Local octogenarian tops in the nation at half-marathon race

By Peggy Revell on May 30, 2018.

Bernardine Meulenbroek’s boots are made for walking.

The 86-year-old Hatter participated in Scotiabank Calgary Marathon this past weekend, completing the half-marathon with a time of 3:44:16 — and also earning the top ranking for her division in all of Canada.

“I was very surprised, but then I thought: Not many people have done it, so it wasn’t a big deal,” Meulenbroek matter-of-factly said about walking the 21.1 kilometres.

“I don’t feel inspirational,” she said. “I do what I want to do, I do it for my own self, and my goals.”

When it comes to life? “You make it or break it,” she said of her philosophy.

This wasn’t Meulenbroek’s first half-marathon, as she first decided to participate four years ago after being encouraged by her family and wanting to try something new.

Her time then was 3:50:13.

“Now I thought: I have to improve,” she said, and with a new hip thanks to replacement surgery a year-and-a-half ago, she did by six minutes.

“I didn’t stop. I just had a bottle of water.”

“It went like flying over the road,” she said, averaging around six kilometres an hour, with no stopping and just a bottle of water. “That I think is a pretty good pace.

“It’s something nice to have goals, especially when you get old.”

“We always walk together, but this time I let her go on her own,” said husband Bill, with a chuckle. The marathon itself is a family event, with their children and grandchildren participating by either running or helping with first-aid for participants.

Many people from the Hat head to Calgary to participate as well, they both added.

“It’s such a nice day,” said Bill, with music, happy folks and plenty of people to cheer everyone on.

Both Bernardine and Bill remain extremely active, loving to bike and cycle as a way to stay active and be healthy.

“I think I’m the luckiest woman in the world,” she said of her husband and family. Even when she was diagnosed with cancer in 1998 and underwent surgery and chemotherapy, she would still head out for walks.

When it’s too slippery out during winter months, they head to the leisure centre. She also spends a good part of her winter knitting dolls that her daughter-in-law takes to Malaysia for children in an orphanage.

“I’m always busy with something,” she said. “I want to make my life worthwhile.”