Track & Field Championships, Results & Vibes

April 5, 2022

Clap, clap, clap. The crowd began to simmer. As UNB’s Lexie Shannon made her way down the triple jump runway, the clapping increased to a crescendo, culminating in an explosive hop, skip and jump.

At this point, Shannon was attempting her final jump, after what UNB REDS head coach called “Lexie’s best series.” Still, Shannon, who had been leading the whole competition, was now trailing after her opponent from the University of Toronto, Kristen Shultz by four centimetres.

As Shannon made impact with the sand, the building hushed, knowing this moment would determine the gold medalist. It was going to be close. And as the final measurement was announced, the crowd erupted with the UNB REDS winning their first ever U SPORT gold medal, all while hosting the U SPORTS Track and Field Championships.

This was just one of the many climactic moments witnessed by track and field fans who attended the U SPORTS Track and Field Championships in Saint John, New Brunswick.

After the cancellation of the 2021 event due to COVID-19, the energy at the new Irving Oil Fieldhouse was palpable. Thousands of student athletes, coaches and spectators descended on the city, looking to break records, win medals and bring pride to their universities. In addition to a great atmosphere the event was projected to bring over $2-million in economic impact for the region.

Aside from Lexie Shannon’s gold medal in the triple jump, the bulk of the drama came on the track. Perhaps the best of these events was the men’s 1500, where Laval’s Jean-Simon Deganges (JSD) won a dramatic sprint finish over Guelph’s Alec Purnell and Calgary’s Eric Lutz in a relatively tactical but explosive race. UNB’s Jared Howse, a rookie, pronounced himself as one to watch with a 6th place finish.

That wasn’t JSD’s only medal of the competition, as he and teammate Thomas Fafard won gold and silver in the men’s 3K, with Fafard narrowly taking the win.

Western’s Kate Current was dominant over the weekend, claiming double gold. In the 3K, she defeated the Laval duo of Jessy Lacourse and Catherine Beachemin on the last lap with an explosive kick. In the 1500, she kicked away again, this time beating Toronto’s Jazz Shukla and Windsor’s Sydney Pattison in a sprint finish.

In the men’s 1K, U SPORTS male rookie of the year, Eric Lutz won by seven tenths of a second in a four-man sprint, narrowly edging out fellow medalists Alec Purnell of Guelph and Rohan Nowbotsing of Toronto. JSD also featured in this race, running only about two seconds faster than his last K in the 3,000m.

A Great Day at the Track

The women’s 1K had an equally close result, this time with Guelph’s Sadie-Jane Hickson defeating Jazz Shukla by less than one-tenth of a second. Sydney Pattison took third.

Moving down in distance to the women’s 600m, Sadie-Jane Hickson won her second individual gold medal of the weekend. She defeated Grace Konrad of Trinity Western and Avery Pearson of Saskatchewan. The highest seed, uOttawa’s Sydney Smith, was denied a podium spot by four-one hundreths of a second.

The men’s race was equally dramatic with defending champion Vaughn Taylor of Windsor taking the race out supremely hard, but fading to fourth. Marcus Nandlal of UofT took the win, followed by Windsor’s Ben Tilson and Michael Anku.

In the 300m, Zoe Sherar took the win on the women’s side. Defeating Trinity Western’s Grace Konrad and Carelton’s Alexandra Telford. Whereas on the men’s side, Karson Lehner upset Austin Cole – a member of Canada’s mixed 4×400 relay squad – to take the win. UofT’s Emmett Bravakis took third.

Jacqueline Madogo of Guelph stormed away from the field in the women’s 60m, running 7.30 for the victory. She was followed by Gracie Anderson of Saskatchewan who ran 7.43 and Audrey Leduc from Laval who rounded out the podium running 7.44.

The men’s race was won by Nigerian Olympian, Usheoritse Itsekiri who ran 6.66. Itsekiri made the semi-final in the Tokyo Games for the 100m. He was followed by Immanuel Onyemah from Waterloo in 6.74 and Jordan Soufi from Manitoba who ran 6.77.

The women’s 60m hurdles was won by Catharina Kluyts of Alberta, followed by Tyra Boug of Guelph. Timi Adelugba of Saskatchewan was third.

Another big upset came in the form of the men’s 60m hurdles, where Guelph’s Craig Thorne was beaten by one-one hundredth of a second by Western’s Nathaniel Mechler. They were followed by David Adeleye of UofT.

Both the multi events also provided drama. The first indication of this was the men’s high jump—within the heptathlon—with Noah Dommasch (Guelph) and Max Speiser (Manitoba) dueling. After making jump after jump, it was Dommasch who prevailed over the 1.96 barrier and once again over 1.99, setting the U SPORT record for the event.

The jump also allowed Dommasch to close the gap on the Speiser who lead the event after Day 1 (and four of seven events). Teammates Masson Altrogge and Kieran Johnston of Saskatchewan were also within 25 points of the leader.

In the end it was Kieran Johnston taking the win thanks, in part, to his large scores in the 60m hurdles and the 1000m.

RAMS’ athlete Dallyssa Huggins won the women’s pentathlon who ran a 2:20 800 to overtake the leaders. Hannah Blair from Waterloo was second with Lorena Heubach from Dalhousie rounding out the podium.

The competition in the field was kicked off by the women’s weight throw, which produced its own drama. Noemie Jeffrey threw 18.89m to take the gold, followed by Lethbridge’s Jinaye Shomachuk who threw 18.00m who in turn was followed VERY closely by Calgary’s Osereme Omosun who threw 17.99m.

In the men’s event, Guelph athlete Mark Bujnowski won the event on his third round throw, eclipsing 20m. He was followed by a pair of Lethbridge athletes Andreas Troschke and Brayden Klippenstein.

York athlete Leah Jones won the women’s long jump by six centimeters with a mark of 6.18. She was followed by Regina athlete Joely Welburn and Manitoba jumper Kirsten Hurdal. On the men’s side, the event was won by Eric Che of UofT. Montreal took both second and third with Clement Mougeolle and Guilhem Hermet.

The men’s triple jump was won by UofT’s Femi Akinduro in a mark of 15.47m. He was followed by Western’s Kenneth West and Manitoba’s Daxx Turner.

Moving from horizontal to vertical jumps, the men’s high jump was won by UofT’s Aiden Grout with a mark of 2.13m. Windsor and Manitoba jumpers Caleb Keeling and Daxx Turner were second and third.

The women’s high jump had four medalists, with UofT’s Emily Branderhorst taking the win over the height of 1.78m. Madison Mayr from Calgary was second. There was a tie for third between Joely Welburn and Hannah Blair (who also medaled in the pentathlon).

Like the high jump, there was also a UofT winner in the women’s pole vault, where Alexzandra Throndson just bested Meghan Lim on countback after they both jumped 4.05m. Mia Rodney from Guelph was third.

Everybody Wins

The men’s pole vault was won by Jamie Eduardo Martin from Trinity Western, in a jump of 4.93m. Maxime Leveille from Sherbrooke took second and Nojah Parker took third.

Finally, but certainly not least, the women’s shot put featured a U SPORT first: a para category. This was won by Charlotte Bolton in a distance of 7.91m.

The women’s shot put was won by Anna McConnel of Mantoba in a distance of 14.39m. Kaitlin Brooks from York was second and Osereme Omosun from Calgary was third.

The men’s shot put was won by Mark Bujnowsku in an 18.30 put, followed by Mathieu Massé-Pelletier of Laval and Brennan Degenhardt of Saskatchewan.

Perhaps the best events of the weekend were the relays. This is where the spirit from each school truly shows and the volume around the track is completely turned up.

The first relay final of the event came in the form of the men’s 4×800 (personally my favourite event). The women’s event proved to be a duel between Western and Saskatchewan with the former winning in a sprint finish. Guelph finished third, just getting the best of a tired Laval squad (as they had raced the 3K earlier in the day).

The men’s 4×800 had no less intrigue, but this time the University of Guelph took over, winning the event by over two seconds. Toronto finished second with Manitoba sneaking in for a medal, beating Western in what looked like a dead heat.

The 4×200 was the next relay final of the weekend with the Guelph women taking the victory. Team starter and senior, Morgan Byng told me this after the race: “Setting the record is the coolest thing. With all the lockdowns we have been working so hard …In my final year I just wanted to have some fun, run fast and things just lined up.” Guelph was followed by Saskatchewan and Laval.

The men’s 4×200 was dominated by Alberta who beat Saskatchewan by about 2 seconds on a team that featured Austin Cole. Guelph was third.

The men’s 4×400 had a similar trend to it with the same Guelph and Alberta teams taking the win in both the women’s and men’s events respectively.

So ended the first U SPORTS Track and Field Championships ever held in the Maritimes.

Here are four quick takeaways:

New coaching staff, same result: Guelph dominates

Despite the turmoil surrounding the Guelph track and field program and cover-ups from the administration, Guelph still is the force to be reckoned with on the U SPORT stage. They won both the men’s and women’s teams titles for the weekend.

Laval definitely has the deepest distance program

Despite Guelph’s dominance, Laval still has the deepest distance program. Budding star JSD flanked by Thomas Fafard were virtually unbeatable over distance events (both cross country and track) this year. Fafard’s win was punctuated by the fact that he had just returned with a silver medal from the Pan Am XC Cup in Brazil. Meanwhile, JSD raced three events on the weekend, meddling in two.

Relays are fun but USPORT needs a DMR (distance medley relay)

Relays are a blast. Every year they get the competitors, the spectators and the coaches fired up. In turn, there is always drama.

However nothing touches the excitement of a distance medley relay where instead of four legs of the same distance, each leg is a different distance, leading to even more strategy on part of the coaching staff and a mix of distance and middle distance talent.

UNB is a budding distance program.

Watch out, Canada. UNB is on the national stage and here to stay. 16 athletes participated at the Championships, a record high for the program. This most certainly lead to increased success under the tutelage of coach Chris Belof.

Stephen Andersen is a law student and cross country athlete at the University of New Brunswick. He is from Burlington, ON. You can find him on Instagram @andersen_runs or Twitter @AndersenRuns.

Photos were generously donated by Kevin Barrett. Find him on Twitter @KevinBarrettNB

How to Run Forever

Ben Kaplan

March 30, 2022

Two of Canada’s all-time greatest marathon runners raced on Sunday and they finished, respectively, second and fourth. Reid Coolsaet and Krista DuChene, both Olympians, are 42 and 45-years-old, and both chat easily about their performance. There were things they did well—Krista’s last kick, Reid’s ascension in the hills—and things that didn’t go their way: Reid felt a bit under the weather, Krista, like everyone Sunday at Around the Bay, felt hamstrung by the wind. There are elements, however, that they share in common, beyond grit, natural talent, drive, and almost a supernatural ability to tolerate pain. That’s joyfulness.

They both have days like we all have, to be sure, but, if you want to run forever like Reid and Krista, you have to fall head over heels, with running, in love.

“I don’t overthink stuff. I truly enjoy it. I put the work in and, when I’m done running, I don’t let it consume my life,” says DuChene, Canada’s Marathon Mom, who Sunday set the W45 Canadian record at Around the Bay, finishing the event for the eleventh time. “Sunday’s race was good for me because I didn’t have marathon fatigue. I could stay up and go to my kids’ activities in normal clothes and not sit in the van in my pyjamas.”

All of us love running. We want to go fast and go far and buy the latest gadgets and sneakers and travel to exotic races while maintaining our fitness and posting cool running photos online. However, practitioners of the sport who’ve survived, and by that I mean not just running the half marathon once and crossing it off their bucket list, must develop a deeper relationship with the sport. Running is a lot of running around in circles and, if you do it in Canada, oftentimes you have to do it while the weather is crap. To hear Reid and Krista describe it, they chase numbers and records and both have chased prize money and considerable, though Canadian, fame. That’s not the reason they run.

“I will totally admit that I’m motivated by numbers and hitting a weekly mileage or time in a week, but if that’s all-consuming, it’s detrimental,” says Coolsaet, currently training for the Western States 100-miler and adds that, despite his forays into race directing and coaching, the two-time Olympian with a marathon PB of 2:10:55, is most definitely not retired. “I’m not chasing Olympic spots anymore, but I always love racing and, even now, while my focus is trail running, I ran Around the Bay solely because I couldn’t pass up a local race that’s one of the big icons of running in Canada.”

Coolsaet ran Around the Bay because he wanted to. He ran it in trail shoes. He had fun. Being him, he knows that diehard running geeks will check out his times and wonder if he’s still got it. He wasn’t feeling 100%. He didn’t care. Like Krista, he runs for himself and because he loves it. Loves getting to the starting line. Fighting through the aches and pains. Seeing familiar faces and hearing the cheers and, when it’s all over and he’s with his wife and kids, thinking about the race and drinking a beer, he loves to plan for what he’s going to run next. “I enjoy having a reason to compete and train and, as long as I wake up and want to do this, I think I’ll hang on as long as I can,” says DuChene, who plans on running shorter distance races this spring and summer with Canada Running Series as she prepares for the Chicago Marathon this fall. “You always have to have some motivation and reason for running, and I definitely still do, but I’ve just adjusted my goals reasonably to make them appropriate for my age.”

Reid Coolsaet and Krista DuChene are two of the finest practitioners of our sport. They’ve achieved great success in their sneakers, but they’ve also inspired legions of middle-of-the-packers to follow in their fluorescent shoes. Do you want to run forever? Want to extend your spring season into the fall, into next year, into ten, twenty, fifty years down the road? Listen to Krista DuChene and Reid Coolsaet. The secret isn’t the stretching, the sneakers or the training plan—though all those things will help. The secret is the attitude you choose.

“I think some part of my longevity you’d have to attribute to a combination of motivation and listening to my body,” says Coolsaet, “but the bigger thing is, probably, I just love to run.”

Photographs by daniel.tnf.autographs, @daniel.tnf.autographs.

How to Use Running for Good

Ben Kaplan

March 30, 2022

Amanda Ralph, one year cancer-free, is continuing on the 10K-per-day run for the month of April to raise money for the Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre that was begun by Ian Fraser, race director of the Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend.

She says that, as a mother of two daughters, violence against women speaks to her heart.

“I want to make sure my daughters are safe and know what they need to in order to stay safe, and I just want to support everyone who has been through hard times,” says Ralph, 47, a school teacher in Brampton who won a hotel room and race entry at the Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend, a race entry she won’t be using because she was already registered to run Ottawa’s half marathon.

“Running, when it’s not about me but for other people, feels more rewarding. During chemo I could not wait to get back to running, and now that I have, I’m really looking forward to being able to help.”

Ralph will be running 10-kilometres-per-day and posting about her runs on Instagram @WonderWomanRalph, and the link to donate to her efforts, which will be added to the funds raised by Fraser, is right here.

Ralph says she’s no stranger to hard times. When doctors found a cyst on her ovary, it was assumed that her colon cancer had spread. Her tumor was so large that she had two-thirds of her colon removed. But, the day after her December birthday, she went in for chemo, and, when it was over in March, 2021, she went back to work. Then she started running again.

“Mostly I was walking because my iron levels were so bad and breathing was hard,” she says, “but, like most things, you start slow and don’t quit and, eventually, you find your rhythm again.”

Ralph’s rhythm has already seen her complete three half-marathons and an IronGirl race and now, the schoolteacher and mother says she’s ready for her 10K-per-day. She runs with gratitude, she says. All she wants to do is use the sport she loves to help people in need.

“Raising awareness about violence and supporting those affected by it is an important job,” she says, “Plus, this might be the challenge I need to get me back to where I used to be.” iRun magazine will be documenting the great Amanda Ralph’s journey and we encourage everyone to support her, and the Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre, as we move towards the Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend.

To donate to Amanda Ralph, once again, please click here.

How to Run Without Fear

Ben Kaplan

March 29, 2022

Lots of us will have gone years without in-person racing by the time we line up at our next start line. That can be a cause of discomfort and anxiety but Peter Papadogiannis, mental performance consultant, professor and head of the Toronto Marathon’s psych team, argues that the discomfort can actually be a launching pad to a new opportunity, if only the framework of our approach to race day can change.

“Times to runners are historically so important—all we hear about is PBs—but if you flip the script for this race season, that being back is what’s important and trust that the times will come, I think it will serve many runners well to have this season’s races be all about gratitude,” says Papadogiannis, who, alongside his colleagues, has been a presence at the Toronto Marathon for the past 22 years. “In fact, believing that racing is a privilege is a helpful approach at any time, but it feels awfully appropriate during times like these.”

There’s pressure, even for amateur runners, when racing. We compete against ourselves, against the clock, against our peers. However, reminds Papadogiannis, that pressure is almost entirely self-imposed. Don’t let the nerves get the best of you, says Papadogiannis. Sometimes, he says, a finish line is nothing more than a starting line in disguise.

“A technique I often tell racers is to approach their event as a learning moment, you can’t get to where you want to go without starting, and perhaps this first event back is just a stop along your path,” he says, mentioning that race day helps not only in terms of physical performance, but also mental toughness and a practice of your race day routine. “There are so many different factors that go into race day, and we’re all out of practice—society is—which, when you think about it, is a wonderful opportunity: every race you attempt after COVID is something brand new.”

To get ready for your race, break things down into simple chunks. What are you wearing? How are you getting to your event? What will you eat? Give yourself a realistic race goal. Many of us are no longer in the shape we were at the start of the pandemic. Plus, this winter’s been long. All that’s OK. The point is, says Papadogiannis, relax, lean into the moment, and trust that you’ll have this opportunity (if you’re lucky) again and again.

“We always look forward with trepidation or else we’re fearful and go into the past, but I tell all my runners, it’s much better to be in the moment, be grateful, and have fun,” Papadogiannis says. “It’s a wonderful thing to get to the startline, and that doesn’t change no matter how well you do.”

Racing is back in-person and, as runners, that’s something exciting to us all. But with that, however, comes expectations and, sometimes, unhelpful nerves. All of that is natural. Papadogiannis urges racers at any event this spring to enjoy the process, focus on building strength (both mental and physical), learn from the experiences, and be prepared to do the whole thing again.

“The thrilling part of racing, what gets us hooked, is that it’s all one ongoing evolution,” says Papadogiannis. “Remember that and take a giant exhale. Do your best. And trust that you’ll be here again.”

Peter Papadogiannis leads the Psych Team at the Toronto Marathon, which is Sunday, May 1. To read more about it, and Papadogiannis’s Psych Team, see torontomarathon.com.

How to Make Sense of CBD and CBN for Runners

Ben Kaplan

March 23, 2022

Cannabis has come a long way since the 60s and, thanks to innovative companies, athletes are beginning to see the applications of the plant—which is being used for so much more than getting high. Internationally known sports celebrities from Wayne Gretzky to George St. Pierre have gotten behind CBD, a molecular compound of cannabis, which does not have the psychoactive effects of THC. Athletes use CBD for its anti-inflammation properties and also, in sport creams, to rub on sore muscles. In Canada, CBD is sold the same way as joints and cannabis flower, but in the United States, where pot isn’t legal, CBD is sold on Amazon and at WholeFoods. People like Gwyneth Paltrow and Martha Stewart have espoused its purposefulness, and none of these athletes are using it to get stoned.

CBD, however, is just one of the new cannabis molecules that are attracting attention in the world of sports. CBN is a newer cannabis molecule that has been derived from the plant by cutting-edge scientists to provide yet a new host of sports application. CBN, which stands for cannabinol, is sort of like what happens when THC ages, but, like CBD, it’s non-psychoactive. Though there’s a certain placebo effect when using either CBD or CBN, most consumers agree that neither molecule will get you stoned. In fact, CRONOS group, an early Canadian cannabis company since the days of medical marijuana, is focused on rare cannabinoids like CBN and has touted the property to take away the yucky part of being stoned (that being paranoia, or feeling like everyone’s talking about you, and they’re not saying nice things).

Canada legalized cannabis on October 17, 2018, and with that came a massive influx of tax dollars into the Canadian economy and a watershed of new research into the plant. One of the major companies working in the CBD and CBN markets is MediPharm Labs, which is based in Barrie, Ontario, and pioneering CBN as an all-natural sleep aid. For any athlete who’s struggled to sleep, where the muscles work hard to repair and gear up for the next day’s work, the CBN1:2 nighttime formula will come as a Florence Nightingale offering blissful nighttime relief.

We’ve been following the cannabis trail and its intersection with sports since before legalization in an effort to keep our readers updated on the latest health and wellness innovations. Over the next few months and into the fall race season, we will continue reporting on new products, new companies, and new applications that we feel comfortable to endorse. Please know that the medical proof of most of these products doesn’t go much further than the anecdotal. Studying cannabis as a science has been difficult before October 17, 2018, and this is still a brand-new field. Cannabis, clearly, even in its non-psychoactive forms, is not for everyone—and that’s OK. However, like energy gels and sports drinks, carbon-plated shoes and GPS watches, these new cannabinoids can help certain athletes enhance their running experience.

Stay tuned for more updates on this channel, and, as always, we welcome your feedback. Have you tried these products? Had a good or bad experience? Let’s start an open and honest conversation and give runners nationwide the best, most reliable source of information and news.

EXCLUSIVE: Run for Charity and Get a Race Bib and Hotel Room

Ben Kaplan

March 23, 2022

Ian Fraser is the popular race director of Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend and, since the start of March, he’s been running 10 kilometres per day for the Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre as part of the Race Weekend’s Charity Challenge (which means 100% of the funds Fraser collects goes directly to charity). Fraser says that, as a runner, he feels our sport must be safe and the work being done at the Rape Crisis Centre should be supported by people who love how our sport makes us feel.

“What we do as runners is supposed to be accessible and safe and give people a sense of freedom, relief and release, but so many women don’t feel safe running alone, particularly if it’s a little dark,” Fraser says. “I think the victims of sexual violence have a unique set of needs in the community and I shudder to think that an organization that provides help to people who are struggling needs financial assistance so desperately to stay in business.”

Runners share the streets with the community and, in completing his nearly month-long 10K-per-day challenge, Fraser has only become more committed to his cause. There are eight days left in Fraser’s Charity Challenge for the Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre and today he’s announcing that if someone wants to continue his challenge for April, that runner will receive free entry into the Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend event of their choice. But that’s not all. Obviously sexual violence isn’t contained only to Ottawa, and so if a runner opts into the challenge, Fraser will also throw in a hotel room for that Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend participant willing to carry on the challenge of helping this great charity raise funds. The only ask: run for the Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre and promote your running. Help this great charity raise funds by promoting Fraser’s fundraising link.

Fraser got the ball rolling.

We need another runner to help get us to the Tamarack Ottawa Marathon Weekend starting line.

“I firmly believe that running should be a safe haven for everybody, and to think that it’s not—that’s got to end,” Fraser says. “Running should be physically and emotionally safe for everybody. I just know that for so many of us who really love running, the sport is such an important pillar of our overall well being.”

We’re not going to end the need for the essential work being done at places like the Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre—or the Rape Crisis Centre in the town whereveer you live—but we can help raise money for these charities. Fraser has spent the last twenty-three days running 10K-per-day and he has eight more 10K runs before he completes his journey. Who will take over his mantle? It’s a feel-good mission for an unbelievably good cause with a bonus prize for the runner baked in. To help support Ian Fraser on his fundraising quest, please click here. If you’re ready to get involved on your own, please contact Ben Kaplan at iRun magazine, by emailing Ben@iRun.ca, or else just leaving a note in the comments.

As runners, we share our streets with our neighbours. Let’s do what we love and help those in our communities who do the work that we don’t for people in need.

Judging History’s Greatest Running Shoe

Ben Kaplan

March 23, 2022

There are few things more important to a runner than the shoes we love. But what are the best shoes? What are the best shoes of all-time? Well, according to John Stanton, founder of the Running Room, there might just be an answer. “Starting in 1993, ASICS Kayano has stood the test of time and been a consistent top performing and selling shoe designed by Toshikazu Kayano of ASICS.”

The Kayano recently came out in its twenty-ninth iteration, and the $160 shoe—neutral-riding, designed for stability and support, practically guaranteed to please everybody—registered quite a few votes from our audience. When the question was put to more than 12,000 runners, we heard lots of high marks for ASICS. A typical comment went like this: “ASICS Kayano have been my go-to for over 15 years now.” Stability shoes—not the newfangled super expensive carbon-plated numbers that are currently all the rage—generally ranked highest as the Greatest Shoes of All-Time.

Nike, which began the carbon-plate revolution and is generally worn by most runners attempting Olympic gold or even a Personal Best, earned lots of raves from our audience. But it’s not the $365 NEXT% that made our audience swoon, though of course those are shoes we love. The best-selling running shoe by Nike? The Pegasus, which was introduced in 1983 and worn in training by athletes like Joan Benoit Samuelson and an up-and-comer named Eliud Kipchoge. (Phil Knight, the Nike founder, is known to wear the Peg at black tie events). “I will always have a fondness for the Pegasus, as it was the first actual running shoe I’d ever run in,” said one reader. “I ran for several years in Nike cross-trainers, and for months in combat boots, before “discovering” real running shoes. It was revelatory to say the least!”

I think when we ask what the All-Time Best Running Shoe Ever is, what we’re really asking is: what shoe were you wearing when you fell in love with the sport? People love the Ghost series from Mizuno, which is what I ran my first marathon in, and Brooks Ghost, Brooks Beast, Brooks Glycerin, and the Brooks Adrenaline (Brooks, after Nike, is the second best-selling running shoe). Of course, lots of people called out New Balance. Again, the shoes that runners were referencing were models like the 860 or the 1400 (both neutral stability shoes). Our friend Kelly Arnott (of Chilly Marathon fame) said: “The greatest running shoes of all-time is the New Balance 998—this must be 50-years-old and had AA to D and E for men and went to size 15. My grandfather’s store Hendry’s Family Shoes in Hamilton sold it from 1994 to when we closed. I am an old shoe dog.”

For new shoes, HOKA received plenty of votes as the Greatest Running Shoe of All-Time. HOKA, more than anyone, is revered for its comfort and cloud-like ride. Often I’ve wondered if runners could tell the difference between shoes if they wore blindfolds. It’s almost an emotional connection to our shoes that makes us keep coming back to a sneaker we trust. That mental edge—if we think the shoe is The Best, perhaps we run like it is—can make all the difference when choosing a running shoe. Anita Behnessilian-Melnyk said Saucony makes the Greatest Shoes of All-Time. She gets a new pair of Saucony shoes before every race. The Saucony Ride, in its fifteenth iteration, received lots of love. Paula Danyliw only wears Saucony shoes. She has five pairs of Saucony sneakers, and when she shared a picture of her collection, she wrote: “Don’t mind the Nikes in the background, they’re my daughters and she doesn’t know any better.”

What’s the Greatest Running Shoe of All-Time? Something neutral, that brings people into the sport, that’s consistent, and holds up over the kilometres. The Best Shoe Ever can’t be super expensive and it has to be something you’d recommend your mom. I like the way one reader put it, when talking about his most successful sneakers. “I think the Best Shoes Ever are the ones I wore 40 years ago,” he said, “I think they worked much better back then.”

Perhaps it’s his youth, not his sneakers, he’s pining for.

The People Who Cheer

Ben Kaplan

March 9, 2022

The other day a couple of race directors were talking about the return of their in-person events and they touched upon something special: the idea of audiences returning to watch us race. Is there any greater act of generosity than standing on the side of the road and applauding strangers pass by? And, as runners, is there anything that feels quite as good? For some extraordinary human beings, I am told, the giving of applause feels just as good as the receiving.

“I love cheering because it is nice to see what it looks like from the sideline. I give support and encouragement to fellow runners in a pay-it-forward kind of way,” wrote a runner-cheerer on the iRun Facebook page. “I’m the one with the cowbell.”

I was racing around an oval on Saturday, laps in and out of the wind, and, while I was finding encouragement in my music, there really was very little incentive to cause myself pain. Sure, it should be inherent and every race should be like the Olympics, but, the truth is, running around in circles in early March in the grey, cold bleakness kind of sucks. Maya Anderson, who owns BlackToe Running, was cheering and it struck a chord. Her cheering made me try harder and, at nearly 48, tired and cranky, I almost hit a PB.

“Seeing people pushing themselves and knowing from first-hand experience the difference it can make to have someone encouraging you, the energy boost you get from hearing your name—even if it’s from a stranger—can change everything about your race experience,” says Heather Gardner, founder of KardiaAthletica, and a legendary cheerer at Ontario events. “Nothing I like better than standing for hours to cheer on your run family and run community, getting blisters on our fingers from clanging cowbells and holding cheer signs, and losing our voice from all the You got this! at the top of our lungs.”

Don’t think those cheers don’t help set records. I know for a fact that even the Olympians are energized by the applause. Reid Coolsaet, after he’s lapped me, never breaks a smile when I yell out his name, but he’s acknowledged afterward that he can hear me and it helps. Krista DuChene, like Coolsaet, an Olympian, says that the cheers mean a lot to her when she races. “Occasionally the odd person distinctly yells out, Go Krista!, and that makes me smile. It’s heart-warming to have an engaged and positive audience,” says DuChene, who coaches with Coolsaet as part of CoolsaetGo. “The cheering is particularly helpful when you’re hitting a rough point and need it most.”

Krista DuChene, when she hits a tough spot, is often competing to be the fastest Canadian marathon runner of all-time, like she did in 2013, when she bested Silvia Ruegger’s longtime marathon record only to come in thirty-one seconds behind record-breaking Lanni Marchant. Cheering, on days like those, makes history. But it’s not the elites where the applause matters most. It’s in the middle of the pack or, dare I say, the very back. Sandra Holder is 70-years-old and has run twenty-three marathons and seventeen times finished the 30K Around the Bay. In 2017, Holder was competing at Around the Bay and had enjoyed her run—though, if she’s being honest, she says, it was more a walk.

“Because I’m so far behind everybody else, I get all the cheers personally,” Holder says, with a laugh.

At the end of her race, some five hours after the event started, in very last place, Holder crosses the finish line and lets out a yell. At that moment, confetti falls, a band plays and the audience goes wild. Holder may just shed a tear (watch the video here). Holder says applause from strangers is like manna from heaven. An unexpected decency that sparks joy, stirs the human spirit, and reminds us all of what’s possible: in life, and in running. Not just good finishing times. Good times that are shared, and remembered. With in-person racing returning, the opportunity for this connection awaits us all.

“A smile is the one thing that costs you nothing,” says Holder. “You give it and you get it back and you can lift somebody—a total stranger doing something for other people.”

Recollections on Boldness for International Women’s Day

Anna Lee Boschetto

March 8, 2022

Running a marathon is bold. When I ran my tenth in Los Angeles last November, I felt undeniably bold and fiercely defiant. At 47, after two long years without a live race and three since my last marathon, I took a last-minute opportunity to run the L.A. Marathon without any real training under my fuel belt. Full disclosure, I wouldn’t recommend running a marathon without proper training to anyone. But it was the right thing for me. There was a time when I would have hesitated, and rightly so. I would have obsessed about all that was against me in running a marathon that was across the continent when I was so unprepared. Times have changed in major ways. I’m not missing out on opportunities to live it out loud anymore.

How’s that for being bold, if not a little crazy?

Today is International Women’s Day, and this year’s theme calls on us to Be Bold. It invites us to be a part of an inclusive world. In so many ways we have made much progress on the road to equality yet at the same time, there is much more work to be done. From Kathrine Switzer and Silvia Ruegger to Lanni Marchant and Krista DuChene, these women—and so many others—have not only pushed our sport to new levels, but they have all inspired us to be brave and bold in our own ways.

Sometimes, being bold is about embracing your imperfections. In this imperfect world, we are told, that our goal as women, is to work towards some intangibly perfect way to be. This is one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned from running: it’s not about perfection, it never has been. As women, these messages on every level are daunting—if not damaging. Running will force you to recognize and own your shortcomings—then encourage you to getting out there and do it anyway.

Patience, persistence, and perseverance. These are some of the key ingredients to finding the wherewithal to embracing your boldness. There are days when I know that running onward is where there is joy to be found and I don’t want to miss it just because my training plan isn’t quite where I want it to be. Strength, hope and belief in myself guides me during these uncertain times.

Running has given me all of this and more.

Physically and mentally, this sport takes me outside. When I need it most running gives me a focus and purpose—a reason to keep on going. Through career shifts, relationship breakups and all of life’s invariable pivots, running is my constant. Without in-person races, running challenged me to be bold, push past my limits and take that leap of faith when I thought I might not have it in me. Even when I couldn’t run, my body forcing me to take a break from the sport I had come to rely upon, I learned more. Taking it day by day, one moment, one step at a time, running showed me I could pull myself back together, and begin all over again.

As a woman in her mid-forties, navigating the uncertainty of life—career, parenthood, relationships—it can all be a little overwhelming. Running gives me the extra breathing room, the space I need to get out, then come back with a clear mind, ready to tackle whatever life lays down for the day. When I lace up, I’m not always confident in myself. Whether or not I feel a confident vibe, I know I’m always going to finish (and some days that’s more than enough). Running adds the bandwidth required to make sense of the chaos and make better choices when I need to the most.

As a parent, having my two daughters seeing me run and race is a reflection of what is possible for them. I don’t look like the typical runner, let alone marathoner. In nearly two decades of consistently racing, I’ve found the courage to keep on putting one foot in front of the other. Through all of life’s stages, no matter the distance, running has been an ongoing reminder that anything is possible, and our lives are irreplaceable.

On that racecourse in L.A., pounding the pavement along Hollywood Boulevard, well-trained or not, my spirit powered me forward. It was my brash, bold desire to cross that finish line in Century City that had guided me along the toughest miles and carried me across that finish line. In life, as in running, we may not always be as prepared as we want to be, yet we can still keep going. While I have learned that lesson before, I’ve also found there’s much satisfaction in simply doing the very best we can, especially when the odds are against us. Sometimes, that’s more than enough.

Running isn’t about perfection. It’s about embracing the imperfection and finding the beauty that makes each of us uniquely different. It’s a boldness that comes from within each one of us. Next time you’re lacing up, consider the ways in which you can be a little bolder. Take the risk. Make the change. Embrace the challenge. Even if you don’t think you have what it takes, you will find yourself becoming bolder, braver, and stronger along the way.

Anna Lee Boschetto is an iRun contributor. An avid avid runner and traveler, she recently ran her 10th marathon in Los Angeles and enjoyed every moment.

The Golden Girl on Ukraine, five Olympics, and breaking barriers

Ben Kaplan

March 2, 2022

29 Aug 1999: The Bahamas relay team display their gold medals for the 4x100m event during the World Athletics Championships held at the Estadio Olimpico in Seville, Spain. \ Mandatory Credit: Shaun Botterill /Allsport

Pauline Davis-Thompson is a racing pioneer with three Olympic medals at five Olympic Games under her belt and the prestigious title of being the first Black woman on the management board of the World Athletics council. She was a central figure in the Russian anti-doping campaign, which makes her reflections very timely right now, and she’s recently written the terrific book, Running Sideways: The Olympic Champion Who Made Track & Field History. Ben Kaplan spoke to Pauline and left the conversation inspired.

Ben Kaplan: Where are we reaching you this morning, Pauline?

Pauline Davis-Thompson: The beautiful island of the Bahamas. Sending you some heat, I can’t even imagine what it’s currently like in Canada.

BK: Cold, indeed. Let’s get right into it. Obviously with Russia in the news and your experience with taking on Russia in your anti-doping work, what can you tell us about your thoughts on the war in the Ukraine?

PDT: I’ve visited Ukraine and it’s a beautiful place with warm, friendly people and obviously this is a terrible situation. I feel terrible for the Ukrainian people and the Ukrainian athletes.

BK: I think this war is hitting people really hard.

PDT: These past few days I’ve just felt really upset because I love democracy and my time in the Ukraine was really impactful. I’ve been on my knees, praying and praying and praying and asking God to cover the Ukrainian people.

BK: Let’s go back to your early days.

PDT: I grew up in the ghetto.

BK: The ghetto?

PDT: Yeah, and I didn’t even realize we were poor, but I think that’s where I found my mental toughness.

BK: Were you always fast?

PDT: As a kid, I ran everywhere. I never walked. And a lot of people would say I’d one day become a great athlete. They thought I moved around the ghetto like a whip. They’d go: There goes Pauline!

BK: Could you see a future for yourself in running shoes?

PDT: I wasn’t aware of wanting to be a great track athlete until I went to junior high and casually went out to make the team and, when I didn’t make it, I cried and cried. That’s when the seed was planted.

BK: That seed grew quickly because, as a high schooler, you ran in your first Olympics.

PDT: At 14-years-old, I became the Bahamas top sprinter. But what I really remember is, in 1982, racing against the Jamaicans and having them beat us every year. I told my team, They’re not winning next year. I was just a little kid. But the next year we raced the Jamaicans, I won the 100m, 200m, 400m and the long jump—the first time in history any athlete had ever done that.

BK: How did your life change?

PDT: Well, I was still living in the ghetto, but they dubbed me, the Golden Girl.

BK: And when you got to the Olympics?

PDT: I was like a kid in the candy store. I remember this young American silver medallist gave me a pair of tights in Helsinki and, just like that, I was the first Bahamian to race in tights!

BK: Between 1984 and 2000, you made five Olympic teams. Does it ever become routine?

PDT: Routine? The Olympic Games? No, no, no—that’s impossible!

BK: How did the experience change?

PDT: I was much more focused as I became more mature. Nothing phased me. I was living in the zone and nobody was allowed to come into the zone. I had no idea what was happening around me. I was that clued in.

BK: Marion Jones would ultimately get disqualified for a doping violation when you got your 2000 gold medal in Sydney. What’s your take on doping?

PDT: They’re gutless, spineless athletes who take drugs, morally warped.

BK: Were you ever tempted, given the rampant use amongst your competitors?

PDT: I never had any desire to take any drugs. God gave me a gift, a gift of purpose, and he’s going to allow me to shine. I have strong faith and that’s my mentality.

BK: At 55-years-old, what’s changed about your life since your racing days?

PDT: I don’t feel 55. I exercise, coach, eat healthy, and really practice appreciation. I can’t believe how far I’ve come from the ghetto in the Bahamas to a council member for 14 years and the first Black woman on the council and the five Olympics, you know: wow.

BK: Really it’s an amazing story.

PDT: My mother always says, Sweet pea, baby, it ain’t how you start, it’s how you finish. I’m proud to have set the table for other Caribbean women in sport. Your circumstances don’t determine what you do in your life.

Top photo credit, the Nassau Guardian. Middle credit, the University of Alabama Athletics.

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