Saturday, April 30, 2011

3rd place finish - broke last week's PB at the Sporting Intentions Spring Run Off

It was cloudy and 8 degrees.

The Sporting Intentions Spring Run Off in North River Road. The out and back course on North River Rd, Brighton and Victoria Park.

Connor McGuire won the 10km race and Kara Grant for the top female.

I finished in 40:03 and beat my 10km personal best 23 seconds from last Saturday's Bunny Hop and came in 3rd out of 56 runners.

Tyler Koughan won the 5km race and Alyssa Arbing for the top female.

I run home from work 5km almost everyday that why I'm running faster and breaking PBs.

Official Result: 3rd out of 56
10K in 40 minutes, 3 seconds

5K Results ~*~ 10K Results

More Photos

Sporting Intention's Photos

Spring Run Off 2010 ~*~ Spring Run Off 2009 ~*~ Spring Run Off 2008

Photos from the Sporting Intentions Spring Run Off 2008-2011

http://www.journalpioneer.com/Sports/2011-05-01/article-2468893/McGuire%2C-Koughan-top-runners-in-Sporting-Intentions-Spring-Run/1

McGuire, Koughan top runners
in Sporting Intentions Spring Run

Published on May 1, 2011
Jason Simmonds

CHARLOTTETOWN - Connor McGuire and Tyler Koughan were the top runners in their respective divisions in the Sporting Intentions Spring Run here Saturday morning.

McGuire, 19, won the 10-kilometre event in 34 minutes 36 seconds (34:36). Carson Campbell (39:53), Alex Bain (40:03), Leo McCosham (40:52) and Michael Gaudet (41:06) rounded out the top-five finishers.

Kara Grant, 32, was the first female to hit the finish line in 42:09. She was eighth overall in the field of 58.

It was the second 10K win in a row for McGuire, who also won the Source for Sports Bunny Hop on April 30 in 33:22.

5K

In the five-kilometre race, the 19-year-old Koughan finished 11 seconds ahead of second-place finisher David McQuillan. Koughan's time was 20:43 while McQuillan stopped the clock in 20:54. Ryan Lloyd (21:09), Andrew Pickard (21:30) and Ryan MacRae (21:50) were third, fourth and fifth.

Alyssa Arbing, 15, was the top-finishing female in 26 minutes flat. She was 14th overall.

A total of 62 runners took part in the five-kilometre race.

Next race

The next P.E.I. RoadRunners Club race is the Proude's Shoes 5K Run on Saturday. Registration at Proude's Shoes at the Sherwood Business Centre will begin at 8 a.m., with the race beginning at 9 a.m.

This race is a fund-raiser for Youth Mission Nicaragua 2012.

Running For Autism
Not Against It
acceptance, inclusion, awareness

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Saltscapes Expo - Yes, we have soap!

The Great Canadian Soap Company is going to be at the Saltscapes Expo
in Halifax this weekend.

We all work very hard getting ready.

I cut and labeled 1,500 bars of travel soap this week.

If you are in Halifax this weekend come to Saltscapes Expo
Shannon and Conor will be there to give you
a free travel bar of our Goat's Milk Soap!
They have great deals on our products too

If you are in PEI this weekend, come to the Spring Run Off

If you are in New Brunswick, the 6th annual Grand-Digue 15K is happening.

Have a good weekend!

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Autistic track star sidelined by bureaucracy

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/ontario/autistic-track-star-sidelined-by-bureaucracy/article1988918/

Autistic track star sidelined by bureaucracy

KATE HAMMER

EDUCATION REPORTER— From Monday's Globe and Mail

Published Sunday, Apr. 17, 2011 9:48PM EDT

In a number of ways, Andrew Towle is exceptional. He was diagnosed with autism and started high school well behind academically, but the 19-year-old recently won a place on his school’s honour roll and on their track and field team.

Now he has been told he can’t compete – no exceptions.

The body that oversees high-school sports in Ontario says its eligibility rules are firm. Even though Andrew makes the age cutoff, and didn’t take a single Grade 9 class in his first year at Ottawa Technical Learning Centre, the federation has blocked him from competing this year on the grounds that he’s been in high school too long.

The eligibility clock began ticking the moment Andrew walked through the front doors of Ottawa Technical, the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations says, and his five years are up.

There are no appeals.

The decision was a shock to Andrew, his teachers, his coaches and family, who have watched him come a long way only to be sidelined by bureaucracy.

Most provinces have similar rules to Ontario’s, which match a student’s years of eligibility to the length of an average high-school career. Executive director Doug Gellatly says OFSAA receives about one inquiry a year from a student seeking to dispute their eligibility, and that they’re told the rules are firm.

That unbending approach could be tested in coming years. The prevalence of autism spectrum disorders among students has grown, and autistic athletes are finding a natural fit and a sense of normalcy in endurance sports.

“Why be this inflexible and bureaucratic with something that’s so important to these student competitors?” said Jonathan Towle, Andrew’s father. “It’s just very unfair.”

The rule that excludes him is meant to promote inclusion: OFSAA has put a five-year limit on eligibility so that more students get a chance to participate.

“We didn’t want to get into dealing with all kinds of different circumstances,” said Mr. Gellatly. “… We thought it was just better to have a clean rule, give them five years and beyond that give other kids the chance to participate.”

Andrew spent his first year at Ottawa Technical Learning Centre taking non-credit courses, bringing his academics up to speed in preparation for Grade 9. It was in his third year, on a whim, that he joined one of the track team’s practices.

“At my first ever practice race, I finished in last, and I told myself I got to do better,” Andrew said. “So I pretty much kept on going and my goal every time was to improve.”

A year and a half later, he was winning races. He was one of the top five long-distance runners in the Ottawa region and he won a spot to compete at the provincial championships.

It was about that time that his grades started improving. He made friends on the team and developed a sense of sportsmanship.

“Until running came along there wasn’t really anything he could identify with, now he can say, ‘I’m a runner,’ ” said Andrew’s father. “That’s really given his life a focus, it’s shown him that if he works hard he can succeed at things.”

Autistic people like Andrew often have learning difficulties. Growing up, he struggled with language and socialization, his senses were easily overwhelmed and he sometimes lashed out or lost his temper.

The disorder is marked by a withdrawal from the outside world – it’s Greek root, autos, means “self.” Andrew’s coach at the Ottawa Lions Track and Field Club, Vince Fay, believes this might explain why he has recently seen a number of autistic youth show an interest in the sport.

“I’m no expert, all I can tell you is that they seem to thrive,” he said. “… Anyone who runs, you sort of go into your own world.”

Andrew says he likes that there’s not a lot of body contact in running. He often runs to school, has completed six half-marathons, and hopes to one day be a part of the University of Ottawa’s cross-country team.

OFSAA should determine athlete eligibility on more of a case-by-case basis, according to Jim Denison, director of the Canadian Athletics Coaching Centre and a professor of physical education at the University of Alberta.

“They should have some leeway to evaluate cases as opposed to a blanket five-year rule,” he said. “I totally understand why they’re doing it, they’re trying to do their best to … create a fair advantage for everybody, so it’s a difficult situation.”

Andrew XC running Oct 2009

This Saturday's Races - Sporting Intentions Spring Run Off & Grande-Digue 15K

Sporting Intentions Spring Run Off
5K & 10K
Saturday, April 30, 2011

Start Time: 9:00 am
Registration: 8:00 am at Sporting Intentions, 614 North River Road (See Map)
Pre-registration is available at Sporting Intentions. If you pre-register, you will be entered in a draw for a new pair of running shoes!!
Fee: $10.00
Sponsor: Sporting Intentions
Fundraiser: PEI Heart & Stroke Foundation
Contact: Dawn Paynter - 388-7696 dawnpaynter@hotmail.com
Andrew Scott - 892-4713 andrew@sportingintentions.com
Course Description: Down North River Road to Belvedere, along the water to the park and back. Some hills
Course Map

Facebook Event Page

Spring Run Off 2010 ~*~ Spring Run Off 2009 ~*~ Spring Run Off 2008

Photos from the Sporting Intentions Spring Run Off 2008-2010

~*~

Also on this Saturday, across the Bridge
Sylvio's 6th annual 15K Grande-Digue Run

Full details HERE & HERE

Monday, April 25, 2011

Summerside man takes 10km Bunny Hop crown

http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/Sports/2011-04-24/article-2452072/Summerside-man-takes-10km-Bunny-Hop-crown/1

Summerside man takes 10km

Bunny Hop crown

Published on April 24, 2011

Connor McGuire of Summerside was the first runner to hit the finish line in the 10-kilometre event of the Source for Sports Bunny Hop here Saturday.

McGuire, 19, finished in a time of 33 minutes 22 seconds (33:22).

Second-place finisher Mike MacKinnon, 37, was 20 seconds off the pace, and Billy MacDonald, 24, was third in 34:43. Scott Clark, 47, who had a time of 35:22, and Gaetan Dallaire, 32, rounded out the top five. Dallaire’s time was 37:06.

Rebecca Pike, 25, was the top-finishing female. She was 21st overall in 41:53.

A total of 130 runners took part.

Five-kilometre run

Rick Lehman, 25, won the five-kilometre race in 19:15. Tyler Sellar, 19, finished five seconds behind Lehman.

Hannah Walker, 21, was the first female to finish, third overall, in 19:26.

Rebecca Walker was fourth overall in 19:56 while Kristy Newson, 36, rounded out the top five with a time of 20:10.

The 5K run attracted 139 participants.

The next P.E.I. RoadRunners Club race is the Sporting Intentions 5K and 10K on Saturday. Registration at Sporting Intentions, 614 North River Road, is at 8 a.m., with the runs beginning at 9 a.m.

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Poirier has sights set on Gambia

http://www.thechronicleherald.ca/ArtsLife/1239864.html

Poirier has sights set on Gambia

Nurse plans gruelling run across West African nation to raise money for education and health programs
By LAURA FRASER Staff Reporter
Sat, Apr 23 - 4:54 AM

Erin Poirier runs in Point Pleasant Park, Halifax. Poirier plans a 17- day run across The Gambia, a total of 430 kilometres, to raise money for the Nova Scotia Gambia Association which provides health and educational support for the African nation. (Ted Pritchard / Staff)

ERIN POIRIER remembers running down a Gambian beach four years ago, her back salted from the ocean and the blistering heat of the African sun.

Right now, Poirier is in the middle of her longest-ever training cycle, for the longest race she has ever run. She plans to cross Gambia in 17 days, covering more than a half-marathon each morning as the humidity starts its climb to more than 40 C.

"My goal is to be ready to start running the second the sun’s in the sky," says the nurse and long-distance runner. "I’m telling myself that hot yoga is going to get me ready for the heat of the Gambia."

The global recession and the size of the western African nation combined to give birth to Poirier’s idea. The Gambia River bisects the country, with a road running along either side for more than 400 kilometres.

Poirier decided the distance between the Gambian border town of Basse Santa Su and the coastal city of Banjul could be manageable to run. She hopes to raise at least $20,000.

"It kind of came out of the Nova Scotia Gambia Association’s desperate financial picture," said Poirier, a board member for the group. "(Over) the last two years, like lots of Canadian charities, our donations and fundraising has been down."

Poirier, 30, got hooked on running in high school when her basketball coach forced the team to include it in their workouts. Then, they had to run about 10 kilometres each week.

But to prepare for the Boston and Scotiabank Blue Nose marathons, and Gambia, Poirier has been running more than 85 kilometres about every six days. Poirier caught bronchitis during Week 19 of training and still logged 52 kilometres — eight more than the week she got hit by a car and nine less than the week she recovered from the crash.

Poirier visits a chiropractor once a week to fix any damage she has inflicted on her body. And she has enlisted a sports nutritionist to make sure she fills herself with the right fuel. She is built like a whippet, more skinny than strong, and can burn a significant number of calories during a long run.

"Eating has been an important part of this training cycle. I’ve been piling food into my body like I’m never going to eat again," she says, laughing.

Poirier will arrive in Gambia during the rainy season, when the humidity will be at its peak and tropical storms are a threat. She will start running at dawn to stay cooler. She says she would begin earlier, but streetlights are a rarity along the unpaved road.

The heat will likely lengthen Poirier’s running time to three hours instead of her usual two. For the rest of her day, she and her support team plan to visit some of the schools she worked with during the summer of 2007.

Poirier spent that summer teaching small groups of children about how to reduce their risk of getting HIV-AIDS and malaria. Local actors hired by the Nova Scotia Gambia Association then taught the students how to best deliver the information to their peers.

"Theatre is very important to Gambian culture (and) it’s an oral culture, so history is passed down through theatre and storytelling," Poirier said.

When she returned from Africa, Poirier decided she wanted to continue her work in Nova Scotia. She became a board member with the association and took a job at Prince Andrew High School in Dartmouth, where she runs a youth health centre. In the spring and fall, she also coaches the cross-country and track teams.

Some of Poirier’s student runners will join her Love4Gambia charity team in the Blue Nose marathon. She has raised about 75 members and $6,000, but is still recruiting. After the Blue Nose marathon, all her focus will be on Gambia, she says.

Once she gets there, Poirier says her job is to focus solely on the run. Her friend Ashley Sharpe, an emergency nurse, will deal with any obstacles, especially those with scales or a forked tongue.

Hippopotamuses, snakes, lizards or crocodiles could conceivably get in Poirier’s way during the more rural part of the journey, she says. It is one of the only things she doesn’t like to picture.

Instead, she will think about the beach in Banjul, knowing that she will be running closer to the ocean’s balm with every step.

Poirier’s blog, www.love4gambia.com, has more information about the run, her Blue Nose charity team and how to donate.

( lfraser@herald.ca)

2011 Source for Sports Bunny Hop - A 10Km Personal Best!

It was sunny and 7 degrees.

The Source for Sports Bunny Hop at Source for Sports.

The 10km course on Kirkwood Drive, North River Rd, Capital Drive and Lewis Point.

Connor McGuire won the 10Km race and Rebecca Pike for the top female.

I finished in 40:26 and beat my 10km personal best, the 2004 Wally Rodd (40:58).

Rick Lehman won the 5Km race and Hannah Walker for the top female.

My boss's daughter Julia ran her first 5Km race.

Em & Julia

Official Result: 15th out of 130
10K in 40 minutes, 26 seconds

5Km Results ~*~ 10Km Results

Photos

2010 Bunny Hop ~*~2009 Bunny Hop ~*~2008 Bunny Hop ~*~2007 Bunny Hop
2006 Bunny Hop ~*~2005 Bunny Hop

Bunny Hop Photos 2005-2011

http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/Sports/2011-04-23/article-2450592/A-hill-by-any-other-name-is-still-a-hill/1

A hill by any other name is still a hill

Guardian photo by Brian McInnis

Source for Sports Bunny Hop

Published on April 23, 2011

There is a hill just west of the Queens Arms corner on the Trans Canada Highway in Charlottetown that has been the near downfall of many runners over the years. It was known simply as the Wandlyn Hill to runners as far back as the 1970s when an motel of the same name was located part way up the hill. That motel is gone, but to many runners of a certain age the hill is still the Wandlyn Hill and Saturday during the Source for Sports Spring Bunny Hop the hill once again played havoc with some runners. The event, with is the unofficial start of the spring road run season, attracted more than 200 runners for the 10 kilometre and five kilometre run.

~*~
Running For Autism
Not Against It
acceptance, inclusion, awareness

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Islanders at the Boston Marathon - Photos

Photos from 2010 of Islanders at the Boston Marathon

This Saturday's Race - The 34th Annual Bunny Hop

The 34th Annual Source for Sports Bunny Hop
10 km run 5 km run/walk
Saturday, April 23, 2011

Start Time: 9:00 am
Registration: 7:30 am at the Source for Sports store just off University Ave (see Map)
Fee: $10 for adults, $5.00 for students
Free long sleeve t-shrit for first 180 registered runners
Sponsor: Source for Sports
Fundraiser: Kidney Foundation
Contact: Les MacKay 892-9869 or 368-6905 lkmackay@edu.pe.ca
Course Description: Few hills, but quite fast
Course Map

There will be an informal election poll. Participants are encouraged to dress in the colour of the political party they will be supporting on May 2, 2011 (Conservative=Blue, Green=Green, Liberal=Red, NDP=Orange). Undecided participants can wear the colours black or white.

Each candidate in the riding of Charlottetown has been asked to provide a few volunteers for the run but we can always use more.

If you don't plan to run, but are available to volunteer, email Les MacKay at lkmackay@edu.pe.ca

2010 Bunny Hop ~*~2009 Bunny Hop ~*~2008 Bunny Hop ~*~2007 Bunny Hop
2006 Bunny Hop ~*~2005 Bunny Hop

Bunny Hop Photos 2005-2010

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Jen Nicholson's post-Boston Marathon interview on CBC Island Morning

Above Jen at Mile 1 - Below Jen at 30K
Photos by Jim Rhoades

Jen Nicholson of Cornwall Prince Edward Island,
the fastest Canadian womanat the 2011 Boston Marathon,
talks to Matt Rainnie on CBC Radio's Island Morning about her run.
Jen ran a Personal Best time of 2:47:00.
Recorded Tuesday, April 19th 2011.

P.E.I. runner posts best time for Canadian females at Boston Marathon

http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/Sports/2011-04-19/article-2437204/P.E.I.-runner-posts-best-time-for-Canadian-females-at-Boston-Marathon/1

P.E.I. runner posts best time for Canadian females at Boston Marathon

Jen Nicholson

Published on April 19, 2011

Cornwall's Jen Nicholson sets personal-best time; Summerside's Scott Clark top Islander overall

Jen Nicholson of Cornwall was the top Canadian female at the 115th Boston Marathon on Monday.

Nicholson complete the marathon in a personal-best time of two hours 47 minutes.

Nicholson, who won back-to-back Island Marathons in 2008 and 2009, ended up 420th overall, 35th among females and fourth in the Masters Division.

Scott Clark of Summerside finished in a time of 24:45:27 for the top time by a P.E.i. runner.

Kenyan Geoffrey Mutai won the Boston Marathon in 2:03:02, while Caroline Kilel, also of Kenya, was the top female in 2:22:36.

Moses Mosop (2:03:06), another Kenyan, finished four seconds behind Mutai, while American Desiree Davila (2:22:38) was just two seconds behind Kilel.

Other P.E.I. times were:

Rob MacKenzie, Cornwall, 3:01:57 (1,740th);

Chris Matters, Charlottetown, 3:02:51 (1,827th);

Micheal Peterson, Charlottetown, 3:12:53 (3,480th);

Alexandra Keedwell, Charlottetown, 3:22:46 (5,604th);

Paul Dalton, St. Edward, 3:28:29 (7,151st);

Micheal Gaudet, Charlottetown, 3:32:16 (8,257th);

Jocelyn Peterson, Charlottetown, 3:32:42 (8,368th);

Ken Taylor, Kensington, 3:36:37 (9,513th);

Michael Irvine, Summerside, 3:36:38 (9,515th);

Shawn Shea, Stratford, 3:37:06 (9,660th);

Francis Fagan, Charlotteown, 3:40:27 (10,634th);

Janice Ployer, Summerside, 3:40:46 (10,731st);

Diane Boswall, Charlottetown, 3:47:50 (12,721st);

Patricia Ellis, Charlottetown, 3:48:24 (12,869th);

Beverly Walsh, Charlottetown, 3:49:26 (13,176th);

John Van Ekris, Charlottetown, 3:59:18 (15,956th);

Elaine Burkholder, Charlottetown, 4:01:43 (16,515th);

Kimberly Bailey, Cornwall, 4:04:30 (17,003rd);

Maureen Leard, Cornwall, 4:05:50 (17,218th);

Ellen Sherren, Charlottetown, 4:10:02 (17,883nd);

Dorothy Gregory, Charlottetown, 4:15:36 (18,765th);

Dianne Pye, Charlottetown, 4:15:49 (18,794);

Sandra McConkey, Stratford, 4:18:25 (19,150th);

Loratte Van Ekris, Charlottetown, 4:22:46 (19,694th);

Jo-Anne Shea, Stratford, 4:25:32 (20,007th);

Robert Burt, Summerside, 4:42:17 (21,476th).

***

If a P.E.I. runner has been missed or if you have photos from the Boston Marathon, contact us at sports@theguardian.pe.ca.

http://www.journalpioneer.com/Sports/2011-04-18/article-2436795/Clark-is-top-Islander%2C-Nicholson-top-Canadian-female-in-Boston-Marathon/1

Clark is top Islander, Nicholson top Canadian female in Boston Marathon

Scott Clark

Published on April 18, 2011

By Darlene Shea and

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

BOSTON - Kenya's Geoffrey Mutai has won the Boston Marathon in an unofficial two hours three minutes two seconds - the fastest marathon ever run.

The previous best of 2:03:59 was by Haile Gebrselassie in Berlin 2008. Because of the differences in courses and wind conditions, there isn't an official world record in marathons.

Mutai's mark is almost three minutes better than the course record set just last year by Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot.

Caroline Kilel won the women's race to complete the Kenyan sweep, out-sprinting American Desiree Davila to win by two seconds, in 2:22:36. Davila led as late as the final stretch on Boylston Street and ran the fastest time ever for a U.S. woman, five seconds faster than Joan Benoit finished to win in 1983.

Scott Clark of Summerside was the fastest Islander among the 34 from P.E.I. who took part in the marathon. Clark, 47, had a time of 2:36:42 which placed him 358th overall and 13th in his division.

Jen Nicholson of Cornwall was thetop Canadian woman in 35th place among the women,finishing not far behind Clark in 421st place overall. The 42-year-old's time was2:47.00which put her fourth in her division.

No American - man or woman - has won Boston since Lisa Larsen-Weidenbach in 1985. Ryan Hall ran the fastest marathon ever for an American, finishing fourth in 2:04:58, and Kara Goucher ran a personal best 2:24:52 to add a fifth-place finish to her third in 2009.

Kilel and Mutai each earn US$150,00 for the win, and Mutai gets $50,000 for the world best and another $25,000 for the course record.

A year after Cheruiyot lowered the course record by more than a minute, the runners lined up in Hopkinton with temperatures hovering around 8 C and a wind at their back - perfect marathoning weather.

Kim Smith, a New Zealander who lives in Providence, took off at a record pace and led the women's race for more than 30 kilometres.

The men were steadier, and they were the ones to take down the old mark.

Four men, including Hall and third-place finisher Ethiopian Gebregziabher Gebremariam, broke the 2:05 milestone that just 12 months ago had seemed insurmountable on the hilly Boston course.

Mutai and Moses Mosop ran side-by-side for the final miles before Mutai pulled ahead for good on Boylston Street and won by four seconds. The 19th Kenyan winner in the past 21 years, Mutai raised his arms in the air and grinned; Cheruiyot, who injured his side in a car accident in Kenya, dropped out in the first half of the race.

Smith took off at the start, and the pack let her go, falling almost a minute behind. But 30 kilometres in, as she ran down Commonwealth Avenue in Newton toward Heartbreak Hill, she began to stutter-step.

Soon, she had stopped completely to rub her right calf. It was only for a few seconds, but when she resumed she had clearly slowed and the pack was upon her less than a mile later. Among them was Davila.

The American ran with Kenyans Kilel and Sharon Cherop through Chestnut Hill and briefly broke out of her rhythm to wave as the crowd began chanting, "U-S-A!" The three swapped leads down Beacon Street in Brookline, and Davila led even on the final stretch before Kilel outkicked her.

Masazumi Soejima and Wakako Tsuchida gave Japan a sweep of the men's and women's wheelchair divisions. It was the fifth straight win for Tsuchida and the second overall for Soejima.

~*~

Paula Keating of Miramichi, left, and Jen Nicholson of Cornwall, P.E.I. congratulate each other at the Boston Marathon on Monday.
Photo from http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/gallery/1399170,677749

Monday, April 18, 2011

Live Blogging Islanders at the Boston Marathon

As is the tradition around here, I'll once again attempt to live blog the Islanders at the Boston Marathon. This year however, Alex is at work, not here to help me, and there are 34 Islanders to try to track, as well as Erin Poirier, an Islander living in NS and Sylvio Bourque, seemingly a wannabe Islander judging from all the Island races he attends.

I'll put the list up in order of their bib numbers and fill in the blanks as soon and as often as I can. This page will be updated repeatedly throughout the day until everyone crosses the finish line and the final results are in. It will be a bit of a marathon just trying to keep up with them all!

I stole this great picture from Sandra Gregory's Facebook Page, hope she doesn't mind
(and if you do Sandra, just let me know)
Hope these folks, and all the Islanders, have a great, fun, day today!

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Boston Marathon Weather Forecast: Highs Near 60 With Tail Wind

http://boston.cbslocal.com/2011/04/17/boston-marathon-weather-forecast-highs-near-60-with-tail-wind/

Boston Marathon Weather Forecast: Highs Near 60 With Tail Wind

By Barry Burbank, WBZ-TV Meteorologist

April 17, 2011 6:01 PM

Participants run down Boylston Street toward the finish line during the 114th Boston Marathon on April 19, 2010 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

BOSTON (CBS) – Here is the latest on the forecast for the Boston Marathon.

It is still looking good for the runners and the spectators.

Check: Current Conditions | Weather Map Center | Interactive Radar

The Hopkinton temperature will be in the lower 40s at 7 a.m. with a steady rise through the 40s into the 50s by the staggered start times between 9-11 a.m.

It should be generally sunny through most of the morning but a weak disturbance will be approaching in the afternoon when more clouds will be arriving. It appears that most of the scattered showers will hold off until tomorrow evening.

A nice tail wind blowing from the west or slightly south of due west will spike up to 10-20 mph during the day as the temperature continues to rise through the 50s to slightly over 60 as the runners approach Boston in the afternoon.

Also See: Complete Boston Marathon Coverage

In conclusion, expect near or slightly above average temperatures for the great Boston Marathon. Thankfully, it will be about 25 degrees lower than the 86 degrees in 2004 and about 35 degrees lower than the hottest race ever 35 years ago.

GOOD LUCK to all the runners!

go! PEI Free Learn to Run Program Starting soon in Kensington

Photo by Stephen Harris, Studio 28, www.studio-28.ca

FREE 10 Week GO PEI Learn to Run program

starting in Kensington on Wednesday May 4th at 6pm.

Meeting place - parking lot of the Kensington Rink

http://www.gopei.ca/

What is a L2R Program?
With Spring in the air, it is time to get outside and start running! Are you a beginner runner? Are you a former runner, but want to re-learn? Join a go!PEI L2R program this spring!

L2R is a 10-week walk-to-run program where participants will build up to running a 5K distance. The L2R group is led by a running enthusiast and the group meets once per week. All participants receive a running program to follow on their own, along with tips on footwear, stretching, nutrition and equipment!

http://www.gopei.ca/index.php?number=1032441&lang=E

Over 400 Islanders have learned to run with the go!PEI Learn 2 Run (L2R) program since June 2010. The greatest thing about running is that you do it for YOU. Many people who have never run before fall in love with this activity and get “addicted” to it, because it's an activity that can be done at their own pace.

There are many opportunities to learn more about running with go!PEI. People of all sizes, ages and physical abilities have learned by running a little bit to begin with and eventually working up to run 1 km, 5 km’s or more. Some of these people were very athletic growing up and use running to keep up their fitness while others have never run a step in their life but through commitment, hard work and support are able to realize their dreams.

The PEI Roadrunners have partnered with go!PEI by offering beginner L2R clinics, and by being an incredible resource to those interested in running. The PEI Roadrunner's website has a complete list of races happening in 2011, tips on footwear, breathing, stretching, and a message board where people can post questions.

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Runner from P.E.I. is Boston bound

http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/Sports/2011-04-16/article-2431843/Runner-from-P.E.I.-is-Boston-bound/1

Runner from P.E.I. is Boston bound

Charles Reid

Published on April 16, 2011

Jen Nicholson of Cornwall crosses the finish line at the
Hamilton Road 2 Hope Marathon in November.
(Submitted photo)

Cornwall’s Jen Nicholson will run among the elite runners
at the prestigious marathon

You might consider Cornwall resident Jen Nicholson in the front row for the 115th Boston Marathon, which goes Monday.

That after the 42-year-old marathoner’s times qualified her for a place in the women’s Elite Division.

She’s way up there in the race, thanks to the complimentary entry, wearing bib No. 111 when her start time at 9:32 a.m. comes around on Monday.

Nicholson, a masters runner and a mother of three, is in the same field as contenders like Kenya’s Sharon Cherop, Tey ba Erkesso of Ethiopia (last year’s winner) and Tatyana Pushkareva of Russia, who finished second last year by three seconds.

“It’s once in a lifetime. I’m a little bit in shock,” said Nicholson, who leaves today for Boston with fellow entrant Alexandra Keedwell of Charlottetown. “(They’re) people I read about in magazines.”

Nicholson, a two-time P.E.I. Marathon champion, was the top female at the Hamilton Marathon last November in a personal best time of two hours, 50 minutes, 18 seconds.

She’s one of 34 Island-based runners making the run to Boston.

Included is last year’s P.E.I. Marathon winner Scott Clark of Summerside and perennial Boston competitor Leo McCosham of Charlottetown.

This will be Nicholson’s second Boston Marathon.

She has improved considerably on her 3:06:31 Boston time recorded three years ago.

This year she has another mark in her sights.

“The 2:50. I’d like to go after that, (but) I don’t want to jinx myself. I want to feel like I left everything on the course.”

To prepare for Boston's hilly course, Nicholson trained in Cornwall and Bonshaw, focusing on going up and on the downhills, which for a runner can be tougher.

She said the pounding a runner’s legs take on the downhills can drain energy as the race progresses and leave a runner legless and weak down the stretch.

Nicholson, like the bulk of the Island’s runners in the Boston Marathon, is over 40.

Only four of the 34 entrants are younger, but Nicholson isn’t worried, as she thinks she’s gotten better with age.

“I don’t feel limited. It’s very motivating,” she said, referring to Clark, 47. “A lot of it is mental (strength). A little experience doesn’t hurt.”

creid@theguardian.pe.ca

****

Runners listed as being from P.E.I. for Monday's 115th running of the Boston Marathon:

Jules Aucoin, 46, Summerside

Paul N. Baglole, 50, Meadow Bank

Kimberley Bailey, 46, Cornwall

Diane Boswall, 50, Charlottetown

Elaine G. Burkholder, 53, Charlottetown

Robert C. Burt, 37, Summerside

Jackie Chaisson, 40, Charlottetown

Scott Clark, 47, Summerside

Paul A Dalton, 52, St. Edward

Patricia Ellis, 54, Charlottetown

Francis D. Fagan, 61, Charlottetown

Michael D. Gaudet, 57, Charlottetown

Dorothy Gregory, 53, Charlottetown

Michael A. Irvine, 53, Summerside

Alexandra Keedwell, 40, Charlottetown

Maureen Leard, 50, Cornwall

Rob D. MacKenzie, 44, Cornwall

Chris Matters, 38, Charlottetown

Sandra E. McConkey, 50, Stratford

Leo McCosham, 47, Charlottetown

Carol A. Morgan, 55, O'Leary

Jen D. Nicholson, 42, Cornwall

Jocelyn Peterson, 33, Charlottetown

Michael Peterson, 39, Charlottetown

Janice Ployer, 40, Summerside

Dianne Pye, 52, Charlottetown

Jo-Anne Shea, 52, Stratford

Shawn M. Shea, 54, Stratford

Ellen Sherren, 37, Charlottetown

Ken E. Taylor, 47, Kensington

John Van Ekris, 45, Charlottetown

Loretta M. Van Ekris, 44, Charlottetown

Mark E. Victor, 47, Charlottetown

Beverley E. Walsh, 49, Charlottetown

Friday, April 15, 2011

Charlottetown Bluephin Run Cancelled

Please note:

The Charlottetown Bluephin Run,
scheduled for tomorrow, April 16th, 2011
has been canceled

The next race
is the Source for Sports Bunny Hop,
Saturday April 23rd.
~ Details ~

Watching the Boston Marathon

Boston Marathon 2011
Television & Internet Broadcast Information & Social Media Sites

Start times (All times US Eastern Time):

9:00 a.m. Mobility Impaired Participants Start
9:17 a.m. Push-Rim Wheelchair Division Start
9:22 a.m. Handcycle Participants Start
9:32 a.m. Elite Women’s Start
10:00 a.m. Elite Men’s Start & Wave One
10:20 a.m Wave Two
10:40 a.m. Wave Three

TV Broadcasts:
The race will be televised live in its entirety, locally in Boston on WBZ-TV (Channel 4). Please visit www.cbsboston.com, for more information and bonus coverage of the 2011 Boston Marathon.

Internet Web-cast:
The race will be shown nationally on Universal Sports and online at www.UniversalSports.com

Websites:

Social Media Sites:

Islanders at the Boston Marathon

Good Luck to all the Islanders running the Boston Marathon on Monday. Hope you have a good run & a great time (the one on the clock and/or the one that memories are made of). Have Fun!

10348(Bib #) 2/2(Wave/Corral) Aucoin, Jules - 46 - M - Summerside
718(Bib #) 1/1(Wave/Corral) Baglole, Paul N. - 50 - M - Meadow Bank
20603 (Bib #) 3/3(Wave/Corral) Bailey, Kimberley - 46 - F - Cornwall
16573 (Bib #) 2/8(Wave/Corral) Boswall, H Diane - 50 - F - Charlottetown
18044 (Bib #) 3/1(Wave/Corral) Burkholder, Elaine G. - 53 - F - Charlottetown
21585 (Bib #) 3/4(Wave/Corral) Burt, Robert C. - 37 - M - Summerside - VI
19073 (Bib #) 3/2(Wave/Corral) Chaisson, Jackie - 40 - F - Charlottetown
392 (Bib #)1/1(Wave/Corral) Clark, Scott - 47 - M - Summerside
11663 (Bib #) 2/3(Wave/Corral) Dalton, Paul A - 52 - M - St. Edward
13146 (Bib #) 2/5(Wave/Corral) Ellis, Patricia - 54 - F - Charlottetown
7429 (Bib #) 1/8(Wave/Corral) Fagan, Francis D. - 61 - M - Charlottetown
9172 (Bib #) 2/1(Wave/Corral) Gaudet, Michael D. - 57 - M - Charlottetown
21065 (Bib #) 3/4(Wave/Corral) Gregory, Dorothy - 53 - F - Charlottetown
11162 (Bib #) 2/3(Wave/Corral) Irvine, Michael A. - 53 - M - Summerside
10708 (Bib #) 2/2(Wave/Corral) Keedwell, Alexandra - 40 - F - Charlottetown
19572 (Bib #) 3/2(Wave/Corral) Leard, Maureen - 50 - F - Cornwall
795 (Bib #) 1/1(Wave/Corral) MacKenzie, Rob D. - 44 - M - Cornwall
1167 (Bib #) 1/2(Wave/Corral) Matters, Chris - 38 - M - Charlottetown
19806 (Bib #) 3/2(Wave/Corral) Mcconkey, Sandra E. - 50 - F - Stratford
445 (Bib #) 1/1(Wave/Corral) McCosham, Leo - 47 - M - Charlottetown
21087 (Bib #) 3/4(Wave/Corral) Morgan, Carol A. - 55 - F - O'Leary
F111 (Bib #) Elite Nicholson, Jen D. - 42 - F - Cornwall
14798 (Bib #) 2/6(Wave/Corral) Peterson, Jocelyn - 33 - F - Charlottetown
5262 (Bib #) 1/6(Wave/Corral) Peterson, Michael - 39 - M - Charlottetown
13631 (Bib #) 2/5(Wave/Corral) Ployer, Janice - 40 - F - Summerside
19143 (Bib #) 3/2(Wave/Corral) Pye, Dianne - 52 - F - Charlottetown
20616 (Bib #) 3/3(Wave/Corral) Shea, Jo-Anne - 52 - F - Stratford
12568 (Bib #) 2/4(Wave/Corral) Shea, Shawn M. - 54 - M - Stratford
16107 (Bib #) 2/8(Wave/Corral) Sherren, Ellen - 37 - F - Charlottetown
8800 (Bib #) 1/9(Wave/Corral) Taylor, Ken E. - 47 - M - Kensington
9855 (Bib #) 2/1(Wave/Corral) Van Ekris, John - 45 - M - Charlottetown
18118 (Bib #) 3/1(Wave/Corral) Van Ekris, Loretta M. - 44 - F - Charlottetown
7110 (Bib #) 1/8(Wave/Corral) Victor, Mark E - 47 - M - Charlottetown
16706 (Bib #) 2/8(Wave/Corral) Walsh, Beverley E - 49 - F - Charlottetown

A couple others we're watching:

8013(Bib #) 1/9(Wave/Corral) Poirier, Erin E. - 30 - F - Halifax - NS
8774(Bib #) 1/9(Wave/Corral) Bourque, Sylvio - 51 - M - Grande-Digue - NB

Congratulations to you all for qualifying!
Congratulations Jen on your very special status,
we are all thrilled for you!