Unsung Heroes

“A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.” Joseph Campbell.

I got to Canada “home” with literally the clothes on my back and the shoes on my feet. So first thing the next morning I went and bought a pair of the running shoes I’ve worn forever, my beloved Saucony.

At the local Sports Chek here in Milton I found the perfect pair. My feet were in heaven. Beside me, trying on some shoes were a retired couple. They were just getting into “sports walking” and I told them they should buy Saucony, they couldn’t go wrong with them. We then discussed this and that, eventually talking about my bike journey. I told them I was buying shoes to go run in the cemetary where the most famous Miltonian is buried - Ed Whitlock. They’d lived in Milton all their lives and had never heard of him. But their eyes glistened as I told them stories about Ed starting to run at age 50 and then setting world record after world record. The husband pointed at me, eyes on fire and he said, “I’m going to look him up!”

I then went to visit the cemetary of my friend Ed Whitlock. He used to do his laps, around and around this small area. He never did speed work, though he was speedy - each day he’d do up to 3 hours in the cemetary, LSD - long, slow distance to us runners.

He was a good friend and we attended many races and events together. Here, he attended one of my 24 hour treadmill runs - helping us raised millions of dollars for the Sick Kid’s Hospital in Toronto. He had star power and rightly so. I could mention so many feats but the one that stands out the most is his running a 2:53 minute maraton at the age of 73.

A soft spoken, kind man, Ed was beloved by all he met. He was my running hero and now I’m “older”, even more so. I spent some time reflecting on his life, his commitment to running and being the best he could be. A beautiful person. Lili, a sports journalist and reader here has written about both Ed and me, I hope she will share her old article that put Ed on the running map.

Here is the cemetary path/road where Ed put in his miles, loop after 1km loop.

We all have our unsung heroes. You know, the people who really are sparkling diamonds and quietly, without much fan fare, inspire us. They have tested themselves, suffered, overcome and through sacrifice, just set themselves apart in their beauty as living works of art.

For me, an endurance athlete, I have a few “idols” who never got the recognition they truly deserved but were and are remarkable heroes. Edit Berces, a women’s world record holder in so many ultra-distance events is one - she’s a friend and reader here. A wise Hungarian who loved running and inspired so many. More should know her story.

Then for me, there is Al Howie. Few know of this Canadian who ran across Canada in record time and did many other amazing ultra-running feats. Add to the list my hero in cycling Jure Robic - a Slovenian, 5 time winner of the Race Across America (should be 6) and the likes of, we’ll never see again. He passed too young, doing what he loved, cycling. Same too from Milton, Jocelyn Lovell, there is a velodrome named after him. He was and still is Canada’s greatest ever cyclist and he was hit by a dump truck, near where I’m writing this, and became a paraplegic and strong advocate for research into spinal cord injuries and repairing them, allowing so many to walk, move again. Cycling is a dangerous sport - reminds me how lucky I am to have crossed the country without incident!

Who are your unsung heroes not just in sport but in life. The one’s that quietly give us hope the world is a good, beautiful place? The one’s that don’t crave accolades but just go do it, for the purest of reasons.

By the way, I’m happy that I encountered Whitlock Avenue when I was leaving town on my bike today!

Next up is a trip to my hometown, a reunion with my lifelong best friends, a concert and raffling off dear “Rocky” bags n all. Someone will get one helluva nice bike! I will report on that ending soon.