Steady as She Goes

As much as I wanted to, I wasn't able to attend the CIS cross-country championships over the weekend. I would have loved to have been out on the course, cheering on the competitors and soaking up the energy of so many runners performing at the highest level of Canadian collegiate athletics. Alas, earning rent and grocery money took priority so instead of spending the day as a super-fan, I worked a shift at the Running Room, staring out the window during lulls, imagining myself at the meet.

My first CIS XC experience occured when I was still in high school. As a member of the Mississauga Track and Field Club, I had developed great relationships with my teammates over the years, and continued to follow their athletic journeys into their collegiate careers. Several former MTFC members were competing in the 2004 CIS XC Championships in Guelph, and my coach Joe Sax

Joe leading the pack at Around the Bay

encouraged me to go watch the races, cheer on my teammates, and get a taste of what collegiate championship racing was like. Joe had coached me through my first three years of high school, to several PB's and to my first OFSAA and Canadian Jr. National titles. He espoused a training and racing philosophy that was predicated upon the balance between recognizing and appreciating where you were and what it took to get there, and envisioning yourself achieving far beyond your current ranking or results. He put this philosophy into practice by organizing a weekend trip each year to the McQuaid Invitational in Rochester, NY--a major high school cross-country meet attended by hundreds of east coast American schools and a handful of Canadian club teams. Joe always selected a small group of his top athletes to travel to McQuaid in order to gain the experience of racing against huge, competitive fields that just wasn't avaliable at the average Ontario meet. He also frequently recounted stories from his own racing years, when he respresented Canada at major events like the Pan American Games, Commonwealth Games, World Cross-Country Championships

Joe (bottom, middle) at the 1981 World XC Champs

or the World University Games. He was always incredibly humble and rarely talked about his success at these events, but rather shared with us the tales of grit, guts and (occasional) glory that he and his teammates accrued throughout their years as international competitors. Joe had a fierce fighter's heart, never settling for anything but his absolute best, and instilling the same mentality in us, his young, wide-eyed athletes. His approach was: train hard, smart, and patient, but when it comes to the race, compete with every ounce of fight you can muster, leave everything on the course and walk away with no regrets. This was epitomized in his 2 famous catch-phrases: "steady as she goes" and "never say die".

Joe's continual determination to expose us to high-level running and push us to discover our own potential is what led me to those 2004 CIS Championships--an event which he himself had won in 1975--as an eager and inspired spectator. My dad and I had agreed to meet Joe in Guelph that morning and go for a run on the course before the races got underway. The three of laughed and chatted through the first 20 minutes of the run, our conversation flitting back and forth between predictions for the day's races, and our team's preparations for the upcoming

Pushing for home, 2004 OTFA XC

Provincial and National XC Championships. 2004 had been my first real breakthrough year in track, and we were hoping to carry the momentum through the xc season; the week prior to the CIS meet, I had won my first OFSAA XC medal, placing second behind my high school rival (and friend) Tarah McKay. Joe had talked with me throughout the fall about my goal of qualifying for the World Junior Cross-Country Championships, and we had been focusing training towards preparing me for a strong top-6 performance at the Canadian Jr. Nationals. We were jogging along, mid-conversation about the season when Joe collapsed. True to form, Joe had kept quiet for months--maybe years--his heart condition, not wanting to worry anyone or draw unnecessary attention away from the team and towards him. My dad and I accompanied the ambulance to the hospital, learning hours later that Joe had passed away after suffering a major heart attack, and likely hadn't felt any pain. The tragic irony was that the fierce heart of this fighter would ultimately be his undoing.

I was 17 when Joe died, and although I had developed a deep respect and admiration for him during our time together, it wasn't until the months and years following his death that I truly began to understand and appreciate his prowess as an athlete, his intuition and expertise as a coach, and his tremendous contributions to the Canadian running community. In addition to

Eddie + Joe, my coaches present and past

his plethora of National team experiences at international games, Joe was a 6-time Canadian National medalist, 2-time National Steeplechase Champion, and set the Canadian Record in this event in 1977. He excelled across a wide variety of events, exhibiting his dominance on the track, trails and road, in distances ranging from the mile (OFSAA Champion) to the marathon (2:17.12). Following his outstanding athletic career Joe became a teacher and track/cross-country coach for Iona Catholic Secondary School in Mississauga, as well as the distance coach of the Mississauga TFC. He also acted for several years as the meet director for the Iona CSS Cross-Country Invitational, one of the largest meets in Ontario. Joe's passion for our sport and the people in it was nearly unparalleled; he was deeply committed to the success, health, and happiness of every student and athlete that he taught and coached, and this was clear through every interaction with him. Joe had a wicked laugh, a tireless drive, and one of the gentlest spirits I have ever encountered. I am so grateful for all I learned from him, and all that he gave us.

Joe Sax

Yesterday, November 13th, 2013 marks the 9-year anniversary of Joe's death. I think about him every day, but especially this time of year, when the winds blow, the leaves swirl, the temperatures drop, and the ferocity and beauty of cross-country season is upon us. For Joe's sake--for all of our sakes--I hope that everyone reading this post will take time to appreciate the wonderful people in their lives, and enjoy a run in the memory of those we've lost too early.                                                             Steady as she goes.

MTFC Crew with coaches Joe Sax and Mark Christie at Fall Training Camp: "Live for the Moment".

Mississauga Singlet with "Joe Sax" next to my heart. I am forever a proud MTFC alumn.

The Joe Sax Memorial ROPSSAA Steeplechase Trophy: one of the greastest honours I've ever received.

Nick Corrigan and I, winners of Joe Sax Trophy at ROPSSAA 2005. My amazing dad Jim (middle) continued Joe's middle-distance coaching legacy with MTFC for 8 years after Joe's passing.