At opposite ends of the age spectrum, Halle Cada and Evert Bjorklund could be poster people for healthy living.
The 10-year-old Cada and 74-year-old Bjorklund both completed the 10-kilometre course during Sunday's YMCA Canadian Tire Road Race, which started and finished at Masich Place Stadium. Cada was running 10km for the first time in her life while Bjorklund has legged the distance so often he couldn't give a number if he tried.
Both had their own reasons for being out on the Prince George pavement.
Cada, from Quesnel, took up running a couple years ago and quickly discovered she loved it. At last summer's Billy Barker Days in her hometown, she ran a 5km race. Then, in the fall, she was asked by her grandpa, Bruce Brautigam, if she'd be up for the challenge of a 10km jaunt in the YMCA race. She said "sure" and started training every day, often with Brautigam as her partner.
Cada finished the YMCA course in a time of one hour seven minutes one second. She jogged side-by-side with her grandpa and also her dad, 37-year-old Bob Cada.
"It felt good but towards the end I felt a little tired," Halle Cada said of her run. "Going up the hills [was the toughest part]."
Some day, the 58-year-old Brautigam wants to run a half marathon with his granddaughter.
"It's going to be up to her but I'm thinking probably when she's about 15 or 16," he said. "It's a long run so it depends on her development. I don't want to push her. But she runs so well -- she's got a beautiful stride."
Then there was Bjorklund, who stopped the clock at 1:16:06. He started running when he was about 67 and now laces up his shoes four to five times per week. His inspiration was his brother, Egan, who had Alzheimer's disease and passed away at the age of 70.
"I always thought he would have done a lot better if he would have gotten some exercise," Bjorklund said.
Bjorklund, a weightlifter for close to 30 years, also did all 17 miles of last fall's Labour Day Classic. On Sunday, he said he felt "kind of slow" but he still made it across the finish line in fine form.
"My legs cramp up a little," he said. "But I run longer [distances] so I feel better -- it takes me about a mile to warm up."
The YMCA Canadian Tire Road Race also offered 5km and 21km distances. A total of 535 people participated.
