Memories from my first race: “I ran the first Manitoba Marathon.”

Runner: Frank Stebner

Race: Manitoba Marathon, 1979

Age then: 27

Age now: 63

Why I decided to run: My good friend Lou dared me to run the first annual Manitoba Marathon in June 1979, six weeks before the marathon. We were at a wedding and Lou was promoting the inaugural Manitoba Marathon to be held on Father’s Day, June 17, 1979 in Winnipeg. My brothers John and Udo used to run cross-country and track with Lou in high school but I never did. Since my brothers stopped running after high school, I thought that I would now give it a try.

How I trained: My training consisted of running a two-mile loop around at the University of Manitoba campus. I increased my training to ten miles over six weeks. In other words, the marathon was still going to be a challenge for me. I started to train in sneakers but eventually broke down and bought a pair of Puma running shoes with a month to go.

What I was worried about: I had no doubt that I could run the marathon but I was a complete rookie. I had played squash at the university before that, but that was it for sports.

A memory that stands out: I ended up running the marathon with another friend, Glen, who was also running his first marathon. We ran together and we did finish the marathon at the old Winnipeg Stadium in four hours and four minutes. We went out at an easy pace, but we both knew it would be a tough race. We did agree to walk some stretches, but all things considered we both finished in a respectable time of 4:04:54.

Afterwards, Glenn and I walked up to the top of the grandstand seats at Winnipeg Stadium to watch the other runners come in. Little did we know that walking down the steps was not going to be an easy task after running a marathon. Unlike me, Glenn never ran another road race after that.

Races I have done since: I have run hundreds of races since 1979, mostly in Vancouver but also across Canada and the US. Six months after the 1979 Manitoba Marathon I ran my second race the 1979 Honolulu Marathon and broke four hours. My best 10K time was the Vancouver Sun Run 10K in 34:54 in 1988 and my best marathon time was 2:54:42 at the Vancouver International Marathon in 1987.

I have gone back to run the Manitoba Marathon two more times since 1979 and improved my time each time. In hindsight that dare for me to run the marathon changed my life in ways that I could never have imagined. Road running became a big part of my life.

My work as a volunteer: I am not running much anymore but I have been organizing road races since 1981. I joined the Lions Gate Road Runners in 1989 and am now the president. I organize many road races in Vancouver each year as a volunteer and was also the volunteer course director of the BMO Vancouver Marathon from 2002 to 2009. I encourage all runners to give back to the running community and volunteer at a road race in your city.