What does it take? Runners share stories, advice ahead of Sunday’s Saskatchewan Marathon

With the Saskatchewan Marathon coming up on Sunday, runners have been out in full force along the South Saskatchewan River, getting in their final shake-out runs before the event.

The marathon marks its 48th year in 2026. The race – which features a full and half-marathon course, as well as 10-kilometre, five-kilometre, family and child race options – is held in Saskatoon, representing one of the two major marathon events held in the province each year.

Read more:

• Eight Saskatchewan communities set heat records on Wednesday: Environment Canada
• Saskatoon Berries have new look – and championship expectations – for 2026 WCBL season
• Devin Adams excited to join Riders in third CFL season

Some local athletes making their mark in the global running world shared their stories and advice ahead of race day:

Mandy Currie describes herself as “not the fastest runner, but the happiest runner.” In April 2026, she was the first-place female in the Hikuri 81 km ultra marathon in Mexico. (Mandy Currie/Facebook)

Mandy Currie

Mandy Currie’s racing introduction came when she ran her first half marathon in Saskatoon years ago.

She said she loved the experience, quickly signed up for more races, and was soon itching to run even further.

“I’m not the fastest runner, but I promise you, I’m the happiest runner,” Mandy Currie recalled telling an aid station volunteer during her most recent ultramarathon in the Cypress Hills.

The pediatric ICU nurse said she remembers running with a huge smile throughout the 81-kilometre race.

In just the past month, Currie has competed in back-to-back ultramarathons, finishing as the first female in the Hikuri 81 km race in Mexico, then placing sixth overall in the Reeser 50.

She said the Mexico ultramarathon – composed of “rugged, unmaintained, technical trail” –  took her just over 12 hours to complete, with temperatures upwards of 34 C and about 4,000 metres of elevation gain. She finished the Cypress Hills ultramarathon, which covered the same distance in much less extreme conditions, in just under nine hours.

“You can’t compare race to race,” Currie said. “Somebody can rattle off their marathon or half-marathon time, but for ultramarathons, there’s so many other factors that come into play.”

Currie has a long list of road races that she’s run, too. Her marathon time – around three hours and 15 minutes – is something she classified as “pretty decent,” but she said she wouldn’t place herself among the elite.

France, Italy and Switzerland make for a picturesque European vacation tour for many. Currie toured them during the 175-kilometre Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc mountain ultramarathon last year, which the runner said was a “bucket list race.”

“You’re pretty much eating non stop,” she said, listing gels, drinks high in carbohydrates and electrolytes and little bits of “real food” she grazed on at aid stations – plain rice and noodles, bread and soup broth, for instance – as the fuel that got her to the finish line in 31 hours.

“Anything that looks appealing at the time, you’re just like, ‘Yes, I’ll try to get this in my stomach,’” she explained.

Currie said it’s the race she’s most proud of, and it was especially significant as it marked the one-year anniversary of her sister’s death.

The runner described herself as “fairly mentally strong.

“Even when problems come up, I can usually fight through them,” she said.

Currie said she plans to travel back to France next year to compete in the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc event for a second time.

“I always tell everybody, consistency is key, so whatever that means to you, don’t be so hard on yourself,” Currie advised.

“Give yourself some grace and don’t be so competitive. In the end, none of us are Olympians.”

Andrew Giassa displays his Boston Marathon 2026 medal on May 15, 2026. (Libby Gray/650 CKOM)

Andrew Giassa

Andrew Giassa has been a Saskatchewan RCMP officer for more than a decade. Known online as “The Running Cop,” Giassa isn’t just chasing down criminals – he’s also chasing down new personal bests.

Having just completed his second Boston Marathon, Giassa, 39, bested his time for the course by more than 13 minutes, finishing with a time of two hours, 37 minutes and six seconds.

“I was incredibly impressed with that,” Giassa said. “I went in believing, like, ‘OK, I can do this.’ I was really happy with the results.”

He finished in the top three per cent of runners.

After Boston, Giassa ran in the Vancouver half marathon last month, placing 33rd out of more than 11,000 runners.

Andrew Giassa after finishing the 2026 Boston Marathon in the top three per cent of runners with a time of 2:39:14 in April, 2026. (Saskatchewan RCMP/Facebook)

His previous best time was set on the much flatter Edmonton marathon course, a far cry from his first marathon time of more than four and a half hours.

The fun energy around race day, he said, is something that drew him to pursue the sport with more dedication.

Giassa’s training has him lacing up his shoes seven days a week, logging an average of 17 kilometres daily. He said he makes sure to work in a mixture of speed workouts, easy and moderate runs to maximize his performance. While “putting in the mileage” is important, Giassa said structuring a training plan can be a key to dialing in on more competitive running milestones, like faster race times.

He added that good nutrition has also been a major contributor to his success, as it can aid in recovery and fuel workouts. Sourdough bread with honey is Giassa’s go-to pre-run snack.

Along with focusing on nutrition, he said buying good shoes is his top advice to any runner.

Running has kept his body and mind in shape and brought him many friends through the years, he said. It’s also taken him to places like Boston and Berlin.

Saskatoon’s Alana Kulyk just completed her second Boston Marathon in 2026 in 3:36:29. (Libby Gray/650 CKOM)

Alana Kulyk

Alana Kulyk is the kind of natural runner that was able to tackle a half marathon for the first time with hardly any training, completing the race in about an hour and 46 minutes.

She said people were impressed with her time, but told her she could get even faster if she trained.

A lifelong runner for her health, Kulyk, a 45-year-old banker and fitness class instructor, said she grew up running gravel roads in and around Clavet, Sask., sometimes measuring distance with a car odometer.

But she didn’t start racing until about five years ago.

Kulyk said a difficult divorce prompted her to sign up for her first marathon, as she wanted to try something beyond her comfort zone. She said she used a training plan she found online, but has never been coached and prefers to stick to the treadmill during the winter.

For the past two years, Kulyk has qualified for and ran the Boston Marathon, where she set a personal best, finishing with a time of three hours, 30 minutes and 19 seconds.

“I took my earbuds, but I didn’t actually listen to music either time,” Kulyk said, recalling the electricity of the people and crowds gathered for the race. She said even in stretches of the race with fewer spectators, she settled into the rhythmic pounding of feet on pavement from the hundreds of runners around her.

In October, Kulyk will tackle another world major race, the Chicago Marathon, and she’s pondered signing up for an ultramarathon one day.

For now, conscious of her age, Kulyk said she’s content with maintaining her marathon time for as long as she can, and pushing to keep qualifying for Boston.

“I always say, after each marathon, I’m like, “I’m not doing this again,” and then, you know, I end up doing it again,” she said.

“You’ve got to think about how you feel after, and how you achieve that goal.”

This Sunday, instead of running herself, Kulyk will be cheering on her nine-year-old daughter at the Saskatchewan Marathon.

Though her daughter hasn’t taken quite the same interest in running as Kulyk, she said the girl was pleased when her teachers asked Kulyk to visit the class and speak about the Boston Marathon.

“She was showing everyone my medal,” Kulyk said. “That was probably the best part, is just, like, how proud she was of me. I hope she remembers this, and when she wants to achieve stuff… that she won’t give up and she’ll find a way.”

Kulyk encouraged Saskatchewan Marathon runners this weekend to remember that they’ve already completed the hardest part – training.