Local Running Community Mourns Loss of Fellow Runner

By:
On:
In: Life, Running
All we could do was laugh.

We got lost. We “ran” in knee deep snow. We got lost again. We outran a storm.

It was April 2013. In a month, Mark and I would go on to run our first 50k distance. We drove to the Blackfoot/Cooking Lake trail to get a sneak preview of the course. We were so nervous. I knew Mark would be fine because he was stubborn. Once Mark set his mind to something he would do it. Give up was not part of his trail cred.

 

Mark died on Jan. 5 in hospital in Red Deer. He was 47.  Just days before, Mark crossed what would turn out to be his final finish line, the Resolution Run. He collapsed shortly after the run and was taken by ambulance to the ER.

Last week we attended his moving and heartbreaking memorial service. We learned more about Mark’s life off the trail. Mark was an ultrarunner, a husband, a father, a grandfather, a brother and a friend. (And he liked baseball. What the hell?) 

The local Running Room hosted a Memorial Run for Mark on Sunday morning. Runners from across the city and surrounding communities ran in Mark’s memory and for his wife, Laurie, and their family. The turnout was amazing. I can’t say how many people knew or didn’t know Mark but it didn’t matter. Running communities are awesome that way. We all feel the loss when one of us leaves this world too soon. 

I am not even sure how I met Mark. Maybe at the Running Room? You may remember I taught a learn-to-run clinic when it first opened a couple of years ago. He was in the marathon clinic and was getting ready to run the local marathon. Chances are if you ever drove down 30th Avenue in Red Deer, you would have caught a glimpse of Mark running on the sidewalk.

Mark and I got hooked on trail running around the same time. We trained for Blackfoot and Lost Souls together and plotted races. I remember Mark saying, “Just about everyone could say they ran a marathon, but not too many people can say they ran an ultramarathon.” I asked Mark to be part of my two-person team at Grizzly until I decided I wanted to run the whole damn thing myself!

And who do I bump into during Grizzly? Mark. Too funny! That was the last time I saw Mark – on the trail.

 
A couple weeks before he died, Mark sent an email about his running plans for the year. I regret that I didn’t take any pictures together during Lost Soul last September. I was too caught up in my 54K world of misery. We had celebratory drinks – Mark for running his first 100K and me for surviving the 54K – at the hotel bar. I was so proud of Mark for his strength, dedication and perseverance.
Mark was genuinely a nice person. I mean that 100% (and I don’t say that often because some runners that I have met in Red Deer can be real assholes.) As runners, we often hear warnings from those well-meaning people who say “running is bad for you” or read articles about athletes collapsing at finish lines. His death really hit home for a lot of us. I am still a little shaken.
What’s important is to learn or to take away something from his sudden and unexpected death. Whether it’s to tell your family you love them even more or to live life to the fullest, there is a lesson here. Find your passion. Do what you want to do. To hell with what people say. You only have one life and sadly, it can be too short. 
Mark always seemed to have something wrong with his feet. But that did not stop him from running or setting those crazy goals and reaching them. 
Happy trails, buddy. 
You will be missed. 

8 Comments

  1. I'm so sorry to hear this. It sounds like he was such a great person and this will be a big loss. I love that they organized a memorial run for him, it's amazing how many people come together for that.

  3. I'm so sorry to hear about the loss of your friend/training buddy. This post is a beautiful tribute to him and the support of the running community is simply amazing.

  4. Yes, I agree, a very nice tribute, Crystal! So sorry for both your and his family's loss, a pretty tight-knit group runners are!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CommentLuv badge