Local long distance runner Rick Vaughan recently returned from his latest challenge, the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, where he competed in the half marathon of 21.1 kilometres.
Vaughan reports that 10,000 runners were registered for the half marathon and 5,000 registered for the full marathon as well 5,000 more entered in the five kilometre run, for about 20,000 competitors altogether gathered at the start of the race.
The race started in downtown Toronto at Queen Street. It followed some of the downtown streets toward Lake Ontario. The majority of the race course followed the highway which skirts Lake Ontario. It finished on Bay Street, Vaughan reports.
His goal was to achieve a personal best time. He managed to beat his personal best time by a full minute finishing in one hour 26 minutes and 13 seconds. In achieving his goal, Vaughan finished third in his age group of about 400 other runners in the 50 to 54 years age group.
After running in the Regina half marathon for the past nine years, the Toronto race took him out of his comfort zone and presented a new challenge. "Regina adrenalin-wise kind of feels a little old sometimes whereas Toronto is brand new and gives a little more of an adrenalin shot," Vaughan explains.
He was accompanied in Toronto by his wife Sandy Vaughan Hastie who ran the half marathon in two hours and eight minutes. She was happy with her time as she had developed dome knee problems earlier in the summer in Regina.
He suggests humans are designed to run. If a people start walking and running their bodies change and adapt to what they do. While he admits there limitations, Vaughan asserts everybody can run.
To prepare for the Toronto marathon Vaughan ran three to four times a week. One day of running involved speed work. "If you want to finish running a race quickly speed work training is important. If you want to run fast, you have to train fast too," he states.
Another night he'll go out for an easy run. Then every weekend he'll complete a 20 km run to keep up his stamina over a long distance.
It's important to run as fast as you've trained, Vaughan cautions.
He plans to continue running as long as his health allows him to continue but admits he may change his focus somewhat.
He also enjoys bicycling. He competed in the Penticton Granfondo, a 160 km bicycle race this summer. Popular in Europe, long distance cycling is gaining popularity here. it's very exciting, Vaughan suggests. "With cycling if you're going downhill and you don't want to pedal, you don't have too. So you make it what you want it to be," he says.
"They call it a race but you can do it as fast a as you can or you can be a tourist and look at the sights," he adds.
Vaughan who has competed in triathlon events in the past is always looking for a new challenge. In addition to running he's recently taken up learning to speak Spanish for example. "It's just got to be something different, I kind of get bored with doing the same thing all the time and always looking for something new," he says.
Vaughan suggests running is becoming more popular in the area. He encourages people to try both running and participating in races. "Running is an individual sport and you can make it what you want it. It can be a charity run where you collect pledges and run for a cause or you can go out and be competitive and see what you're capable of doing compared to other people," he closes.
