Special to the Sydenham Current
On Saturday September 3rd, two local runners made the long trip to Marquette, in the upper peninsula of Michigan, for Marquette’s 7th annual Marathon.
Joe Perry and Bryan Cowden, of Wallaceburg, had goals to qualify for Boston 2017 as the deadline to qualify is this weekend, September 11th.
Cowden ran a 3 hour, 10 minute marathon, just 5 minutes short of Boston standards. Perry ran a 3 hour, 19 minute marathon, beating his qualifying time by 6 minutes. Qualifying is based on age and gender. Cowden (34, male) needed to run 3:05 and Perry (46, male) needed 3:25.
Perry, a 2-time Boston qualifier, felt relieved afterwards “We were cutting it close by signing up for a marathon one week before Boston registration time. I tried qualifying in Charlevoix, Mi a couple weeks ago but the hot, humid weather really made it tough to get below my goal.”
Cowden, although just short of his Boston dream, was very happy with his results “I’m not disappointed at all. 3:10 is a very good time being that it’s only my second marathon and I just started running two and a half years ago. It’s also a personal best as I beat my last marathon by 9 minutes. Also, Joe and I have this great friendly rivalry. Until we run another marathon together, I can brag that I beat him.”
Both Cowden and Perry are executive members of the Defiance Running Club.
They just wanted to remind everyone that with cooler temperatures approaching, it is the best time to be walking or running with the group.
They meet on Monday, Wednesday and Friday nights.
You can go to http://www.defiancerunningclub.ca for more details.
