When I was little l was hit by a pickup truck. I had to learn to walk again, and I was told by doctors that I would need to use a wheelchair. By the time I was in high school, I’d had 52 surgeries. I found that when I kept moving, my body hurt less. I took up running and never stopped. I currently try to run three or four half marathons a year because I can and it feels great every time I finish.
I run races dressed as Batman. In the spring of 2014, the Justice League Runners joined me, and together we raise funds for charities like the SickKids Foundation and Skylark Children.
I was one of the featured runners in last year’s 100 Runners issue and I’m still running. I love it so much that I now teach others to run by holding free running clinics so that everyone has a chance to learn. Running has added so much to my life that I would like others to experience that happiness.
I run to help others. I estimate that over the last six years, my fundraising-running teammates and I have raised over $120,000 for people who need a little help and support. And I’ve met many great friends along the way. I’m privileged and grateful to be able to run, and it makes me feel good to use running as a vehicle for giving back to the community.
There’s nothing like doing races and pushingyourself to reach your goal. Whether it’s to complete the race or achieve a new personal best, everyone is out there together working towards their own goal.
By: Kari Tkach
Running the half marathon at the 2017 Manitoba Marathon really made me happy and in many ways, it was like coming home. I’ve lived in Winnipeg all my life, and running your hometown race really is something special. Five years prior, on June 17, 2012, I ran my first ever 21K right here at the Manitoba Marathon. After finishing the race with a time of 2:16, I lost focus on racing.
While I kept active doing crossfit, boot camps, and team sports like hockey and soccer, I still ran every now and again. I even joined a few 5km fun runs with friends, and the relay at the Manitoba Marathon a few times, so I guess you could say that I couldn’t completely give up running.
When my boyfriend suggested racing together this year, I was hesitant at first. It had been a while since I trained for distance running, but I also figured it was the challenge I was looking for. While we don’t train together, we share our runs with each other and talk about what went well, what didn’t and what our goals are. We support each other when it comes to finding time to get our runs in and also in the nutritional part of running which I’m learning is a big part of this.
Over a six week time frame, we entered three half marathons, a little ambitious maybe, but again it’s part of that challenge. The first race went well and I bested my 2012 time and finished in 2:11, three weeks later my race wasn’t so great. During the three weeks leading up to race day, I struggled with training during and on on race day I finished feeling defeated and humbled with a time of 2:21.
To be fair, that race was just want I needed to make me refocus my training. For the following three weeks I followed my plan diligently and going into Sunday’s race I felt strong, confident and ready to reach my goal to finish around 2:10.
The cool and wet weather for this year’s Manitoba Marathon was the ideal race day for me. All things considered (like a late start of 7:15, five minutes past the half marathon start time of 7:10am) the race itself went smooth. My pace felt strong. I normally walk while taking water breaks thinking, “What’s a few extra seconds added on?” But this time, I ran while attempting to drink water. I felt a sense of urgency or maybe it was a sense that I needed to catch up because of that late start time.
I love the community support for this race every street I turned down there were people cheering me on. Even in the cool rainy weather people were out with their signs and noise makers supporting the runners. It was uplifting and it gave me the momentum I needed, when I needed it most.
Running into Investors Group Field I heard the announcer say my name and in that moment I felt such pride and excitement. Regardless of my time, I was finishing the race stronger than my last. My time? At 2:07:28 it was a new personal best. I left the race feeling ecstatic that I accomplished my goal. But also excited for the next one, which will be in September, where I’ll be aiming for my next PB.
Leslie Sexton’s second place finish at the Toronto Waterfront 10K in June marked a welcome culmination and beginning.
The race closed a long and tedious road back from a sprained ankle that kept Leslie away from racing for six months. The 34:47 finish also marked the beginning of a road back to Leslie’s goals of a personal best at the marathon and of representing Canada on the world stage.
Leslie reports, “I did a 6×1.5K workout the week before on the bike path in London and was able to hit a 3:30/km pace. I figured I would hit about 35 minutes, so I was really happy with the final time.”
“There’s still work to do at this point, but with some more shorter races I think I’ll be ready to get into a marathon build,” Leslie adds. “Part way through, I’ll think about targeting that PB pace and taking a shot at 2:33.”
It’s too early for firm commitments, but Leslie hopes to join the elite Canadian contingent at October’s Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon (STWM). The race has a special attraction as one where, “I’ve had great results in the past and have always enjoyed because I love racing on home soil.” STWM is where Leslie set her current PB in 2015.
Leslie is used to monk-like patience and acceptance of suffering, welcoming it as part of her training philosophy. She’s a self proclaimed “grinder,” which she defines as “someone who is consistent and puts in the work to get better.”
Regardless of natural talent, the ultimate goal is progress. Leslie says, “I wouldn’t say that I don’t have talent, but I wasn’t a runner who went to the US on scholarship or was the best in the province. It’s always been about making progress and being a bit better each year.”
That philosophy can be put into practice in different ways, but for Leslie the grind is about high volume, including many days with multiple runs. “I just like running and training hard so why would I want to do it only once?” Leslie tells me over the phone.
Following university, Leslie began gradually increasing her volume, which resulted in a significant jump in fitness over time.
Like a true monastic, Leslie finds that pushing through suffering enhances the ecstasy that comes with vocational devotion. Leslie says, “It’s a nice feeling when you can handle the mileage. Sometimes you can be tired and sore so when you get in that zone and still run well it feels great.”
Self-induced suffering is one thing, but involuntary suffering took getting used to. Leslie’s injury was the result of a freak accident and each stage of recovery entailed a different agony. First, it was getting around the house on crutches. Then it was constant flare-up while running. In the midst of winter, turning to the bike trainer for cardio was especially mind numbing and Leslie admits that her neglect of cross training may have delayed recovery somewhat.
Eventually, a new sports doctor nailed down the exercises that Leslie needed for recovery and she poured herself into the new regiment with the same devotion she always gave running. Once conditions improved outside, getting on the bike became easier and could be coupled with running on alternate days.
Post injury, the underlying grinder philosophy helps Leslie remain stoic about the fact that she’s currently chasing times that are far from her best. “I don’t bring ego into it. I don’t care if a sixteen year old beats me. I learned early on how important it is to enjoy the process above everything else,” Leslie says, adding that she brings the same outlook to her coaching.
It’s love of that process that Leslie hopes to never lose. “I’m not looking to be the best ever, but I definitely want to see how far I can push myself as I get older. I want to know how fast I can be at 45,” Leslie explains. “There are so many choices in running and I want to run as long as I can.”
With many of us kicking off training for fall races, we rounded up three looks for all of the strong women out there to add to your running wardrobe. Think of it as a practical indulgence you don’t have to feel guilty about; you’re using it as you push yourself to meet your healthy goals, after all.
By Karen Kwan
Whether you gravitate toward neutrals, brights or perhaps you’ve spent all of your running budget on a destination race and need a budget-friendly option, we’ve got you covered.
Crisp Neutrals
Flattering cap sleeves make this top standout from your typical tshirt or tank. Adidas Women’s Stella McCartney Run Climalite T-shirt, $83.99.
A grey sports bra you can wear with any of your running outfits. Nike Pro Classic Padded Bra, $48.
Sheer panels add interest to solid white tights. GapFit Blackout gFast mesh panel capris, $64.95.
Pale runners that won’t look out of place at your favourite post-long run brunch spot. New Balance Fresh Foam Cruz, $119.99.
Bold and bright
Subtly patterned mesh in a flirty cropped shape. Saucony Kick It Up Top, $40.
Designed with range of motion in mind. Under Armour Amour Mid Sports Bra, $29.99.
Mesh inserts so you can stay cool on those hot summer days. Lolë Trace Short, $60.
Sport these for your summertime trail runs. Salomon Sense Pro Max W, $180.
Pocketbook-friendly picks
Loose fit tanks are a staple for any summer running wardrobe. JoeFresh Dip Dye Mesh Active Tank, $19.
Support “the girls” well from A to C cups) with this Old Navy Go-Dry Racerback High Support Sports Bra, $34.94.
Reflective detailing to help make sure you’re seen by drivers when you’re running before sunrise to beat the heat. Hyba Mesh Shorts, $44.90.
Lightweight with a cushioniing midsole. Skechers Go Run 600, $90.
Karen Kwan is a regular iRun fashion and travel contributor, and you’ll find her running fashion posts every Friday on Instagram. She contributes to a number of publications and you can also follow her travel and running adventures at Health & Swellness.
Race: Pride & Remembrance 5K
Date: June 24, 2017
Location: Toronto, ON
At their absolute best, Toronto’s Pride Weekend and running are two institutions that celebrate love like no other. If you put them both together, you have the potential for a love—and confetti!—explosion.
There are many ways to evaluate a race. Is the course manageable, safe, and properly measured? Are race operations smooth? Are the important amenities available during the race? What about the swag?
In each of these respects, the Toronto Pride & Remembrance 5K is a great race, but there’s so much more reason for running.
Beyond the “objective” categories, for me the races where I’ve been filled with the most joy and eager to come back are those that celebrate and connect you to something bigger, both in and beyond yourself. These races are about more than just the tangibles of running and athletics.
They’re so damn enjoyable that performance becomes secondary, or at least not the sole criterion by which we measure an experience. They connect you to the community in a way that makes it more than a race.
Because it’s nestled within the festivities of Toronto’s Pride Weekend, the Pride 5K feeds off the colourful vibrancy and energy that comes with Pride every year. As you make your way to the start line at Church and Wellesley, rainbow flags are already flying, music is already pumping, and the streets have already been closed off to traffic.
Never be afraid to run your world. Join us in #Toronto for the annual @Pride_Run today. Let’s celebrate ❤️???? #PrideRunTO #RunYourWorld pic.twitter.com/RKmuM2TI5S
— SauconyCanada (@SauconyCanada) June 24, 2017
Rather than a starting gun or horn fired off by some elected official who probably didn’t want to be there, the world’s oldest performing drag queen Michelle DuBarry counted us down and a confetti cannon signaled the start of the race. Of course you can’t run without a warmup set to “I Will Survive” and partly led by Premier Kathleen Wynne. How could you not be loving this?
With a small out and back course, including two laps of Queen’s Park, you were never far from a cheering station and once you made your way back to the start/finish, where confetti was still flowing, revellers had poured in and Church Street was really alive. Each kilometre was a reminder that running and the city in which we run are communities we can be immensely proud to be a part of and ones we can be actively involved in making better as runners and citizens.
By the finish line, you were far too drowned in positivity to worry about whether or not you’d run your absolute best race. The costumes, tunes, and messages of inclusivity reminded you that running can be about joy and sharing in the gift of movement. It’s not all about personal bests and beating yourself up over your shortcomings, customary and sometimes necessary as that can be for runners. For the moment, we were all too busy exchanging hugs for any of that to feel more than trivial.
Thanks to @Pride_Run for all you do & making a last-minute reg perfect. #PrideRunTO pic.twitter.com/hioJY0Hz7a
— Dani Couture (@danicouture) June 24, 2017
Officially, runners raced in support of Fife House, the Canadian Centre for Gender and Sexual Diversity, Casey House, and the Pride and Remembrance Foundation (more info on the race’s beneficiaries). Running through the heart of Toronto’s Church/Wellesley Village, historically home to the city’s LGBTQ community, you knew exactly who you were running for, those who were there that day and the needlessly many who weren’t here to celebrate this weekend.
To run on this day really meant something. This race was about a community of runners of varying backgrounds and motivations lifting one another up and hopefully extending that love beyond our sport.
Olympic dreams can take root and blossom just about anywhere, including an apartment above a 24 hour McDonald’s and a liquor store in Vancouver’s Kitsilano neighbourhood. That’s where Rachel Cliff (@Dangerous_Cliff), newly crowned Canadian 10K champion and World Championships qualifier, calls home along with husband and fellow athlete Chris Winter.
“Vancouver is such a great place for distance runners to train,” Rachel says, and recent results seem to support her argument. When Ms. Cliff took the Canadian 10K title at last month’s Ottawa Race Weekend, fellow Vancouverite Natasha Wodak followed just behind to rank as the second Canadian woman and on the following day Dayna Pidhoresky conquered the blistering heat to be the top Canadian woman in the marathon.
The density of distance runners, including elites, in the Vancouver area makes for lots of opportunities to train together and build a camaraderie in which athletes can support one another on their way to their best results.
“Tuesday nights at the UBC track are always busy with multiple groups, coaches, and athletes doing their big workout of the week,” Rachel says. “A lot of distance runners, including me, also live in Kitsilano so there’s no shortage of company for off day runs, even if someone trains with a different coach.” Now that husband Chris has retired from elite competition, he’s one of those companions. The pair also trade knowledge around physio, mental preparation, and nutrition.
Rachel, who trains with the BC Endurance Project, came into Ottawa knowing, “I was fit and ready to compete, possibly for the title, but also knew that I was by no means the favourite.” She stuck to a plan of going out with the top Canadians and making her move around the 5K mark provided she was feeling good. “I felt really strong until the last 2K, where the heat caught up with me,” Rachel recalls. “I wouldn’t say I thought the wheels would come off, but being alone for that long is never fun!”
Rachel followed Ottawa with a 32:07 in the 10,000m at the Portland Track Festival two weeks later, finishing second behind American legend Shalane Flanagan and meeting the standard for the 2017 World Championships in London.
The results were not the first spectacular performances Rachel has posted, but did require her to deal with the additional obstacle of maintaining focus in the aftermath of disappointment.
Prior to the 2016 Rio Olympics, Rachel had just missed the standard for the 10,000m by 6.45 seconds. She would subsequently meet the 5,000m standard, but was not selected for a spot on Canada’s Olympic squad. The latter proved much more devastating. In Rachel’s view, “In the 10,000m, I had no one to blame but myself for missing the time, and while that was hard, I could only dwell on it for so long. In the 5,000m, I felt the one major thing standing between me and competing at the games was my country – the one I’d dreamed about competing for as a little kid – and that was much tougher to process, as I felt let down by the system that I felt should have been supporting me.”
Rachel admits to having contemplated quitting in the aftermath of the experience, but allowing herself some time to reflect reminded Rachel that her love for the sport was stronger than that disappointment. She still experienced Rio while accompanying Chris, who competed in the 3,000m Steeplechase, and was glad she attended, however difficult viewing the Women’s 5,000m was. Rio was followed by a two and a half week family trip to Ireland where Rachel, “…drank lots of Irish beer, ate just about whatever I felt like, saw lots of cool historic sites, had quality time with my family, and was finally able to process what happened.”
“It’s been important for me to try and let the 2016 decision go,” Rachel says. “I felt that in July 2016 I was fit and ready to compete at the Olympics and deserved that chance, but the selection committee clearly felt differently.”
Time away from training isn’t always a bad thing. It often allows a runner to be away from something they love long enough to realize how much they would miss it if they walked away. Perhaps the richness that it brought to your life begins to deplete and you realize that you’d be silly to let it go. Rachel found herself eventually itching to come back stronger and put Rio behind her by switching focus from making national teams to things she felt she could control such as running personal bests and continuing to compete at an elite level. So she came back with renewed passion and “…a whole new appreciation of how much a single note to say ‘I’m thinking of you’ can mean to someone going through a tough time.”
With recent performances indicating that her best days are not behind her, Rachel has not ruled out Tokyo 2020 depending on how the coming years unfold, but it’s her future beyond 2020 that has far more clarity. “Even when I’m done competing I hope to still be a runner,” Rachel concludes. “What I like most about this sport is the challenge of pushing yourself to the next level and testing to see what you can achieve.”
It was a great morning in Toronto last Saturday at the Waterfront 10K. This was the first time I’ve been at a Canada Running Series event with lululemon acting as a sponsor, and boy, their influence shined. First of all, the weather was terrific and that always helps. But second of all, you could feel the energy on the course, on the sidelines, in the cheers. There were cool things all over the 10K event: a cycle class, a drum line—at one point I ran past a DJ playing Nas.
Of course, all of this wouldn’t mean much if the race wasn’t any good, but the race was terrific. The field was studded with Olympians and racing was Krista DuChene, Natasha Wodak, Reid Coolsaet, Eric Gillis and probably more. Timed by Sportstats, the race had anything you’d need for serious running, hence folks like Longboat Roadrunners were in the house. Photos for the event are free, from Marathon-Photos, and afterwards, a volunteer gave me a beautiful donut. Hell, I told ’em I had two kids and imagine that? They let me take two. Usually I can’t even get a second banana.
Anyway, later walking home, I saw the streets of Toronto studded with people still in their race bibs. People smiling. People wearing their medals. It was a good look for the city, a good look for running, and a day where the community really flexed well. I didn’t take any pictures so I can’t post them here—and, as a funny aside, I saw Natasha (who won) and Lanni Marchant right at the finish line and I was talking to them for a second until this guy said, “Ben, you’re foaming at the mouth.”
It was pretty hot out there and I love racing, I love running hard—I didn’t want to stop for even one second to drink water. I’m 43-years-old and have two children but Ed Whitlock never stopped racing. Never stopped giving it his all. Do we grow old because we stop racing or do we stop racing because we get old? Either way, I don’t want to stop. I want to keep pushing. Keep taking photographs with spit all over my face. Why not? The times don’t really matter. It’s the effort that counts.
Who else raced this weekend? And who ran the Manitoba Marathon? Who’s running Pride this weekend and who’s looking forward to other events this summer? Share your pictures and share your stories. And keep getting out there and racing. Keep showing up at the start and crossing new finish lines. Push yourself. For no other reason than that you can.
We only get old when we stop fighting.
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