Marathon runners, from bottom left, Jenni Marsh, Todd Hardy, Rose Hartwig and Dan Howard try some beer during the Summer Brewfest at Esther Short Park in Vancouver. Summer Brewfest overlapped with the Vancouver USA Marathon, a race that wound through scenic parts of the city and ended at the downtown Vancouver park.Photo Gallery
Many athletes who crossed the Vancouver USA Marathon or half-marathon finish line on Sunday soon rewarded themselves with a beer.
For some race participants, Summer Brewfest in Esther Short Park was a chance to celebrate Father’s Day, too.
Todd Heide of Edmonds turned both events into a mini-holiday, taking the train to Vancouver with his girlfriend, Victoria Moore, and his adult children, Tylene and Sloan Heide. They stayed in the Hilton Vancouver Washington across from the park, visited local businesses and restaurants, and then Todd Heide and Moore ran the race as the kids cheered them on.
Afterward, they all had a cold one.
“We drink the beer while you do the marathon,” Tylene told her dad as she laughed.
It was the third year her father ran in the race. He signed up for the first one soon after learning he had Type 2 diabetes.
“This was the first marathon that came up when I was diagnosed,” he said. He runs about three to four times a week, and his training and healthier eating habits since his diagnosis have helped him lose about 100 pounds.
Now, he doesn’t need any medications to keep his diabetes in check.
“Running has really helped me quite a bit,” he said. Regarding the trip as a whole, he added: “It was just a really nice weekend.”
There were plenty of other dads and runners at Brewfest. Javier Ponce of Vancouver enjoyed a beer alongside his son Alberto Ponce, who’s also a dad, and their friend Irene Soto.
Javier Ponce remarked on the limps and hobbles displayed by runners post-marathon, including his own.
“I hurt like everybody else,” he said. But the beer did help ease some of that pain, Soto joked.
It was Javier Ponce’s second time participating in the Vancouver USA Marathon. He said he came back in part because of the race’s atmosphere. “Everybody’s really friendly here,” he said.
He added that he also enjoys spending time with son Alberto Ponce, who has run in past marathons but couldn’t this year because of an injury.
Runners were treated to taster tokens at Brewfest, allowing them to sample some of the craft beers provided by 25 regional breweries.
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