She's following in dad's footsteps to Beantown. Okotokian Heidi Frehlich, 18, will run in the Boston Marathon on April 16, some 22 years after her dad, Craig, ran the famed race in its centennial year, 1996.
She's following in dad's footsteps to Beantown.
Okotokian Heidi Frehlich, 18, will run in the Boston Marathon on April 16, some 22 years after her dad, Craig, ran the famed race in its centennial year, 1996.
“He ran it before I was born, I grew up looking at his (Boston Marathon) poster on our wall,” Heidi said from the University of Toronto. “I ran my whole life and I grew up always wanting to run it someday. We always ran together when I was growing up — my whole family grew up running together.”
Heidi qualified for Boston at the Edmonton Marathon in August, completing the 42.2km run in three hours and 23 minutes — shattering the 3:35:00 qualifying time. She was the top runner in the female under-19 division.
“My dad obviously helped me train for it — we had a plan for the Edmonton race to just have fun,” Heidi said. “On the day of the race, he said, “Hey, why don't you start with a 3:30 pace and see how it goes. If you crash, fine.
“About halfway through the race, I felt great and was able to keep up the pace.”
Dad kind of ran the Edmonton Marathon with Heidi. Craig finished in a time of 3:40:06.
Heidi had the time, but she had one slight problem. Seventeen-year-olds aren't eligible to run Boston.
“I knew Boston was a goal that I wanted to achieve someday, but I wasn't expecting to qualify on my first marathon,” said Heidi, who is also a member of the U of T triathlon team.
“Luckily, my birthday is in November. The only regulation was you had to be 18 the day of the race.”
Dad wasn't too surprised his daughter is running Boston, it just might be a few years earlier than he expected.
“She was keen to run a marathon at 14 but we wouldn't let her as we worried about the stress on her legs and joints,” Craig said. “Most marathons won't let you run under the age of 18. After she turned 17 we couldn't hold her off anymore. So she researched what marathons were qualifiers and allowed someone under 18, and Edmonton was the one.”
She had a pretty good instructor. Dad is not only a long distance runner, but also a teacher at Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School. And, there is nothing like an hour-plus run to bond father and daughter.
“She started running seriously in Grade 10 with the STS running team,” Craig said. “She would run outside of school with me on the weekends. We shared rich conversations and really bonded. Then in the fall of Grade 10 she was 14, she ran her first half (the Last Chance Half) in a blizzard and did well.
“Then, she was hooked on distance running with me and made a goal to run a full marathon. So after three more half marathons we let her run a full. We trained together — many long runs in Fish Creek Park.”
He still helps, even while his daughter is hitting the books in Toronto.
“Dad has been helping me ever since I got my acceptance to Boston,” Heidi said. “What we are going to do there?'
“The most important thing he told me is to have fun and enjoy the experience.”
Dad did quite well in his Boston Marathon. That centennial year, organizers opened the race up to non-qualifiers for one time, but Craig had met the qualifying time. His time in Boston was three hours, 12 minutes. Although he won't be running this year, he will be there supporting his daughter.
Heidi also credits her coaches at STS, which has won eight consecutive cross-country championships, for giving the spark to run long distances. Those coaches include Rob Lederer, David Milne-Ives, Luke Deis and Yvonne Chow, who has also run Boston.
“STS helped me with so much in cross-country and track — having that confidence,” Heidi said. “Boosting my confidence and my ability for running. I couldn't think of a better experience for high school.”
Working with dad will help Heidi get over the most famous slope in running history — Heartbreak Hill.
“There are pretty big hills in Okotoks,” Heidi said with a chuckle.
She is the defending champion in Okotoks' Natural High Charity Triathlon in the female division. Other runners from Okotoks running in the Boston Marathon include Niki Doyle, 45, and Burke Doyle, 48, Dwayne Gillies, 57, and Tristan Janusc, 38, who won the Sheep River Road Race 5km last September while pushing his twins in a stroller.
For more information about the Boston Marathon go to baa.org
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