On the morning of the Langley half marathon and 5K race events, Roger Roufosse, 88, took a break from warming up outside the Fort Langley historic site to explain how hard labour in Saskatchewan helped prepare him for running later in life.
A white-collar career just wasn’t possible back then, Roufosse recalled.
“We had to do a lot of physical work because there was no such thing as universities,” Roufosse told the Langley Advance Times.
“We didn’t know what they were. They had some, in some places, but not there. So I couldn’t do anything like that. I just worked at many, many, many, many jobs.”
When he retired in his late 50’s he took up the sport for the very first time.
“Some friends of mine were running, and I thought I’d do something once I retired, and I did,” he recalled.
“It worked out quite well.”
Roufosse, a Surrey resident, won the 80-plus division in the Fort Langley 5K, finishing ahead of second place Alan Swan from Abbotsford and third place Walter Block from New Orleans.
He was one of an estimated 500 participants on Sunday, July 9, a record for the two events.
”This is the largest turnout we’ve had for this event in the 20 years we have been running this event,” volunteer Alex Taylor said.
Organizer Phil Ellis, owner of Peninsula Runners in Langley, said they had to set a limit.
“We don’t want to overwhelm ourselves and the community so we have to cap it at 500 for now, and we’ll see how it goes,” Ellis explained.
Ellis doubted they will go beyond the cap, or relocate.
”I think it would ruin the event,” Ellis said.
“So I think we just have to keep it small, the way it is, and, you know, it’ll just be first come, first happy, right?”
Walnut Grove resident Jennifer Kools was smiling as she warmed up with some friends.
”This is my second year doing it,” Kools explained.
While she is not a competitive runner, Kools said she loves the sport,which she described as “very therapeutic.”
As presented by Peninsula Runners and Brooks Running Co. the course is billed as the most scenic half marathon in the country, one that starts and finishes at the historic Fort in Fort Langley, and traces the historic Hudson’s Bay Co. “Telegraph Trail,” before returning to the finish line at the Old Apple Orchard by the historic Fort.
Runners in the 5K race ran three loops through historic Fort Langley.
Vancouver’s Noah Proust and Coquitlam’s Olivia Willett were the top male and female finishers in the half marathon, while Lucas Hodgson of Vancouver and Krysta Boyer from New Westminster were top overall finishers in the 5K run.
More photos from the day can be seen online at the Langley Advance Times Facebook site.
READ ALSO: VIDEO: Fort Langley half marathon and 5K is a pretty, tough course
READ ALSO: VIDEO: A sold-out Fort Langley half marathon and 5K draws close to 400
Have a story tip? Email: dan.ferguson@langleyadvancetimes.com
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