And even though it “hurt so much,” she finished the last half kilometre with the encouragement of an anonymous bicyclist who came up beside her and cheered her on to finish the course.
At the end of the day, Cedergren finished 29th out of 113 in the women’s category, having completed the course in three hours and 48 minutes — just eight minutes shy of qualifying for the Boston Marathon.
“I ran the whole way, stopping only for water and energy supplement breaks,” she said. “I did it for all the people who can’t do it.”
That was quite a feat for the novice runner who decided just last May she wanted to complete a marathon. She began training both body and mind with the Wolf Pack, Montreal’s oldest running group, under the direction of founder Wolf Bronet, now 85.
“From the beginning, Nellie showed she was going to be a good runner,” said Frank Elekes, one of the Wolf Pack members who coached Cedergren. “Our purpose is to help runners realize their potential and in Nellie and 22 others this year we succeeded.”
Asked if she will do it again, Cedergren answered with a smile, “Yes, if only to prove I can do better and maybe qualify for the Boston Marathon.”
For more information about the Wolf Pack, phone the YM-YWHA at 514-737-6551 and ask for Wolf.
Cedergren completes Toronto Marathon ahead of the Pack
Cedergren completes Toronto Marathon ahead of the Pack
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- Published on October 29th, 2009
- Published on Febuary 12th, 2010
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Marilynn Vanderstaay
Westmount resident Nellie Cedergren completed the grueling 42.2-kilometre Toronto Good Life Fitness Marathon last weekend.
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