one story

It was autumn 2006. Three lads were seated around a table worn smooth by the shifting of tulip glasses and the circulating stories of gilded tongues. They were already runners, had already shared the trial of miles, but were at different places in their personal athletic journeys.

Jim, already a 2:18 marathoner and two-time Canadian marathon champion, had just returned from a disappointing attempt at achieving the international qualifying standard for the Olympic Marathon - 2 hours 15 minutes - at the Berlin Marathon. Michael, a talented runner who had nonetheless only recently committed - in his mid-30s - to testing the ultimate depth of that talent over the marathon distance, was soaking up Jim’s stories and experience - Michael was himself just beginning final preparations for his second marathon of the year, his second attempt at a new personal best. Rumon lent back and took it all in, relishing the enthusiasm of his friends the two “true” runners, a description he wouldn’t dare apply to himself. He was unfit, still only 9 months distant from heart surgery to correct a cardiac disrhythmia, and hadn’t run more than a few steps in weeks. But with the passing minutes he grew intoxicated with the idea of once again lacing up a pair of racing shoes, toeing a starting line and knowing, at that moment, that he was ready, that he was once again fit, that his body was no longer an antagonist.

“So why don’t we do it - really? Why don’t we just ante up and go for it?”

At this point, who knows which of the guys took the 2007 Flora London Marathon, picked it out of the heady fog swirling above the table and threw it down, suggested they make it real. Elevate it from a state of idle banter - Saturday night dreams forgotten by Sunday morning - and make it a reality. Make it a shared goal. Make it Three Roads headed in one direction - to London. Make it a vehicle for personal growth and small scale social change.

And really, who cares? The success of these Three Roads won’t be measured by who crafted the idea, who crosses the finish line first or who runs the fastest time. The success will come - already has - from the pursuit of a common goal along three different paths. Success will be measured in numbers of people who reconsider the viability of their own dreams, who take their own shot at an objectively unreasonable goal. Success will come when the three lads know that in their own small way they have contributed to others sharing their passion, shared the joy of wind in your face and asphalt receding in your contrails, shared the childlike joy of a new pair of running shoes and the dreams of where they might take you.

So where are they now? - Latest News