Manitoba marathon man readies for 65th time crossing finish line

Sunday many runners will be taking part in the ManitobaMarathon but few will be as experiencedas Winnipeg's Jeff Vince.

Sunday's race will tally Vince's65th marathon and it will be the 25th time that he will have participated in the Manitoba Marathon specifically. At just over 42 kilometres a pop, 65 marathons totals at 2,743 kilometres.

Vince described his 30-year-old self as "anoverweight couch potato."

"To start running, you've got to start slow. Just do a little bit more each day. Try to find some running friends and set some goals," he said.

First, he took six weeks to train for a 10-kilometre run, then in 1984 he ran his first half marathon and two years later he laced up for hisfirst of many marathons to come.

"I was never an athlete when I was young and I was completely out of shape, overweight. When you hit the final mile when you're doing a marathon, the feeling, you just feel so ecstatic. It felt like I was flying, not running," Vince told CBC'sInformation Radio.

"Everytime[I cross the finish line] isa little bit different."

Vincehas run marathons in Athens, Berlin, Chicago and New York, to name a few, and he said one of the best parts is the camaraderie of fellowrunners.

"Runners, we're not really competitive. My proudest moments are seeing some of my friends achieve their goals," Vince said.

That being said, Vince said his most satisfying marathon was the Boston Marathon in 2009. That year his family's house burned to the ground and they lost everything andVince was hospitalized forsmoke inhalation. It was only30 days later that heran inBoston even though he was hardlyable to speak.

It was the support of the running community that he said made the even so memorable.

"Running can be fun, it's not a chore."