Stan
Wakeman (photo
here) died at 79-years-old in October and there was
nothing he liked more than cheering for runners at Around
the Bay. Blasting We Will Rock You by Queen before the
legendary ATB hill at Spring Gardens Road, Wakeman, smiling
in his wheelchair, would high-five runners when we needed
it most.
He did this for
more than 30 years.
“He wasn’t there for the people
who win the race—those people would fly by and didn’t
acknowledge Stan—but the runners out there to challenge
themselves who needed something extra, those were Stan’s
people,” says Jim Watson, Stan’s friend for
more than 50 years, who’d bring his buddy coffee
and sandwiches as he spent hour after hour in the cold
and rain supporting runners who needed it in his hometown.
“He loved the runners and everything about the sport—it
brought him joy to be part of everyone’s day.”
Wakeman was a retired accountant when
he began cheering at Around the Bay and he’d been
in a wheelchair as a result of his lifelong dwarfism since
2012. Something about Stan that’s important to mention:
he never saw himself as “disabled.” In fact,
he only put a handicapped sticker on his licensed plate
when he began volunteering to drive seniors to the grocery
store and their medical appointments.
“He liked to do things on his own,” says Ruth
Watson, who plans on commemorating her friend at Around
the Bay on March 30 by waving Stan’s McMaster scarf
at his perch in his honour. Ruth shares this great story
about Stan: “One time Jim and I called and asked
if he was home and he said, ‘Yes, I’m just
rolling in,’ which we figured meant he was driving
home. When we got there, however, he was literally rolling
on the ground into his front door from his driveway. That’s
my Stan. That’s how determined he was.”
Determination is at the core of any runner’s journey,
as is sacrifice, commitment and, ideally, joy. Stan Wakeman
exemplified all of these characteristics, and what he
gave runners—a smile, a boost, a high five from
his wheelchair as we used our bodies in ways that he never
could—was selfless, inspiring and a good reminder
in a strange time that human beings contain massive hearts.
“Runners needing something extra would run over
to Stan and hug him, and he would smile from ear to ear,”
says Margaret Obermeyer, a longtime Around the Bay volunteer.
“He just wanted runners to enjoy themselves and
I’ll always remember him and remember our hugs.”
I never got to interview Stan, but I distinctly
remember him and remember high-fiving him and being moved
by his spirit and generosity. Two years ago, the Hamilton
Spectator asked Stan what it was about cheering for runners
that he loved.
“I do it because the runners appreciate it,”
Wakeman said. “But I get more out of it than they
do. People come through clapping and pumping their fists
when they hear the music. They hug me, they kiss me, some
take selfies. Some people have given me gift certificates
because they’ve been seeing me there for years.”
This year, Stan won’t be at Around
the Bay. May his spirit travel with us all wherever we
run.
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Good Luck and safe
travels to all participants in this year's Around the
Bay Roadrace.
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