Tag: Calgary

Off Track: A Eulogy of Sorts for GAP 1.0

So that’s it. The end of an era. The south end of the original Glenmore Athletic Park (GAP) track—I call it GAP 1.0—is gone. Torn up. 

I know the guys in the excavators are just doing their job, but it was hard to watch them pulling up the tattered red surface. The sign posted on the fence helpfully explains that the work is for the installation of a natural gas line to serve the new Glenmore Twin Arena that is being constructed nearby. According to the City website, the south end of the track will become a parking lot. Of course, another parking lot.

I have countless memories of the old circuit. It’s been the site of race finishes (like the Stampede Road Race), club events like handicap races, and innumerable workouts. GAP has hosted hundreds of track meets over the last six decades, including one in May 2011, where my mates and I set a Canadian M35 age group record for the 4x800m relay. (Our record didn’t stand for long, so don’t bother searching for it.)

I wrote about the old GAP track in Stroke of Luck, about how just seeing the red surface puts me in a comfortable place. I also did a blog piece—Homage to GAP 1.0—to mark the seventieth anniversary of Roger Bannister’s historic four-minute mile and the sixtieth (or so) of the GAP track itself. That was more than a year ago.

Sure, with a new, modern facility (some have started calling that one Smurf Turf, but I prefer Big Blue) being built a stone’s throw away, the writing was on the wall. I dared to hope that the City would keep the old place open. And if that wasn’t going to happen, I was sure they would leave it in service until the new track was ready. Well, now we have our answers: no and no.

Here is the main issue I have with the City’s decision: there’s no convenient alternative for running clubs that train in Calgary’s Southwest. As rough as the surface was, the track was in constant use by individual runners and clubs. To demonstrate their commitment, athletes regularly organized themselves into shovelling crews to keep a couple of lanes open through the winter. Speaking of the winter, progress on the new facility seems rather slow, so we’ll have to wait until sometime in the new year. 

I pointed out all of these things when I called 311 today, but it won’t change where we are. 

I don’t need to repeat what I wrote in my previous piece. Instead, with a distinct feeling of nostalgia, the best thing for me to do is add a few more memories, to convey what the old track meant to me. 

Here’s a photo from a one-mile senior’s challenge race, which took place in May 2010. It was all smiles on the start line, except for competitor 15 (me). For the record, I never smiled in the final few minutes before the gun. That’s okay, though, as I doubt anyone was smiling ten minutes later. I have no record of the results, so that might mean I didn’t do very well. Even so, it’s a cool memory.

This is the current state of the spotting booth on the back straight. Although the plywood mural that covers the scoreboard is deteriorating and falling off in chunks, I can report that the pigeons that have taken up residence in the booth are doing well. I like the juxtaposition of these two half-images.

And here’s a photo I took during a recent workout. My friend Doreen and I ran intervals on a beautiful, warm August morning. Little did we know it would be our last spin around the track. This photo of Doreen, smiling as she heads into the back straight, seems to be a fitting one to close with. 

I don’t know if there is such a thing as a memorial service for a facility, but I feel like the Calgary running community could do with one in this situation. For now, I tore off a chunk of the synthetic rubber surface as a keepsake. Deb was grossed out, but I don’t care—I’ll keep it in the garage. 

Maybe I should deal with this the way I usually do—go for a jog and come to terms with this disappointing news. 

Until next time, be well and BE FAST!

Hello Vancouver!

CALL Health and Wellness Speaker Series

I’m thrilled to announce an upcoming event with the Calgary Association of Lifelong Learners. I’ll be doing a presentation of my memoir on September 22, 2025, at the Varsity Acres Presbyterian Church. See the details below.

The Calgary Association of Lifelong Learners (CALL) is a member-led, non-profit organization. Their mandate is to facilitate lifelong learning for residents of Calgary and area. Programs and activities are wide-ranging, focusing on arts and culture, society and politics, and health and science.

My presentation will be part of CALL’s Health and Wellness Speaker Series. I look forward to telling the story of my lifelong connection to the great sport of athletics and my recovery from a series of strokes in 2017. As my regular readers will know, I wrote about running, health, and recovery in Stroke of Luck: My Life in Amateur Athletics. The opportunity to meet with groups and clubs is by far the best part of this project. I’m gratified to be able to share my main messages:

  • The importance of an active lifestyle
  • Awareness of the full range of stroke symptoms
  • Raising funds to support the lifesaving work at the Foothills Stroke Unit

If you are interested in joining us on the 22nd, or if you’d like to find out more about CALL, please reach out to them here. I hope to see you then!

A Quick Visit to Vancouver

Our vacation planning this year has been somewhat ad hoc. That’s resulted in a series of short trips to some unexpected locations: Moose Jaw, San Diego, and Edmonton. But rather than being a problem, it’s been an opportunity. So much so that we are looking forward to doing more of the same in the months to come.

Last week, we decided to make an impromptu, short trip to Vancouver. There’s never a bad time to visit Vancouver, but our timing was especially good. We were in the city for two perfect days. While most of our trips to the city in the last few years have had us staying in Kitsilano or Yaletown—both fine locations—we opted for downtown this time. 

Deb suggested that we stay at the new Azur Hotel on W Pender Street. The Azur is one of the Leading Hotels of the World, and she was curious about it. We’ve enjoyed stays at several LHW hotels—the Azur is one of only a few in North America. It was a great decision. Everything about our stay was excellent. The hotel feels quaint, and it exudes style. The staff were amazing. They treated us like royalty. The amenities were excellent, and the included breakfast was delicious. 

We enjoyed walking through Gastown and along the waterfront at Canada Place. Of course, watching the Harbour Air seaplanes taking off and landing is always fun. We took the SeaBus across Burrard Inlet to North Vancouver and checked out the latest exhibits at the Polygon Gallery. We both thought the large-scale astronomical photographs by Thomas Ruff, a German photographer, part of the current Star Witnesses exhibit, were a highlight.

Food and drink? Well, you can’t go wrong with a coffee and doughnut from the 49th Parallel cafe on Thurlow, so we did that. And for dinner, we enjoyed a meal at the bar in the Blue Water Cafe in Yaletown. I had the Yellowfin Tuna, and Deb chose the Arctic Char. Both were delicious.

Some Vancouver Street Photography

Now, it wouldn’t be an outing worth talking about if there weren’t a few photos to share. With my trusty Ricoh GR III in hand, I caught the occasional street scene. Here are some examples:

When we’re in Vancouver, we always think about Fred Herzog. For those who aren’t familiar with him, Herzog was a Vancouver-based photographer, active in the 1950s and 1960s. He’s one of our favourite photographers, and a source of inspiration when I’m walking the streets of Vancouver. Herzog mainly shot with a Leica rangefinder using Kodachrome colour film, and his photographs reveal much about the character of the city during that era.

Although it isn’t fair to say Herzog was unknown during his lifetime, his work is really only getting the credit it deserves now. That’s due in large part to the efforts of the Equinox Gallery in Vancouver and the Trepanier Baer Gallery in Calgary. Here’s the cover of Fred Herzog: Modern Color. It’s a superb collection of Herzog’s photographs, published in 2017 by the Equinox Gallery. The image on the cover happens to be my favourite Herzog photograph.

This gives me an idea for a new blog series: My Favourite Photographers. I think Fred Herzog will have to be my first subject. Look for that soon! 

While writing about the GR III, I’ll mention that Ricoh has just announced the GR IV (and discontinued the GR III). I’m definitely interested, although it might be said that on first glance, the specs are only marginally better than my current one. That said, my camera is now four years old, and I’ve noticed that it seems to have accumulated a lot of dust on the sensor. This problem is a known issue for the GR III. I thought I had avoided the problem until I looked closer at my shots from Vancouver. I probably shouldn’t be surprised, given how I handle (mishandle?) this camera on my photo runs. C’est la vie!

On that note, I’ll sign off. Thanks for reading. Until next time, be well and BE FAST!

It’s Relay Season!

June 20 Update

I wrote this piece to celebrate the relay races we enjoy here in the mountain parks. We’ve had a reminder in the last few days of the awesome power of Mother Nature. Heavy precipitation and strong winds are expected over southern Alberta this weekend, and that has led to the cancellation of the 2025 Kananaskis 100 Mile Relay. A tough call, but the right one by Cheryl and her team at Be There Races. It’s a shame that we’ll be deprived of this classic race this year… see you in 2026!

Time is short to get your copy of Stroke of Luck for a discounted price. Order on Amazon and save! Sale ends on June 30.

Help me raise funds for the essential work of the doctors and staff at Foothills Stroke Unit!

While we tend to think of running as a solitary activity, some of my fondest memories are from races where I competed as part of a relay team. I’m not referring to just any relays though. We are fortunate to have some world-class multi-stage relay races in Canada. And some of the best races take place in the Rocky Mountains—perhaps not surprising given the majestic scenery available here. 

With our variable weather, June is the unofficial start of road relay season. Here’s a short personal history of my connection to the best mountain relays. I’ve also mentioned a couple of other major road relays in Canada and the US.

History of Multi-stage Relay Races

The Japanese have a long tradition of races based on the ekiden, which is an age-old method of staged courier transmission across long distances. “Eki” translates to “station” and “den” means “to communicate, to convey”. For more than 100 years, ekiden has been a popular sport in Japan, and this may have been the origin of similar races in Canada. The popularity of multistage road races has grown, and there are now events around the world. Of course, relays can be on roads or trails, although my focus is on road races.   

Jasper Banff (later Banff Jasper) Relay

I’m not a historian, just an amateur athlete with a long resume and a keen interest in the sport. I think of the Jasper Banff Relay (JBR) as the grand-daddy of Canadian distance relays. Much of the race course follows the Icefields Parkway (Highway 93), so it certainly offers the most magnificent scenery.

The original race (contested from 1980 to 2000) started at noon in Jasper on the first Saturday in June. It ran continuously towards Banff, over 258 km and 17 stages of varying length and difficulty. Needless to say, there were some tough stages, like the climbs up to the Columbia Icefields and the high point at Bow Summit (2,088 m).

My research suggests that this is the oldest multistage race in Canada. I might be wrong—I don’t know of any others with such longevity. The race had a hiatus from 2000 to 2005 before it was relaunched in a new format. 

My first experience of multistage relay races goes back nearly 40 years, to the 1988 JBR. I wrote about this specific race in Stroke of Luck, because that weekend in the national parks made an indelible impression on me. The JBR was a huge event in its heyday—just the sight of 120 teams of 17 runners converging on the small mountain town of Jasper was awesome.

I ran stage 13 in 1988. Bad luck? Well, yes. I coped with a bear warning and a drenching nighttime thunderstorm while running 20 km in pitch darkness. It was daunting, but also one of the most memorable running experiences of my life. Our team of 12 men and 5 women battled hard for 19 hours and 10 minutes to a 2nd-place finish in the mixed category and 15th overall.

I went on to run the JBR twice more, in 1990 and 1991. Then, in 2008, I was asked to run in Stage N14 of the revamped Banff Jasper Relay. (The race now consists of simultaneous South (S1-S6) and North (N7-N15) races to avoid overnight running.) We placed well that year, but I was NOT in race fitness. While these were all thrilling and exhausting races, none could match the 1988 race for sheer excitement.

Kananaskis 100 Mile Relay

The success of the JBR spawned competitors, and the most prominent of these is the Kananaskis 100 Mile Relay (known to all as the “K-100”). The K-100 has run annually since 1987. It starts in the foothills, in the small town of Longview, Alberta early on a Saturday in late June, and follows Highway 40 to the Nakiska ski lodge. The race covers (surprise!) 100 miles in 10 stages, including one trail stage. There was an individual 50-mile ultra on the same route for a few years.  

My records are a little sketchy when it comes to the K-100. I think I’ve participated eight times. I’ve run on club teams and corporate teams, going back to the late 1980s: first the Fort Saskatchewan Kilomilers, then a couple of Shell Canada teams, and more recently for Adrenaline Rush Athletics. I last raced in 2017, a couple of weeks before my hospitalization for strokes (and that is definitely a story for another time!) 

At its peak in the early 2000s, the race was limited to 180 teams. Now, the race is capped at 80 teams. There were 40 finishers in 2024. I remember the corporate and open divisions being intensely competitive. I will venture a guess that the decline in race numbers is due to the fortunes of the Calgary business community, and limitations imposed by Alberta Parks.  

Over the years, I’ve run stages 2, 4, 8 and 9 of the K-100. I like stage 8 best. It’s kind of a Goldilocks stage—not too long or too short, not too flat or hilly. I’ve had many good memories and a good track record at the K-100, coming home with a podium placing several times. I like the race a lot, not least because it wraps up in one long day. There’s lots of variety and challenge over the 100 miles, including a summit of the Highwood Pass. Here are a few pictures:

Other Road Relays

There are other multi-stage road relays. Some have come and gone, and new ones are popping up. The following races have endured:

Concluding Thoughts

I’ve had many great adventures and some success as part of road relay teams. If you haven’t tried one, I would highly recommend that you do. There is something special about sharing a race experience with a group of friends, adding a team dynamic and plenty of unknowns to your ordinary running. Long, unbelievably beautiful and sometimes lonely stages (think time trials), and daunting course profiles intensify the experience. You can feel the anticipation (and exhaustion) build as the race carries on. It can be especially exciting if you are locked in a tight competitive battle. In short, it’s a lot of fun!

Until next time, be well and BE FAST!

Calgary Marathon Action!

Did you know that June is Stroke Awareness Month in Canada?

To raise awareness of the prevalence of stroke, I’m once again offering my memoir—Stroke of Luck: My Life in Amateur Athletics—for a special price in June. Order your copy on Amazon and save 20%.

Help me raise funds for the essential work of the doctors and staff at Foothills Stroke Unit!

Calgary Marathon Weekend

It was a great weekend for racing, and this year a record number of runners laced up for the 61st edition of the Calgary Marathon. Across several races, more than 17,000 runners turned out. Race distances were from 1k (toddlers only I’m told) right up to the marathon.

The Calgary Marathon is the oldest in Canada. It’s only a few years younger than me. Speaking of being younger, I dug into my archives to share with readers my own history with this storied race. Then, I’ll share some highlights from the 2025 races, where I was strictly a spectator!

1987 – A milestone is reached!

It’s hard to believe, but I first ran the Calgary Marathon in 1987—I had to check my math to verify that it was 38 years ago. At the time, Deborah and I were living in Edmonton, which means we made the trek to Calgary in an underpowered Honda Civic.

The race route is shown below, copied from my well-preserved race entry.

The race entry fee, for those who are used to paying over $100 now, was $12. And that included a cotton singlet, which has curiously not survived—I don’t even remember it. The NB 990 shoes I wore are also long gone. However, I was a proud member of the Edmonton Roadrunners in those days, and my club singlet is still around, buried in a drawer somewhere.

The 1987 Calgary race was my fourth marathon, and it turns out that race bib 13 was not unlucky. In fact, it was a notable race, because I managed to go under 3 hours for the first time—2:58:30 to be precise.

You can see my relief in this finish-line picture. I finished 42nd overall, and 7th in the (yikes!) 18-29 age group. And yes, that last bit makes me feel old!

1992 – Another milestone

I’ve had a long love-hate relationship with the marathon. As evidence, it was five years before I would tackle the distance again. In July 1992, I came into the race—called the Calgary Miracle Marathon that year—in what may have been the best shape of my life. We had moved to Calgary in 1991, so I felt I had a home-field advantage. What’s more, in the two months before the race, I had set PB’s in the half marathon and 10k, so I was full of confidence.

In Stroke of Luck, I wrote about how my careful race preparations were almost upset by unplanned events on race morning. Here’s an excerpt:

“I went through my final planning for race day. Then everything just about fell apart. Our son Daniel, who was by then nearly a year old, had been a sound sleeper most of the time. However, on this night, he had some unknown issue that kept him up until the early hours. I was reduced to lying in bed with my eyes open, thinking about what this would do to my marathon in a few hours. … Finally, Daniel quieted down, and I fell asleep. Too soundly, as it turned out. In addition to my other troubles, I had set my alarm incorrectly and it didn’t wake me up when I had planned. The only thing that saved me was my decision to take a cab to the race. The sound of the driver honking his horn was my alarm. At first, the sound was part of a dream, but as the cobwebs slowly cleared it dawned on me what had happened. I leapt out of bed, totally skipped my normal race day breakfast, and jumped into the car for the short ride downtown. Still half asleep, I stowed my bag and headed to the start line, believing that my day was ruined.”

It turns out I need not have worried. While I did run well, setting a PB by 7 minutes, I remember being disappointed at the finish. Over time, that disappointment has softened, to the point where I’m now quite content with my 2:51:39 result. I finished 20th overall, and fourth in the 30-39 age group.

Unfortunately, no photographic evidence or T-shirts have survived from that momentous 1992 race, and there were no finisher’s medals. But that’s okay, as I’ll never forget that day. I can still relive the entire race in my mind.

One thing I did keep is the scrap of paper where I scribbled all my race splits. Like me, my friend John has a few more gray hairs now than he did in 1992.

And yes, my last mile (7:53) was extremely slow!

To show how much things have changed in the last 30+ years, here’s a scan from the Calgary Herald article on the 1992 race. My friends and training partners—Dave Purcell (4th) and Rick Webb (6th)—had a very good race.

2001/2010 – Nothing to see here

I ran the 2001 and 2010 marathons. Neither was my best outing. We can move on…

2025 – Strictly spectating

As has become my custom, I like to find a convenient spot on the race route to watch the action and take pictures of the runners. This year was no different, other than the fact that the races are now split between Saturday (5k and 10k) and Sunday (half and full marathon). So, yes, it means getting up early both days on the weekend, but I wouldn’t want to miss the fun.

I was watching for teammates and friends and I had to be alert. I find it particularly hard to spot familiar faces AND take their picture, which is too bad, as that is the whole point!

Anyway, here is a collage of photos from the races. I ended up with a lot of good pictures, so it looks like I’ll be sifting through them for a while. Starting with the 10k, where I set up at the 7k mark, just as the runners came off the Centre Street Bridge:

And here’s an album from the half/full marathon. For this route, I set up on 14th Street, just around the 14k mark. This year, the morning light was amazing, even though it meant the conditions were a bit warm for the runners:

I have to make special mention of John Bird, who ran the half marathon in his pilot uniform while pulling a roller suitcase. John set a Guinness World Record for the fastest half marathon in this outfit, and he is raising money for Dreams Take Flight, a very worthy cause. Congratulations John!

Finally, there were some cool non-running scenes, for example at the 11th Avenue water station. It was a bit chaotic, but that’s what makes it fun.

As always, if you want to use/distribute any of these photos, please give me a photo credit.

Until next time, be well and BE FAST!

More BUMP and Run

We had a brief return to winter weather last week, which was a good excuse for me to dig through more Beltline mural pictures. This piece is not a lesson in how to hit a “bump and run”… a crafty shot that will be familiar to golfers… it’s a mash-up of pictures from several recent photo runs.

Like the first post in this series, I scouted out Beltline Urban Mural Project (BUMP) murals and did background research on the artists. Routes for all my urban photo runs are “organic”… dictated by red lights, convenient turns, and whatever street scenes catch my eye.

This post highlights murals in the large area from 17th Avenue SW to the downtown core. There are so many pieces in this area, with more coming in 2025, that there will certainly be more posts in the future.

Some of my favourites:

  • Seeroro (Carolyn Wong, @seeroro_ ) is a Chinese-Canadian artist from Vancouver. “Euphoria” is a colourful, three-sided mural inspired by the Tortoise and Hare folktale and the year of the water rabbit in the lunar calendar. Wong’s mural is tucked in between the buildings at 625 11 Avenue SW. Well worth the search!
  • birdO (Jerry Rugg, @jerryrugg ) is a multidisciplinary artist based in Toronto. He is well-known for large-scale murals on walls and buildings. His spectacular untitled piece at 441 5th Avenue SW is of a peregrine falcon, with the city skyline reflected in the bird’s eye. I’ve photographed this piece often.
  • Fluke ( @fluke.art ) is based in Montreal. His work as a street artist has roots in graffiti going back to the mid-1990s. Working with photographers, Fluke merges street art and contemporary imagery to create his pieces. His untitled mural on the west face of 1039 17th Avenue SW was glowing in the setting sun when I shot my photo.
  • Hanna Reimer ( @hannaclare ) is a Treaty 1 artist from Winnipeg, whose works emphasize texture and pattern. Hanna’s interest in fabric was the inspiration for her mural at 739 11 Avenue SW. She chose colours and patterns to make the wall appear to be flowing like sheer fabric. I found the juxtaposition with the angular Cybertruck jarring, but too good to pass up.

And a few more:

While I was thinking about murals, I paged through my files and came up with more pictures and stories. These fall a bit outside the topic of this post as they weren’t taken “on the run”, but that’s okay.

In 2019, I was walking around the Beltline with a newly repaired Voigtlander Vitessa T. I had picked the camera up on eBay with low expectations. It was 70 years old and non-operational. The camera is unique: it’s a rangefinder, and it has a plunger instead of the usual film advance lever. (Perhaps not surprisingly, this is a weak element of the design. It’s probably why this feature didn’t find its way into other cameras!) Fortunately, I found a fellow in Calgary who patiently (and cheaply) sourced the required spring to get it going again.

My first shots with the Voigtlander were of the multicultural artist Fathima Mohiuddin ( @fatspatrol ), as she was finishing her mural at 708 11 Avenue SW. We chatted for a few minutes and I took photos of her in front of the mural. It’s in her signature graphic style, and it’s awesome!

I had no idea if I’d get anything out of the Vitessa, but I was very happy with the result. I never saw Fathima again, so I hope she will see this picture.

The following pictures were taken within a minute of each other. I had been walking around 17th Avenue SW with my Ricoh GR III, on the lookout for interesting people or street scenes. On that day, I remember being disappointed that I had not seen much that caught my eye.

I walked down 13th Street, past the alley behind Calgary Jewellery, and snapped a quick shot of a fellow walking by Alex Kwong‘s huge (and hugely impressive) 2021 piece. Unfortunately, I don’t have many details about the mural. It doesn’t appear to be part of the BUMP series. Alex has done other pieces around the city, including a couple for BUMP. Check out his website and Instagram ( @_alexkwong ).

After I snapped this picture I turned onto 17th Avenue, and I noticed a stylish guy approaching me. An obvious picture was coming together… I just had to wait for him to pass in front of the colourful mural at 1137 17th Avenue SW. The bright elements in the mural complement his confident personal style.

In my research, I learned that the mural is by Calgary artist Toner ( @bravotoner ). The piece is titled Companion and it was painted in 2020. I realized I wasn’t being totally fair to Toner by having the best part of his mural obscured, so I went back and photographed it on its own to reveal a beautiful parrot. Here’s the whole image. Nice work Toner!

“Companion” by Toner, 1137 17th Avenue SW, painted in 2020

An interesting fact is that Toner and Kwong have collaborated on pieces around the city. I’ll be back soon with more in my next post.

Until then, be well and BE FAST!

An Important Visit With CHF

I had the pleasure of dropping into the Calgary Health Foundation office today. The purpose of my visit was to present CHF with a donation cheque, on behalf of everyone who has supported my Stroke of Luck book project.

When I first considered writing a book about my stroke journey, it was a daunting prospect. I was indebted to the doctors, nurses and staff at the Foothills Medical Centre, Unit 100 (“the Stroke Unit“) for their care during my stroke journey. As a grateful patient, it was ultimately an easy decision to go ahead with the project, once I realized that my book could be a platform for helping them in their invaluable work.

I’ve committed to sharing with the Stroke Unit proceeds from book sales, plus all other direct donations I receive. With the help of Laurel Williams (Philanthropy Advisor) and Ashley Oakley (Communications Advisor), these funds will go directly toward the ongoing needs of the Stroke Unit. It’s the least I can do.

Thanks again to all who have bought the book or have contributed to the cause. Your support is greatly appreciated!

With Laurel Williams, CHF Philanthropy Advisor, March 2025 (Photo by Ashley Oakley)

While I’m writing, I will take the opportunity to remind my readers about my three main messages:

  • The importance of an active lifestyle
  • Awareness of ALL the symptoms of stroke, and of course…
  • Raising funds to support the great work being done every day on stroke prevention and care at the Foothills Medical Centre’s Stroke Unit

Finally, if you have not already read the story that Ashley wrote about my stroke journey, you can find it here.

Until next time, be well and BE FAST!