Having found myself occasionally in the proverbial “runner’s funk” it occurred to me that often the catalyst for change came as a result of competing in a team event. For those runners who have competed on relays teams whether on the roads or cross country there is always something uplifting and meaningful in being part of a team with a unified goal, where everyone’s participation is equally important and the focus is on the “we”. There is a tremendous sense of support and camaraderie. Victory or defeat are shared equally and often the journey is as important as the destination. If “one is the loneliest number” from a lyric by Three dog Night” Then the corollary to a team should be “there is strength in numbers” .
Relay racing is a mainstay in many countries with perhaps Britain being a prime example. However, there are current and past events in Canada which I have been fortunate to participate in over the years. The Silver Relays 5 x 3.3 mile relay hosted by the Toronto Olympic Club and held each autumn in High Park was a real showcase. It was an event that I participated in and watched many times. Held on a 1.1mile road circuit in the park, the event drew the best runners and clubs from across Canada. The relay was hotly contested with the outcome often in doubt until the final steps of the last runner.
Another milestone for my own club was the Ottawa to Kingston relay that was held only once but proved to be a watershed race for our club. Many members still feel it was the single greatest relay race in the club’s history. The 120 mile race was divided into roughly ten equal stages. It soon became evident that the race was going to be a two team event between Longboat Roadrunners and Queens University varsity squad. It was Longboat’s depth, strength and balance vs Queens younger and speedier (on paper) runners. Longboat had managed to build a good lead in the early stages but as the race entered the finals stages, word had come that Queen’s was rapidly cutting the margin. However amidst cheering team-mates Longboat prevailed by a margin of 120 seconds or one second per mile. That race in the early years of the club probably did more then any event to develop club spirit and camaraderie.
The Incredible Scenery of the Jasper to Banff Relay
The Jasper to Banff was another event that rekindled and galvanized what it means to belong to a club and a reminder to all that it isn’t how many breaths we take but how many activities we are involved with take away our breath.
Two other events that stand out for their uniqueness was Big Brothers relay across Canada. With an apparent shortage of available runners to cover superior north, several of the Toronto area runners were quickly recruited to carry the baton from Thunder Bay to Sault Ste. Marie. I can’t remember how or why exactly I was chosen, but I soon myself with Canadian legends like Bobby Moore and Brian Armstrong, and other very fit runners. To drive superior north is one thing, to cover it on foot is truly breathtaking and tough. We divided the workload so each runner would cover only 5km sections as time was a factor to get the relay back on schedule to allow the baton to be carried to Ottawa by a specific day, linking it up with another baton being carried from the east coast. So our task was to set a fast pace easier said then done, if you have ever driven across the north shore of superior. Our objective being met, my last memory of that event was being stuck at the Sault airport with Booby Moore unable to get a flight home for hours or food as Bobby and I ravaged the vending machine cuisine in a haze of fatigue and rigor mortis.
The final trip down relay memory lane occurred when I was asked to participate in the
Klondike Trail Relay from Skagway Alaska to Whitehorse, Yukon as a writer for a now defunct Canadian Magazine. A majestic ten stage 173.5kilometre trek over the famous
White
Pass, the site of the famous Klondike gold rush that peaked in 1898. Wallowing in said funk at the time, the opportunity to join a motley crew of media hounds and travel writers was a timely opportunity to participate in something unique. Aptly named the Media Marauders, we did our selves proud by placing 6th. While the trip was memorable in many aspects and worthy of several pages of trip highlights, what was key, for me was the paradigm shift to focus on a team goal in a new environment that created the catalyst for new goals and lead to several years of great racing for me. I had comeback with a revitalized joy for running and a search for other new goals to achieve.
While I have used, running relays to illustrate personal examples, the reality inspiration can come from many sources. For some of my
team-mates, this has come in the form of another sport- dragon boating. My club, the
Longboat road runners, have recently completed their fourth successful season of
dragon boat racing. In fact, one of the members used this motivation to launch the world’s first magazine dedicated to
dragon boating in 2002.
While running continues to be the mainstay of Longboat for decades, the ability create a team atmosphere, for years a critical component in the club’s success, has been rekindled and manifested again on the roads and trails. So in essence different strokes for different folks (no pun intended).
For those of us who have been in the sport for many years, we have come to realize that we all require the pause that refreshes or be open to find inspiration from unexpected sources. To seek new races alone or within a team concept rather then run the same handful of races year in and year out. The journey in the end is truly more enriching then the destination.
See you on the roads.