16-year-old loses 100 pounds, Becomes Track Star

July 13, 2022

It’s tempting to say that Richard Hong, 16, heard a call that had always been there in retrospect—quietly in the background, unnoticed, like one of those long runs he now regularly pounds out, where it’s impossible to remember when it started and where the the end is so far in the future that it doesn’t matter. Only the staccato sound of footfalls.

It’s tempting to say that one day Hong tuned in, heard something out there in the early going when every step was murder; that he listened and then went about the work of changing his life.

But Hong’s not having any of it.

“I told myself I’m going to lose weight, and I did it. I told myself I’m going to be a great runner, and I did it. I think it’s because of all the people that told me I can’t. But instead of proving it to them I proved to myself that I can,” says Hong. “Discipline comes into this. With discipline I’m free. I didn’t want to be a slave to my moods and passions—so I did it and got it done.”

For people who don’t know Hong it’s difficult to square this with the tall, gaunt, distance runner currently burning up the Lakefield College School trails and high school rankings. He looks the part. It’s hard also to connect Hong’s past struggle with his weight—the subsequent bullying that happened prior to attending Lakefield—to the runner who, during lockdown, consistently ran 16 kilometre loops more days than he didn’t. Hong looks like he came into the world ready-made for the sport. During the summer Hong’s running became part of his Cross-Country team’s mantra, a variation on Tom Fleming’s Boston sign he stuck on the fridge door: “Somewhere in the world, Richard Hong is running when you are not. When you race him, he will win.” None of us knew of us who coached him, and none of us who trained with him knew just how close to the truth this was.

Until this season Hong’s story of running, adhering to a plan, and losing weight while uncommon, valiant and even awe-inspiring, wasn’t unique. It followed a familiar trajectory told repeatedly in books like Born to Run and films like Brittany Runs a Marathon. For most people the healthy outcome would be the reward and where the credits would roll. But for Hong this is where the story began, not with the twelve-year-old kid weighing 220 pounds, and not with the journey of self-discovery. This was all just an overture to a larger and far more daunting realization.

Richard Hong was good.

When Malcolm Gladwell first popularized the ten-thousand-hour rule, it was almost immediately misunderstood, inferring that the only quality separating elite athletes from everyone else was their capacity to put the time in. This fit conveniently with Max Weber’s turn-of-the-century Protestant work ethic, capitalism, and an idea of meritocracy based not on birthright, wealth or innate talent but on effort alone. It was an inspiring story.

It just wasn’t true.

At some point in any sport, coaching and training could reveal potential, but it could not conjure what wasn’t already there. Hong did not know that and if he did, he didn’t care.

“I started running right when I entered high school when I was 14-years-old, 170 pounds, 5 foot 7. That’s when I met teammate Thomas [Larson]. I told myself I was going to be as good as Thomas one day,” says Hong.

When Roger Bannister broke the four-minute mile—an athletic feat no one thought possible—in the weeks and months that followed many others would do the same. Bannister had shown the impossible to be possible. For Hong, Larson wasn’t just a runner; he was possibility. Larson, since before Grade 9, understood that running wasn’t a sport. Running wasn’t a religion either, despite the fact that it had its own prayers, catechisms, bibles and pilgrimages. If anything it was a reverse sort of Buddhism where enlightenment was achieved not by detaching from suffering but actively seeking it out. Running demanded that the true believer pursue a monastic withdrawal from an idolatrous world. Running demanded a stoic response to self-inflicted suffering. And when injury struck, running also demanded not running at all. Running would never be a reason to live, but it could be a life. Where other sports required infrastructure, a rink, or a field, running simply asked that a believer show up every single day.

Running was a source code. It needed nothing, not even shoes; just will. The only barriers were what an athlete was willing to endure; frostbite in winter, extreme heat in summer, hard 800-meter reps at the track alone and distance runs that could last all afternoon. How far and, more importantly, how fast it could take an athlete, was one of the Faiths’ mysteries.

“My life revolved around running, no matter how tired I was, no matter the weather, running was a priority,” says Hong. “I found joy and happiness in running because every day it was just me and my thoughts, going through everything I could have done better.”

For most of us, sport reveals a linear, bedrock relationship between work put in and performance taken out, cause and effect, action and reaction. For most of us this is where the revelation stops. It’s enough. But Hong had found something on the other side of this. Running didn’t just have the ancillary benefit of weight-loss and not being winded after a flight of stairs—it started to show him what he could be.

It could make him feel he belonged.

“Running is the one thing in my life where I gave a hundred percent and got a hundred back. It gave a sense of belonging and success. The difference between grade nine and now is the process of finding happiness in running. In grade nine, running was just to make me work and feel the pain for a feeling of accomplishment. I didn’t run during the weekends; I wasn’t committed enough to reach my destiny.”

Hong pauses and says: “I spent grade nine becoming the best version of myself. If there was one piece of advice, I would say this: the number one reason why people give up so fast is because they tend to look at how far they still have to go, instead of how far they’ve gotten.”

What the future holds is clear for Hong. Simply put: he wants to run well. What this means is adhering to the plan put together by his Lakefield coach, Todd Harris. But more than that, Hong hopes to find himself within the sport and become someone that younger athletes can look up to.

It’s what he feels he owes the sport.

“Running found me when I needed it the most. Running changed my life. I’m not here to win big awards or care about my placements. I am who I am because of running. It keeps me away from distractions and unhealthy habits. It keeps me true to who I am as Richard Hong.”

Sasha Exeter Launches an Inclusive Running Short with Joe Fresh

Ben Kaplan

July 6, 2022

Sasha Exeter is a long-time runner and friend of iRun. A mother, an athlete, an outspoken voice in the media world, Exeter breaks down barriers and speaks her mind and improves every world she inhabits. When we heard she was launching an affordable running line with gear in all sizes, we wanted to hear from Sasha about her goals, her future plans, and her inspiration.

iRun: For how long have you felt like there was a gap in the market that needed to be filled?

Sasha: I’ve been an athlete my entire life, so I’ve spent many years wearing activewear. That being said, I’ve noticed gaps in the market for as long as I can remember, especially when it comes to size inclusivity and affordability. So when I got a chance to create and co-design a line of my own with Joe Fresh, making pieces that are accessible to a wider demographic was high on my priority list.

iRun: Where did that come from? Do you have any personal experiences with your run gear? Had you heard anecdotally that we had to do more?

Sasha: It came from my online community truthfully. I have listened to their concerns and feedback for so many years since while engaging with them on social media platforms. So many women felt inspired to get up and move, be active and start their wellness journey, which includes running, but SO many felt they held back on their goals because they were unable to find apparel that fit or felt confident in.

iRun: When did the Joe Fresh linkage begin?

Sasha: I have been working with the Joe Fresh team for six years now. It almost sounds crazy to say. That is a really long time in this business. Currently they are my longest brand partner to date and I am so proud of how far we’ve come and what we’ve accomplished together.

iRun: What was essential as you began building out your line?

Sasha: Well, there were several things I thought were essential for me to include in all my co-designed collections. With wanting women to feel confident and comfortable in my pieces, I knew that the right fabrications were going to be critical. Materials that would be moisture wicking and provide support in all the right places, while still allowing for mobility was the goal. But functionality, although very important, it isn’t the only thing that has been a key factor. Making sure the design details on the pieces look great on all sizes of women and making sure that we provide the most quality performing items at an affordable price point.

iRun: We talk affordable, and inclusive size-wise. Do you feel like the major existing sports brands don’t do enough in this market?

Sasha: Oh my gosh – YES, most definitely. Most of the designs in women’s activewear and running apparel don’t take larger sizes and curves into consideration. If you take a look at e-commerce and marketing from many of these major brands, they are geared towards women who look like the models wearing the clothes, which are sample size. Clearly missing the mark and a substantial demographic of women.

iRun: Where do you see yourself fitting in in the world of sportswear and design?

Sasha: I never see myself fitting into anything. I like to say “I stand out” or at least I hope to anyways. I see the collections I co-create with Joe Fresh changing the game of fitness apparel in Canada. Pieces that can perform without compromising style. That look ultra-luxe at the fraction of the price point of the key players in the industry.

iRun: Also: take us up to date with you. Both with you professionally, and personally – how is your running?

Sasha: HA, well things have been real busy both professionally and personally. This year has been a really crazy ride so far and we are only just half way through it. I have spent the bulk of my time working on product development, which has become my favourite part of the job. As for my personal life, I have my hands pretty damn full with the most active, precarious four year old I’ve ever met. Keeping up with her is a workout in itself. After a pretty bad foot injury a couple years ago, which forced me to take a break from running, I finally got back into it last year and was a big part of why I wanted to ensure this summer capsule collection included some pieces to run in this season.

iRun: Now that the brand is launched. Are you hungrier to do more? Where else do you see your collection going? Would you ever do shoes?

Sasha: “I didn’t come this far, to come this far!” That’s how the saying goes, right? Anyone who knows me knows that I am always striving for something bigger. Something to challenge me. Being stagnant is literally my worst fear. Joe Fresh and I have produced three successful collections to date, with the fourth out this Fall, but I do see room to do something I haven’t done with the brand before. Maybe a winter focused collection. I’ve actually done shoes for women and kids in the past, but they were more on the athleisure side. It would be fun though to challenge ourselves to make something a little bit more technical in footwear.

iRun: Lastly, and thanks for your time and it’s great catching up with you: what do you want your legacy to be in sportswear?

Sasha: I want people to remember my advocacy for size inclusivity. When I first started in this line of work, my goal was to inspire and encourage others to get active. That was my “why”. Over the years I had done a good job getting people to open up to the idea of wellness and movement, but I feel like now I am able to close the loop by giving more women out there apparel options to help them commit to their journey.

Mark Sutcliffe started iRun magazine. Now he’s running for Mayor.

Ben Kaplan

July 6, 2022

Mark Sutcliffe founded iRun magazine in 2008, and last week he declared his candidacy to become the next Mayor of Ottawa. Mark’s a mentor to me, a friend, and will be well known to many of you as a longtime presence in the Ottawa Citizen, on the air of CFRA, CityNews, Rogers TV, and CPAC and running along the paths near his home in West Wellington and as a board member and television commentator for the Ottawa Marathon. He is also the author of three books about running: Why I Run, Canada’s Magnificent Marathon, and Long Road to Boston.

Mark says that running has changed his life and that he sees it as an integral part to this exciting next phase of his journey.

“I’ve been thinking about running a lot lately,” he told me the other day, after finishing his long run. “I was a shy kid, not particularly athletic, the smallest kid in my class, and when I started running marathons I discovered a toughness that I didn’t think I had.”

That toughness, he says, helped him recognize that, within himself, he could do difficult things if he had a plan, a community, and a disciplined consistency and focus to achieve beyond his ordinary goals. “Completing my first marathon changed my life and how I looked at all the challenges I was going to face in life,” says the 53-year old father of three. “You can’t cram for a marathon, you have to put the work in day in, day out, for months at a time, and I’ve learned through running what it means to take on something big and chip away one step at a time until you reach your goal.”

Mark says the goal of his current campaign is to pay back all the good fortune he’s received in the place he’s called home for his entire life. “Ottawa’s a city that’s been extremely good to me and my family and I’m grateful and excited about the future, but also worried about some of the challenges we’re facing,” says Sutcliffe, adding that affordability has become a big issue for Ottawa families and that his first priority is helping the people who need it the most. “I care a lot about equality and the equality of opportunity and as Ottawa gets bigger and the cost of living goes up, we have to look after everyone.” That was the subject of a TEDx Talk Mark did four years ago that incorporated running, luck, and fairness.

I don’t know much about politics, but I certainly know that, after fifteen years of friendship and long runs and post-race burritos at his house, Mark has certainly looked after me, and many other runners in the iRun community. Mark has a big heart, great values, and he’s done a lot for our sport and our industry—whether volunteering at events or interviewing regular runners alongside Canada’s racing stars—and I just want to say, on behalf of iRun Nation, congratulations, Mark. We’re rooting for you. Just as you’ve done, and will continue to do, no doubt, for so many of us.

My Sports Bra Drawer Needs Replenishing: Joe Fresh x Sasha Exeter: Reviewed

Ben Kaplan

July 6, 2022

The comfortable, affordable activewear we’ve all been craving!

As a runner, my laundry bin at the end of the week consists of 90% workout gear, and 10% ‘other.’ As I gear up for the Chicago marathon this fall, I’m lifting, hitting a speed workout, or running LOTS of long, easy miles daily—meaning I’m always feeling like my sports bra drawer needs replenishing.

The hard part: why do I have to break the bank to find a pair of sweat-wicking, comfortable and cute pair of shorts?! Affordable, proper-fitting workout gear is impossible to find… until now. You can tell that this line, Joe Fresh x Sasha Exeter Run Short, was made for runners—by a runner.

The split short is a dream—enough coverage to feel comfortable, yet enough movement to feel free in your stride as you pick up the pace. I particularly love the breeziness of the short during my hotter summer runs. The waist band sits just below the belly, not pushing against or pinching at the waist, but again providing me the coverage I feel comfortable in pairing with a sports bra vs. a longer shirt on a hot day. Bonus—the shorts include an inner pocket to tuck a card or house key.

Joe Fresh and Sasha NAILED the sports bra—it’s a hard task to create a higher neck line with support, without feeling constrained. The bra sits just below the collar bone, allowing for easy breathing, and the open back is both functional, AND stylish. The price point of both items is unbelievable—finally, a brand that understands that athletes shouldn’t be price constrained to feel comfortable in performance pieces. Well done, Sasha and Joe Fresh!

Enhanced Emotion on Your Next Run

Ben Kaplan

July 5, 2022

Howdy! I’m Diane Chesla and am Co-Race Director of the Niagara Falls International Marathon (NFIM) exploring the mind-body connection of running & how lessons learned can be applied to life.

I hate to start with bad news, but not a lot of runner’s actually experience “runner’s high.” It’s damn hard to do. Why? Probably because running is hard. It’s boring. It’s repetitive and the weather. . . it’s constantly messing with our runs because it’s either too hot, too cold, too wet or too something else. Even more bad news: getting into these really awesome states of complete bliss in sport may have something to do with our personality. Some studies actually state that flow is experienced mostly by people that are intrinsically motivated. Know someone that has a “high interest in life,” is very persistent and not truly self-centered? Ya…these are the folks that are getting high.

When I was studying this topic in my Masters I tried lots of techniques to enter these states while I was running. I had varied success. I felt like I was “knocking at the door” a few times but denied entry. Of course if you read my article on my “far out there,” runner’s high experience, you know I managed to enter the state by complete accident. Let me recap the main ways to “get high” based roughly on the theories of “flow” by Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi:

Focus. Single-minded focus on the task at hand is important.

Relax. Kind of goes hand in hand with #1 as you need to ONLY focus on the activity you are doing.

Challenge/Skill. Your perceived challenge has to meet your skill level otherwise you are either too bored or too anxious about the activity.

Enjoyment. I would encourage everyone, regardless of whether your personality fits the description above or not to experiment with these four variables on a run.

If you’re like me, maybe after a number of attempts, in a number of different environments everything will come together and your approach won’t be so “purposeful” and “getting high” on the run will come about without much effort. You will actually be enjoying your run and then—bam—you’ll be super enjoying your run. I have to admit that I find the variable of “enjoyment” interesting. Should enjoyment not be there first?

Let me illustrate this with a story about how I went from a lame soccer player as a kid to an all star team member. I started playing soccer when I was four years old. I sucked. But I loved it. My parents brought
me to every practice and every game & I lived for the sport year after year, even though I knew I wasn’t any good. And then when I was 12 we moved. I didn’t play that summer as I missed registration in my new town but I would go out and watch other girls my age play and developed this immense yearning to get on the field and run my little heart out. So this weird thing happened the following season. That yearning turned into die-hard dedication and some kind of skill that must have been hiding inside of me all those years. All of a sudden, I was good enough to try out for rep and eventually made Captain and became a great soccer player.

What happened? I enjoyed the heck out of that game. Focus followed. I would “shake things out” to enable focus (Is that relaxation? Maybe) and I was always eager to learn new skills to up my game.
I’ll leave this article by tasking you to experiment with “getting high” on your run by finding the deep enjoyment in it. Is it slowing down? Is it speeding up? Is it running longer, or shorter? Is it pounding downhills? Is it getting hopelessly lost on a trail in the sunshine? You define it. You do it.

Task #2: Now let’s do this in your life outside of running. What do you love doing? And I mean “really, truly love” besides running? Painting? Gardening? Watching Netflix thrillers? Taking in architecture? Cooking? Something else? The next time you do something you love take time to do it with incredible purpose. Slow down. Observe. Really indulge in every little bit of what you’re doing. Enjoy the heck out of it! What we are trying to do here is experience some part of these awesome but different “states of mind” that are defined as “flow states” through focusing on the enjoyment factor.

And for my next article? I’m not really sure yet. I’m reliving these theories and going super deep into focusing on the art of enjoyment that I don’t want to preplan too much what I’m going to do next! I may delve into the world of visualization and really expose myself by sharing with you how I create my own feedback loops through self coaching and visualization to enter these states of flow.

The Exciting New Changes this Year at the Beneva Quebec City Marathon, a healthy invitation from Brunet

Sabrina Young

June 29, 2022

One of the country’s best races—with distances of marathon, half marathon, 10K, 5K and 2K kid’s run—gets a refresh this year with exciting changes to the course. The Beneva Quebec City Marathon, a healthy invitation from Brunet, taking place September 30 – October 2, is a true destination marathon for runners and walkers.

The popular marathon course, a Boston qualifier, is certified by Athletics Canada and enhanced this year with a major upgrade. Presented by Beneva, the legendary marathon now cuts through two beautiful neighbourhoods: Lairet and Saint-Louis.

Other amazing race sponsors include Kyndryl for the half marathon, which is also presented by WKND 91.9; Sports Experts for the 10K, and Beneva for the Healthy 5K.”

Finally, in keeping the 2022 edition of Beneva Quebec City Marathon first-class, there’s another new exciting upgrade for fall. The start and finish line—for the marathon and half-marathon course, and the festive zone site—will now take place in the Place Jean Béliveau, on the iconic Expo-Cité site (Centre Vidéotron).

The Beneva Quebec City Marathon, a healthy invitation from Brunet is both a destination bucket list race and also a local favourite for Ontario and Quebec. Everyone’s invited and, to join the party, to register click here.

The Fastest Canadian 10K Runner of All-Time Has Race Tips; Plus, Win his Shoes!

Ben Kaplan

June 29, 2022

Ben Flanagan went out fast this week at the 10K competition in Boston, put on by the organizers of the Boston Marathon. Fresh off winning the 10K championships in Ottawa, Flanagan, 27, from Kitchener, Ontario, knew he felt good and ready to run fast, but he was admittedly struggling as he tossed out his race plan and ran like the dickens during the first few kilometres of his international event.

“I’d like to say I was able to find another gear in the last mile, but I was in total survival mode,” says Flanagan, reached in Massachusetts where he described himself as “a little beat up, but excited to get back at it.”

As for the last few kilometres of his race? “I knew we were in risky territory,” he said.

Flanagan—all of five feet, six inches—ran the 10K race in 28:11, and smashed the previous Canadian all-time record, set by Paul McCloy, in 1987.

The record Flanagan broke had been held for 35 years. “I feel like I found my place among guys I’ve looked up to my whole career,” he says. “Pretty crazy.”

The race was held in blazing heat and Flanagan opened up his 10K by running his 5K pace for the first three kilometres. For anyone curious about the “go-like-crazy-and-try-to-hold-on” philosophy of racing, that was Flanagan’s unintentional approach. Despite himself, it worked.

“I was trying to find the finish line without fighting the body too much and trying to keep from getting complacent,” Flanagan explains, mentioning that the harder things get in a race, the more uncomfortable, the more important it becomes to stay calm.

“It’s about finding the balance between getting comfortable, but not getting too comfortable—it’s about sustainable discomfort, how to cross the finish line fast, without bonking the last few Ks.”

Flanagan was a famous high school and collegiate athlete and he currently trains in Michigan with Coach Ron Warhurst and has been active on the scene for a decade. Still, Flanagan attributes at least some of his record-breaking success to tweaks he made with Warhurst in preparation of his historic race. Despite years of racing, his mechanics needed tweaks.

“One thing Ronnie really pitches is: ‘Don’t fight your body.’ It’s easy to think the toughest one out there wins and grit goes a long way, but not as far as cooperating with your body,” says Flanagan, and then gives out the million-dollar information. So, how did you achieve historic racing success?

“Even when the race gets hard, focus on your arms and keep them high,” he says. “Keep your shoulders relaxed and use your arm swing to carry your legs.“

I asked him if that advice is good for even us middle of the pack, six-pack runners, and he said absolutely. “I think that’s good advice for anybody, and I also think over-striding is probably a very common problem. Shorten your stride for a quicker turnover and you’ll run in a more efficient way.”

Efficiency is something Flanagan has gotten better at, but what he’s never needed help with is his confidence. He says he’s ecstatic with his record. What he’s not, however, is satisfied.

“I want to break records, man. Cam’s marathon record is the one I want the most,” says Flanagan of Cam Levins’s 2:09:25 marathon time, the all-time fastest marathon run by a Canadian man. Ben Flanagan has never run a marathon before. But, to be fair, Levins hadn’t run the marathon either before becoming Canada’s fastest marathon man. “My body isn’t trained yet for the marathon. That’s probably a year away,” Flanagan says. “I want the 5K record and I want the half marathon record. I want all of them, my goals are ambitious. I want to rewrite the record book.”

Flanagan certainly has the experience and the tools to achieve great things, building from his historic showing in Boston where he became Canada’s all-time fastest runner in the 10K. He runs in On shoes, Swiss-engineered sneakers that have been described as running on a cloud. Want to try out his shoes? On is giving away a pair to one male and one female iRun subscriber and all you have to do is guess which record Flanagan will break next. Leave your vote in the comments and you’re entered to win. Results will be announced Wednesday, July 6: good luck, and good luck always to Big Ben.

Top photograph by Benjamin Weingart; second photo courtesy of On.

Canada Day Love in the Time of Sneakers

Ben Kaplan

June 29, 2022

That feeling of seeing someone you love achieving their dream and watching them complete a race brings about such warm feelings and hope that oftentimes running couples find themselves moved to tears. It’s pride mixed with admiration, relief, a second-hand runner’s high and equals—bliss.

“I was trying to push her along with a half kilometre to go and you want to help them, but you just can’t jump over the turnstile,” says Ryan Field, a Toronto-based runner training for the Berlin Marathon with the help of his longtime girlfriend, Kathleen Lawrence, a competitive marathon racer who recently received her first elite bib. “Afterwards, seeing her come out of the chute and she’s overcome with emotions—she hit her goal—and you know everything that goes into it, and later she said that when she saw me at the 30K mark: I needed that.”

Lawrence says that, in her first Boston qualifier, she not only needed Field’s support, but that it elevated her, as love does—especially early on—through life, and her next few races.

“It carried me through,” says Lawrence, also training for the Berlin Marathon, where she and Field will be celebrating their seventh anniversary: site of their first destination race (Ryan has cheered Kathleen on at all of the majors; this year, is the first time, for his forty-second birthday, he’s also going to run). “Whenever I see Ryan at races it gives me a boost,” says Kathleen, “it’s the pure joy of accomplishment, and seeing someone who’s important to you.”

Canada Day is a time of celebration and relaxation and appreciating the end of the school year and a well-deserved break from work. As we all continue to sort out our responses to surviving COVID and whatever else, it’s nice to take a pause to appreciate the joy and astonishment of running and love.

“Dave and I met in Peterborough at the winter half-marathon in 1991; we were introduced by some mutual running friends after the race and my arms—yes, arms—were cramping because I was dehydrated and Dave offered to massage them for me,” says Cynthia O’Halloran, adding that, 21 years later, Dave still massages her arms after a race. “There was no way that I was about to say no to that good-looking guy!”

Obviously run clubs and races provide a community where eligible singles pursue their hobby with passion and a shared interest can provide a backdrop for falling in love both with a sport, and with a partner. 44 years ago Lori Rae Bernstein met her partner on a run and Susan Reynolds-David had such a good running first date that she decided to marry her partner—in the middle of a half marathon.

Sandra Walsh met her partner at a shakeout run at the Boston Marathon and Olympian Dayna Pidhoresky is in a relationship with her coach, the great Josh Seifarth. Kathleen Lawrence says her relationship with Ryan Field has helped her as a runner. They run together sometimes.

“It helped my training because it shifted my speeds a bit and I tried something different,” Lawrence explains. “I make her run slow,” clarifies Field.

“Running with Ryan caused me to shift my easy pace which I attribute as a game changer this year,” says Kathleen.

“Because I’m really slow,” concludes Field.

Most of us will be running this long weekend, some of us alone, some of us with a crew, and some of us with a partner. Be safe everyone and have a happy holiday—may you all find love in your sneakers, be it for the sport or for someone who catches your eye at your next half marathon.

Shoe review: New Balance 1080v12

Ben Kaplan

June 22, 2022

It’s not just that the 1080v12 from New Balance feels so soft, it’s that the cushioning combines with a responsiveness to make the shoe feel comfortable, but also fast. The best of both worlds. An update on the popular New Balance 1080, which I’d recommend to almost anyone, this all-purpose neutral training shoe is good for speed work and long runs and, at $200, it’s a good value for a durable shoe.

It’s hard to find anything not to love about this New Balance shoe.

New Balance says if it made only one shoe it would be this, and it is a running shoe for everyone. It weighs 292 grams and has a rubber outsole and the Hypoknit upper offers seemingly invisible, reliable support. Some comfortable shoes feel edgeless, but these still have good grip on the road and keep a runner connected. It’s practically—at the risk of hyperbole—a perfect shoe, which is good reason why New Balance keeps updating their flagship model. Super shoes are the latest trend. But everything they lack—for instance, durability and affordability—the 1080 has in spades.

Made from renewable resources and updated with a stylish kick, the 1080v12 from New Balance is exactly what you want to take you through summer and to your goal race this fall.

Why I run with Pride

Ben Kaplan

June 22, 2022

Established in 1996, the Toronto Pride and Remembrance run is a live memorial to founder Alan Belaiche’s late friend Richard Robert-Leroux who had died from AIDs the previous year. Now on its 26th anniversary, the run serves as a massive symbol for many members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community, including myself.

As a GenZ member of the 2SLGBQ+ community, I am incredibly fortunate to live in a country where my forefathers have fought for and achieved equal rights in many facets. I was born in the year 2000. By the time I figured I was bisexual in 2016, I already had friends who were part of the community. I had just witnessed the US Supreme Court legalize marriage equality across the United States. The Pride and Remembrance run serves as a reminder that without those who protested against oppressive laws or the queer people who faced violence from the police force, I would not be able to be “out and proud” the way I am today. I owe it to the “We Demand” protestors of 1971, the New Brunswick Four, the victims of the Operation Soap Raids and more for my ability to publicly broadcast my sexual orientation online and in school. These people led to the legalization of same-sex marriage in 2005 and are why my friends can proudly introduce their same-sex partners in public.

Of course, we must remember that the fight is not over. Despite our “equal rights” and general acceptance, there are still disparities that need to be addressed. Transgender people still have 2x higher mortality rates than cis people. In the past year, 375 trans people have been murdered in the United States. Here in Canada, Blood Canada announced that they would overturn the 2-month donation ban for men who have sex with men when they reworded their policies to exclude anyone who has had anal sex in the past three months. While the wording may seem more inclusive, it still disproportionately affects queer men who have sex with other men.

Our general public is still very uninformed about 2SLGBTQ+ issues. For example, in 2017, 53% of Canadians said they would not eat a meal prepared by someone they knew was HIV positive. As our issues are discussed in a public setting, we need to disseminate accurate information to help dispel the misconceptions spread by Facebook conspiracy theories and misguided commentators.

Running the Pride and Remembrance Run reminds me that I cannot be complacent.

There are still so many things that need to be addressed before our community can achieve acceptance and equality in society. Raising awareness of our community’s issues through the Pride and Remembrance Run is only a tiny piece of what I can do, and I aim to do more grassroots work in the future. Nevertheless, I am proud to be a Pride and Remembrance Ambassador this year, and I can’t wait to see what our fundraising can do to help our beneficiaries.

To fundraise for the cause, please click here.

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