March 25, 2004

Track North Web Site

Run Ontario - by Suzanne Murphy

Friendly Massey Marathon and Spanish River Half-Marathon

These events are scheduled for the third Sunday in July. Massey is approximately one hour west of Sudbury. The July, 2003 marked the 27th anniversary of the Marathon and the 14th anniversary of the half-marathon. The Friendly Massey Marathon did not begin in Massey. Norm Patenaude was the original organizer and the first race was in Chelmsford. It then moved to Sudbury, Espanola and finally Massey. It has also had several name changes over the years, Northern Lights Marathon, Voyageur Marathon, Friendly Voyageur Marathon and now the Friendly Massey Marathon. As the current organizers pointed out, the name has changed but the friendly spirit of the race has remained the same. The current chairpersons are Leslie and Elizabeth Gamble. They took over when their brother-in-law, Marvin Maahs, became ill. Marvin had been the organizer since 1996. Now, Leslie and Elizabeth and their committee work hard to keep the race going and to honour Norm and Marvin. The T -shirts pay tribute to these two men. In memory of Norm and Marvin is printed on the sleeve.
From the time a runner arrives, a friendly sense of commitment, community and pride is felt. Headquarters for race weekend is the Massey and District Arena. This provides relief from July weather. Everyone being in the arena at the same time lends itself well to the friendly sense of this event. Everything happens at the arena; T -shirt pick up, race information, pasta dinner, entertainment, pancake breakfast and awards ceremony. Volunteers from the Massey Lions and the Roman Catholic Church organize the pasta dinner, which is only $5.00. The dinner includes Caesar salad, pasta with meat or vegetarian (or both) sauce and fruit. After dinner entertainment in 2003 included the Massey Karate Club and the Chadbourn family from nearby Bonfield. The pancake breakfast, free to all participants and $3.00 for spectators is offered after the race on Sunday. Local accommodations include motels, resorts and campgrounds. Billets can be arranged with sufficient notice. This race is truly a community event!

For more information about this friendly event, please visit http://www.friendlymasseymarathon.com/

Ken Stubbings adds his thoughts of Massey:
With it being March, the maple syrup huts are in full tilt. I was sitting at the table thinking of pancakes and maple syrup while opening the mail. Low and behold a registration form for the Massey (Pancake) Marathon arrived. There is nothing like running for 21 or 42 km then having a feast of northern pancakes. So I was wondering when training would have to start. For you Boston bound people, who may be getting a little tired of that long run, the 16 week training starts on March 28. Are you still up to it?? YES WE ARE!! and we'll be there - at least for the 1/2 and definitely for the pancakes. Vince

New Additions to our "Training" Section

Our "Training" section has been freshened up to better suit the requirements of our group as well as others running in the Sudbury area. Initially we posted the Club's normal training schedule so other could join us whenever they desired.

New additions are 1) a good training schedule for marathoners presented by the Running Room, 2) a water running plan to stay in shape while injured including a 9 week schedule by Pete Pfitzinger, 3) a strength training program for runners courtesy of Runners World, 4) six maps of Rocks!! running routes from 5k to 32k plus the "Sun Run" courses, the Beaton Classic 12k course and the 21.1k Ramsey Tour course, 5) a pace calculator and 6) Boston Marathon qualifying times. Click on the banner for a closer look.