Run Dufferin will lead the way -- to events at celebration

With so many activities planned, you won't know where to look next at Orangeville's Torch Relay celebration on December 28th.

Enter "Run Dufferin" -- a group of 12 runners that have come together specifically for the celebration -- to direct the audience's attention to the next event and to assist with some crowd management.

"They will draw the attention from one part of the show to the next," says choreographer Roland Kirouac. "They will keep the whole thing alive, move the crowd for the arrival of the Olympic Flame, show where the next segment of the show is taking place, and keep the audience hyped. They will add the colour and the cheer."

Waving flags in Orangeville's logo colours and adding to the momentum, Run Dufferin will be hard to miss. "We will draw the crowd's attention as events unfold around the Tony Rose Memorial Sports Centre and the ODSS fields," says co-ordinator Bob Collin.

Roland Kirouac is choreographing the celebration show that puts the audience in the centre with performances set around the area. It's a fast-moving show with most of the segments being three minutes in duration.

"When you talk to Roland it's hard not to be excited," Mr. Collin says, noting he was asked to find a group of runners.  "Everyone I approached was speechless about being involved in the ceremony. There are strong emotions about being part of the Olympics or the Torch Relay. Everyone is over the moon about participating in Orangeville's show."

That sentiment is echoed by runner Faye Del Grande. "I can't sit still; I was jumping when I was asked. It's an unbelievable feeling to be part of the event and to support aspiring athletes. When I first heard the torch was coming here I wanted to know what I could do. Now I'm doing something to help."

Mr. Collin says, for him, the Torch Relay celebration is about three things: the Olympics and athletes, our community, and health and wellness."

He says they expect Run Dufferin to have a continued existence, following the celebration, and that they will plan events and promote fitness.

Run Dufferin:

Bob Collin is a retired Dufferin County paramedic who has been in E.M.S. for 37 years. He has also been in business in Dufferin County for 25 years as a farmer, and for the past 16 years, as owner-operator of Winemakers at 283 Broadway. A father of four, he has been chairman of school councils for many years. Mr. Collin has been running the rural roads of Dufferin for 30 years. Over the last six years he has averaged a dozen competitive races a year -- half of those being trail runs. He was in the Boston Marathon in 2005 and 2007. In 2008, he ran both the Toronto International Marathon and the Vancouver Marathon. "At 60 years of age I am still fast and often finish on the podium."

Faye Del Grande is the proud owner of four fitness clubs -- two on Vancouver Island and two in Orangeville. She was asked 15 years ago to train a client to run a marathon. Not only did she train her client, she organized a team of runners who all, including Faye, successfully completed the Royal Victoria Marathon and did so for three consecutive years. Faye and her family moved back home to Orangeville in August of 2003. With her infectious team spirit and love for running, she quickly formed another running team which is known as the Access Fitness team Runners. The team is preparing to race in Ottawa next spring.

Cara Burleigh was born and raised in Orangeville and lives in the area with her husband David and two sons. She has worked as a paramedic in Dufferin County for the last 11 years. She has been active all her life and taken part in many sporting events. Her most recent accomplishments have been a half marathon last spring and the Oxfam Trail Walker 100 km/48-hour hike along the Ganaraska trail.

Terri Jones-Kirchberger is a speech-language pathologist at Headwaters Health Care Centre and she has been an avid runner for many years. She became hooked on running after completing the Vancouver Sun Run in 1997 and recently ran the Toronto Waterfront half marathon. Terri joined her school parents' council in 2005 when the eldest of her three sons entered school. Her involvement allowed her to combine a passion for running, her desire to get students and community active, and the necessity to fundraise for Island Lake School. The resultant annual "Stride for Life" run at Island Lake Conservation Area has, with the effort of many volunteers, become a great success.

Sue Brundle is a native of Orangeville and lives here with her husband and three daughters. She started running about six years ago and she continues to live an active lifestyle for her health and as a role model for her children. She has been in many races as well as a half marathon and triathlons. Her three daughters ran their own triathlons this past summer. She is looking forward to crossing the finish line of the Muskoka Half-Ironman next year.

Cindy Larocque is originally from Orangeville and after a brief time away she returned to the area with her husband to raise their two sons. She works as an autism consultant, in partnership with a local school board. Cindy started running in September of 2008 and she ran her first race -- a half marathon -- last spring. "I run with a small group of local athletes who keep me motivated and challenged to push myself harder than I might do on my own." She hopes to begin training for another half marathon in 2010. Cindy and her family are very involved in the local community and they are all excited that Cindy is involved in the Torch Relay celebration.

Pamella Purdy is from North Bay originally and she was always active in spring running in her school years. She moved to the area in 2002 and later became the general manager at Access Fitness. She says she experienced great joy in training others to set and achieve their fitness and running goals. She has been involved in organizing several community events sponsored by Access Fitness. She began long distance running in 2004 with the Niagara Falls Half Marathon, and went on to the 2005 Mississauga Half, and the 2006 Niagara Falls Half. In the 2007 Ottawa Half Marathon she surpassed her personal goal of completing a half marathon in one hour and 50 minutes by completing the race in 1:48. Pamella is also a regular at Big Tyme Fitness & Boxing Club where she trains with Bryon Mackie, Orangeville's Community Torchbearer, who will carry the torch into the ceremony and light the cauldron.

Stephanie Doyle has lived in Orangeville since 2003 and she has three children and two step-children. In her 39th year, she decided to do her first triathlon and a few days before her 40th birthday she ran her first half marathon in Toronto. Since then, she has joined team Diabetes -- the activity branch of the Canadian Diabetes Association, and she has run marathons and half marathons with them, raising in excess of $20,000. It is her life goal to run with them until she has raised $100,000. In November of this year Stephanie ran the original marathon -- starting in Marathon, Greece and ending in Athens. Her most notable race was earlier this year when she completed the "Goofy" in Disney World -- running the half marathon one day and the full marathon the next day. Stephanie works full-time at Humber College -- in Orangeville and Toronto -- and part-time at Wild Wing. She also keeps busy making cakes and candles to raise funds for Team Diabetes events. She is married to Andrew, and she volunteers with Boxer Rescue Ontario.

Tanya Sweet has lived in Orangeville for 14 years and is a mother of a six-year-old. She is also part of a family business, Concord Supply of Barrie. She has tried to stay involved in sports during her adult life and she plays on two women's baseball teams as well as running road and trail races. She enjoys participating in triathlons with her running group "The Pink Ladies" -- a group of seven friends with a desire to run and be physically fit. She says her greatest accomplishment was completing the Mississauga half marathons in 2008 and 2009.

Rachel Pederson lives in Orangeville with her husband Scot and two children. A flight dispatcher for Air Canada, Rachel ran her first marathon in Calgary in 1999. "I love it and couldn't wait to run the next one - the Canadian Rocky Mountain Marathon in Canmore the same year. At the Toronto International Marathon she qualified for Boston and ran the Boston Marathon in 2000. In 2004, the family moved to Kenya for a three-year contract. "It was a wonderful experience for all of us and one of the highlights was running the Lewa Marathon in 2005. "The marathon is run on rough dirt roads through the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy at an elevation of 5500 feet.  It has gained a reputation as one of the 10 toughest marathons in the world. I loved every minute of it." Rachel remains active by running half marathons and, during the summer months, playing in the Orangeville ladies soccer league.

Scott Bryk is a former professional triathlete who has competed in many Ironman races, marathons, ultra marathons, and the Race Across America transcontinental bike race. A visitor to the Sydney 2000 Olympics, he is now a husband and father of four children. Scott is the owner of an environmental company in Orangeville that manufactures organic bio-fertilizers from waste materials to help reduce greenhouse gases and create a greener future for Canada. Scott is still an avid runner and enjoys sharing his enthusiasm for sport and the environment within his community.

Christine Bryk is an emergency room nurse, wife and mother of four children. She has raced Ironman triathlons, marathons, ultra marathons and is an active member of her local gym. Christine has participated in several overseas missions to Third World countries where teams of doctors perform surgery on the needy in remote and war-torn locations. It is her goal to go on another mission with Doctors Without Borders in 2010.

• Posted: Tuesday, November 17, 2009
• From: Council