Go the extra mile: 73-year-old Edmonton man set to run 100th marathon

Fifty or so years ago, Ken Davison laced up his beloved white tennis shoes with green stripes and ran his first marathon.

"It was a bit of a mess," the 73-year-old Edmontonian recalled Thursday with a chuckle. "Halfway through I had blisters everywhere. I finished that race and I figured, 'That's the first and last marathon.'"

As it turns out, Davison's love affair with the long distance was just beginning. Since then, he's logged more than 4,135 kilometres running marathon races, plus countless more in training.

On Sunday, he'll run his 100th marathon as one of the 5,000-plus participants of the Servus Edmonton Marathon events.

"I wasn't trying to get up to 100 marathons but once I got around the 80 mark, 85th mark, I'm thinking, 'Wow, this is doable,'" he said.

That was four years ago, after which the retired mechanic "knuckled down" by running up to five marathons a year. For his 99th in May, he went back to his hometown of Belfast, Northern Ireland.

The Servus Edmonton Marathon takes place over the weekend, with all four main races the 5K, 10K, half- and full marathonshappening on Sunday morning.

Race organizers acknowledged the smoke that rolled in on Wednesday from the B.C. wildfires posed concerns for runners but said Thursday they are feeling optimistic about conditions for race day.

• Wildfire haze from B.C. raising air quality concerns across Alberta

"[We're] hoping by the weekend to have near perfect conditions," said Running Room founder John Stanton, adding that light wind and rainfall in the area should clear the air.

As well, he added, the temperature forecast is for "ideal running conditions," ranging between 14 and 21 C for Sunday.

With Mother Nature on side, a flat course and strong field of elite athletesincluding previous winners, Olympians and Krista DuChene, the Canadian who placed third in April's Boston marathonrace organizers are expecting new records to be set this weekend

There are at least four men entered who could break the course record of 2:23:33, said Brian Torrance, the elite athlete co-ordinator.

"It's a very competitive field, one that we have not seen in the history of this event."

Here for a good time, not a fast time

Davison, whose fastest time is about 3:15,cheerfully admits that he's not among those speedsters.

Friends will be posing for photos along the route with him and his race bibhis number is 100, naturallyand his two grandchildren will be joining him for the last few hundred metres and bringing him over the line.

"I'm not really worried about times. I'm just so glad I'm injury free and still being able to run at 73," he said.

• Be the tortoise, not the hare: Alberta man celebrates 80th birthday with 100th marathon

Davison has no shortage of running stories to share: his gratefulness to his wife and family for "putting up with" his training, being chastised by guards while running past a Nevada prison, stockpiling Campbell's French Canadian Pea souphis pre-race meal of choiceafter the company discontinued it.

"I still got eight cans left," he told Edmonton AM on Thursday. "But the expiry date's coming up, that's the problem."

And while 100 is a big milestone, it's certainly not the end of his road.

"I've still got Boston to do."

Traffic disruptions

• City officials say there will be major traffic delays downtown and west to 142 Street on Sunday between 5 a.m. 3 p.m.
• Parts of Jasper Avenue will be fully closed during the weekend: All day Saturday between97thand99thStreets; and from 5 a.m. 3 p.m. Sunday between95thand109thStreet
• Where to cross the race route:Jasper Avenue, from95thto 109 Street;102ndAvenue, from112thto138thStreets; Buena Vista Road at140thStreet.
• Course marshals and police officers willassist with traffic crossings when a break in the runners safely allows. The city warns this maytake up to an hour.
• There will also be impacts on residential traffic and bus service.
• Full map of road closures and traffic delays for Sunday.