Kelowna’s homegrown Olympic marathon runner Malindi Elmore raced her way onto yet another podium over the weekend.
The two-time Olympian, UBC Okanagan coach, and mother to two young boys clinched second place in the final moments of the hilly and hot Tartan Ottawa International Marathon.
Elmore, 43, spoke with Capital News while in the airport on her way back to Kelowna.
She said that in the latter stages of the race she was running hard and was feeling worked. However, as she approached Germany’s Melat Kejata in the last kilometre of the 42.2 km race, her competitive instincts kicked in.
“I knew I had to at least try.”
She pushed with all she had and reeled her competitor in, until it was time to make a move.
Elmore laid it all out on the line, and passed Kejata with speed, to ensure she would not be able to respond to the sprint finish.
After crossing the finish line 15 seconds ahead of third place, with a time of 2:27:44, Elmore collapsed onto the ground out of exhaustion. Immediately, her youngest son raced over and hopped into her lap, to congratulate his mom.
I have had to sprint finish 4 of my 6 marathons…just when I think I am going to cruise in I see a spot up for grabs. So hard to sprint the last 500m of a 42.2 Km race!!!! https://t.co/xEB7QtgZ1Q
— Malindi Elmore 🥑 (she/her) (@MalindiElmore) May 28, 2023
Elmore said that she loves having her family at races, as they bring perspective and joy to the experience.
She hopes to lead by example, and show her sons that with support, they can accomplish great things.
“Hopefully one day they will pursue their own passions with support from their network.”
Her husband and son cheered her on from multiple points around the course, inserting moments of joy into the gruelling race.
“They give me motivation and positive energy.”
Elmore would like to thank her family, coaches, sponsors and supporters for helping her to achieve her goals.
Her racing schedule over the summer and fall is still undecided. Elmore was selected to Canada’s 2023 World Athletics Championships team, which takes place in Budapest in August.
She said that she may race at the World Championships, depending on how her recovery and training goes over the next month.
@Rangers_mom
Jacqueline.Gelineau@kelownacapnews.com
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