Last Friday, over 600 students from Elizabeth Barrett Elementary, Manachaban Middle School and Cochrane High School flooded the tri-school football field for a cause they hold dear.
Strong spirits were on display among the kids and a handful of high school and middle school leadership students as they walked and ran along the field’s perimeter. It’s something they’ve been doing for the past month, but May 29 was something special.
“He started with us and ended with us,” said principal Susan Parker of Martin Parnell, know as the “Marathon Man”. Elizabeth Barrett was one of the first schools Parnell visited during his campaign to run 250 marathons in a year that began Jan. 1, 2010. He finished his subsequent Quest for Kids campaign that raised $1.36 million with a marathon Dec. 31, 2014 at Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre involving some of the school’s pupils.
He visited the school several times each year during his initiative to promote a number of efforts aimed at increasing physical activity and wellbeing among children, such as Active Living and Right to Play.
The “May Marathon for Martin” was the school’s way of showing their support after they learned that the record-breaking runner discovered a rare blood clot in his brain, leaving him unable to run. Students would walk and run the outside of the field at the start of every day for 15 minutes, the goal to reach a marathon with the total combined distance of the month. They ended up achieving just over the distance.
“We felt it was important to let him know that while he brought us along on his journey, we are now there with him on his latest journey. It brings it back to that sense of teamwork that Martin is all about,” Parker said.
Students also made a large three-panel card with messages and images to show their compassion for a man they clearly care deeply about.
“I’ve been here many times with the kids and done different things. It’s fantastic support,” Parnell said. “I was thrilled. I’m just blown away.”
For Parnell, the last few months have been difficult to say the least. Ever since the clot was discovered back in February during a speaking engagement in Winnipeg, it’s been an uphill climb from over a week bedridden in a Winnipeg hospital to just being able to go for a walk. Although he has been improving as of late, Parnell’s days remain filled with a lot of medication and long nights – 10 hours of sleep and an hour nap during the day.
“Steady as she goes. It’s one of those things you can’t rush. With a clot on the brain, there’s not a clot buster or Draino you can take to clean it out. You’ve got to let the body do its thing.”
But he’s noticed his energy levels improving. In fact, just before his chat with the Eagle, Parnell and his wife Sue had just come back from an 8 km walk near the SLS Centre.
Doctors have told Martin it will be six to nine months before the clot should be reabsorbed into his body.
“It’s gone from a challenge with the children to a very personal challenge. I’m applying a lot the things I’ve learned to what’s happening with me right now. This was a huge curve ball.”
Then tragedy struck. While Sue was helping Martin recover, her father died from a brain hemorrhage back in England in April. Martin said, along with the clot, the situation “really gives me an appreciation of every day of being able to get up and to participate in life and give back again. It was a wake up call.”
When Martin was training and completing his campaigns, Sue and him trained and did many things separately due to the demands of his challenges. But now, through her support in his recovery, it’s given greater opportunities to do things together, such as walking.
“It absolutely been a team effort. She’s been basically by my side ever since (Winnipeg).”
On Sunday, Martin and Sue completed the 5 km route of the Calgary Marathon – their first ever, achieving a time of one hour, 14 minutes and 12 seconds.
“It’s always a good day when you can do a personal best. Someone says, ‘You must be so disappointed after doing hundreds of marathons and 50 km runs and ultras.’ And I say I’m thrilled to be out there. I’m just thrilled to be able to do it. And not only that, but again to support a charity and help others who are worse off than me.”
Martin said he’ll be meeting a specialist in July to determine the course for the rest of his recovery – and he’ll be following any recommendations.
“This isn’t like a sprained ankle where you push through. You don’t push through a blood clot.”
Martin said he’s not looking too far into the future, but he does have another book in the works – a sequel to Marathon Man. He’ll delve into the nine subsequent quests like his four Guinness World Records, his ascent of Mount Kilimanjaro and his 1,000 km run along the coast of England, as well as his experience with the clot.
After all that he’s been through, does the clot rule out running altogether?
“Never say never,” Martin said, resoundingly.
