Weyburn's Marnel Spencer has achieved two World Records for Powerlifting.
Representing Team Canada at the North American Powerlifting Championship last week in Arizona, the 61-year-old also achieved 12 North American records, three Commonwealth records, and five National records.
With a total of 18 lifts at the one-day event, including a deadlift of just under three times her 101 lb body weight, Spencer lifted 120.5 kg, which is 266 lbs, for the Squat record, with a Total World record of 316.5 kg, which is 700 lbs.
She said her coach, Ryan Fowler, pushes her to do more than she ever thinks she can.
"At North Americans, my goal was to get that world record. There's a Japanese lady that had that squat world record and that was my goal and I knew I thought I could do it because I had done it in the gym here before. But you never know on the day of. So I got that and then he pushed even more on my deadlift and stuff to also get me the world record total. So getting two world records was pretty cool."
The married grandmother of two, who grew up on a farm in the Weyburn area, only got into the sport in her early 50s.
"From high school on, pretty much, I was a gym goer. I did light weights, and I loved cardio. Then about 11 years ago, Ryan Fowler, my coach, started prodding me, for like a year, and I'm just like, 'powerlifting?' I knew nothing about it. 'What? I'm 100 pounds!' Anyways, so I finally gave in and I said okay, I'll give it a try and he wanted me to do this one competition that was in Saskatoon. So I trained for two and a half months. I did this Saskatoon competition. Got a bunch of records. I was hooked. I loved it."
Spencer said powerlifting has become her passion.
"I love all the training, the competing. I get quite nervous and a little bit stressed about the competitions, but I always do well so that little bit of nervous adrenaline I guess works for me," she shared.
"So it's just become a passion. I love my training days, my team that I train with, is amazing. Some of them have become my best friends, even though they're way younger than me, and of course, Ryan, our coach is amazing. We're so lucky to have him here. He's one of the top coaches in Canada and he travels worldwide doing this."
She said that after 10 years, Fowler continues to push her for every competition, ranging from multiple provincial, national, North American, and world competitions. But what really drives Spencer is being an inspiration for others.
"I always say, you don't have to go to the gym every day. You don't have to lift super heavy weights, you don't have to compete. But just I love to see people get started on some sort of a movement, and incorporate some cardio and some weights."
"As a grandma and a 61-year-old, I would love to see more little elderly people get those bones strong, just so you are able to have fun with your grandkids and just move."
She said powerlifting makes her feel empowered in everything in life.
"Not just the physical part of it, but the mental part of it is huge. It's huge and all the studies and everything you read tell you that how much physical activity affects your mental health. I hear of a lot of people right here in Weyburn who struggle with mental health, and when I'm working here [at Olympia In-Depth Performance], come in and sit and chat about it and say, 'this is the best thing I ever did for my mental health'. So I just love love to hear that."
"If there's anybody that's thinking about coming in but uncomfortable with the gym or whatever, come on in and see me and I'll show you around. I can help you with machines and start you on a little path. I love to do that."
Spencer said she likes to take at least six months between each competition, but will be assisting Fowler in hosting one at the end of September at Olympia In-Depth Performance. Then, she'll volunteer at provincials in Saskatoon in February, not competing again until nationals in February.
"It's a lot of heavy training up to especially the big competitions. It's a lot of intense, heavy training up to and then the day of the competition too. So just that downtime is really important."
She said there's always a little more weight to add for goal-setting, and it's never too late for anyone hoping to gain strength and feel more empowered.
"Olympia In-Depth is just an amazing facility for training, whether you're powerlifting or not. But we have a an amazing power lifting training area and of course, like I said, Ryan, being here to coach us," she added. "All my supplements that help me stay healthy and strong I get from Flawless Nutrition. So that's really helpful to have that available in Weyburn."