Event training builds discipline and stamina, says Louisa Lewis
Camille Jensen
Louisa Lewis hadn’t run since high school. Her Stage Door colleague Don House has never been a runner. Yet, with some serious training and dedication the two managed to dodge crowds and finish the 10-kilometre Vancouver Sun Run in 80 minutes.
“It was a great experience, the camaraderie and the training and the commitment,” says Louisa, a day support worker, who was one of 18 people from posAbilities participating in the April 15 race.
It’s the second year posAbilities took part in the Sun Run as an organization. The event is part of its employee wellness program to promote health and well-being through workshops, supports and extracurricular activities.
Employee wellness is a key goal for posAbilities, which offered incentives to the first 10 staff members who signed up for the Sun Run.
The race has met its mandate of encouraging health and wellness at Stage Door, according to Louisa. She says the corporate event not only engaged herself and Don, who are planning to run another two 10-kilometre runs before year’s end, but people served by posAbiliites.
Stage Door actors extended their daily warm-ups from the usual 15-to-20-minute routine to 30 in support of Louisa and Don. They also joined the two on occasional afternoon walks.
While the Sun Run tested posAbilities’ team members’ endurance, the day wasn’t all exercise. PosAbilities’ director of community engagement Monique Nelson says the event was an opportunity to get to know staff members on a new level while walking, jogging or running in a fun citywide activity.
She says after the race, posAbilities’ team members enjoyed a celebratory lunch together and those who participated last year were proud of their improved times. With the team growing, posAbilities plans to continue the tradition and will partake in the 2013 Sun Run.
The Vancouver Sun Run has been Canada’s largest 10-kilometre road race since its inception in 1985 when it was started by two former Olympians and a doctor to promote the benefits of running to improve health and fitness as well as support elite amateur athletics.
Since its first race in 1985, which attracted 3,200 people, the event has morphed into the phenomenon it is today, with thousands upon thousands descending upon Vancouver’s streets each year in celebration of Sun Run Sunday. Last year’s event attracted 49,365 registrants.
To learn more about the Vancouver Sun Run, click here.
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