Couple gives sport the run around
Mike and Gay Renouf will be running in the Boston Marathon on Monday.
Photograph by : Roy Antal, Leader-Post
Murray McCormick, The Leader-PostPublished: Saturday, April 15, 2006
Mike and Gay Renouf will be running in the Boston Marathon on Monday.
Photograph by : Roy Antal, Leader-Post
Murray McCormick, The Leader-PostPublished: Saturday, April 15, 2006
Gay and Mike Renouf are a couple on the run.
The Regina pair has participated in 16 marathons since Mike Renouf took up running five years ago. On Monday, they are poised to record another milestone in their long-running relationship when they line up for the 110th edition of the Boston Marathon.
"We always promised that we would only run Boston if we both qualified,'' said Gay Renouf, who has raced in 28 marathons over her 20 years of long-distance running. "This is the first time that we've both qualified. To qualify is pretty tough but it can be done. You have to be single-minded about your focus and train pretty hard for just one race. You can do it if you both set your minds to it.''
The Renoufs, who have been married for 19 years, qualified after the Vancouver International Marathon in May. Gay, 45, qualified in the women's (45-49) division in three hours 32 minutes 46 seconds. Mike, 51, qualified in the men's (50-54) division in 3:34.10. The women's qualifying time was four hours or faster. The men's was 4:05.00.
The Boston Marathon, which covers 42.2 km, is the oldest marathon in the world. Approximately 23,000 runners are expected to take part, including 11 from Regina.
"The big thing about Boston is there are qualifying times before being accepted,'' Mike Renouf said. "That gives it an elite aspect. There is the tradition and if you're involved in any sports activity that gives it a special aura. It's not the biggest or the fastest, it just has that aura about it. You want to run a good race and do right by the event and yourself.''
The Renoufs have also done well by long-distance running. The marathon races provide training goals for both of them. The long-distance runs leading up to the races provide them with opportunities to catch up on their daily activities and upcoming events.
"Our marriage is much better since we started running together,'' said Gay, who is a scientist with the Saskatchewan Research Council. "Running is something that we have in common. It's a lot of fun and we do a lot of travelling together. It's something that we share and I'm proud of Mike. I'm sure that he feels the same way about me.''
The running conversations cover a wide range of topics. That is fitting because training sessions for marathons can take from one to 41/2 hours.
"The conversations involve catching up on the news of the day and other times it's just general chatting,'' Mike Renouf said. "A lot of our discussions are about convincing each other to go into the next event or how we can convince other people into it.''
Mike, a former coach with Judo Saskatchewan, avoided running marathons despite Gay's interest in the activity. About five years ago, Mike stepped back from coaching judo and was left with time on his hands.
"I had time to fill and I had a desire to be active,'' said Mike, who is a water survey manager with Environment Canada. "I travel a lot for work and that makes it difficult to do a lot of things. With running you can take your stuff with you pretty easily.''
The Regina pair has participated in 16 marathons since Mike Renouf took up running five years ago. On Monday, they are poised to record another milestone in their long-running relationship when they line up for the 110th edition of the Boston Marathon.
"We always promised that we would only run Boston if we both qualified,'' said Gay Renouf, who has raced in 28 marathons over her 20 years of long-distance running. "This is the first time that we've both qualified. To qualify is pretty tough but it can be done. You have to be single-minded about your focus and train pretty hard for just one race. You can do it if you both set your minds to it.''
The Renoufs, who have been married for 19 years, qualified after the Vancouver International Marathon in May. Gay, 45, qualified in the women's (45-49) division in three hours 32 minutes 46 seconds. Mike, 51, qualified in the men's (50-54) division in 3:34.10. The women's qualifying time was four hours or faster. The men's was 4:05.00.
The Boston Marathon, which covers 42.2 km, is the oldest marathon in the world. Approximately 23,000 runners are expected to take part, including 11 from Regina.
"The big thing about Boston is there are qualifying times before being accepted,'' Mike Renouf said. "That gives it an elite aspect. There is the tradition and if you're involved in any sports activity that gives it a special aura. It's not the biggest or the fastest, it just has that aura about it. You want to run a good race and do right by the event and yourself.''
The Renoufs have also done well by long-distance running. The marathon races provide training goals for both of them. The long-distance runs leading up to the races provide them with opportunities to catch up on their daily activities and upcoming events.
"Our marriage is much better since we started running together,'' said Gay, who is a scientist with the Saskatchewan Research Council. "Running is something that we have in common. It's a lot of fun and we do a lot of travelling together. It's something that we share and I'm proud of Mike. I'm sure that he feels the same way about me.''
The running conversations cover a wide range of topics. That is fitting because training sessions for marathons can take from one to 41/2 hours.
"The conversations involve catching up on the news of the day and other times it's just general chatting,'' Mike Renouf said. "A lot of our discussions are about convincing each other to go into the next event or how we can convince other people into it.''
Mike, a former coach with Judo Saskatchewan, avoided running marathons despite Gay's interest in the activity. About five years ago, Mike stepped back from coaching judo and was left with time on his hands.
"I had time to fill and I had a desire to be active,'' said Mike, who is a water survey manager with Environment Canada. "I travel a lot for work and that makes it difficult to do a lot of things. With running you can take your stuff with you pretty easily.''
Fonte: http://www.canada.com/
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