The Shakeout Podcast

This is the time of year for family, fun, and festivities. But it is also an opportunity to give to those in need. Charities use a variety of fund-raising methods around the holidays, but one group employs a unique approach. The Toronto Santa Speedo Run is the brainchild of "Head Santa" Matt Freeman. The premise is simple: your friends and family pledge money to watch you run through the streets of downtown Toronto, in December, dressed in nothing but a bright red speedo. It started in 2005 as a fundraiser for the Toronto Hospital for Sick Children’s Toy and Games Fund. Now in its 12th year, this group of brave, scantily clad runners has successfully raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the fund!

As the holidays draw near, so do treacherous weather conditions. Staying safe and healthy can sometimes feel like an uphill battle. Luckily, we’ve found some excellent resources to help you navigate the uncertainty of the season. In this episode we talk with chiropractor, strength coach and co-founder of The Runner's Academy Dr. Kris Sheppard. We also talk with elite-runner-turned-coach Dylan Wykes. These guys offer advice on how to train smart and stay injury-free throughout the darkest days of winter.

Throughout the month of December, we are bringing you episodes dedicated to realistic self-improvement. This as a chance to get a jump on the things that you want to be a little bit better at in the new year. This month-long series is designed to get you in a festive spirit and help you hit the ground running in 2019.

Our first episode is all about food. As we enter the holiday season, it can be tough to keep nutrition on track. We chat with elite marathoners and nutrition buffs Kim Doerksen and Rachel Hannah about finding balance in your fridge. 

New Brunswick native Geneviève Lalonde threw her arms up in triumph as she crossed the finish line at the Canadian Cross-Country Championships last weekend. Better known for her exploits on the track--she is an Olympic finalist and has lowered her own Canadian 3000m steeplechase record 3 times--Gen entered the race as somewhat of an underdog. After a 5 year hiatus from cross-country racing and an "emotional breakdown" following her 2018 track season, Gen wasn't a likely favourite for the win. But that didn't stop her from dominating the senior women's 10km and securing her spot on the 2019 World XC team.

In this episode we chat with Gen about balancing a professional athletic career with non-running passions. We dissect her National Championship win, discuss the importance of mental training, and relive getting gritty in the Arctic circle.

This week we travel across the Atlantic, to a bustling bridge in England, to relive an epic race against time. This is the story of a young woman who made history by taking on a parliamentary bet over 8 decades ago.

Earlier this month, a British author by the name of Scott Pack took to twitter to share a story with the world. He released a series of 12 tweets, the first of which read, “I want to tell you about a remarkable woman that you almost certainly haven’t heard of”.

The woman in question was Florence Ilott, a promising British amateur sprinter. In 1934 Florence became the first person to run across London’s Westminster Bridge in the time that it took Big Ben to chime 12 noon. Several others, mainly men, had attempted this feat over the years. But it took a 19 year-old parliamentary tea room staff member to finally outrun the clock.

Two weeks ago, Cameron Ormond of Aurora, Ontario became the first girl to win four consecutive OFSAA cross-country championships.  OFSAA, the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations, boasts the most competitive provincial championship in the country. Its rare for athletes to win more than one OFSAA cross-country title during their high school career. Those who win two are considered standout athletes. And winning four lands you in the company of Olympians.

This week we chat with Cameron and her coach Sue Deighan about the success and development of young stars. We discuss the power of teamwork and how to prevent burnout, and we relive the race that cemented Cameron’s name in history.

Beer and running have enjoyed a close friendship over the last several years. Once the beer mile exploded in popularity, it was only a matter of time before beer would infiltrate many other athletic events. Beer runs have popped up across the country, and you can find a way to imbibe on the run in pretty much every major city in Canada.

Over the last several years, the Canada Beer Run has been pairing runners with breweries across the country. Run TO Beer offers Toronto area runners weekly opportunities to explore local brewpubs. Lanni Marchant is an Olympian, a Canadian record-holder, and a self-professed lover of beer with an exciting new project on the horizon.

As marathon season begins to wind down, you might be looking for a way to keep active while enjoying the perks of the off-season. In that case, this episode is for you. We fill you in on some of the best ways to enjoy a run and a beer…at the same time.

KidSport is a not-for-profit organization that offers financial assistance to help get and keep kids in sport. Evan Dunfee of Richmond, B.C. is an Olympic race-walker and KidSport ambassador. Throughout October, he's on a mission to raise $25,000 for the organization by walking 25km per day for 25 consecutive days. He's also doing 25 school talks to share his journey through sport and to inspire the next generation of Canadian athletes. 

In this episode, we chat with Evan about his epic fundraising campaign, and the responsibility he feels to give back. Evan discusses his own journey as an athlete and relives his race at the Rio Olympic Games where he briefly a medalist.

We also do a short recap of last weekend's Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon where Cam Levins broke the 43 year old Canadian record.

Jerome Drayton ran 2:10:09 to set the Canadian Marathon Record in 1975. At the time, it was considered to be one of the best performances in the history of the event. More than four decades later, that record still stands.

Ahead of the 2018 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon (STWM), we sat down with two the country's most prominent runners to talk about the future of Canadian marathoning. Reid Coolsaet of Hamilton, Ontario has been dominant on the marathon scene for over a decade. Cam Levins of Black Creek, British Columbia will be running his marathon debut at STWM. Both the veteran and the rookie have their eyes set on the Canadian record.

Lyndsay Tessier and Catherine Watkins have established themselves as two of Canada's best marathon runners. Both of these women set Canadian Masters records at the Berlin Marathon in September. At ages 40 and 47 respectively, they are defying age norms by running nationally competitive personal bests times later in life.

In this episode, new host and producer Kate Van Buskirk talks with Lyndsay and Catherine about blurring the lines between being an 'elite athlete' and being a 'masters athlete'. Along with physiologist Trent Stellingwerff, they offer their advice on how you, too, can get the most out of yourself, regardless of your age.