I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with running. I know I’m not the only one; some stick with the sport after high school gym class, while the rest of us won’t even think about running races. I never thought I’d run for any reason, except maybe from a wild animal. But that all changed after a day of laughter and sliding at Balsam Pit with my son. That’s when it happened. Though I don’t know exactly what “it” was because I didn’t feel anything was wrong until the next morning, when I woke up in excruciating pain and could barely move. From a day of sledding. Ridiculous, right? 

I went through all the X-rays, and tests to see how bad the damage was. According to my doctor, the results were not so great. He told me I had to stop playing baseball, rollerblading and running, basically any kind of physical activity. I’m glad I didn’t listen to him. A friend suggested their chiropractor for a second opinion, which is how I met with Dr. Rooney. When he looked at my
X-rays, he said, “Meh, I’ve seen worse.” 

And that was it, we worked out a plan to strengthen my neck and shoulders and get me back up and moving freely. I was pretty happy about his diagnosis, and was doing so much better within months. So good, that I was inspired to sign up for a half marathon in Jamaica with my friend Charlene Snow! We teamed up with another Thunder Bay runner, Sherrie. When we approached the finish line, we saw our husbands Joseph, Jim, and Jeremy, with a Canadian flag, cheering us past the finish line then complaining that their feet hurt from having to wait for us to finish.  I did some 5k runs along the way, which were fun, but that Jamaica trip was an absolute blast!

Along with the competitive events, I ran in my neighbourhood and often took our dogs, Elvis and Presley. In that time, I had to train them to run together instead of opposite directions, yanking me around. It was comical, but needed to be short lived. One winter run I was just down the street and a car started backing out of their driveway. “They have to see me,” I thought….as they kept backing up and forcing me to jump to the curb, but with the ice, I slipped on the frozen tire grooves, twisted my ankle, dropped to the ground and said goodbye to the world. The car actually did stop not far from me and then drove off. Didn’t even see me. As I lay there, cursing running, I called home on my cell and of course, no one answered. This was part of my hate relationship with running. 

Then, I signed up for another half marathon, in Ottawa with my friend Debbie Popien. That was a fun trip, but the run was gruelling. The half marathon started at 10 a.m. and it was 20 degrees by that time and warming up fast. The water stations ran out of cups to drink from on the course and I had already finished the juice on my drink belt. Someone who lived on the run route saw us looking concerned about the water and offered Debbie and me a hose to drink from and we happily accepted. What’s worse: Drinking from jugs a hundred people had already slobbered on, or a garden hose? It was a rough run, but we did it! 

And that’s where it ended for me, two was enough. But that’s how it goes for some of us. My inspiration was being told I could still do anything I want physically, so I did. 

May 18, as with every Monday of the May long weekend, marked the Firefighters Ten Mile Road Race. This has been run, so to speak, since 1910. So many families have passed the torch to their children and even their grandchildren. Marking its 90th year it’s also the longest running event of its kind in Canada. That alone makes it amazing. But more than that, it brings together a community of runners, supporters, and volunteers, making this long weekend run a tradition for many. 

The day started out with a bit of rain; Obviously, that doesn’t stop runners of any age. There were families, friends and schools all set to go at race time. 

I was glad to have running partners in the half marathons I was part of; running with a friend helps with your pace and keeps you motivated. Chelsea Komar and her friend Angela Young were first timers this year. They’ve played flag football together for the last few years, and one day Angela brought up the idea of running in the race and asked Chelsea if she was interested in it as well. They signed up and started training in January with the Fresh Air group, ultimately crossing the finishing line with a time of 1:44. 

I asked Chelsea about the vibe along the route. “It was very motivating to have people cheering” she said. “There were some people that moved along the route so we saw them a few times.” 

There are always spectators holding signs of encouragement along the roadway. One memorable sign they noticed seemed to perfectly sum it all up: “You paid to do this!” 

Chelsea says they enjoyed the experience so much, they’ll likely be signing up again for next year’s event. On top of that, they’ll be starting 2027 off with a half marathon at Disney World in January.

In another division of the race, ten year old Paislee Lunn was running with a team. She’s caught the family love of running. Her mother, Andi, is a runner who raced in elementary and high school and continues running to stay fit. When it comes to the Firefighters Ten Mile, the torch was passed down from Paislee’s grandmother, Sharon Komar. Sharon ran the race about 12 times in her running career and ranked as one of the top 10 fastest women with a time of 62:30. 

Two of Sharon’s sisters have also run the race, her brother, Ron Maki, has tackled it several times, once, dressed up as Batman, alongside their cousin as Robin. They obviously come by it honestly; Sharon and Ron’s mother, Marguerite Maki, also ran the race when they were in high school. Sharon’s son, Joel ran the ten mile once, and his wife, Maggie, has run it numerous times.

So it seems Paislee is carrying on a true family tradition. She ran with her school team, one of two teams in the race from St Elizabeth School. Paislee took the fourth leg, covering miles 6 and 7. She says she was super stoked to make the team, as she is only one of two grade four students to make the cut. When it was all done, Paislee says she was very pleased with her run, and is already looking forward to school track and field. Grandma Sharon says they are both super pumped about that 

Though injuries prevented Sharon from running this year, nothing could keep her from cheering Paislee on from the sidelines, bursting with pride to see her granddaughter following in her footsteps.”Yeah, I love it.” Sharon says. “Paislee told her mom, Andi, that she likes to run because it makes me proud.” 

How heartwarming is that?