Sader continues successful Brentwood Run Club

Justin Seward
Times Reporter

 

Having run on his own for 12 years, including four Boston Marathons, Dr. Ben Sader is in his fifth season of sharing his passion for running with the Brentwood Elementary Run Club and has successfully built a feeder system going into the high school.
Thanks to the dedication and support from parents volunteering in the program, Sader gets great satisfaction out of teaching Grade 3 to Grade 6 runners.
“The kids get immersed in the culture of running right from the start,” said Sader. “We have a good team of volunteer coaches and teachers that help support it and on any given practice we’ll have six or seven parents helping to guide the runners in going and finding the pace and distance that works for each individual. It starts with having a dedicated group of volunteers.”
The kids normally find a group to train with and have found that the distances in their training sessions have varied on each route they take. However, Sader thinks it’s important to find a comfortable level for success.
“Distances will vary from one lap around the school yard, which is around 700 metres, (and running) three kilometres with some of the kids,” he said. “They ultimately select where they’re going with and find the right pace for them. Some days we’ll do more interval training where we’ll work more on shorter distances in sprints because some of the runners enjoy the shorter relay type of races rather than longer distances.”
Being in the midst of their fall season, runners have not only improved their endurance, but numbers of participation have also been on the rise.
“You’re already seeing runners sustaining a faster pace for longer,” said Sader. “Continuously running over a distance they choose to run in. On a club basis, we started with 29 runners the first year and now the last couple of years, we’ve been able to get around 70 to 75 runners interested in running. Also just watching the kids grow in terms of their own potential from the time they start in Grade 3 all the way up to Grade 6, (they) all see some significant improvement in their running endurance.”
The team just participated for the second time in the Strathcona-Tweedsmuir race in Okotoks, has a Grade 6 category and a Grade 7-12 category and joined with Crowther Memorial Junior High School’s team, which has given the Grade 6 contingent a guide to being successful runners.
“That race has been quite a good selling point for our Grade 6 runners,” said Sader. “It opens their eyes to see what running really is to some of their fellow peers from other schools and to see how kids really join together in team and supporting each other. And also for them to run on an actual cross country-type running track.”
Crowther’s coach Kevin Mertz thinks the mentorship that Sader provides and the buddying system bodes well for the sport.
“It is always great when we can travel with the elementary runners in town,” said Mertz. “It’s good for my group to demonstrate those leadership qualities and good for them to be involved with the older role models. From elementary to junior high, through high school, we have developed a solid running program for our community through our school in Strathmore. It will only get bigger and better.”
Brentwood will finish their fall season with the fall run on Oct. 22 and then start back up in the spring in preparation of their year- end run where teams from Carseland and Rockyford participate in the event.