On March 13, 2017 the running world lost a legend. What was incredible about Ed Whitlock were not just his Canadian and World records, but the fact that up until months before he passed away, he was still breaking them. What I also find remarkable is that those records were represented such a huge range of distances from the marathon to the master's track. Ed had just turned 86.
I feel grateful to have seen Ed in person on several occasions. The first was over a year ago when I saw him easily looping the indoor track at the Toronto Track and Field Centre. This is before I joined the Ontario Masters Athletics, and needless to say, he was definitely an inspiration to do so.
Last fall I attended the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon press conference and watched as Ed was presented with his #85 bib and snapped some photos with Eric Gillis. Later during the press conference, Ed (dressed prim-and-proper in his suit) was interviewed by a member of the media. I stood nearby listening in and then watched as he signed the large backdrop wall along with the other elite runners. The words he wrote said so much about who he was.
My last in-person memory happened a couple days later when I stood at the STWM finish line watching for friends. The crowd began cheering wildly and the suddenly, there was Ed, crossing the finish, breaking another record--and smiling the whole way.
I feel grateful to have seen Ed in person on several occasions. The first was over a year ago when I saw him easily looping the indoor track at the Toronto Track and Field Centre. This is before I joined the Ontario Masters Athletics, and needless to say, he was definitely an inspiration to do so.
Last fall I attended the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon press conference and watched as Ed was presented with his #85 bib and snapped some photos with Eric Gillis. Later during the press conference, Ed (dressed prim-and-proper in his suit) was interviewed by a member of the media. I stood nearby listening in and then watched as he signed the large backdrop wall along with the other elite runners. The words he wrote said so much about who he was.
My last in-person memory happened a couple days later when I stood at the STWM finish line watching for friends. The crowd began cheering wildly and the suddenly, there was Ed, crossing the finish, breaking another record--and smiling the whole way.
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Jean-Paul, Melly and I wanted to do something as part of JPsTeam to honour Ed. Since Ed was known to run for hours each day in his local cemetery, we decided it would be fitting to do a memorial run next to Mount Pleasant Cemetery in midtown Toronto. We shared the invite among several run crews in the city.
At 9:00 am on Saturday, April 1st, Melly and I walked towards the Beltline trail meeting spot. As we crested the stairs, we saw a very large number of runners mingling about. We whispered to each other, "Are they here for our run?" And, alas, they were! In the end I'd say there were about 60 runners in attendance.
We waited for a few more people to arrive and then the groups started off along the trail. At the turn around point the first part of the group paused to cheer for Ed and snap a few photos before returning to the cemetery. I managed to stop and snap a few photos of some of the runners on their return.
At 9:00 am on Saturday, April 1st, Melly and I walked towards the Beltline trail meeting spot. As we crested the stairs, we saw a very large number of runners mingling about. We whispered to each other, "Are they here for our run?" And, alas, they were! In the end I'd say there were about 60 runners in attendance.
We waited for a few more people to arrive and then the groups started off along the trail. At the turn around point the first part of the group paused to cheer for Ed and snap a few photos before returning to the cemetery. I managed to stop and snap a few photos of some of the runners on their return.
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Photo by Miles McDonald
Photo by Petja Taivassalo
Photo by Petja Taivassalo
Photo by Edison Yao
Photo by Edison Yao
The JPsTeam members wound up finishing the run together and decided to do a special little lap within the cemetery. A the end of our run, we formed a circle of about 15 runners and had a moment of silence to honour Ed.
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Photos by Edison Yao
Photo by Edison Yao
Thanks so much to all the runners who joined JPsTeam for this very special event. It was a great morning and I am sure Ed would have had that big smile on his face on hearing what the running community did to honour him.
Photo by Edison Yao
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