Alberta man runs 100th marathon ahead of 80th birthday
Local Edmonton-area resident Roger MacMillan sported bib 100 for his 100th marathon on Sunday
Fort Saskatchewan, Alta.’s Roger MacMillan completed his 100th marathon on Sunday.
Ahead of his 80th birthday in October, the 79-year-old ran the Edmonton Marathon, alongside the more-than 700 participants on Sunday morning, in 5:44:34. He spoke with CBC Edmonton prior to the race saying “I wanted to do 100 marathons before my 80th birthday and that’s kept me going.”
Appropriately, he was wearing bib 100. He’s run the Edmonton Marathon every year since 2012, according to his race profile on Sportstats.
My Dad is joined by family and friends as he crossed the line for his 100th Marathon at the age of 79! Pretty impressive Pop! #yegmarathon pic.twitter.com/0COTjIsj49
— Dale MacMillan (@dalemphoto) August 20, 2017
MacMillan’s son Dale captured the below photo near the starting line of the marathon. “My dad takes off on route to his 100th Marathon at 79-years-old,” Dale tweeted. “Good job pop. So proud of you!”
My Dad takes off on route to his 100th Marathon at 79yrs old. Good job Pop. So proud of you!! #marathon #marathonmaniacs #100 #yegmarathon pic.twitter.com/Ru332FWFsY
— Dale MacMillan (@dalemphoto) August 20, 2017
RELATED: 79-year-old Florence Barron beats 89 per cent of Tely 10-Miler women’s field.
MacMillan told the CBC that he’s done as many as three marathons in three weeks. “You have to take it easy. I’m not a racer,” he says of being able to run another 42K not long after a marathon. He ran his first marathon in 2006 in Vancouver, before his 69th birthday. In the 11 years since, he’s averaged nine to 10 per year to reach the century mark.
MacMillan surrounded by his family, some who came all the way from Costa Rica, after finishing his marathon. Time to go have a pint, he said pic.twitter.com/Rrv5KbboCL
— Dustin Cook (@dustin_cook3) August 20, 2017
During every marathon, MacMillan stops for a moment at the 26-mile mark and poses for a photo. He’s run marathons in Canada, the United States, Scotland and Ireland.
RELATED: 86-year-old “puzzled” by how fast he did 10K, defeats racers half his age.
His plan was to celebrate finishing the Edmonton Marathon with a “pint of Guinness,” he told the CBC.
Evans Maiko, in 2:25:01, and Melissa Kendrick, in 2:57:21, won the men’s and women’s divisions of the Edmonton Marathon.
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