The mega-runners streamed in for The Canberra Times Marathon Festival on Sunday. They've brought a heroic defiance of pain with them. Karin Thorburn was arriving from Townsville for her 486th marathon. Shortly after she'll head to Boston for the world-famous marathon there. Last Sunday, she ran the 26-miler in Shellharbour. Sixty-year-old Rick Patzold was coming from Sydney to compete in his 421st marathon, and his 23rd in Canberra. Seventy-three-year old Bob Fickel was running his 40th marathon in Canberra. Their motivations have one thing in common: defiance. Karin Thorburn has a condition called scoliosis which means her spine has a sideways curve. "I was treated for this a long, long time ago, and told I'd never do sport - and that's when I started running," she said. She hasn't stopped. "I just love it. I get to travel the world and I meet a lot of characters on the way." At 58, with 22 years of serious running behind her, she doesn't have the common knee and ankle damage that some get. She shepherds her body - she will run carefully on Sunday because of the Boston event a week later. And she has a top tip for runners: don't hang on to that old pair of running shoes. She has 15 to 20 pairs which she rotates according to the state of the ground. On Sunday, she'll wear a "light road shoe". She doesn't feel pain during the marathon. "It's very rare that I feel actual pain. I might get fatigue, but then I just back off and recompose myself," she said. Her personal best time was three hours and 36 minutes. She said she'd be pleased with under four hours on Sunday. Rick Patzold runs to defy the memory of the pain he felt when his mother died of cervical cancer in 1978. He was 13 at the time. Witnessing her agony drove him out onto the streets to run and run, eventually working up to the big one, the 42.195 kilometres of a marathon - and he hasn't stopped after 25 years of running them. "I saw Mum going through it for three years. I couldn't handle seeing the pain and I went running just to get away. "I run marathons now to seek that pain because that reminds me of Mum," he said. He's had fractures and cartilage injuries but he keeps on going, though he said he did feel pain around the 30-kilometre mark. "There's a pain that slows me down but I'm still running marathons in around four hours - but recovery is a bit slower." Which means that he has to pace himself over the longer period. Last week, for example, he only did the 10 kilometres in Shellharbour to conserve his energy for Canberra. "Canberra is more important than anything else," he said. And Bob Fichel keeps running to defy age: "You've got to have something to keep you motivated. I'm 73 and I've completed 315 marathons." He said there was no pain barrier to go through. He just keeps running. "I just love running marathons., My right knee is not 100 per cent but it doesn't stop me from running. I'm amazing!" All this heroic defiance of pain and ageing will result in road closures during the event on Sunday. The National Capital Authority listed them: Time: 4:00am - 11:00am Locations: Time: 4:00am - 10:30am Locations: Time: 4:00am - 2:00pm Locations: Time: 4:00am - 3:00pm Locations: Time: 4:00am - 10:30am Locations: Time: 4:00am - 11:30am Location: Time: 4:00am - 1:15pm Locations