“It was a sea of people,” the Wolfville resident recalled later. “There were thousands there.”
Kruszewski took part in the oldest annual marathon in the world for the sixth time. When asked why running 26 miles appeals to him, he replied, “just for the challenge. I like to know I’m up for it.”
It was warm in Boston on April 17 and Kruszewski had to contend with temperatures he hadn’t trained in.
“I had trained in the cold,” he said, “so I kept dumping water over my head and running through sprinklers.”
Kruszewski said that heat was his biggest challenge, but he had competed in a marathon five years ago when the temperatures were over 30 C.
The Wolfville chiropractor had a goal of finishing in under three hours and 30 minutes. By dint of pumping his arms and hightailing to the finish line, Kruszewski says he made it two minutes under the time he was aiming for.
Learning to pace yourself, he notes takes time to get right. Kruszewski was glad to have his wife, Janis, and two kids there cheering him on at the half-way mark and at the finish.
“We’re a running family,” he added, as Janis runs and his children take part in track and field and soccer.
As a health care professional, Kruszewski likes to be a role model for his patients.
“I promote active living in my practice,” he says. “You have to find something you enjoy and keep it up as long as you can. Running is one of my favourite things, I’m grateful I can do it.”
Training over the winter to be prepared for a spring marathon is another challenge that he says Canadians face. Kruszewski runs indoors at the Acadia Athletics Complex and was happy to join the Mountain View Runners.
“It’s a new group,” he said. “It’s nice to have company while you train.”
John Mooy of Port Williams, another marathoner, was one of the founders of the Mountain View Runners.
There were 27,221 runners who started the April 17 marathon - 97 per cent finished.
Results from the Valley’s marathoners
- Timothy Keith, 43, Kingston 3:20
- Vance Kruszewski, 45, Wolfville 3:28
- John Mooy, 49, Port Williams 3:32
- Laura Peters, 43, South Tremont 3:33
- Kaili Van Vulpen, 30, Wolfville 3:34
- Sheila Grover, 45, Canning 3:44
- Chen Chun Shih, 67, Wolfville 3:50
- Frances Oliver, 54, Falmouth 3:53
- Jim Wade, 48, Windsor 3:56
- Brian Cadden, 67, of Middleton 4:17
- Lisa Richardson, 44, Wolfville 4:19
- Ivan Tomek, 77, Wolfville 4:36
