This year's edition of the Manitoba Marathon produced two first-time winners.
Teresa Fekensa won the marathon with a time of 2:38. Fekensa lives in Toronto after immigrating to Canada from Ethiopia. He won a marathon in Saskatoon in the past, but this was his first time in Winnipeg.
"I came to Canada to run," said Fekensa through a translator. "Because of the oppression, I didn't want to go back. I am protesting that oppressive system, and I stayed here and I would like to run for Canada in the future."
Meanwhile, Emily Ratzlaff finished with the best time of all female runners. It was also her first time running in the Manitoba Marathon.
"It's a nice route," said Ratzlaff, who is originally from B.C. but now lives in Winnipeg. "There's a few parts that aren't so nice, but most of it is good."
"I didn't expect to win," said Ratzlaff, 31. "I'm surprised that I won."
The race began at 7 a.m. Sunday and wrapped up in the early afternoon.
The 26-mile run ended at Investors Group Field, making it the only Canadian marathon to finish on a Canadian Football League field.
