80-year-old lacing up for Manitoba Marathon says heart attack changed his life

George Steciuk says his heart attack became a wake-up call about his life, his health and his running shoes.

The 80-year-old Winnipegger will be lacing up to join thousands of runners for the Manitoba Marathon on Sunday. But as Steciuk paces through the course of his fourth half-marathon, he also has 80 people donating to charities in his name one for each year of his life.

• Manitoba Marathon, Jazz Festival force road closures around Winnipeg

Steciuk took up the sport five years ago after having a heart attack and triple bypass surgery.

"It changed my life. I find that was the best thing that ever happened to me because prior to that point my health was not good," he said.

"By having that heart attack it made me realize the importance of good health and the importance of living life in that moment."

To help recover, Steciuk started to go to the Reh-Fit Fitness Centre, where he dida little bit of running and other exercises.

"The recommendation at that time was don't strain yourself too much, don't lift too much," he said.

But once he got a taste for running, Steciuk wanted more.

"It was at that point that I was able to do some of the things and did a little bit of running there and I thought, 'Well, if I could do this I could maybe take up running' a mid-life crisis kind of a thing.People buy cars, I decided to start running," he said.

• Why are Manitoba's marathoners getting slower?
• Winnipegger marks 29 marathons in 15 months to support charity

The first challenge was a 10-kilometre race. Steciuk said he trained hard and ended up finishing with a really good time. The next step wasa half-marathon.

"It's more difficult. It's a lot more to run and there comes a point when you are running that you hit a time where your body says, 'I can't do it anymore.' If you are young it's not a problem, but when you are 75, 76 it becomes a little more of a challenge."

But Steciuk pushed himself and finished the race. He was hooked.

"I train very hard. I run, I lift, I do all sorts of crazy things," he said. "My wife thinks I'm out of my mind."

Last year, at age 79, Steciuk decided to do some good with his racing. He didn't know which charity to choose, so instead he asked 79 people to donate to their favourite charity in his name.

This year, he's pushed it to 80.

"I'm running 80 for 80. I'm getting 80 people to [donate] for each year," he said.

About 12,000 people are expected to take part in the marathon on Father's Day. The start and finish lines are at the University of Manitoba campus.