arthritis.”
In addition, the 39-year-old set a personal goal for herself of crossing the finish line of the 42-kilometre-long road race in under four hours, ultimately squeaking in with a time of 3:59:22.
“The feeling of entering the stadium made all the pain and suffering I went through worth it,” she said. “It was an emotional finish and one that I will forever hold in my own heart.”
The annual marathon is usually held the first week of November, featuring anywhere from 5,000 to 10,000 runners, and going from the battlefield in the town of Marathon to Athens Stadium.
The route follows that of the mythical run of
Pheidippides, a Greek messenger who, in 490 B.C., ran the length of the course in order to announce the victory of Greece over Persia.
“When I discovered it was the 2500th anniversary since the
Battle of Marathon, it was an easy choice to decide on Athens,” said Wakaluk, who participated in her first competitive marathon in 2001.
The course was first utilized competitively in the 1896 Olympics, before the Athens Classic Marathon began in 1972, and being used in the 2004 Olympics.
Beginning at 9 a.m. on October 31, Wakaluk, along with 12, 000 other runners, battled the 25 degree heat, running 10 kilometres before reaching a 21-kilometre-long uphill climb, which ended at the 31 kilometre mark.
“I have never been so happy to see that kilometre sign,” joked Wakaluk.
