Caleb De Jong’s first full marathon race since 2021 could not have gone better Sunday morning at the 47th annual Manitoba Marathon.

With family and friends cheering him on, the 29-year-old completed the 42.2-kilometre course in 2:26:47, claiming his first-ever marathon race win on a sunny day in his hometown.

Making the moment even more special for De Jong was seeing his father, Doug De Jong, also complete the full marathon. At 63 years old, Doug finished the race with a time of 4:35:41.

JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS Caleb de Jong wins the Manitoba Marathon men’s race.

“It’s super cool,” De Jong said after crossing the finish line in Princess Auto Stadium.

“Just the whole atmosphere and environment, all the music and speakers and cameras and all that.

It’s a super fun, fun day on Father’s Day. Everyone out, family, it’s great.”

De Jong, who has been running for more than 10 years and previously competed in the half marathon at the past three Manitoba Marathons, placed fourth in the full event in 2021.

He has also practiced the full distance before and even helped a friend with pacing a full marathon.

But competing against the largest full marathon field in Manitoba Marathon recorded history is new territory.

Just shy of 1,300 full marathoners registered this year — a record-breaking number of participants for the event, said Rachel Munday, executive director of the Manitoba Marathon.

“To be honest, both,” said De Jong when asked if his mindset is racing against others or his own personal best times.

“There’s a little bit like, chip on the shoulder, and, like, prove to other people how fast you can run, and can you, like, run with someone and challenge yourself in runs and workouts and stuff with your friends.

But there’s also just prove it to yourself and can you be comfortable, even when it’s hard… because it gets really hard, especially a long race like a half marathon or marathon.”

Winnipeg’s Tristan Da Silva came in second with a time of 2:32:35, and last year’s winner, Andrew Taylor from Lafayette, Ind., placed third with a time of 2:34:09.

JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS Janine Zajac celebrates as she wins the Manitoba Marathon women’s race.

“To be honest, it was in the back of my mind,” said De Jong, who beat his 2021 time by almost 15 minutes, when asked if he thought about winning going into the race.

On the women’s side, the third time was the charm for Janine Zajac, who also claimed her first-ever marathon victory in just her third attempt at the full Manitoba Marathon.

The 28-year-old Winnipegger, who has been running since she was seven years old, smashed her personal record on her way to the win with a time of 2:58:17.

“I feel amazing,” said Zajac after crossing the finish line.

“This is my first win for a marathon, so I couldn’t be happier.”

The last time she can remember winning a race was 11 years ago, back in high school. She graduated from Vincent Massey Collegiate in 2014.

“You never really know,” said Zajac if she knew she was going to win during the race. “Someone can come out of nowhere at any point.

I was in third until about maybe kilometre 18 and then I started to, I felt really good so I started to push it and just kept going.”

JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS Caleb de Jong speaks to reporters after crossing the finish line.

Zajac placed 15th in her first Manitoba Marathon back in 2023 with a time of 3:38:08, and sixth in 2024 with a time of 3:21:58. She also recently completed the Boston Marathon at the end of April with a time of 3:11:03, heading into the Manitoba Marathon with a goal of finishing in the top three and breaking the three-hour mark.

Zajac ended up being the only female racer to do so, with two other Winnipeggers following in second and third place: Ashley Elliott (3:05:16) and Maia Idzikowski (3:10:24).

“I love running around people that I know,” said Zajac. “My parents and my sister are out cheering for me, so it’s the best feeling.”

Over in the Half Marathon race, Alison McPherson of Canmore, Alta., finished first with a time of 1:22:14.

Last year’s full marathon runner-up Jessica Wylychenko found herself in second place once again, this time in the half marathon event with a time of 1:23:39. A minute later came Elizabeth Tomczak of Regina, who placed third with a time of 1:24:52.

“I got some family here watching, so it’s a pretty special day,” said McPherson.

“My partner’s family’s all here, and he’s running the full, so I was thinking about him all day.”

BROOK JONES./ FREE PRESS Caleb De Jong placed first in a race in which his father Doug also competed.

On the men’s side, Benjamin Preisner from Vancouver, a 2020 Olympic athlete, came away with first place with a time of 1:04:21.

For Preisner, the event serves more as a warmup in his marathon season.

The long-distance runner will compete for Team Canada at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan, Sept. 13 to 21.

“It’s a big race in Canada,” said Preisner on what brought him to Winnipeg. “I’m just trying to build fitness into the marathon season in the fall, and Winnipeg always puts on a really good race.”

Nageso Nyafaro Tuse of Calgary (1:04:34) was right behind Preisner, coming in second, with Collin Buck from Kalispell, Mont., (1:06:55) following in third.

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“It’s always great to celebrate running with communities around Canada,” said Preisner. “Winnipeg really showed up today.”

Around 12,500 runners registered for the race and about half are competing for the first time, according to Munday.

JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS Janine Zajac, 28, has been running since she was 7.

“It’s not just about the number of young runners,” said Munday.

“It’s a new demographic, it’s a diverse group, there’s people from every background, and it’s really exciting to see everybody in the community getting out and running.”