Manitoba Marathon women's winner adds 5th title to collection
Posted Monday, 20 June, 2005
By Paul Turenne, Staff Reporter, Winnipeg Sun
Five races, five wins.
Not bad.
Winnipeg's Brenlee Muska-Van Caeyzeele became a five-time champion at the Manitoba Marathon yesterday, winning the women's full event in an unofficial time of three hours, 10 minutes and 40 seconds.
"I feel unbelievable. How can you not?" said the 42-year-old. "The last five times I've run it I've won it."
The last five times would be 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, and now, 2005.
She doesn't have a thing for odd numbers, it's just that certain circumstances, like untimely injuries and personal matters, have prevented her from running in every second race.
Muska-Van Caeyzeele's run yesterday was more than 20 minutes longer than her personal best, but she was still happy with it, given yesterday's heat and the fact that she injured her back horseback riding only two weeks ago and has been in physiotherapy every second day since then.
"I'm pretty proud of her," said her husband Clyde Van Caeyzeele, who finished fifth in yesterday's men's full marathon.
If there was a prize for best husband and wife time they surely would have won it, like they did at a marathon in Victoria not too long ago.
The pair met in 1998 on a plane from Winnipeg to Chicago, where they were both going to run in a marathon. They connected because of their mutual love of running, fell in love, and got married two years ago.
They have run in more than a dozen marathons together, including races in Minneapolis, Ottawa, and other cities. They even got married in Ottawa, the day before the marathon.
"It's our life. Our golden retriever is even named Adidas," said Muska-Van Caeyzeele. "We're both morning people. We get up in the morning together, eat the same thing, and go run together."
Yesterday's women's champ said having her husband to train with really helps push her.
"Some days it really helps to have somebody there with you," she said.
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