Club Scene

Regina’s Jaleta Pacers

Ted Jaleta’s running journey began in high school, when he was a member of the Ethiopian Junior National Track Team. Unable to compete in his early 20s after f leeing the civil-war-torn country in the 1970s and spending time in refugee camps, Jaleta began to run again after arriving in Canada in 1982 at the age of 29. He started competing on the masters circuit around North America, and between 1992 and 2013, he set 16 Saskatchewan provincial masters records at distances ranging from 800m to 10,000m. Following a stint coaching track and cross-country at the University of Regina, he decided to start his own run club.

“During my years at the university, there was a small group of about 15 community members [ who were not students] who would work out and train with the team,” Jaleta says. “The founding members of the club consisted of these original community members, who continued to train with me after I left the university.” Over the course of the next year, several more runners joined, and the Jaleta Pacers club was officially launched in 2008.

Since then, Jaleta has used his experience as a high-level athlete to create structured programs to help runners to meet their goals. “I draw on this knowledge and experience to relate to runners I am coaching; some people are undertrained, some are overtrained and some need assistance with pacing and managing when they peak,” Jaleta explains.

The Jaleta Pacers emphasize different components of training at different times of year. During the May-to-October race season, the workouts focus on maintaining peak performance, while November and December are recovery months that include more strength and cross-training activities. In January, club members decide which half-marathons and marathons they want to run during the season and Jaleta creates a tailored program to help them build mileage through April. “Consistency and patience are the key fundamentals to success. There are no shortcuts to achieving desired goals,” he says. “What a runner puts into it is what they will get out of it.”

The club meets three times a week, working on speed on Tuesdays and Thursdays and hills on Saturdays. The rest of the week, every Pacer is encouraged to run on their own or in small groups.

Club members range in age from 19 to 65 and include all levels of runners, from those learning to run for the first time to those competing for a national championship. “Runners joining the Jaleta Pacers can expect to be a part of a very positive and supportive team,” says Jaleta. “We push each other in workouts and help each other out when things are not going well, whether physically or mentally.”

The club also has a rich social culture. And not only do they attend races across Saskatchewan, Canada and internationally as a team, Jaleta’s crew also spends time every year raising funds for community organizations. Since 2011, in partnership with the rcmp Training Academy, they have hosted the annual Royal Road Race, raising almost $200,000 for local charities. (This year’s race is postponed to 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.) The club also offers an annual entrance scholarship to the University of Regina.

Jaleta’s proudest moments as a coach consist of watching club members achieve their race goals and helping them qualify for a World Marathon Major year after year.