Sask. runner thrilled, nervous for first in-person race since pandemic

Tarrant Cross Child is nervous, excited and scared all at the same time to be finally back and running a full in-person marathon this Sunday.

Less than 24 hours before the starting gun goes off, Cross Child is anticipating his return to in-person races with the Saskatchewan Marathon.

The past two years of the race have been virtual.

“It’s still exciting to be able to go out to run but it’s next level to be able to go out and do that with other people.”

Cross Child said before the pandemic, he took racing opportunities for granted. Now, he’s feeling all the emotions — especially anticipation — as he prepares to take his place amongst the masses at tomorrow’s starting line.

During the pandemic, Cross Child ran the Toronto Waterfront Marathon virtually while he was in Regina.

“You miss out on the atmosphere. Going to the race event, picking up your race package, seeing the booths, mingling with other runners … and then the start line, the national anthem,” Cross Child described.

He said the music, speeches, crowds of runners and supporters, aid stations and the arch looming in the distance to mark the finish line all make for a much grander atmosphere.

“All that, it just adds into the excitement and the experience of running a race.”

It’s not all excitement, of course. As Cross Child prepares himself for the 42.2-kilometre distance he will be running Sunday, he knows he’s confident in his training and the work he’s put in. He also knows a mental struggle awaits him during those kilometres.

A “crazy amount of stress … not only in your body but in your mind,” Cross Child explained.

“Wrestling back and forth but that’s what makes it all worth it when you cross the finish line.”

He said the last five kilometres is especially brutal, gruelling as the physical and mental exhaustion takes hold. That only amplifies the sense of accomplishment felt with the final steps across the finish line.

“We respect the distance and the work that it takes to cover,” Cross Child reflected.

— With files from 980 CJME’s Dominick Lucyk