Phoenix Running Club - Stories
A
HOLIDAY TO
REMEMBER.
This Summer we
set off for
a holiday to
the U.K. to
visit with family
and also to
include a journey
over to France.
We planned to
stay for a
few days in
the area of
Normandy where the
initial landings of
the Allied combined
forces took place
which would signal
the invasion of
Europe and the
eventual defeat of
Nazi Germany and
the end of
the horror of
World War 2.
At this time
each year we
hopefully give pause
to remember at
least some of
the staggering statistics
which resulted from
the ambitions of
an evil genius
who at one
point led his
country out of
ruin but eventually
to almost total
destruction.
It is now
sixty five years
since Hitler was
finally crushed and
I wonder just
what impact - if any -
these dreadful years
have on our
younger generations. When
you observe the
attendance at the
various memorial services
on November 11th -
it is encouraging
to see the
numbers of people
who turn out
- both young
and old.
The one statistic
which beggars the
imagination is the
number of total
dead as a
result of this
five year war
- best estimates
are that forty
million people died
and untold millions
more were left
physically and mentally
scarred by the
horrors which took
place. These are virtually
incomprehensible numbers. As
the dreadful Communist
dictator - Stalin - was once
reputed to have
said
“one death is
a tragedy but
a million deaths
are a statistic”
It is with pride
that all Canadians
should remember the
tremendous contribution made
by our young
men and women
in those dark
days. Over one
million men and
women served our
country and of
those - more
than 45,000 lost
their
lives.
We visited a
number of memorial
sites in France
and - just
like the sites
for the first
World War – they are
all superbly maintained.
Actual size of
grave sites vary
considerably from perhaps
two or three
dozen to over
10,000. Without exception
they are all
in beautiful condition
and are obviously
lovingly attended. It
is a very
strange feeling to
walk amongst such
a sad reminder
of mans evil
and stupidity and
to read on
so many headstones
that so many
young men around
twenty years of
age lost their
lives so far
from home. As
you walk around
these memorial sites
there is simply
no call to
talk - respect
through silence seems
so obviously what
is called for.
I have taken
the liberty of
adding a few
photographs to these
thoughts. Hopefully it
might convey some
of the tragedy
and sorrow associated
with this period
of history those
sixty five years
ago.
Jim
T.
The Victoria marathon and half marathon
A comment from Larry Lorette:
The weather was a bit of a limiting factor for me. I
would have traded the wind for rain without a doubt. But still I can't complain
while running the most beautiful marathon course around and acheiving a personal
best.
Attention phoenix running club
Hi, my name
is Joey Gargaro, a member of the Phoenix Running Club.
On Saturday
October 2nd 2010, I ran in the Crescent Park 8km cross country race. I was surprised to
see no members of our club so I thought to myself hmm… interesting. I guess I have to go in it alone and represent
and race hard. I was doing good
throughout the whole race until the final 4th lap when my legs
started to burn (this is only my 3rd 8km race as I usually run 5 km
races), but I thought to myself come on Joey don’t give up now .. almost there,
keep it up, you’re doing great.
All tired
and exhausted I finished the race and the results came out that I finished in
third in my age group of 19 and under.
Full results are not posted as yet.
Now it’s time for me to train and step it up to the next level and run
in 10 km races.
The Wroclaw, Poland Marathon
2010
I have wanted to do some international races so when I found
the Wroclaw, Poland Marathon to be roughly on
the route of our East Europe trip this fall I
made it a goal.
Kit Slade, sometimes Andrew Blabber and I boosted our Monday
long runs up to 35K during the spring and summer. I knew my tapering was going to be tough
because we left for a Russia
river cruise three weeks before the race.
Once in Russia
I managed to get some tiny runs and one 17K run in but also got hit by a cold which
knocked me out for a few days. That is
my excuse and I am sticking to it.
We drove into Wroclaw
Saturday morning (and spent 3 hours trying to find our apartment) then took a
taxi to the Olympic stadium to get my race package. My online registration had not worked but I
was quickly registered and received my marathon singlet and race number. The race number has the chip taped to it so
the receiving mat is actually an overhead wire.
Oh, and the cost of the race was zero because I am old.
Sunday morning Marilyn and I took a taxi out to the Olympic
stadium again to join the mass of runners.
It seemed a shame that the stadium was about 800m from the start and
finish lines so that would mean a long walk back to collect my kit and have a
shower then another 800m back to the centre of action.
The race day was sunny and would reach about 23 to 25
degrees, just the way I like it. My
trusty Garmin heart monitor belt just died so I was going to have to gauge my
pace the old fashioned way – start slow then taper. Fortunately every three km or so was either a
water station or a water, Powerade and banana station (indicated by a picture
of a banana, oddly enough). I made sure
to walk each station and take all the offerings. Most of the run was on pavement but some was
on cobblestones. Cobblestones aren’t too
bad unless they are uneven. The course
loops around the whole town coming close to the zentrum at about 13K where I
saw Marilyn.
Wroclaw has many neat buildings and churches
but I was concentrating on the run.
To no one’s surprise I felt good until about 30 or 35K then
the legs started to feel heavy. I kept
on running but I’m sure got slower and slower.
I was glad to see the Olympic stadium area again. My finishing time on the clock was 5:00:42
but my chip time was 4:57:47 which put me fourth among the over 70 guys. I let the winner do it in 2:16 because he
needed the car. I was finisher number 1750
so I expect there were well over 2000 runners.
So I’ve done marathons in two continents now. How about one in Australia next year? Or India? It’s amazing how soon we forget the pain
.
Vic
Behind The Scenes At
This Year’s Pinetree Classic
Phoenix was coasting through a sunny, summer season generally looking
forward to hosting our Pinetree Classic cross country meet in September. Some
of us remembered last year’s event and the problems we had that were beyond our
control. We hoped that this year’s event would run smoothly because we had made
notes on improvements that could be implemented. We were wrong!
As September 18th approached,
Jim had to take control of a meet that looked as if it might have to be
cancelled. The city told us that we could only use half of field 4 causing a
course alteration. Ruby told us that the B.C. Frisbee Championships with 200
competitors would be using the facility and parking lot of which the city had
no knowledge. John told Jim that he could not present the awards because he had
to run the race in his new 70+ age category and suggested that Heather’s mum
could be his replacement. Vic, the race director, had to go and run the Wroclaw
Marathon in Poland.
Katie Tongue, when asked to help, hurled herself over the handlebars of her
bike and broke her collarbone. Gunther, who had already gone on a dozen
holidays so far this year, decided it was time for another one. John Woodcock
followed Gunther’s lead and went off to sunny Italy on vacation. Matt and Kathryn
decided that it would be more fun to run a hundred miles that day and it began
to look as if they were right. Poor Jim increased his use of swear words
fourfold and, bucking all headwinds, vowed never to be Meet Director again.
But, with great encouragement from the rest of the club, he soldiered on and
the day arrived. It was pouring, but at least the frisbee crowd had been told
not to show up or the police would greet them.
To cut a long tale of woe short, when the
venue was all ready and Jim had fine-tuned the funnel, the cones, the tents,
the registration, the food and the coffee- all reminiscent of a Swiss
watchmaker- the meet got underway. Jim raised the gun to start the race. God got
the message and stopped the rain. From then on, everything ran like clockwork.
Nobody took a wrong turn and Jim stopped swearing.
A huge thanks go to all those club members
and parents who worked with a lot of enthusiasm to make the 2010 Pinetree Cross
Country race a success for well over 200 participants not to mention the $1000
raised, some of which should go to Jim to help convince him to be Race Director
next year.
John T.
Past stories - stories too good to delete - click here.
