Organizer Dennis Legault (left) and others heading out for the 25-km distance

6km / 12km / 25km

https://raceroster.com/events/2020/29831/the-apex-heart

Maps Here

July 8 Update

6km’s done and done . Walden had some pretty awesome sections of trail and I had some of the best company out there. Thanks Carlie St.Amant & Chantal Boivin for coming. You guys rock. Special thank you goes out to Dennis Legault for all the hard work that went into planning, marking and coordinating this event! Apex is where it’s at!

Sara and Bean at the photo stop

All Photos Here

Ongoing Results Here

 

Race 2 - July 1-8
6km / 12km / 25km

https://raceroster.com/events/2020/29831/the-apex-heart

 

Vince Perdue and his wife, Lise, enjoy running marathons together. In 2018, they were privileged to run the annual midnight half-marathon in Unuvik, NWT. (Photo supplied)

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“I’m a bit of an accidental volunteer,” says Vince Perdue when describing how he drifted into volunteering and became indelibly involved in community work.

Perdue grew up in Lindsay, a farming community in central Ontario’s Kawartha Lakes region. His family owned and operated a beef farm.

“My dad was a forward thinker,” said Perdue. “Not only did he invest in state-of-the-art farming equipment, he also provided neighbouring farmers with customized harvesting services.”

For Perdue’s Irish ancestors, farming was a way of life. His grandfather established the family farm on Pigeon Lake in 1917, where the next generations of family raised cattle.

“By the late 1960s, however, we were no longer farming and had moved to ranching. And, by the mid ’70s, our property transitioned into a Norway Spruce tree farm. The family who purchased the land from my parents still maintains and cherishes it as natural forest.”

Born in 1950, Perdue is the third eldest of 12 children. As young adults, he and two brothers settled in Greater Sudbury, having found jobs with Inco Limited (now Vale). His other three brothers and six sisters remained relatively close to the original family homestead.

A restless spirit since childhood, Perdue held many jobs from an early age, including a stint as an apprentice mechanic in Peterborough and doing construction work in B.C.

“That plus a strong work drive from my father gave my life the structure I needed to establish a stable career and set roots in Sudbury, a community that has been very good to me.”

Role models on the job for the young Perdue were more like mentors and coaches than supervisors.

“Being in our early twenties, they were like fathers to my colleagues and me. And, even though we were a generation apart, they treated us as equals. That mutual respect fostered a firm work ethic and gave us young guys the confidence to try unfamiliar tasks and pursue opportunities with the mine.”

With three decades’ service, Perdue took early retirement from the company in 2000. He had held various progressively responsible roles, retiring as safety foreman for the surface plants and office and technical areas.

“Each position I had was an important learning experience in effective communication and teamwork. Although I didn’t realize it at the time, those skills became just as important in my volunteer work.

“Early on in my career, I never really gave volunteering much thought. I was too busy working hard and saving for the future.”

However, Perdue was always physically active. He took running seriously around 1979. His good friend was a long-distance runner who clocked five miles a day six days a week.

“I thought Russ had the secret to living a long and healthy life and I wanted that, too,” Perdue said.

“My first foray into volunteering occurred by accident that year when legendary runner Norm Patenaude invited me to assist in brushing trails on the original 25-km Ramsey Tour course. That led to lots of assisting behind the scenes at many events.”

The year 1995 marked Perdue’s first official act of volunteering, when he was catapulted into a leadership role.

At Cambrian Fitness Centre, where he worked out regularly, he started a runners’ lunchtime club. Perdue put together a couple of teams to take part in a local running relay being held in Espanola.

“I would never have guessed that this would become the predecessor of Sudbury Rocks!!! Running Club. But, the numbers grew quickly from 25 to 200 and we were on our way. Many people who came on board have stayed on all these years, assisting in community sports and mentoring other runners.”

That success resulted in Perdue co-founding Sudbury Rocks!!! Marathon with fellow runner and best friend, the late Steve Matusch.

“Steve said we need to dream big and bring something big to our city—a Boston Marathon qualifier, no less, and one that makes a positive impact on our community.”

The Sudbury Rocks!!! Marathon, touted as Greater Sudbury’s most popular annual road race, was officially launched in 2006, luring close to 500 runners and walkers. By 2019, entries reached almost 2,000.

“Running for a cause not only benefits the recipient charities, it’s exciting to see new runners experience a sense of personal accomplishment that can unwittingly change their lives for the better.”

Perdue has also been involved with other events, like the July 1 Firecracker 5-km, the Salvation Army Santa Shuffle, Sudbury Fitness Challenge events and, since 1998, the CIBC Run for the Cure.

“When it comes to volunteering, I felt it was a good idea to start small and grow from there. As I learned and became comfortable, I took on more roles. Each task was a good fit, which only inspired me to do more.”

Perdue and his wife, Lise, have had the pleasure of taking part in marathons together in many parts of the world. “We’ve been to Italy, New York City, the east and west coasts and all the Territories of Canada. Meeting runners from all walks of life has been a real privilege. Fellow runners are like family, and these events are naturally inclusive.”

Vince Perdue’s Volunteer Words of Wisdom
Mentor others to volunteer. They’ll experience personal satisfaction from giving back. Your wisdom and advice just might stick and help others get more involved in enhancing our community. Running is a really effective de-stresser because you concentrate only on the task at hand. And, when you become part of a community of runners, there is so much opportunity to learn from them and build long-lasting friendships. My dad always said it is better to give than to take. Always be the first to offer ... simple but powerful rules to live by.

Marlene Holkko Moore is a local communications professional and contributor to Sudbury.com.

One has to wonder whether the participants in the Ontario Cycling Association Indoor Road Race Series — Master 3 Men’s Division would be more surprised to find out that they were beaten, in six straight races, by a 73-year-old competitor, or by a 73-year-old competitor with just one leg.

While both statements are true, neither will come as a surprise to those who know Battista Muredda, the longtime, highly regarded coach of the Sudbury Cycling Club.

For his part, Muredda was simply thankful for locating the joy of indoor riding once again, a pleasure to which he had become accustomed for the past two decades or so.

An avid cyclist in his youth, Muredda did not touch a bicycle for a stretch of some 20 years, following the loss of one of his legs in a mining accident.

Finally, with outdoor riding not a particularly viable option, he conceded to the indoor alternative right around the turn of the millennium.

“I could have gone outside, but it is risky for me,” said Muredda.

“With one leg, if you have a wipeout or accident and break the good one that I have, then I would be in a really bad situation. So I avoided riding outside — but if I do it indoors, I still manage to stay fit.”

And therein lay the second key motivator that led Muredda to years of indoor training on the bike.

“With an artificial leg, you really have to watch your weight,” he said. “You can’t gain more than five pounds or lose more than five pounds. Otherwise, your prosthesis doesn’t stay on. This allowed me to stay within my weight range.”

But while several innovative technological improvements were required to equip Muredda and countless other riders, world-wide, with the ability to compete in online races hosted by Zwift, that certainly wasn’t the starting point for the man who was instrumental in developing cycling greats such as Eric Wohlberg, David Spears and Gary Trevisiol, all on a local level.

“I started with a regular indoor bike, a really cheap model,” recalled Muredda. “After a couple of years, I burned that thing out. It just wasn’t doing the job for me with the power and amount of riding I was doing.

“I changed it about three or four times, but now, I’ve got a beautiful machine that I bought seven or eight years ago. The reason I bought it was simply that it was a very solid machine, great for training, but as far as entertainment, there was nothing.

“I didn’t know anything about Zwift 10 years ago. What I did to keep myself entertained was watching TV as I was riding the bicycle. Otherwise, indoors cycling is very, very boring. Doing 60 kilometres indoors is like doing 100 or more kilometres outside. Outdoors, it’s easy to get your mind distracted. Indoors, the time doesn’t move.”

Still, for years, Muredda persevered, always allotting time for training while still leading his cyclists through their workouts, typically riding his moped along the Delki Dozzi track.

“Once I retired, I started doing more mileage: 5,000 kilometres (annually), six, seven and eight, and then I got close to 9,000 kilometres. About two years ago, I thought that I could get to 10,000.”

And while he did reach the goal, it came at a cost.

“Once I got there, I was fed up, I didn’t want to see the bicycle anymore,” said Muredda.

As luck would have it, his son-in-law, veteran SCC rider Derek D’Angelo, had grown accustomed to the Zwift indoor offering a few years earlier. Though the technology is pricey, once the indoor bikes are equipped with the necessary components (heart rate monitor, power meter, compute to connect to the program, Zwift membership), the simulated race environment is nothing short of extraordinary.

“You can’t believe it — for me, it’s like night and day,” said Muredda, who only began his trial with the virtual racing system some three months ago. “It’s motivated me so much. The minute I get on the bike and the screen comes up and you see your avatar and a whole bunch of other people — there are 200, 300 people from all over the world — my time just flies.

“The pain and suffering, you don’t feel it as much as when you’re training alone. I can’t believe the difference that it’s made for me.”

All of that being said, it was an understandably easy decision for Muredda to join D’Angelo and a handful of other Sudbury Cycling Club members when a six-race series was offered, beginning in mid-May, by the Ontario Cycling Association.

Competing against 20 or so fellow riders across the province in his category, Muredda finished first in six straight races.

“I can’t believe it myself, I didn’t know I would do that well,” he said.

Well enough to draw the attention of the OCA.

“After two races, they noticed that I did very well and my power was very high, so they sent me an email suggesting, requesting that I move up to the next category,” noted Muredda.

“I replied and said that I would gladly do it, but because the distances are greater, I find it a bit much for my age. They didn’t know that I was 73 years old, and then I mentioned the other point, that I am riding on one leg.

“I didn’t want any special privileges, because there were other shorter races that I could do.”

No move was required. It turns out that the OCA has an exemption that allows all riders over the age of 65 to compete in any category that they would like.

And if they can still win the races while peddling with just one leg, all the more power to them.

 

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As summer heats up, so do the runners who train through the warmest months of the year. While summer is a great time to put in good training, it can also be dangerous for runners who work out in the heat of the day. If you’re a summer runner, it’s important to know the signs and symptoms of heat stroke so you can avoid falling victim to the hot weather.

Adrian Cheong is a former ER doctor who lives in Texas, so he knows all about heat exposure. He says heat injury exists on a continuum, and heat stroke is on the extreme end. “Heat stroke is actually quite rare. You start with mild heat exposure and can end up at heat stroke in the most severe cases.” What most runners likely experience is heat exhaustion.

Signs of heat exhaustion
Cheong explains that if your mental status isn’t altered (i.e. you can answer basic questions), you’re probably experiencing heat exhaustion. Most cases can be treated at home with cooling strategies and rehydration.The signs of heat exhaustion are: muscle cramping, abdominal cramps, nausea and vomiting. “With any activity, muscles themselves are generating heat on top of the heat in the atmosphere. That’s why sweating is important, as is wearing loose and minimal clothing [if possible]. Surface areas covered in clothes make it harder for sweat to evaporate.”

Signs of heat stroke
Cheong explains that heat stroke is more dangerous and needs to be treated by medical professionals. Signs of heat stroke are: losing consciousness, altered mental state (unable to answer basic questions), dry skin, low blood pressure and at its worst, seizures. If you think someone’s experiencing these symptoms, they need to be taken to a hospital.

How to cope with heat exhaustion
First, runners should plan to train in the early morning or midday. Second, monitoring hydration is crucial. Runners need to be checking the colour of their urine. If they’re hardly peeing, or their urine is bright yellow, they need to be drinking more. Proper hydration will help keep heat exhaustion at bay.

If you think you’ve run into trouble, the first order of business is to cool down. Cheong recommends that runners remove all clothing (if possible) , put ice packs under their knees and armpits and drink an electrolyte beverage (which contains some salt and sugar). Misting is also good for promoting cooling.

 

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Conquer the Crater Virtual Challenge & Triathlon
2020 has thrown us some curveballs, but we're ready to face the challenges head on.

Virtual Challenge - July 1-31

Throughout the month, you are encouraged to log all of your running, biking and swimming miles (1.6km for every mile).
Registration comes in two options that depend on how you want your recognition: Physical and Virtual.
Physical Recognition is $55, and we will mail you recognition of the completion of your challenge.
Virtual Recognition is $25, and we will email you a virtual medal and certificate for you to share on social media.

Virtual Triathlon - July 23-28

During this time, you can pick the event you are interested in competing in (Triathlon, Short Triathlon, Duathlon, and Short Duathlon)
and run/bike/swim the event as many times as you want.
Your best time in each section counts toward your final total time.
As with the Virtual Challenge, recognition will be available both physically and virtually.
Physical Recognition is $55,and we will mail you recognition of the completion of your race (a.k.a. a pair of really cool socks).
Virtual Recognition is $25, and we will email you a virtual medal and certificate for you to share on social media.

Thank you.

All Info and Registration here

 

 

Our annual summer event is back, with a new format to engage hikers and walkers while respecting social distancing rules!
Challenge yourself this summer by joining us for a unique event being held in the spirit of the annual Sudbury Camino, and experience Sudbury in a whole new way.

This on-foot journey will be taking place in the month of August, from Aug. 1st to Aug. 31st, 2020, and invites you to explore our community's compelling urban landscape and breathtaking natural surroundings!

Visit www.rainbowroutes.com/sudbury-camino-2020 to register for this free community event today or at any point throughout the month of August to join in on the adventure!

 

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Apex Heart course detour for blueberries

Moose visits Buddy's camp

Eva at Killarney

Crowley lake

Steph playing with new Fujifilm XT-30 camera pic #1

Pic #2

Arlington trail

from Liz Schweyer

Another great run and swim with incredible women! Maureen Moustgaard your amazing blueberry muffins were the perfect treat after the swim thank you

Laura H on hilly backroads