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V'Dan Parsons, who ahead coached my cousm, a preached me and asked if wanted to tram with tem’ThefofloMnguuomsheuainedwithDanat 'l guess if I had a favourite, I'd only compete In one evenl,’ she laughed. She first t involved m track and field in elementary school w ere the pamapaled in both etou-cotmtry and Hack and field at the local track meets. It was at a summer sports camp that she was spotted by a track coach Fem-athlete: compete m five events - hurdles, hi ump, long jump, shot put and 800 meues. Po: heplat- on, competitors add on a 200mm" race and lavelin Alicia said she doesn' t have a favoume At the meet, she achieved rsonal beats in shot put, hurdles and the BOO-metre. last event of the day, she “ran for her hfe' to on to her position. 'The BOO-metre race I ran (at Cl ) was a very strat Ically planned race. My coach and l ducuued what I d to do before the race began and I went over it 1n my head several times. I was in second place at the time and knew that if I ran the race as planned I would hang on to second, and I did.’ Alicia. 22, said it's he: greatest achievement in athlet- ics thus far. ‘lt's really a culmination of years of train- mg,’ she said, adding that the media attention she's received about the event has “made it all very real.’ 905 866 nr www.hcmngme.c0m RE -472-3085 4902-9884 SERVATIONS: 5, hi rpul - avelln. in one :k and Alicia’s other most memorable moment came at the CIS nationals tn 2005, when the Dalhoune women's 4 x 200 metre rela team blew away the compeuuon to wm the gold . 'Wrnntn gold With the relay team was a race I'll never forget. "amen rs somethrng very spectal abet}! winning somethrng u a team.‘ Alicia's rents continue to reside m Stouffville. pa Along with her three sisters, they axe extremely proud of her success. , ,Lh This season, she has been named Female Athlete of the Week twice Dalhousie and once by the Atlantic University Sport AUS) association. She currently holds the Dalhousie's hurdle and pentathlon record and the AUS hurdle record; With one year of eligibility left. Alicia hopes next season will be even more successful than this one. 'And after that, I hope to continue With my track career. I'll continue competing outdoors and hope to make a national team.’ Wqu Thxuo u: high school and now unlvcmty, track ha; be] me an focused. Knowmg that I will be practismg for two our; each day helps me allocate the rest of my um: accordmgly. And. 11ng tune out of each day to be physically acuvc give; my mud in break andrhelps me refocufl She ind the track mm also offer: her a positive social cnvuonmcm, 'I am real] lucky to tum With the athletes and coaches that I do. are a don-km! group They no talgmed people.’ Dianne 905-640-352l Karen 905-6404 657 HAVING A NEW BABY? \ Call Karen 1 NEWTO YOUR COMMUNITY gifts and greetings, _ along with helpful conmunLtz Infirmaflon. Alicia on the podium after accepting her silver medal at the Canadian lnteruniversity Sport track and field championships Our hosiou will bring smce 1930 (1er to call Helen'runsvto have fun. She sees every run as a new challenge to go farther and faster to race against herself. She runs to be healthy and is a clear example that healthy active living works. She Is no longer overweight; her cholesterol is now normal and she has more energy than she did 10 years ago. She runs for others, using each of her races to raise money for The Rose of Sharon Charity for Young Mothers in York Region. It is a charity close to her heart both as a mother and a nurse. and she sees it as her way of giving back. And yes, Helen will attempt to conquer the famous Boston Marathon April 16. She will be run- ning 10 minutes, walking one minute, from start to finish, loving every minute; a champion! See you on the roads. Stouflyille resident Robin Steckley, who has completed marathons including Boston and Ottawa, has been run- ning competitively since 4995. She plans to run in an 80k LJ.--’ .1 ' This was a defining moment in Helen’s life. Initially just the distance from one street light to the next was a huge goal. Then to run for one full minute, then two, right up to 10. Finally the challenge of her first 5k race with the fear and excitement of being tested. Could she do it? Helen finished this first race in a time of 36 minutes and went on to run several 10k races, marathons and half marathons with a personal best time of four hours, 43 minutes. Yes Helen found a new passion in life after 65. As a young senior she would encourage you to start slowly and find your own pace. She said that running with a group is great encouragement and helps when you feel like quitting. Recovery is lonâ€" I -_ .--. .u“, .1uuuu5. ncuqu1y I: run- ger as you get older, so give yourself time between runs arid don’t compare yourself to those 10. 20 or 30ye§rs younger. But long distance runners love every step and none more than Helen Thompson, who lives in Ballantrae. Just after retiring in 2004, Helen went to purchase a pair of walking shoes. Slightly over- weight and out of shape, she had decided it Was time to start exercising. Forty minutes later she left the store, somewhat befuddled, carrying a Learn to Run registration and a pair of brand new running shoes. a Even the most running-illiterate know that a marathon is a very long race â€" 26.2 miles. The ori- gin; of this challenge began in Greece in 490 BC. when a messenger ran the 25 miles from Marathon to’Athens to inform the general they had won the battle and Athens was safe. Upon imparting his message he immediately fell over dead. Greece won the war and man had a new chal- lenge; to find a way to run a marathon and not die This was challenging enough without adding another one paint two miles, which the Olympic govermng body did in 1908 to allow the king and queen of England to remain in their royal box while Viewmg the finish. 'ultfa’ tlil‘s summer. Spring has arnvcd and for a runner that means the long awaited race season has begun, including the best known of long distance races, the Boston Marathon. By Robin Stcckley