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      Hello Everyone,                                                                                                                                                                                                         May 16, 2019        

     In this Issue:

     

  1. SudburyRocks!!! Marathon
  2. Sudbury Fitness Challenge Points after 2 Events
  3. Upcoming Events May 26: 15th Annual Cystic Fibrosis Walk,   June 2: Girls Run
  4. Running Room Run Club Update: 
  5. Track North News

     

 

 

 

   May 12, 2019

 

 

SudburyRocks!! Thousands of Sudburians hit the streets ... just for the health of it (and two good causes)

Event is a celebration of healthy living, a tribute to moms and a boon for charity all rolled into one

by Keira Ferguson for Sudbury.com

Eric Leishman (2308) leads out the half marathon and will go on to win in a record time of 1:07:46

All Photos Here


 

This afternoon with the wind at their backs, some 2,000 Sudburians of all fitness levels took their place on the starting line in front of Memorial Park downtown for the 14th annual SudburyROCKS!! Race, Run, Walk For The Health Of It.

For many years branded the Race, Walk, Run For Diabetes, SudburyRocks!! has been rebranded the Race, Walk, Run For The Health Of It, and now benefits two charities.

Since growing from SudburyROCKS!! running club in 2005, the annual race has become the largest competitive running event in Northern Ontario, attracting crowds of competitive athletes and amateurs alike.

In its 14 years, SudburyROCKS!! has raised more than $600,000 for various community charities through pledges and donations. This year’s recipients being the Northern Cancer Foundation and Health Sciences North.

“We really wanted a local charity where our money is staying absolutely local,” said SudburyROCKS!! promotions director Vince Perdue. “We have one of the best cancer centres probably in Ontario, possibly in Canada, and we’re helping to support that now.”

The locality of the beneficiary appeared to bring quite a few new athletes to the starting line this year. Among them, 92.7 ROCK radio host Greg Williams, zipped head to toe in a Deadpool costume -- which yes, he ran in.

“When I heard that the beneficiary of Sudbury ROCKS this year was the Northern Cancer Foundation and Health Sciences North, I just said well, if there was ever a time to get involved in it, this is the year,” said Williams.

Motivated by his mother’s cancer diagnosis in September of last year, Williams challenged the community to help him raise $1,000 in pledges, for which he agreed to run the race in a tight, lycra costume. In addition to this, Williams asked listeners to pledge $1 for every 15 seconds under 25 minutes that he was able to beat the clock.

Finishing first in the Vale Celebrity Challenge Run with an unofficial time of 21:12, Williams was able to raise approximately $1,250 in pledges.

Deadpool, or rather his secret identity Wade Wilson, has cancer, said Williams. But because of his regenerative superpowers, it's there, but always healing. “(I thought) who better to run in a race for the Northern Cancer Foundation than the 'merc with the mouth' (a popular nickname for Deadpool in the comic books and among fans), who has cancer,” said Williams.

In addition to being a major fundraiser for the community, SudburyROCKS!! is also a Boston Marathon qualifier, an incredible opportunity for Northern Ontario athletes to test their skills against some of the best. Perdue said that of the crowd of 2,000, approximately 40-50 athletes are running with the goal of qualifying for the Boston Marathon, adding that he's pretty confident many will reach that goal.

Find more information on SudburyROCKS!! here.

 

 

The many familiar faces of the Sudbury Rocks!!! Marathon
2019-05-13
by Randy Pascal


Familiar faces were evident everywhere at the Sudbury Rocks!!! Marathon on Sunday, not only in terms of the local running elite, who continually grace the upper echelon of the standings, but also throughout the masses, the walkers and joggers who have made this annual tradition part of their Mother's Day festivities, each and every year.

A previous winner in both the half-marathon and full marathon, Pascal Renard opted to take a crack at the Continental Insulation 10 km, making a seamless transition to the shorter distance, winning in a time of 35:48. “I went by feel today, I didn't look at my watch,” noted the 43 year old runner. “I hadn't been on the road racing in a long time, so I was out enjoying the scenery. It was a lovely sunny day.”

It was indeed.

And while Renard may not have been cruising full torque, there is certainly that element of competition that likely never subsides for those at his level. “You're still very focused on what you are doing, even if you're not at the top of your game,” he said. “I could still feel the stress at the start line, which is a good sign, the adrenaline coming in.”

This was the first time that Renard competed at this distance, in this event, allowing him to garner an appreciation for a whole other layout of the race circuit. “It's a challenging course with some hills,” he said. “I went on some roads that I have never explored in Sudbury, lovely, quiet roads. On Notre Dame, on the way back, it's all kind of down hill a little bit, which is pleasant.”

After capturing the five km race comfortably one year ago, Western Mustangs' track and field veteran Brendan Costello (17:19) was in for much more of a push this year, as current Lo-Ellen Park Knights' member Nicholas Lambert (17:27) managed to finish just eight seconds back of the talented school alumnus. “It was a lot closer than I expected, I'm not going to lie,” said Costello.

“Nick made me earn that. There was a little bit of strategy in play, in that he took it out really fast to try and get my legs out of me early, so I couldn't kick him down in the last km. I think he kind of suffered for it, but I was hurting too.”

Entering his fourth year of post-secondary studies, Costello has lightened the training load, just a little, as he plans out another season of OUA competition. “I've stopped doing cross country in the fall and am just doing track,” he said. “I'm focusing on just building a little more muscle and getting my speed up, rather than trying to put in junk miles.”

If all goes well, Costello will take a shot at the prestigious sub 2:30 one kilometer run during the indoor season, having just narrowly missed out on the goal that equates, roughly, to a sub two-minute 800m race on the outdoor track.

A fellow competitor in the OUA, Laurentian Voyageurs' Jared Milford was more than a little pleased with a second place finish in the 10 km event, overcoming some health challenges in the weeks leading up to the Rocks. “I ran just twice in the past two weeks,” noted the 20 year-old Bio-Chemistry major. “I'm happy. I didn't expect to run a 37:00 – I expected something in the 38's.”

“My plan was to cruise the first couple of kms around 3:45s or 3:40s, go up the hill (near Boréal) and then take off and go faster, because after that, it's all flat. I was close to executing the game plan.”

All of which should lay the groundwork for what Milford expects to be a productive summer. “My plan is first to get 100% healthy,” he said. “I've been dealing with some knee and foot problems, but after that, I'm going to start running more, doing some long distance running, and doing some track events as well.”

Fifty-six year old long-time Sudburian Gilles Lafrance is like most of us, not about to pose any kind of serious threat to the podium placements of Renard, Costello, Milford and their ilk. He is also among the several dozen of race regulars, the folks you will catch here in May, and out at L.U. in September, site of the Ramsey Lake Tour.

Unlike everyone else that competed on Sunday, however, Lafrance can lay claim to having represented Canada on no less than separate occasions at the Paralympics: 1984 in New York, 1988 in Seoul and 1992 in Barcelona (though it wasn't until the middle of this troika that the term “Paralympics” actually came in to accepted usage).

These days, Lafrance continues to run, even if the decision on a race distance are not confirmed until the very last minute, at times. “I'm part of the run club on Wednesday nights,” he said. “I had planned to run the 5 kms, but I guess I got inspired last Wednesday, because I had a really good run. I got to the race Expo yesterday and decided to sign up for the 10 kms.”

While this decision might backfire on occasion, the strategy change worked, this time around. “Actually, I felt very relaxed,” said Lafrance, who chugged home just over the one hour mark. “It's such a nice day, I figured I would just go out and have fun. I wasn't huffing or puffing. I wasn't sore, or anything.”

Equally as pleased with the state of affairs Sunday morning was Marina McComber, a Community Health Nurse who has gathered the forces within the Atikameksheng Anishinaabe for the past 15 years, making their presence felt at this event.

“We've been here, rain or shine, snow, whatever,” said McComber, overlooking a turnout that numbered more than 40 folks from the area. “We have really good participation.” Like Lafrance, there are no illusions of race victories within this particular crowd. “I think it's just good for the community, it gives you a sense of community to be in this group as you head out on the road,” acknowledged 30 year-old Liannissa Corbiere.

Even the ultra young have a game plan in place. “We were doing both walking and running,” noted eight year-old Kierra Pheasant, who accompanied her aunt, the chief, on the five kilometer jaunt. “Every two poles, we would switch. We would run for two poles and then the next two poles, we would walk.”

And if that's what it takes to make sure that Pheasant and company are mainstays at the Sudbury Rocks!!! Marathon, each and every year, then so be it.

Following are some of the results, broken down by race distance, from the 2019 edition of the Sudbury Rocks!!! Marathon:

Marathon
1st - Erin DeVeber - 3:07:59
2nd - John McBride - 3:13:50
3rd - Ryan Marsaw - 3:14:34
4th - Chris Campbell - 3:15:26
5th - Kenn Schmitz - 3:25:38

Perdue Family Half Marathon
1st - Eric Leishman - 1:07:46
2nd - Jordan Cascagnette - 1:15:46
3rd - Jeffrey Taylor - 1:24:36
4th - Jenny Bottomley - 1:24:51
5th - Patrick Boily - 1:25:46
6th - Mike Banks - 1:26:00
7th - Danny Brunet - 1:28:16
8th - Matteo Reich - 1:28:20
9th - Kassandra (K.C.) Gallo - 1:28:28
10th - Robert Schinke - 1:29:56

Continental Insulation 10 kms
1st - Pascal Renard - 35:48
2nd - Jarod Milford - 37:14
3rd - Kelly Thompson - 37:27
4th - Charles Dumas - 38:44
5th - James Larmer - 39:31
6th - Kevin Gracequist - 42:09
7th - Mike Raskevicius - 42:16
8th - Eve Boissonneault - 42:43
9th - Chantal Dagostino - 42:45
10th - Lucia Salmaso - 43:11

NCF Real Estate for Hope 5 kms
1st - Brendan Costello - 17:19
2nd - Nicholas Lambert - 17:27
3rd - Aurele Fox-Recollet - 19:09
4th - Sheldon Mirco - 19:19
5th - Brayden Lafrance - 20:11
6th - Avery Sutherland - 20:50
7th - Kaeden Ward - 21:05
8th - Ted Hanley - 21:19
9th - Neil Castonguay - 21:32
10th - Mark Thom - 21:42

Celebrity Challenge 5 km
1st - Greg Cregan - 21:09

All Results Here

SudburyROCKS!!! Marathon 2019 -- A tale of two runners
by Ryan Marsaw

To say that my training for the 2019 SudburyROCKS!!! Marathon was disappointing
would be an understatement. As I do every January, I think about how my spring
Marathon is going to go. It usually involves something along the lines of
perfect training and a perfect race. Of course it rarely works out that way
for anyone and this year, in my case, was certainly no exception.

Training in the first three weeks of January went well enough, but at the end
of the month I contracted the flu, which kept me from any worthwhile training
for the next 5 weeks. My only run in February was the Hypothermic Half
Marathon, but was able to get through only half of the race. It wasn't until
mid-March that I started any serious work in getting ready for the SudburyROCKS
marathon.

In just my first long run of training I started getting hip flexor pain in my
right leg, and the longer I ran the worse the pain got. This pattern was
present in every single one of my runs for the next 4 weeks until I finally
made an appointment with my doctor. After experimenting with various
stretches, pain relief medication and compression wraps things finally started
improving, and with less than two weeks to the May 12 race I felt confident
enough that I could at least get to the finish line of the marathon, but in
what condition!

A couple of days before the race I remember telling someone my race plan: I was
going to just try to finish the race, and maybe if I'm lucky I'd be able to run
with someone who just happens to be running my race pace and then try to hang
on until the finish line. What I didn't know at the time was just how lucky I
was to be on race day.

---

Just before the 1 kilometre mark a runner came up onto my left and tells me:
"That's the fastest 22 kilometres I've ever run!" He was referring to the
22-km marker (denoting the second loop of the course) that shows up just before
the 1-km marker. I replied with "You should be able to give Eliud Kipchoge a
run for his money then!" (For those of you who don't know of him, Eliud
Kipchoge is the men's marathon world record holder.) This quick exchange
started what would ultimately become an almost-3 hour conversation with Chris
Campbell, as we ran the streets of the SudburyROCKS!!! Marathon together.

Chris lives in a town near Niagara Falls and was looking for a spring Marathon
with cool temperatures, and chose the SudburyROCKS!!! race.

Over the course of the run Chris and I got a chance to get to know each other
and what our plans were for the marathon. I explained that I was just getting
back into shape after a disappointing training schedule and just hoping to
finish the race without any pain.

After having run a sub-par Boston Marathon just 4 weeks earlier, Chris was
hoping for a personal best result this time around. He was also looking to run
the marathon straight through without stopping (something that he was not able
to accomplish in his five previous marathons). He had a goal pace in mind,
which was 4 minutes, 37 seconds per kilometre (~ 3:15 marathon), which suited
me just fine since that just happened to be my pace up to that point. Battling
some pretty strong head winds on Lasalle Boulevard (and two almost-wrong turns
on my part) we made it to 21.1 km dead on 3:15 marathon pace.

Shortly after halfway, as Notre Dame stretched out, we spotted another
marathoner in the distance. Chris and I kept our sights on him for the next 5
to 6 kilometres until we caught up with him on Lasalle Boulevard. He was Kenn
Schmitz from Hanmer and was running his very first marathon. Our duo now
became a trio and for the next 5 kilometres or so we all ran together, dealing
with the head winds yet again (gusts strong enough that my hat flew right off
my head at one point).

Unfortunately Kenn had to drop back near the 31 km point so it was down to a
duo once again.

Chris and I pressed on. About a kilometre later I began to feel outer hip pain
in my right leg. My lack of training was beginning to make its presence known,
and that got me worried. Even with perfect training the last 10 kilometres of
a marathon are generally the most difficult, so in that moment my worries were
compounded by the fact that my longest run without any pain during training was
just over half the mileage that I was now just reaching. I feared the final
stretch of this race was going to be more of a challenge than in any other
marathon before.

However, it turned out that the pain in my leg never got any worse, and thanks
to the wind not being of the head wind variety, the last few kilometres of the
race weren't all that bad. At about 37 kilometres Chris began to slow and I
eased ahead into a relative tail wind, past the marshals on the course, past
the race walkers just finishing their own race, and finally to the finish line,
with a time that was, very surprisingly, only about three minutes off last
year's.

I give a lot of credit to my racing partner that morning. I honestly do not
believe I could have accomplished what I did without someone to run with.
Kudos to Chris for coming in third male, getting his personal best in the
process.

Kenn would cross the finish line next in 3 hours, 25 minutes in his first
marathon.

And a special congratulations to Erin DeVeber who finished first overall in the
Marathon with a time that I believe is a new women's course record.

---

I'd like to thank the countless volunteers who made the SudburyROCKS!!!
Race-Run-Walk For the Health of it yet another success. Once again we were
very lucky to get some good weather. It was also nice to see some familiar
faces out marshaling the course yet again! These are all fond reminders as to
why I choose to run this event every year.

Ryan

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

Rocks!! Outdoors

 

Rocks!! at the Rocks!!! Race May 12

Rocks!! on Laurentian Trails

 


 


 

Upcoming Local Events

   May 26, 2019

 

Information and Registration

 

 

 

  June 2, 2019

 

Laurentian University Fitness center

Event Details: Cross-country run or walk – 2.5, 5 or 10 km

https://raceroster.com/events/2019/18675/girls-run-sudbury

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Run Club Update

 


 

 

Store News

 

Good afternoon Sudbury Runner's and Walker's,

 

We have FREE run club Wednesday nights at 6pm and Sunday mornings at 8:30am.


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Track North News - by Dick Moss

 

 



Dick Moss, Head Coach
Laurentian XC/Track Team
c/o Coach Moss <pedigest@cyberbeach.net>
Web: http://laurentianxctrack.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/laurentianxctrack/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/@luxctrack
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurentianxctrack/

 

 

 

For information call me.
Vincent Perdue
vtperdue@cyberbeach.net

Proud sponsor of the Sudbury Rocks!!! Race-Run-Walk for the Health of it

http://www.sudburyrocksmarathon.com/

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