New Year's Resolution Run-Walk
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Monday was a great night for Tillsonburg Sole Mates' annual New Year's Resolution Walk/Run.
"A beautiful night," said co-organizer Sandi Beernaert, who welcomed about 30 people to Kelsey's Restaurant in Tillsonburg.
Participants donated items to the Helping Hand Food Bank, who are in the final days of a very successful Thanksgiving Food Drive, and contributed toward Kelsey's appetizers following their walk/run.
"The runners are all levels tonight – including some avid diehards – and they're going to do a 5 km route," said Beernaert, noting a loop that would take them along Concession Street to Quarter Town Line to Baldwin Street, then back to Kelsey's at Broadway and Bridge Street. "It's about 5 km, we clocked it one year when we did it from Niko's. And we've got several walkers – I think they're just going to do their own thing, maybe a couple kilometres.
"Kelsey's has been amazing – they've got food set up over here for when we get back. And everybody has a ticket for a drink."
On a wall, the Sole Mates had a '2015 Year of Awesome' poster for people to sign and a 'good luck' poster for Sara Husted, who will be running her first half marathon.
Sole Mates have a Facebook group with about 80 members, said Beernaert, but only about half are active runners/walkers.
"We'd like to see it grow. We see people in town everyday running when we're out that don't belong to the group. So we'd like to get them to join, even if they don't want to run with a group."
In addition to scheduling local group runs, they share running information and local running events, and in general support each other.
"If there are charities, we can step in," said Beernaert, noting the group did a water station this year at a London hospital fundraiser and helped with Terri Biloski's annual Run 161. "We like to get involved in charities. I think that's important."
In 2015, Beernaert would like to see Sole Mates T-shirts.
"We like to wear them when we go to marathons and represent. There's St. Thomas Run For Your Lifers, Port Dover North Shore Runners – we see them at the events and we want to be represented too."
The Resolution Run-Walk also included new Sole Mates like Jessica Sarafinchin and Heather Puhr-McNinch.
"No we're not first-time runners," Sarafinchin laughed. "I signed up and this was the first thing that came up."
Puhr-McNinch was looking forward to her first night run. For Sarafinchin, it would be her first in many years.
"The night run's fun," said Sarafinchin. "It's an energy thing... more energy."
"Someone sets the pace and you have to push yourself," said Puhr-McNinch, who usually runs 30 minutes while training. "It usually takes me about an hour to do a 10k."
"We're going to see how it goes," said Sarafinchin.