Wayne Young Didn’t Need Superpowers To Make A Difference
Today’s guest is someone that is closing in on 10 years of running and in that time he has done a lot.
He has run a lot of miles and raised a lot of money for cancer research.
I am looking forward to going a few easy miles with Wayne Young today!
Wayne Young
New To Running
Wayne Young lives in Canada and works for Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment.
He has a passion for sports and grew up playing hockey as a young child.
After several concussions, Wayne retired from hockey.
His journey with running began over 9 years ago.
Wayne eased into running by doing intervals and slowly built up from there.
Eventually, something clicked and he began to enjoy running.
He found that his competitive edge had returned and now he runs almost daily.
Most people are surprised to hear that prior to 2014, Wayne had no running background at all.
Setting Goals
The first race that Wayne ran was a 5k with co-workers.
He enjoyed the race experience so much that he signed up for a half-marathon.
Wayne underestimated the preparation needed to complete a half and was undertrained going into the race.
He was one of the last finishers and it was during that race that he met someone from a local run group.
With the addition of a run club, Wayne quickly saw the value in consistency and quality training.
His first marathon was in 2016 and Wayne set a goal of finishing in under 4 hours.
After achieving his goal in that first marathon, Wayne ramped up his training to see what he was capable of.
He naturally set his eyes on running a Boston qualifier (BQ).
The Elusive Unicorn
In order for Wayne to qualify for Boston, he needed to run a 3:15 marathon.
On his first attempt at a BQ, he came within one minute and 30 seconds.
Wayne made a huge improvement in just one year’s time.
In 2017, Wayne achieved a BQ time, but it wasn’t fast enough to make the cut-off that would get him into the race.
The same thing happened in 2018 and 2019.
Wayne ran 10 minutes faster than the BQ he needed in 2020 and was all but guaranteed that he would get in the race.
Due to the pandemic, the race was changed from an in-person event to a virtual one.
Wayne still hasn’t given up on running Boston and is hoping to qualify for the 2024 race.
Making a Difference
During the pandemic when there were no races, Wayne shifted his running focus.
Wayne had lost his father and best friend to cancer so the cause was especially close to his heart.
He was still running during the pandemic and wanted to give the miles more meaning.
In order to garner attention for his cause, he began to run around the neighborhood in a Spiderman costume.
The charity that Wayne chose to support was The Terry Fox Foundation.
According to Wayne, most if not all Canadians know the story of Terry Fox.
In 1980, Terry had his leg amputated due to cancer.
He chose to run across the country on a prosthetic with all the money he raised going directly towards a cancer charity.
Wayne Young
A Canadian Hero
Terry Fox had the goal to raise $1 for every Canadian.
Sadly, the cancer came back before Terry was able to complete his run.
Since his passing, he is honored through an annual run on the second Sunday in September.
As of today, his charity has raised over $800 million.
Knowing what Terry accomplished, showed Wayne that you don’t need superpowers to make a difference.
You just need an idea and to go with it.
Anyone can lead the way.
Fundraising
Wayne has already raised around $80 thousand and hopes to close in on $100 thousand by the end of the year.
Raising that amount of money hasn’t been easy and requires fresh, new ideas each year.
In 2020, Wayne ran consecutive marathons on two separate occasions- one was for 7 days and the other was for 28 days.
Wayne has gotten teams together to accomplish fundraising goals over the years.
One year, a team of 10 people ran the distance Terry Fox completed, which was around 5,000 km in one month.
This year, Wayne created a challenge that goes for 3 months and ends on Terry Fox Day which is September 17th.
His plan is to have himself and a group run a combined 1 km for every $2 raised with a goal of $20 thousand.
A Supportive Community
Wayne has learned the importance of quality nutrition if he hopes to continue running.
Nutrition and rest have allowed Wayne to avoid injury and continue to set big goals.
Along with having a supportive group of local runners, Wayne also has a community that reaches much farther.
He has run a few Disney races over the years and has met friends from all over the world.
They have remained in touch and try to frequently meet up for races.
Wayne truly believes that anyone can make a difference through running.
He has enjoyed being a role model for others both in his fundraising and his ability to enjoy the run.
Wayne Young
Mentioned In This Episode:
Stay connected to Wayne Young by following him on Instagram.
Wayne Young doesn't need superpowers to make a difference. One idea has created waves of change. Click To Tweet
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Like to address the elephant in the room. What are the trails like in Canada?