iRun because people around me inspire me – Pina Bevilacqua, Caledon, ON
iRun iRun because it's a great stress release – Brooke McKenzie, Yukon
iRun because I can’t dance – Mario Javier, Ontario
iRun because it has saved my life – John Marshall, Alberta
iRun iRun because walking is too slow – Barry Knapp, Ontario
iRun to someday win the race – Lindy Dunlop, Yukon
iRun because it gets my husband out there – Tricia LaLonde, Alberta
iRun iRun all the livelong day – Pierre Saint-Laurent, Québec
iRun iRun slowly! – Jason Hoffman, Manitoba
iRun because it gives me freedom to relax my brain – Marie-Claude Gregoire, Nova Scotia
iRun iRun because somebody once told me I couldn't – Heidi Abbey-Der, Saskatchewan
iRun for me – Kiza Francis, Ottawa,ON
iRun because there is no finish line – Claire Kilgour, Ontario
iRun because it’s like flying, only lower – Glenn Johnson, Ontario
iRun because somebody once told me I couldn’t – Heidi Abbey-Der, Saskatchewan
iRun iRun for relaxation and to motivate my two sons – Keith Bradbury, Newfoundland
iRun because my heart tells me to – William Martin, Manitoba
iRun iRun for the individual pursuit – Robert Pelletier, New Brunswick
iRun for overall wellbeing – Trish McCourt, Halifax, NS
iRun because I learn more about who I am with every km – Steph Mansell, Quebec
iRun because it’s cheaper than therapy – Leah Boulter, Alberta
iRun because it is my tonic and my salvation – Georgia Ioannou, British Columbia
iRun because I live – Georges Schneller, Laval, QC
iRun because I want to be a role model for our six kids – Catherine Empey, British Columbia
iRun because it gives my day a boost of energy – Sara Campbell, Nova Scotia
iRun iRun to maintain a strong physical and mental state – Tammy Rainville, Ontario
iRun because running is like breathing to – Stephanie McEvoy, Ontario
iRun because I cannot say no to a second slice of chocolate cake – Emily Shandruk, Vancouver, BC
iRun iRun for me! – Judi Wearing, Saskatchewan
iRun because it makes me feel powerful – Sarah Kallaghan, Alberta
iRun because I like buying running clothes – Pamela Blaikie, Ontario
iRun iRun because it is my tonic and my salvation – Georgia Ioannou, British Columbia
iRun for the challenge to go faster and farther – Steven Matejka, Alberta
iRun iRun because i love to – Mirella Petriello, Ontario
iRun iRun because it's better than almost everything else – Nathan Carey, Ontario
iRun because it reminds me that I am capable of so much more than I have done – James Sauve, Ottawa, ON
iRun because not everyone can – Olivia Harvey, New Brunswick
iRun to my happy place and some days it’s very – Doreen May, Alberta
iRun because I want to qualify for Boston and raise money for charities near and dear to my heart – Christine Gracel, Calgary, AB
iRun because of the peace and strength it brings me – Michelle Jordan, Ottawa, ON
iRun iRun to eat – Maureen Tritscher, Alberta
iRun iRun because iEat – Sherry Maligaspe, British Columbia
iRun because I am not as clumsy I thought I was – Hanna Baer, Quebec
iRun but not enough – Michael Shaw, New Westminister, BC
iRun iRun for the fresh air and adrenalin – Charlyn McGregor, Saskatchewan
iRun to stay fit and release those running endorphins – Liliana Plava, Calgary, AB
iRun at 50 years old because at 43 I couldn’t – Peter Cicalo, Ontario
iRun therefore I am – Duncan Walsh, Nottingham, UK
iRun iRun to kickstart my day – Sharon Strueby, Saskatchewan
iRun to prove to them that iCan – Catherine Smith, Manitoba
iRun iRun because it helps me see things more clearly – Jennifer Pitts, Ontario
iRun because I want to live to be 100! – Colette DeJean, Ontario
iRun iRun because I like to be healthy – Melanie Oickle, New Brunswick
iRun for the cool t-shirts! – Pina Bevilacqua, Ontario
iRun because it makes me feel good, allows me to spend time with my friends and gives me a feeling of accomplishment – Helen Kolodziejzyk, Calgary, AB
iRun because when I run I feel most alive – Meghan Lynch, Ottawa, ON
iRun iRun so that I can live longer and stronger – Derek MacPhail, Ontario
iRun away from the negative and towards the positive – Teri Lepard, Alberta
iRun because it’s in me – Michael Foley, Stittsville, ON
iRun for relaxation and to motivate my two sons – Keith Bradbury, Newfoundland
iRun for health, iRun for life – Pat Cheung, British Columbia
iRun to challenge myself, physically and mentally – Kathleen Keenan, Brampton, ON
iRun iRun to correct years of sedentary living! – Mike Scott, Ontario
iRun iRun away from the abyss – Charlene Thomas, Ontario
iRun because I never thought I would be able to – Gary Morris, Winnipeg, MB
iRun because otherwise I’m grumpy – Alexandre Charest, Quebec
iRun because iLoves my man – Beverly Huang, Alberta
iRun iRun because I learn more about who I am with every km – Steph Mansell, Quebec
iRun to prove to myself I can – Lesley McGougan, Brampton, ON
iRun because it’s better than almost everything else – Nathan Carey, Ontario
iRun to unleash my inner athlete – Adelle Densham, Avonmore, ON
iRun because the wall is meant to be broken – Jonathan Bird, Ontario
iRun because it cleans up my life, because I drink more water, sleep better and eat healthier foods – Robin McIntyre, Ottawa, ON
iRun iRun to satisfy the irresistible urge – Tim Nixon, British Columbia
iRun because it makes me a better person, a better wife, a better mother and a better friend – Nathalie Joncas-Caissie, St-Antoine, NB
iRun because iEat – Sherry Maligaspe, British Columbia
iRun so my daughters know that they can, too – Shelley Kirkpatrick, New Brunswick
iRun because it makes me whole – Denis Ladouceur, Quebec
iRun because I love the solitude – Janene Tailleur, British Columbia
iRun iRun because it gives me freedom to relax my brain – Marie-Claude Gregoire, Nova Scotia
iRun to inspire my kids to try – Glen Johnston, Nunavut
iRun and run, and run, and run, and nobody can stop me – Andrei Lucaciu, Ontario
iRun iRun to inspire my children! – Wendy Bowen, Manitoba
iRun iRun because I like buying running clothes – Pamela Blaikie, Ontario
iRun see where my feet will take me today – Megan Dolinskas, New York
iRun because it makes me feel powerful – Carlene Paquette, Carp, ON
iRun because pecan pie, french fries and beer are chasing me – Teresa Sterling, Ottawa , ON
iRun because it’s fun when it’s done – Sue Matte, Ontario
iRun so I don’t say never ever again – Linda Klaric, Manitoba
iRun because all the ladies are chasing my sexy runner’s body – Chris Baker, Etobicoke, ON
iRun to be free and enjoy our beautiful country – Cheryl Carter, Clearwater , BC
iRun iRun because I love the sense of accomplishment – Amber Moase, Nova Scotia
iRun slowly! – Jason Hoffman, Manitoba
iRun iRun to feel great – Kathryn Rachar, Saskatchewan
iRun whenever I feel the need to escape – Iona Hillis, Ontario
iRun because food tastes better afterwards – Patrick Houston, Alberta
iRun because it’s a great way to see the world – Sherry Mahoney, British Columbia
iRun iRun because it sure beats the bus – Robin Robbins, Alberta
iRun iRun because couch potatoes die young – Cathy Andrew, Ontario
iRun because I get foot rubs afterward – Kate Howerton, British Columbia
iRun iRun because it's cheaper than therapy – Leah Boulter, Alberta
iRun for the moment when both feet are off the ground – Catherine Anderson, British Columbia
iRun because I need it to soothe the soul, keep me in shape and for overall wellbeing – Beth Neil, Lombardy, ON
iRun iRun to challenge my mind, body and soul – Sonia Mendes, Ontario
iRun iRun at 50 years old because at 43 I couldn't – Peter Cicalo, Ontario
iRun iRun to challenge my perceived limitations – Cassandra Williams, Ontario
iRun iRun because endorphins are free – Cassandra Chouinard, Ontario
iRun so I can eat ice cream – Sandy Bolan, Ontario
iRun because couch potatoes die young – Cathy Andrew, Ontario
iRun because endorphins are free – Cassandra Chouinard, Ontario
iRun iRun for my heart, so it runs for me! – Cathy Brzoza, British Columbia
iRun because I can and I’m grateful – Terry SanCartier, Gatineau, QC
iRun to get to know myself, my strength and my spirit – Lisa Groulx, Ontario
iRun because it reminds me of how strong I can be – Monique Lavoie, Ontario
iRun iRun to eat more, especially sweet potatoe fries – Joanna Skomra, Ontario
iRun to stay ahead of the weight gain – Myra Abstreiter, Alberta
iRun iRun for the challenge and to remember to fully live – Pascale Synnott, Québec
iRun because I’ve lost 80 lbs and running has become fun – Cheryl Kelly, Ontario

|
|
Back to Table of Contents
Addicted to running
By Phil Marsh
It's 6 a.m. Sunday morning. Soon, more than 3,600 runners will arrive to begin the 42.2k journey to the finish line of the Ottawa Marathon. Among them will be a small group of men who have been battling a lifetime of alcohol or drug addiction. For these eight runners, this marathon will not only be the adventure of a lifetime but one that could very well extend their lives.
In March 2007, I began coaching a number of residents of Harvest House, a residential treatment facility in Ottawa. Program director and recovering addict Gary Wand, a runner himself, had decided that the best strategy for addicts was to replace an unhealthy addiction with a healthy one. And what better way than to share his passion for running with a group of men who have spent much of their lives on the run?
We trained the runners for the 2007 5k and 10k events in Ottawa, with weekly meetings on nutrition, health and lifestyle changes. After the race, I decided my next goal was to train some of the guys to run the marathon in 2008.
With any training group, you can expect to have a few members drop out because of injuries, family and work commitments. As a coach, I often tell my athletes that real life gets in the way of things like running. With this group, we were also facing the daily challenges of addiction and the risk of going back to the lifestyle they were trying so hard to escape. And yet, we selected eight men and our instincts about their character were better than we could have imagined. All eight of them - Peter, Josh, Eric, Tom, Brent, David, James and Trevor - were on the starting line, along with Gary and me.
In my 22 years of coaching runners, from beginners to world-class athletes, I have never had an experience this challenging or decided early on in the race that this would also be my last marathon, knowing that I could never top this adventure of a lifetime.
After a group prayer led by David, the youngest member of the team, and some last-minute instructions about water and nutrition, we headed to the starting corrals. The gun went off and we went nowhere. A few thousand runners were ahead of us, but instead of impatience I found the guys chatting up fellow runners, looking around at the spectacle of it all and absorbing every moment. We finally began to move and I couldn't get over how relaxed and ready the guys seemed. The demons they battled seemed to have been replaced with a sense of belonging to a new community, running with, instead of from, other people.
One by one, the guys get all the way through 30k. As James and I ran together, I remembered the conversation we had in March on a freezing run about both of our moms dying of cancer and I realized that they would both be very proud of their sons right now.
I had told the guys often that the last 10k of the race was unlike anything they had or would ever face. As the heat built and the sun became piercing, one by one they acknowledged that no truer words had been spoken. Along the route, people who had been following the team in the media cheered, "Go Harvest House!" or called out the names of some of the guys.
As Josh and I reached the 40k mark, the noise of the crowd became dramatically louder and the cheers for Harvest House grew more frequent. We heard people say, "We're proud of you" and I could see Josh grow stronger with every word. I backed off just as we reached the finish line and Josh crossed the line as John Stanton called out his name.
One by one, I took the runners to the finish line and then doubled back to find the next one. Watching Peter cross the finish line was like watching your child take their first steps, ride their first bike or walk through the doors on their first day of school. If they can meet the challenge of the marathon, they can also beat their addictions.
But addicts are quitters in everything they do, whether it's relationships, trust, work or school. Everything becomes secondary to getting that next fix. Brent has quit the program twice in the past few months, relapsing through bad decisions, but each time coming back to Harvest House because of his young son and his goal of finishing the marathon. I worried he might not finish and I knew that if he couldn't finish something he had made so important in his life, the outcome could be devastating.
That caused me to pick up my pace as I searched for Brent. But as I reach the curve at 41k, there he is, tears flowing from his eyes and an awkward gait. We have a brief chat, and as he realizes that he is going to finish, he begins to sprint. I stayed with him until a few metres from the finish, both of us knowing that it could have been completely different for all of us had he not finished. Tom finishes in a little over 5:30, a smile on his face, leaving a quitter label behind. All eight of these incredible men who started training in February not only made it to the starting line but finished. They are all forever marathoners. I don't think they will all run more marathons, but now they know they can accomplish anything they want in life and that they can be role models for all of us.
|
|
Warning: include(includes/right-side-banners.php) [function.include]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /magma/users/u94/irunnat/public_html/includes/home-sub-content.php on line 1
Warning: include() [function.include]: Failed opening 'includes/right-side-banners.php' for inclusion (include_path='.:/usr/share/pear') in /magma/users/u94/irunnat/public_html/includes/home-sub-content.php on line 1