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Marathon mom loves running

A latecomer to the sport, Kim Campbell is making up for any lost time with busy race schedule
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KIM CAMPBELL TOOK part in the 31st annual Dead Sea Marathon in Israel in February.

Kim Campbell is a mom in motion.

The mother of 13 – with 17 grandkids and two more on the way – just finished running her "fourth or fifth" marathon to go along with the many half marathons and other races she has participated in.

The 57-year-old has been running for 13 years and said she got into it because she felt her kids were not getting enough exercise. "I started a walk-run program with them, and I thought, 'I can do this. It's actually kind of fun.'

"I didn't start running till I was 45-ish. I was at home for 30 years doing groceries and laundry. If I can do it, anybody can do it. I'm not a great athlete, I do it completely for fun."

Great athlete or not, there is no doubt her running has been a great way for her to see the world. "I've done the Penticton Ironman and Penticton Challenge," she says, adding the highlight to date was her first Penticton Ironman in 2010. "The scenery was great."

In February this year Campbell was in Israel to compete in the 31st annual Dead Sea Marathon. "It was really hot, but really beautiful." Another trip took her to Sadona, Arizona for a half marathon. "It's a lovely way to holiday," she noted.

Campbell says she loves training for her races, even though at times it has meant she has had to persevere through injury. She says a lot of self help and the talents of Lauren McGuire at The Joint Physiotherapy & Sports Injury Centre have kept her running career on track.

Campbell certainly has no plans to slow down any time soon. When she was in Victoria for her latest marathon, she saw a TV interview with a woman in her 80s who was running the race. "I said, 'That's going to be me,'' Campbell recalls.

Campbell has plans to compete in a race in Germany to celebrate her 60th birthday, and there are more adventures awaiting her. "I would love to do a stage run through mountains, and this year or next I want to do cross-country skiing."

With three teenage boys at home and working nights, Campbell still makes time to run three times a week. Spinning, biking and cross-fit training are also part of her routine.

A member of the Comox Valley Triathlon Club, Campbell has competed in races with her children and says the most fun she has had was with her daughters running the Edge to Edge event from Tofino to Ucluelet.

"This is what we do as a family," Campbell said, adding her husband Jack is now taking part in triathletes as well. Campbell has trophies from the Mind over Mountain Adventure Race (MOMAR) and has done the running and biking segments of the Royal LePage Comox Valley Snow to Surf Adventure Relay Race. "All the local events are fun," she said. Although she has not competed in the Perseverance Trail Run, she notes she runs the course with a friend "for fun" on Fridays.

 

Born in Vancouver, Campbell moved to the Valley when she was 10 and calls it "the best place in the universe. There's lots of great people and training here, and I have an incredibly supportive husband. He's my biggest fan. He thinks I can do anything."