A race course flat as a pancake.
No swirling winds.
A bright sun.
Bearable temperatures.
It all added up to a perfect day to run for Stephanie Seaward.
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The Corner Brook native, who now lives in Nova Scotia, knocked 12 minutes of her personal best time at the 2018 Scotiabank Fredericton Marathon last Sunday in New Brunswick.
She finished up fourth overall on the women’s side in a field of 133 competitors with a final clocking of three hours, 14 minutes and 42 seconds.
She shaved 12 minutes off the personal best time of 3:26.14 she registered in 2016 at the Scotiabank Bluenose Marathon in Halifax.
It was her first attempt at beating her personal best time since crossing the finish line at the 2017 Boston Marathon that proved to be a test of her mettle as she battled scorching heat to the finish line with no thought of getting a personal best.
She was scheduled to compete in another marathon in the fall of 2017 but an injury prevented her from participating so the Fredericton marathon was her first shot at beating her personal best time and she’s glad it all worked out in her favour.
“I kept waiting for the wheels to fall off and they didn’t,” she said.
Leaving Fredericton with a personal best time made the trip worthwhile for sure, but what really impressed Seaward was the fact her run was consistent, with the second half of her jaunt less than a minute slower than her first half.
“If you can run your second half the same speed as your first it’s a good thing,” she said. “I don’t care about coming fourth or first, the fact that I ran a good race and it was consistent I feel good,” she said.
