What started as a health kick and soon became a passion led to the top female spot for a Canadian on the º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøMarathon podium.
Ana Laura Fray, 48, crossed the line at two hours and 50 minutes to capture the women’s event while Phil White from the U.S. had the best men’s time at two hours and 23 minutes.Â
Thousands gathered along the western waterfront and much of Yonge Street on Sunday morning to cheer on the 13,000 runners. The event also featured a half marathon (21.1 kilometres) as well as 5K and 10K events in Exhibition Place.
Fray, who ran her first half marathon 15 years ago, wrote in an Instagram post that if someone asked her at the time if she would win the full distance run, she “would not have believed you!Â
“And yet, here I am, breaking the tape at 48,” Fray said, describing the event as a “special and incredible experience.”
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Fray grew up in Mexico and moved to Canada 25 years ago and has lived in º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøand the GTA for more than a decade.
She has completed 27 marathons and took up running in her midthirties as a way to keep herself healthy, but soon “fell in love with it” and “I haven’t looked back.”Â
Spectators and runners cheered as runners made their way through underpass park.Â
Steve Russell º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøStar“It comes down to being very consistent and determined,” Fray says of her success. “I work very hard in training and it’s awesome to see my work pay off.”
According to the ” Fray first broke through the three-hour race wall at 41, and by 44 had clocked a personal best of two hours and 46 minutes.Â
A day before the marathon, Fray’s coach Emily Setlack surprised her by obtaining a last-minute entry in the race to help Fray “stay focused and relaxed.”Â
“I couldn’t be more grateful for having her running with me side-by-side,” Fray said, “and throwing a bunch of positive thoughts my way as I fought throughout the race.”Â
And the weather cooperated with mild weather and no rain — ideal for running.
Thousands cheered on runners with colourful signs: “Pain is temporary, posting on Strava is forever,” read one, a nod to the social media fitness app that tracks exercise. Another sign read, “Run, Anto Run!” flicking at the famous “Forest Gump” phrase.
The behind-the-scenes race started well before runners showed up with a small army of volunteers keeping things moving.
Toronto’s Linda Kessler Shapiro has volunteered for several years and was stationed just south of the Sporting Life on Yonge Street where, like dozens of other volunteers along the route, handed out Powerade to exhausted runners as they passed.Â
“There really is a lot of co-ordination and working together,” said Shapiro. “It really is like a bit of a marathon for us.”
Despite not being a runner, Shapiro said she’s thinking of walking in next year’s event after witnessing the “fantastic energy” and community.
“We’re out supporting a really good cause,” she says, “and the community is standing together side by side.
For Fray, she celebrated with a few cold beverages and a large pizza but beyond that, it’s all about recovery.
“A little down time, and then I’ll likely start training again to tackle another marathon in the fall.”Â
Between 5 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. more than 30 routes were diverted due to widespread road closures across the city accommodating the event, which goes from Willowdale south to Exhibition Place, with the marathon runners looping out to Humber Bay Shores.Â
The race has raised more than $8 million for The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation since 1995.
Runners made their way down Rosedale Valley Road. Thousands ran from North York to downtown in the º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøMarathon and Half-marathon that has raised more than $8 million for The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation since 1995.
Steve Russell º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøStar
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