Keeping the Dream Alive
Working at my dining room table through the pandemic, it’s strange to recall watching Moh Ahmed’s courageous surge to a bronze medal in the 5,000m in Doha in September 2019. Working in the office that day, none of us had any idea that his performance, along with Lyndsay Tessier’s top-10 finish in the marathon and Evan Dunfee’s bronze medal in the 50k race walk a few days later, would be some of the last ones by Canadian track athletes we would see for a long time.
Paul Gains has covered many of Ahmed’s performances and forged a relationship of trust with the athlete over the years. His profile (p.36) reveals a young man poised for even greater achievement on the world stage, and for whom the Olympics postponement is just an opportunity to be that much better prepared.
Dunfee’s and Tessier’s performances were all the more impressive for having occurred outside the air-conditioned Khalifa Stadium, thanks largely to the heat protocols implemented by their support teams. In this issue, Andrea Hill explains how to tailor these protocols to your own hot-weather training and racing (p.26).
Speaking of running in the heat, earlier this year Mike Anderson of Toronto’s Blacktoe Running took a group of runners to Kenya. Two of them had the courage to participate in one of the fastest, most competitive cross-country races in the world. (Mike’s story is on p.34.) And while we’re on the subject of extreme conditions, check out our story about Calgary native Jenny Tough, who is two-thirds of the way through an inspiring mission: to run six of the world’s most daunting mountain ranges, solo and unsupported (p. 48).
This summer, vacationing in our home provinces will bring some respite from world events. For those travelling to cottages and camping areas, we’ve put together a selection of running routes that will spark the joy of new discovery (p. 42).
And while we content ourselves with solo runs and virtual races, we can dream about running in beautiful parts of this country we may never have explored, like Tracadie, N.B. (p.32), or the beautiful trails of B.C.’s Sunshine Coast (p.30). We also bring you the latest and greatest summer running gear for 2020 (p.54), mouth-watering kebab recipes for backyard suppers (p.18) and some nifty strength-training moves you can do using with an exercise ball (p.24).
Stay strong, friends.