Holly Jolly Fun Run at the Santa Claus Parade

It was a day of magic, as it should be around the holidays. The first snowfall followed Santa into Toronto. The Temperature hovered at around zero. And the Boardwalk RC kids were hoping their first holiday wishes came true. Almost everyone had targeted a PB for Christmas. The snowflakes that fell upon us must have sprinkled just enough PB dust on the kids, because everyones wish came true.  

There were 5 kids from Boardwalk RC, 3 Parents, and 1 Coach running. 

9 year old Charlie Mills was salivating before the race, knowing that this course would be a faster 5k course then his last few races. He has been targeting a sub 20 minute 5k ever since he turned 9 in March. Twice he has come close, running times in the 20 minute range. Today was his day, as I said, there was magic in the air. He turned the corner at York and Bremner and saw the clock read out 19 minutes and a handful of seconds. Could he make the push? of course he could! He crossed the line at 19:46! The top kid in 21st overall, and he will get to drop the puck at a Marlies game on December the 13th for his efforts.

And the good times kept rolling in. Next to cross the line in a new personal best for 5k was the trio of Dominic Temple (M11), Sebastian McIsaac (M9), and Charles Mecure (M11). Dominic who has now been a member of the club for almost 2 months raced his second race for the gold and green team from the beaches. He finished over a minute faster than he has gone before, crossing the line in a very merry 22:22, good for 58th overall in a race of 715 adults and kids.
Sebastian McIsaac was the next runner to pass under the bright red finish line at Maple Leaf Square. He placed 145th and sprinted his way to a new best of 25:39.
Charles Mercure once ran a 5k in 28 and a half minutes. A season of training has transformed him, and he is setting his sights on fast times. Before the race Charles was talking to his coach Jim Semes about possible targets. Semes just wanted him to go out and enjoy the race. But Charles is really looking forward to running around 25 minutes. It won't be long till he does! He is a dedicated runner that today got a little closer to that goal and ran 2 minutes faster than he has before. He crossed the line with his mom in tow, in a new best time of 26:29, a 197th place finish.

Also in todays race were Olivia Forrest (F11) 30:53 parents Catherine Cossette 26:30, Rob Melnyk 27:11, Suzanne Kapur 28:29. Coach Semes returned to racing following a long training layoff due to an achilles bursitis injury. He had intentions of racing as hard as he could, and was happy with his return and a 4th place finish, 17:57.

Training continues for the indoor season. Practices for the Youth Development program take place at Monarch Park Indoor Stadium every Tuesday and Thursday at 5pm til 6:30pm.