Kyle Gieni, the world-record holder, successfully completed the formidable Queen City Marathon from a wheelchair on Sunday, holding a potential world record attempt in sight for the next year. Born and bred in Regina, Gieni drew strength from his childhood memories of cross-country skiing to traverse the demanding 42.2 kilometres expanses of Regina, utilizing poles to advance his chair.
“I was an avid cross-country skier as a child in Regina, and returning here, it seemed instinctive to grab a pair of poles and take on the challenge,” Gieni confessed to CTV News in a post-race interview. He went on to encourage others, noting, “I want to demonstrate to people the boundless possibilities of what they can achieve, regardless of their circumstances, even if wheelchair-bound, it is paramount to try.”
Earlier in May, Gieni had secured a place in the Guinness World Record by clocking the swiftest half-marathon in a non-racing wheelchair using poles, with a record time of 1:23:15 garnered in Vancouver. He estimated his full marathon completion time at the Queen City Marathon to be roughly two hours and 40 minutes, which, if confirmed, could potentially set an unprecedented world record. His ambitions for the next year includes a formal recognition of his potential accomplishment by the Guinness World Records.
The Queen City Marathon ground was taken over by more than 4,000 enthusiastic participants partaking in a variety of races ranging from family fun events to the full marathon on Sunday. Every racer had a unique motivation driving their participation. For Logan Roots, the pride of securing a new course record pulsated with every heartbeat, as he crossed the finish line of the men’s full marathon with a record time of 2:32:15.
For Fred Fox, the full marathon was an opportunity to conquer a new personal milestone. Following prolonged training and overcoming injury challenges, Fox successfully completed his officially timed first half marathon. In doing so, he recounted the perseverance embodied by his brother Terry, who ran almost a marathon daily for 143 days during the 1980 Marathon of Hope, despite having an artificial leg.
The organizers happily reported the participation of runners from across the globe. Shawn Weimer, Race Director for QCM stated, “We had representatives from eight provinces and territories, 14 U.S. states and around ten countries including China, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, and Germany.” Weimer also expressed optimism about the event attracting a pre-pandemic like enthusiastic participation of over 6,000 runners in the upcoming years.
