Maurice Tarrant |
Maurice Tarrant |
Maurice Tarrant |
At 87 years young, Maurice Tarrant is the epitome of a “running legend.”
Maurice credits his fitness foundation to growing up in the seaside town of Paignton, Devon, England. At 10, he’d run home from school to do his paper route and by 14, he learned the gas fitting trade, a job which involved cycling for miles with equipment in hand! By 16, Maurice had joined the Paignton Rugby and Rowing clubs and a couple years later, at a local dance on the seafront, he met the love of his life, Phyllis. They eventually had to postpone their wedding date so Maurice and his coxed fours to compete in, and win, the junior championship of Great Britain!
Maurice joined the RAF at age 21 as an engine mechanic and ran his first race near his station. By 1956, he represented Devon in the three and six mile events in the British Games at White City Stadium, London. The following year, Maurice and Phyllis moved to Canada and he became the Quebec three mile champion before they settled in Ottawa to raise their growing family.
Tired of long cold winters, they moved to Victoria in 1981 and Maurice, then in his mid- 50’s, rediscovered running. He ran every lunchtime from his property management job at BCSC and also joined the Prairie Inn Harriers (PIH). With the club’s “Mellow Fellows,” Maurice competed in long-distance relay races, including the Haney to Harrison, Jasper to Banff and Skagway to Whitehorse events.
Over the years, Maurice has set a staggering 65 Canadian age class records, 10 world single age records, completed over 200 Island Series races, and eight marathons. He has achieved unparalleled success with the Harriers in the form of awards, accolades and friendships. The PIH bestowed the Alex Marshall Master of the Year Award upon their ‘master of the road’ a record eight times. In 2004 the club named a perpetual trophy the Maurice Tarrant Veteran of the Year Award, citing him as the “greatest master runner in the history of the Prairie Inn Harriers”.
In 2005 Maurice was inducted into the Frontrunners Walk of Fame. In 2007, he received the Harriers Lifetime Membership Award and in 2010, he was awarded the Gunner Shaw MVP trophy, the Victoria Run Series perpetual Maurice Tarrant Performance Award and the B.C. Athletics Master Road Race Award. In 2010, Maurice was inducted into the Canadian Masters Athletic Association Hall of Fame and in 2014, he received a unique Harriers award - Members Choice for High Achievement - as a “tribute to recognize his phenomenal performances on a local, provincial, national and world stage.”
Maurice is a generous, humble and inspirational gentleman who treasures his family and friends. He was married to his beloved wife Phyllis for 63 glorious years and has five children and 10 grandchildren. He currently trains with his middle daughter Claire, and says they are proud to dedicate their accomplishments to “our angel Phyllis, beloved wife, Mum and Nana.”
Karen March |
Karen March |
Karen March |
Breaking barriers isn’t always easy but Karen March makes it seem that way as she has continued to pave her way in wheelchair sports. A 1988 car accident set Karen on an athletic journey like no other when, 10 years later, she was introduced to wheelchair sports.
Over the years, she has become a highly accomplished Paralympian who blazed a trail of podium finishes all over the world in both the sports of Athletics and Paracycling.
At the Paralympic Games in Athens, Karen took part in Athletics competing in the 200m T52 event where she finished 8th and the 400m T52 event where she finished 10th. She had an 8th place finish in the 100m at the 2002 World Championships where she also finished 7th in the 400m. She then “retired” from Athletics, taking up cycling for recreation. That recreational path led her to compete at the highest international level in the sport.
In Paracycling, competitors in her class use their arms to power a recumbent three-wheeled racing bike. The hand-powered bicycle has a gear-shift system controlled by her breathing and a sophisticated braking system that allows her to slow down by back-pedalling. Her most recent competitive bike was developed by CanAssist, a University of Victoria organization that develops and delivers technologies, programs and services that improve the quality of life for those with disabilities. CanAssist’s engineering team modified the bike so Karen could compete on a level playing field.
With her level of disability, Karen would not have been able to compete at the World Cup without the modifications to her bike. She literally opened up an entire class to all quadriplegic racers with her success.
“Surrounding myself with ‘can do’ people who think outside the box has led me to many adventures,” says Karen.
In 2011, she won the overall World Cup title in Paracycling for class H1, giving her the distinction of earning the first-ever World Cup leader’s jersey after her dominant performance. In 2011, she also earned two gold medals at the UCI Paracycling World Cup in Spain by finishing first in her class in a 36km road race and a 13km time trial.
She was the 2012 recipient of the Athlete of the Year award at the 2012 Women in Sport Celebration in Victoria
Karen retired from competitive Paracycling in 2012 after choosing not to compete in the London Paralympics. She is a true believer in the promotion and support of women in sport and continues to give back to wheelchair sports
"What I now treasure after retirement are the friendships and contacts I have made over the years,” she adds. “They still feed me as I continue to support sport on many levels.”
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