Master runner hits his stride at national championship - Randy Pascal

Dave McGill is having trouble finding good competition. It’s not that the Greater Sudbury runner is setting any world records, but having celebrated his 65th birthday earlier this year, the pool of available talent is diminishing with every passing meet.

The Scottish-born middle distance phenom recently captured two gold medals at the Canadian Masters Track and Field Championships in Toronto, posting times in the 800-m (2:43.16) and 1,500-m (5:30.40) that would be the envy of men 30 and 40 years his junior.

Unlike some who wandered into running as part of a mid-life physical fitness revelation, McGill’s start in the sport goes back to his high school days. He can still recall capturing the city championship in the mile at the old Sacred Heart track, breaking the record that was owned by his Lockerby track coach, Jim Dickson.

“We didn’t train all year round, like the guys do now,” McGill said, taking a break from a practice with the Track North Athletic Club. “It was a seasonal thing. I probably started training earlier than most ... in early spring.”

Moving away from Sudbury in 1964, McGill returned north, to stay, in 1975. By that point, running was a casual hobby, with the odd race here and there.

While many former track athletes wander into much longer distances as they hit their 30s and 40s, the lure of longer distances just isn’t there for this master of the track.

“I like to get on the track, hammer it hard, and it’s all over in a short time,” McGill said. “You really feel bad for about five minutes after. You run a marathon, it’s going to take you three or four weeks to recover.”

And as is the case with most runners, injuries played a part in the decision-making process at various stages of his career.

“I was running road races, five and 10 kilometres, and then I had a stress fracture,” McGill said. “So I started coming up here and working with Dick (Moss). He got me to lengthen my stride rather than the choppy little thing that most of the road runners do.”

With personal time becoming increasingly available with every passing year, McGill found the competitive bug biting once again. “When my sons were younger, I didn’t get to do very much running, but as they got older, I gradually got back into it more.”

The only problem is that by the time one hits his 40s and 50s, there is hardly a call for track and field meets on every second weekend of the summer.

“There’s not very many opportunities for you to compete at the shorter distances, especially up here,” McGill said. “In Toronto, the Ontario Masters will run about four indoor meets at York (University), plus their indoor championships. It’s kind of hard for me to justify going down there to run a two and a half minute race and a five and a half minute race.”

But he made an exception to travel to Varsity Stadium, site of the national Masters.

“It’s all about the camaraderie,” he said. “It’s really not about whether you beat that guy or not. We’re more interested in the times we can still run.”
McGill is thankful for his support team in keeping his times competitive.

“In my case, if it wasn’t for my massage therapist (Ricky Goudreau) and my chiropractor (Al Dumencu), I wouldn’t be doing it,” he said with a laugh. “I think that it’s just a matter of keep doing it.”

And that’s simply not something many 65-year-olds are willing, or able, to tackle.

Randy Pascal is the founder of SudburySports.com and a contributing sports editor for Northern Life.