Three men from Steinbach have just learned they have qualified to run in next year's Boston Marathon.

The Boston Marathon is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious races on the planet. Approximately 30,000 runners have been invited to compete in the race on April 20, 2020. Invitations are sent out to only those runners who meet qualifying standards.

Of the 30,000 runners to qualify, only 32 of them are from Manitoba and all but three live in Winnipeg. Those three are the Steinbach trio of Greg Penner, Chris Schroeder and Gord Funk.

For Schroeder, lining up with the world's best in Boston has been on his bucket list for a number of years. Schroeder says he first became interested in running marathons after watching his wife compete.

"I thought that was crazy," he admits. "But it was really inspiring."

The couple started running together and pretty soon Schroeder too was competing in marathons. He says at about his fourth marathon, he started getting close to the Boston qualifying time, and at that point it became a goal of his. This spring he ran the Manitoba Marathon within the qualifying time, but had to wait until the end of September to find out for certain he had made it. Schroeder says he received his congratulatory email while on his lunch break.

"I was just checking my email at lunch and all of a sudden it was there and I just said, "I did it,'" he recalls. "It was really a dream come true and I still can't really believe it."

Schroeder says his goal each marathon is to beat his previous best time and the Boston Marathon will be no exception.

The journey to Boston has been a different one for Funk. Having lived in Australia the previous 18 years and never coming close to qualifying, Funk says the Boston Marathon was not on his radar. But, after arriving in Steinbach and starting to run regularly with a group of committed racers, Funk says his marathon time started dropping. Combine that with the fact Funk had hit age 45, which meant his time required to qualify was now slower than what it was a year earlier. Funk too ran the June Manitoba Marathon in qualifying time and also received his congratulatory letter last week.

With the big race still six and a half months away, Funk admits it will be a challenge to stay in marathon shape. But if you spend just a few minutes with him, you quickly realize that for Funk it is not all about running the quickest time possible. Rather, he intends to make the very most of the experience, as thousands of spectators watch on.

"There's a lot of stuff that's put on for the runners and so I want to actually run at a pace where I can enjoy the entire event that is Boston," he says.

For Penner, racing down the streets of Boston next April will not be his first time. Back in 2012, Penner was the fastest Manitoban at the race. His goal this time around is to be one of the top Canadian finishers.

So how do three men from Steinbach, Manitoba end up being the only non-Winnipeg runners to qualify for next year's race? Penner says there is power in group training. You see, the three of them belong to a group of dedicated, serious runners who meet once a week at the Steinbach track. A group started by Penner three years ago.

"The group environment really changes everything in running," says Penner. "Often it's a very isolated solitude type of sport."

Penner says if you can get a group of people together that are all driven to be the best they can be, their skills improve immensely.