Captain Clot-Buster, otherwise known as Martin Parnell, will be taking on the Calgary Marathon on May 29. “I'm very nervous - it's the first marathon for the Captain.
Captain Clot-Buster, otherwise known as Martin Parnell, will be taking on the Calgary Marathon on May 29.
“I'm very nervous - it's the first marathon for the Captain. He's done a 10 km, a half-marathon, the Policeman's half, the Glencoe Icebreaker 10 km, so this will be his first outing for the full 42.2 km, ” Parnell said.
The theme for the marathon is superheroes, which is only fitting considering the heroic strides Parnell has taken over the last year.
In February of 2015 while at a conference in Manitoba, it was discovered that Parnell had a large blood clot in his brain. Thanks to a fast-acting medical team, he is alive and well today.
Through the use of medication and an adjusted lifestyle, the clot has shrunk by 95 per cent in size. Unfortunately, Parnell had to give up exercise for a period of time while he recovered.
“I basically did nothing for about three months, then I got walking. Last year I walked the Calgary five kilometre, normally I do the marathon or the ultra but it's the first time I've ever walked a race, ” Parnell explained.
Now with the go ahead from his medical team, Parnell has been working hard to make up for time lost in recovery.
“Training has been not bad - my longest run was a 34 km which is good, I'm pretty happy with that. I was struggling up until about a month ago, ” Parnell said.
Parnell admits he's “lost some speed ” while he's running but he's keeping his expectations low with this race.
“I'm not worried, it's not about my time. I'm pretty happy with my runs in terms of how I feel in my body, so really I'm just looking to complete the marathon, ” Parnell said.
“The Captain's motto is ‘Keep fit and do good.' because I figure if you can do that then you're doing all right, ” Parnell said.
Parnell's participation is another fundraiser for the Right to Play organization, which uses the power of play to educate and empower children to overcome the effects of poverty, conflict and disease in disadvantaged communities.
“We're hoping to raise $1,000 - that would help 20 kids get a right to play program so, to me, that's a cool way of giving back, ” Parnell said.
