N.L. runner disappointed Tokyo Marathon dreams are dashed

Since turning 50, Judy Sheppard has done every major marathon in the world with one exception.

The Newfoundland runner has tackled London, Berlin, New York, Chicago and Boston but she's never done Tokyo.

After years of trying to get into the race, this was her lucky year, until the Tokyo Marathon was waylaid due to the spread of novel coronavirus.

"I had packed masks, gloves, gels. Everything was ready to go," she told CBC Radio'sWeekend AM.

More than 2,000 people have died from the virusworldwide. Only six of those cases have happened outside mainland China.

Still, it was deemed too big a threat for the hordes of people who descend on Tokyo every year to take part in the marathon. More than 38,000 people were expected to run this year on March 1.

For the 2020 event at least, it is limited to the world's most elite runners and whleechair athletes,resulting in thousands of participants not getting to be part of one of the biggest marathons in the world.

Medals will wait

More than 300,000 people enter the lottery annually for a spot in the race.

Sheppard, 68, and her friend and fellow marathon runner JoseeHottonwere accepted to run this year. Sheppard found out it was cancelled when Hotton texted her the bad news.

Their bids for six-star medals representing each of the major marathons were dashed for another year.

"I was really looking forward to that one," Sheppard said.

The runners will be able to compete in next year's Tokyo Marathon without going back into the lottery.

Boston bombing

The two friends have been through the worst of marathons in the past. Hotton had just crossed the finish linewhen the first bombwent off in Boston in 2013.

Sheppard was a short distance behind her.

"I was 800 metres from the finish line and we were just stopped right in our tracks," Sheppard said. "It was nerve-racking for my husband [and]my family because we didn't know what was going on."

Three people were killed and 264 were injured.

Despite the scare, Sheppard was back a year later to finish the race.

Violence and viruses are not enough to dissuade her from international marathons in the future, however. She plans on getting her six-star medal, no matter what it takes.

Instead of running the Tokyo Marathon, she'll go for a run at home instead. But all her training throughout the winter will not go to waste;Sheppard is running the Boston Marathon again in April.

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