A Montreal couple crossed the finish line together Sunday after taking on 42.2 kilometres of the Montreal Marathon, with Spencer Levine pushing his wife, Amanda Tam, who lives with ALS, in a special wheelchair.
After months of training, the couple completed the marathon in three hours and 47 minutes, beating the four-hour goal they had set for themselves.
“We set out to do this course in four hours, and we ended up finishing in three hours and 47 minutes. So absolutely smashed our target, and we just had so much fun the whole way,” Levine said.
For Tam, completing her first marathon was also an emotional experience.
“It was super fun. I was overwhelmed at the time that I wasn’t ready for the amount of people to know me or even know my story.”
The couple took on the challenge in hopes of raising awareness about ALS and sharing Tam’s experience living with the disease.
“ALS does not discriminate against anyone. I mean, the average person who gets ALS are usually white men in their 50s to 60s, and clearly I don’t fit that demographic, so I want to spread awareness, share my story,” Tam said.
They were among 21,500 runners who took to the streets Sunday, including 6,000 marathoners. Organizers say about 35,000 people participated in races throughout the weekend.
Along the course, their story caught the attention of runners, spectators and organizers.
“It give me goosebumps. I saw them at the start line this morning. I gave them a hug. I said, you’re beautiful. You keep smiling,” said Alex Ratthé, general manager of Courons.
“It’s a lot of hours that you have to put into that preparation. So I’m really impressed,” said half-marathon runner Catherine Laberge.
“I can’t even imagine the determination it takes. It must take months and months of preparation. He did it, and that’s incredible,” added Mégane De Repentigny.
“A lot of strength, a lot of endurance. So I think it’s very, very, very cool,” said Gabriel.
The couple’s journey also shines a light on accessibility barriers in Montreal while raising money for ALS Quebec to support people affected by the disease.
“We successfully raised $15,000 for ALS Quebec. So we hit our target just last night and we are so, happy to support such a great organization,” Levine said.
For Tam, however, the marathon was also about showing what life with ALS can still look like and giving a voice to others living with the disease.
“I want to show people that even though you have a death sentence with ALS, it doesn’t mean you have to stop living. I mean, I’ve lived more now than I ever did. And the whole point of my story and my goal objective is to bring a voice to those who have lost it to this disease.”
The ‘Du cœur à la course’ program brought together 61 organizations. Together, they have raised more than $1.23 million toward a $1.35-million goal, with three weeks left in the campaign according to the organization’s press release.
The Montreal Beneva Marathon is scheduled to return from Sept. 17 to 19, 2027. Registration is already open.
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