Saskatchewan constables finish 10K in full uniform at Queen City Marathon

“Good morning, officer.”

Those words were likely said often at the Queen City Marathon in Regina on Sunday morning. Weyburn, Sask. Const. Jeff Bartsch ran the 10K of the Queen City Marathon wearing full uniform, minus a few substitutes including running shoes. He wasn’t alone either.

Const. Melinda Mintenko, also of Weyburn, a city located southeast of Regina, ran the 10K as well and in full uniform. The duo clocked identical times of 1:12:09. The uniform, according to CBC Saskatchewan, weighs approximately 10 kg. The officers were two of the 1,075 participants who completed the race weekend’s 10K, which also included a 5K, half-marathon and marathon.

https://twitter.com/WPSCstBartsch/status/906418870948315136

In 2016, Bartsch completed the Saskatchewan Marathon and opted for this weekend’s 10K as he has another race coming up this month. According to the CBC, he’s run upwards of seven races with the full uniform, which he does to raise awareness for mental health issues.

“I know mental health is a huge thing in the public right now and a lot of people do struggle with their mental health or mental illness,” he says.

Pre-race

@WPSCstBartsch, Cst. Mintenko, & WPS spouse pre @RunQCM 10k pic.twitter.com/cIIp69b6dX

— Weyburn Police (@WeyburnPolice) September 10, 2017

Post-race

https://twitter.com/CoreyZaharuk/status/906936268633677825

The Queen City Marathon was one of the final opportunities for runners to get in a Boston Marathon qualifying time as registration for the 2018 event opens on Sept 11. More than 400 participants took on the Regina marathon on Sunday.