by Frank Lee
operations@thenewsleaders.com
Gayle McEnroe and Julie Quinn finished first in their age groups for women in the We Walk! on the Lake Wobegon Trail even though it took them more than eight hours to complete the event.
The We Walk! began at 7 a.m. May 21 for marathon participants and at 8:30 a.m. for half-marathon participants.
“I jogged probably about 80 percent of it,” said McEnroe, who completed the full marathon from Melrose to St. Joseph in 8 hours, 41 minutes and 31 seconds.
The 64-year-old salesperson from Woodbury entered the event with three of her relatives and walked and ran the course on a day that saw high temperatures in the low 80s.
Most of the course ran through rural Minnesota along scenic farms, woods, marshes and lakes, with small towns along the way about every six miles where participants could rest, eat and shop.
“I don’t know that any part of the course felt really hard,” McEnroe said after crossing the finish line in St. Joseph at about 4 p.m.
Event organizers estimated it would take nine hours to complete the marathon at 26.2 miles, and seven hours and 30 minutes to complete the half-marathon, which was 13.1 miles long.
“We came up to St. (Joseph) about three weeks ago and did a trial on this course,” McEnroe said. “We did 24 miles that day, so this was just a little bit longer.”
Each half mile along the course are Lake Wobegon Trail mile markers. The numbers on these markers approximate the number of miles from Minneapolis on the old railroad line, according to the We Walk! website.
“It’s a wonderful trail, but it’s definitely got hills, so I would call it a little challenging. The hills are big,” McEnroe said.
Quinn is McEnroe’s aunt, and she crossed the finish line on the northern edge of St. Joseph at Lake Wobegon Trail mile marker 82 just a few minutes after her niece.
The 57-year-old Quinn from Le Center works for the state of Minnesota and completed the marathon with a time of 8 hours, 44 minutes and 58 seconds.
“I’ve got a goal to actually do the Twin Cities marathon in a finishing time, under six hours, and so I’ve been running for a couple of years,” said Quinn, who was inspired to participate by her 70-year-old husband and 64-year-old niece McEnroe, who also participated in We Walk!
“We let one person be the so-called ‘Energizer Bunny,’ so when the rest of us are sort of lagging, somebody gets out ahead and then we get inspired to catch up with him,” Quinn said with a laugh.
For more information about this year’s We Walk! results, visit www.walkonmn.org/marathon/results.htm.
Julie Quinn, 57, of Le Center holds her hands up in victory after walking and running the 26.2 miles of the We Walk! marathon May 21 that started in Melrose and ended in St. Joseph on the Lake Wobegon Trail. She crossed the finish line with a time of 8 hours, 44 minutes and 58 seconds.
Julie Quinn of Le Center (left) and her niece Gayle McEnroe of Woodbury smile happily on the Lake Wobegon Trail after completing the 26.2 miles of the We Walk! marathon on May 21 that started in Melrose and ended in St. Joseph.
Gayle McEnroe, 64, of Woodbury (left) and her aunt, Julie Quinn, 57, of Le Center proudly display the medals they received for finishing first in their respective age groups for women walking and running the We Walk! marathon on May 21 that started in Melrose and ended in St. Joseph on the Lake Wobegon Trail.
