MARs runners are taking off this summer – and you can join them

It’s no secret that there’s something special going on over at the MARs (Muskoka Algonquin Runners) club. Already, they have qualified 13 of their 60 members for next year’s Boston Marathon, with more to come this summer, and have had multiple athletes finish in the top 10 in their age categories at major meets this spring. As their reputation and achievement continue to grow, the group is now looking to get the community in on the action.

This summer, president Pierre Mikhail and the MARs team are hosting Thursday Fun Runs and a week-long running camp to teach proper cross country techniques and encourage healthy, active lifestyles.

The weekly fun runs alternate between the Hunters Bay Trail and the Conroy track, with distances varying up to five kilometres. Everybody is welcome, from beginners to serious runners, with an encouraging and supportive environment that sees kids all the way up to grandparents getting on the trail.

“It’s very social, and doesn’t take a lot of time,” says Mikhail. “People show up ten minutes early, do the race, and go home. The whole thing lasts about 40 minutes, and you don’t have to be a club member to join.”

The summer camp, which will run from 5 – 8 pm on weeknights from August 22 to 26, will offer a more formal athletic and educational experience, with runners participating in a combination of outdoor and classroom sessions. It is open to adults and teens age 13 and older who are able to run five kilometres without difficulty, with sign up available at the Canada Summit Centre.

“The camp is modelled after a program at the Craftsbury Outdoor Centre in Vermont, where I used to take students for a week-long high school running camp,” says Mikhail. “I borrowed key things I learned there, where every day the runners will learn one kind of workout, important running drills, and then have a classroom session with a meal.”

The program, which will cost $120 per person, will conclude with a simulated cross country race, and includes the five-day camp, five meals, a water bottle and an online training book.

Just how much could the MARs experience improve your running? The club’s recent results at the Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon certainly speak for themselves:

Troy Cox cruised to a first place finish in his age category, and 36th overall among nearly 4200 runners in the event (Photo courtesy of Pierre Mikhail)

Troy Cox led the way for MARs with a sizzling time of 2:43:13, finishing first in his age group and 36th overall out of a pool of nearly 4200 runners. Helen Dempster set the pace on the women’s side with a time of 3:10:45, good for an incredible third place age group finish and 34^th overall out of 1455 athletes. In the half marathon, Katherine Ahokas – who, just one month prior, set a personal record while finishing second overall at The Goodlife Toronto Half Marathon – followed up that astounding performance by coming fourth out of 6403 women.

As club president, Mikhail has watched many of the MARs members grow and progress as runners, and believes the constant improvement and wealth of success is the product of factors unique to Muskoka, as well as the runners themselves.

“Our club has attracted people who like to run,” he says. “When they started off, many had never really trained before, and never had any instruction on how to race. Once they started, they realized you get faster if you pay attention to the details, and that sort of becomes addictive because there is always someone faster than you that you’re trying to catch.

“Then we have the long winter. If you’re going to suffer through a winter of running, it’s going to make you tough. That’s before the hills. Even when you’re running easy, you’re going up a hill. It’s a strength workout and a running workout at the same time, and I know for sure that that makes them fitter, whether they know it’s happening at the time or not. It makes you a better runner.”

The full results from the Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon are as follows (via: muskokaalgonquinrunners.com):

Men
Troy Cox – 2:43:13 – 1^st in age group – 36^th overall (out of almost 4200 runners)
Chris Watson – 2:46:06 – 6^th in age group – 46^th overall, impressive for his first completed marathon
Mark Sinnige – 2:57:51 – 7^th in age group – 116^th overall
Tony Marra and Roger Penney were 31^st and 32^nd in their age groups between 3:14:00 and 3:15:00
Dave Johnstone continued his string of Boston qualifying races and was 51^st in his age group.
Dan Quigg did the unthinkable in running a marathon 4 weeks after completing a 50-mile trail race, an incredible accomplishment.

MARs runners Kat Ahokas, Sharon Bennett and Darla Coles share smiles before running the half marathon. (Photo courtesy of Pierre Mikhail)

Women
Helen Dempster – 3:10:45 – 3^rd in age group – 34^th overall (out of 1455 women
Jen Nicholson – 3:15:41 – 4^th in age group
Rebecca Francis – 3:28:34 – 20^th in age group, nailed her second Boston qualifying time in one year

Half Marathon
Katherine Ahokas – 4^th out of 6403 women
Tina Steele – 1:43:47 – 19^th in age group – 240 overall with a personal record time
Sharon Bennett – 1:50:15 – 117^th overall
Darla Coles – 1:50: 33 – 119^th overall
Cathy Johnstone – 1:54:50 – 86^th in age group
Catherine Smith – 1:58:48 – 143^rd in age group
Teenager Sarah Steele also completed the half marathon

Saturday 10K
Nathan Johnstone – 41:36 – 251^st overall (out of 10,523 runners)

Saturday 5K
Fiona Shearing and Ben Shearing both placed third in their age category, with Ben outduelling his father Tony.

Congratulations to all of the MARs runners!

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