Carded athletes in Canada do receive limited support from the government and sponsors, but for most it’s not nearly enough to cover all of the expenses that come with competing on the world stage. Here’s an excerpt from Dylan’s blog to give you an idea of all the travel he’ll be undertaking in the coming months:

Currently working on my plan for preparations towards London with coach Lee. Training at high altitude worked well for me before Rotterdam (I was in Flagstaff, AZ training from Dec-Feb in preparation for Lake Biwa marathon and then again for 4 weeks before Rotterdam marathon) so the plan is to head back. I hope to split my time between Flagstaff, AZ and St. Moritz, Switzerland.

Dylan doesn’t even mention his planned jaunt to Germany for the hella hamburg halbmarathon on June 24. Canada, The United States, Switzerland, Germany, and England; five countries in three months. That’s quite the itinerary, with a travel expense budget to match.

You might be wondering why Dylan doesn’t simply stick to training in Vancouver to avoid incurring all these travel expenses. What can he get in Flagstaff, Arizona and St. Moritz, Switzerland that he can’t get at home? As he mentioned in his blog post, one of the big draws is the elevation. Both Flagstaff and St. Moritz offer high altitude training—approximately 7000 feet and 6000 feet above sea level respectively—as well as boasting ideally dry conditions and world class training facilities. He’ll be sharing the high road with other runners from around the world as they all prepare to compete at the most esteemed championships in amateur athletics.

The significant cost associated with living, traveling, and training on the road to London is why Runners’ Choice is spearheading the campaign behind Dylan’s London Fund. We want the question How on earth am I going to pay for all of this? to be the furthest thing from Dylan’s mind as he prepares himself for the biggest race of his life.

I hope this gives you a better idea of the challenges faced not just by Dylan, but by many of our athletes who are vying for a spot among the elite in the hopes that they can represent us at an Olympiad and perform for us at the highest possible level.

Join us on Wednesday, May 9 for a run and stretch with Dylan, followed by a fundraiser at the Kingston Brewing Company before Mr. Wykes heads back to Arizona to continue his training.

Click here for registration info. Looking for a ride to Belleville? Find a carpool!

Beethoven is back! He did it in 50 minutes. Can you?

Kick off summer at Kingston’s biggest event for runners and walkers! Race the 8 km course, jog or walk the 4 km route, or just join us at Confederation Park at 10:30 AM for 50 minutes of Beethoven’s finest work performed by our very own Kingston Symphony!

Register online, in the store at 56 Brock Street, or by calling 613-546-9729.

You can also check out the route map (map not to scale).

RSVP to the Facebook event.

At 6:00 PM on Wednesday, May 16 join us for a 5k fun run and bring a donation to help the most vulnerable children in our communities break free from the vicious cycle of poverty and achieve life-long success.

Create a team, join a team, or just participate on your own. YOU can make a difference!

RSVP to our Facebook event.

The cost of this program is only $69.99 plus HST. All participants receive a technical Run Girl Run t-shirt (a $34.99 value).

Clinic starts Wednesday, May 2nd at 6 pm.

Register here. Space is limited, so reserve your spot today!

* Discount does not apply to children’s shoes, spikes, or racing flats.