PENHOLD – Willa Wanke knows what it takes to finish a race. That includes overcoming any obstacle that stands in her way.
The 52-year-old runner set her sights on participating in her third consecutive Boston Marathon on April 16.
The Grade 1 teacher at Penhold's Jessie Duncan School has been running for 31 years, and despite recently having orthopedic surgery, Wanke made the decision to go.
Knowing she would face some post-surgery challenges, she did not expect the other difficulties she faced this year.
“I had a race plan. My plan was to run 30 kilometres and then alternate walking and running for the last 12, which I did,” said Wanke, of the 42.2-km elite event, which she completed in four hours, one minute and 45 seconds.
“I had the knee procedure done at the end of February so for three months I had been dreading having to go and run without any training.”
Wanke left Calgary two nights before the marathon for a connecting flight in Toronto. However, once there she soon learned no one was going anywhere. All flights out of Toronto were cancelled due to a massive ice storm that hit southern Ontario and parts of the northeastern United States.
During the 14-hour delay at the airport, she struck up a friendship with two other stranded travellers, both residents of Boston and volunteers in the marathon. She also met fellow Canadian Lisa Dinh from Vancouver who planned to run in her very first Boston Marathon.
“They kept delaying (flights) and finally they cancelled everything at eight o’clock at night and the next flight they could get us on was at 7:30 p.m. the next day. That was too late,” said Wanke.
Despite the bad weather conditions, the group of four was determined to get to Boston and help Lisa Dinh experience her first Boston Marathon.
They rented a car and drove for 12 hours, in what is usually an eight-hour drive from Toronto.
“We left at eight o’clock at night and we got into Boston just after eight in the morning,” said Wanke. “I knew how devastating it would have been for Lisa to not be able to do it. It was about supporting her.”
Despite the horrible forecast they pressed on.
“They said it was one of the worst weather conditions ever for the Boston Marathon,” explained Wanke. “It was below zero, it poured (rain) the entire time and had high winds up to 70 kilometres per hour.”
Both Dinh and Wanke made it to the starting line on time for the Boston Marathon and completed their races, but for Wanke it wasn’t about finishing.
“What started out to be a gloomy race and outcome, turned into a wonderful experience,” Wanke concluded.
