Published on June 13, 2012Jason Malloy
Island runner gets a little help from friend in completing her first marathon
Jennie Orr’s determination and the encouragement of a friend helped her finish her first marathon.
“The first half was, I wouldn’t say easy, but comfortable,” she explained. “The second half was really hard. It got warmer and I got to the point where I was just like ‘are we done yet?’ ”
The 20-year-old Mayfield resident credits Michael Gaudet with helping her reach the finish line in Halifax during the Bluenose Marathon in May.
Gaudet encouraged her to keep going during the last five kilometres.
“If it hadn’t been for him, I think I’d still be sitting there at the water station,” she said with a laugh Tuesday.
Marathon-Photos.com
Islander Jennie
Orr, right, credits Michael Gaudet, left, for helping her complete her
first marathon. The two ran the Bluenose Marathon together in Halifax in
May.
It is that kind of camaraderie that draws many people to the sport.
And it was her clubmate’s encouragement that gave Orr, who been running seriously for about eight months, the reassurance to enter the 42.195-kilometre race.
Her previous longest run was 39 kilometres.
“I run with the P.E.I. RoadRunners here in town and they kind of convinced me I was ready to run a full marathon,” Orr said. “They were all there to support me, so that was nice.”
She didn’t believe organizers when they told her she was the second woman to finish the race in three hours, 34 minutes. 44.6 seconds.
She won her category (females between the ages of 20 and 29) and was the 32nd person to complete the race.
Orr was proud of her accomplishment and is already looking ahead to her next big run, the P.E.I. Marathon, in October.
Her advice to others considering running a marathon: “It’s all about determination.
“Honestly, if you set your mind that you’re going to do this, you can.”
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