September 29, 2005

Alicia Kaye at the Worlds in Japan

Run for the Cure

1. ScotiaBank Toronto Waterfront Half and Marathon
2. Niagara on the Lake Duathlon - by Leslie McLosky
3. Malko Turnova Bulgaria to Istanbul, Turkey- Sheila Bikes the Orient Express
4. Upcoming Events - Run for the Cure, Turkey Trott and Turkey Gobbler
5. Running Room Run Club Update
6. Track North News - by Dick Moss
7. Ytri News - by Mike Coughlin -

ScotiaBank Toronto Waterfront Half and Marathon

The ScotiaBank Waterfront 1/2 and marathon got underway this year in very warm and humid conditions but that didn't deter the winning marathoner from setting a new course record when Simon Bor of Kenya broke the tape in 2:11:57 followed close behind by Nelson Lebo also of Kenya in 2:12:18. The women's race was not as close when Anastasia Ndereba of Kenya took the title with a 2:36:29, ahead of Lucy Hasell of England in 2:38:09.

In the Battle of the Ageless Titans, Canadian phenomenon Ed Whitlock soundly trounced his Dutch rival Joop Ruter. While coming up a little short in his attempt at a fourth sub-3 hour performance, Whitlock still had a marvelous run of 3:02:37. Ruter slowed considerably in the final kilometres finishing in 3:45:35.

Almost 10,000 runners took part in 3 events. Of course the Rocks!! and other Sudbury locals were there to compete and enjoy the day.

In the 1/2 Marathon, Karen Cowling from Val Caron was our fastest runner and second in her age group (1:26:14net) and our newest Rocks!! member, Steve Fessenden, ran his fastest 1/2 to date (1:32:44net). Trevor Shamas and myself dutifully paced a young lady for the majority of the run but in the end our blazing speed (Trevor 1:44:54net & Vince 1:47:52net) forced her to back off to more realistic levels. I noticed at that elevated pace it was very hard to keep tabs on our course whereabouts as the km. markers appeared blurred or nonexistent. Trevor notes this phenomenon in his Run Evaluation at the bottom.

Eleven other Rocks!! and locals enjoyed excellent 1/2 marathon runs and all sported medals as badges to fine accomplishments. (Results Here)

In the Marathon, Rocks!! member, Shawn Schryer, gave it his all in an attempt to break the magic 3 hour mark. And on any normal day he would have accomplished that goal with a minute or so in the bank but on this warm and humid day he still pulled off a truly excellent 3:02:52. Congratulations Shawn. You will make the mark next time out. Lise Edwards ran her second marathon of four this year (4:02:33). First was Mississauga. Yet to go is the Niagara Marathon where she will attempt to qualify for Boston and then the New York City Marathon - along with many other Rocks!! - as a year end running celebration. Celena and John Leonard trained hard all summer doing duathlons, triathlons, half marathons and lots of long runs in preparation for their first marathon. They finished strong (Celena 4:35:17.4 and John 4:39:14.6). Read their excellent report at the bottom. (Results Here)

ScotiaBank Improved

by Trevor Shamas

Hey Coach and Rocks!! Just a word on this year's Scotiabank run: main word for this year is "improved", as in:

i) race kit pick up at the Convention Center (next to the CN Tower) was much better than last year's inconvenient drive over to the CNE grounds where we I also got to pay for parking;

ii) mileage markers, while still not great in terms of placement or general visibility (it could have been our high speed Trevor - blurring things), were still more apt to helping you understand where you were rather than raising concerns over whether you were still in the right race;

iii) walker start time made much more sense than sending them out 15 minutes ahead of the runners;

iv) finishing area made infinitely more sense than last year's fiasco with more room and some sense of flow to it. While still a bother they nonetheless managed to incorporate the aqua duct construction fairly readily into it, as well. Still not the greatest but far from the worst.

Overall, the race organizers did a much better job than last year. However, I still find this course somewhat monotonous and will always hate the double turnaround. I still managed to come away with a more positive view of the overall event so thanks for coming down to run it. I wouldn't have gone otherwise and would have always bad-mouthed this event to anyone who asked me about it.

And, despite not being able to turn times that are at least borderline respectable any more (I thought our speed was BLAZING Trevor), it was certainly fun running with you. In addition to you and Lise, thanks to the others who visited 25 Boyton on the way through - Dave, Brodie, Lise E, and Bob. Special thanks to Lise P for those awesome cookies! As you consumed most of them, Coach, I hope you've adjusted your caloric intake, accordingly, for today! Thanks also to Suzanne for the great post-race dinner in Burlington.

Also, I found our running friend in the results. Despite losing her to that cramp(I thought we lost her due to our BLAZING speed) at the 15k mark she did finish...

1186 1:52:51.0 5:21 1:52:19.3 7591 MCGILP, LORETTA STOUFFVILLE

Trev.

John and Celena's First Marathon!

On September 25th, 2005 we
completed our first marathon (42.2km) at the Toronto Waterfront. It was a
year of planning and training and we both celebrated our 30th birthday this
year so we felt it was a great way to celebrate. Here is John's run day account. John and Celena

Hello Vince and Friends.

I would like to tell everyone about my experience running my first marathon in Toronto on September 25th, 2005. Here is the race by km and my top ten memories.

Start: Nervously excited we found Lise Edwards on start line and were under way. Good Luck everybody!
2.5km: Had to keep the brakes on to not go out too fast in all the excitement. There sure are some funny running styles. Every shape, size and colour.
5km: This is easy I’ll finish this no problem. A giant windmill overhead.
7.5km: There goes the lead pack going the other way. Whoosh! Just like a peleton.
10km: Stop for bathroom break. Lose a minute.
12.5km: Pace quickens at every music location. Keep it under control.
15km: Keep eye on other direction and see Steve, Richard, Vince, Lise P. and others.
20km: Right on pace and feeling great. How can people run wearing packsacks? Some have hydration belts with a full buffet.
22.5km: Halfway done. Not easy but I’ll finish this. Met up with masked super hero running the race without a number who later gets escorted away from the finish line by security.
25km: Starting to work harder. See some swans. Walk for a bit as Celena goes to bathroom and catches up.
27.5km: Remember the sights, the smells and the feelings. Don’t think about the pain.
30km: Tough going as pace slows. We are still running together. Guy in kilt passes us. The 4:15 pace bunny passes us.
35km: Only 7km left so I pick it up a bit just to get this over with. This is hell. I slow back down and Celena catches me again.
37.5km: Celena gets ahead and I fade. I tell her I will catch up.
40km: Total meltdown. Can’t see Celena anymore. Shuffle…shuffle...shuffle.
Finish: Turn the corner and I can see the finish. Try to look strong. Grab my kids and give hugs. Dad still has to finish. We run across together.

TOP TEN MEMORIES– In no particular order.

1. The smells. Bird droppings, raw sewage and a harbour front mix of dead fish and garbage were unpleasant at times but unforgettable.
2. The views. Some of the course was boring and not very pleasing to the eyes. The cityscape, skyscrapers, condos, townhouses, tall ships, windmill, CN Tower, Skydome, Air Canada Center and freighters were great.
3. The sounds. The music, conversations, cheering and hellos from familiar faces. I must have had 50 strangers call me by name (printed on my race bib).
4. The pain…keep going. The PAIN...keep going. THE PAIN...KEEP GOING!!!
5. Hydration and fuel were right on. The shoes and clothes were right on. The mental attitude and plan were right on. The wall was right on.
6. The training called for 40-60 km per week. With work, kids and triathlons, I was lucky to get 20-30 km per week. (Excuses…excuses) I paid for it in the end.
7. Superheroes, kilts, cheerleaders, steel bands, ethnic music, Kenyans, Ed Whitlock.
8. I ran with my wife for the most part and finished with my kids.
9. There is more but if I keep adding to this list then I’ll never finish. Just ask me about my experience and I’ll fill your afternoon.
10. It was a once in a lifetime experience. I’m already planning my next one.

Sincerely, John and Celena Leonard

Niagara on the Lake Duathlon

by Leslie McLosky

Hi Vince, It has been over a year since my last race report! Oh oh sounds like confession time. Actually nothing sinful to report. Dave and I did the NOTL Niagara on the Lake Duathlon on September 24th. I know that I raved about the beauty and scenery last year. Well the place hasn’t changed. What a venue! We stayed in a Bed and Breakfast a kilometer away from the race site which was also nicely situated amongst several wineries. Guess who booked the B& B…. Race morning was sunny and well, sort of cool. On the Russ-o-meter it would have been a shorts and short sleeve shirt day. Naturally I wore long sleeves and gloves. I ran into an unexpected glitch as we unpacked the bikes from the mighty van. My front wheel on my bike wouldn’t turn. It was weird. There didn’t appear to be anything blocking it. Dave thought my bike was in shock because it had only been outside 5 times this year. As it turned out old strawberry gel from my last event had somehow dripped in and gooped up the works. I know that all you bike enthusiasts are horrified to hear that.
Finally after some brute force to the wheel, off to the races. Subaru events always have a festive prerace feel and are well organized. We went off in 7 waves. They have been mixing up the waves lately putting different ages groups together. I find it beneficial because I always used to be with the older age groups. It is quite a downer when the 60-70 age group is passing you…….
The first 4 km run was in a time of 16:59 and feeling quite good. The bike was a bit of a struggle as there was a lot of wind. I think I’ll have to get a bigger fan for the basement to get that windy sensation down there. I hadn’t been riding much and was happy to get off my bike even though it was only 24 km. in a time of 44:16 The second 4 km run was a little slower at 17:50 but still feeling good. I was pleased to finish 3rd in my age group in a time of 1:21:01 The first place woman in my age group was up there with the pros in a time of 1:09. Yikes. Better get myself one honking big fan for the basement .
Dave was happy to compete and finish well as he had been recouping over the beginning of the summer from surgery. We also both won a draw prize ONLY because Dave rode back to the B&B to get our numbers. He said and I quote “ I better go and get them because I usually win something” We’re working on the lottery now.
Happy Fall Racing!
Leslie

Results

Malko Turnova Bulgaria to Istanbul, Turkey

Sheila Bikes the Orient Express

July 31 - September 24, 2005

Click Here for Sheila's latest update

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