PWC IV Toronto Slideshow Index
Daily updates by Karen Bingham of Murfreesboro, Tenn.
 

Friday, May 24, 2002

We’re here, all 80 or 90 of us. Toronto was gorgeous today. We had opening ceremonies tonight and every last one of us introduced ourselves. Pretty neat! Then off to ethnic restaurants. Hungarian cabbage rolls for me; followed by Korean red bean sherbet. Now THAT was a different taste experience. Many old friends, many new faces. The Toronto penguins are great hosts! Tomorrow morning... running at 7, forums at 9:30.

Day 1: Opening Ceremonies and Ethnic Dinner Night
(Click above to see thumbnails and slideshow)
 

Saturday, May 25, 2002 What a day! Starting with a run through downtown Toronto, along Yonge Street, literally the longest in the world (1,800 miles) in the crisp, cool air. Then back for Krispy Kreme doughnuts (10 dozen of them, the Toronto penguins left no stone unturned in their effort to please). Forums by Ken Myers and John to follow, then the Women’s Panel, with Carlene Paquette, Julia Kim, Maureen Pecknold, Carlene Paquette, Harriet Kang, and yours truly. This afternoon folks split up. We went to the baseball game. Cleveland beat the Blue Jays. Others saw The Lion King, went to see Casa Loma, the Hockey Hall of Fame, etc. Back for a quick nap. This evening we had great pasta with our own room in the restaurant. To bed now, the bus to Burlington leaves at o’dark thirty in the morning. What a great time, Glenn and the Toronto penguins have truly outdone themselves.

Day 2: Morning Run, Workshops and Free Time
(Click above to see thumbnails and slideshow)

Day 2: Joe Badali’s Pre-Race Pasta Dinner
(Click above to see thumbnails and slideshow)
 

Sunday, May 26, 2002 Perfect, perfect, perfect day. Cool (in the 50s) and overcast all morning, until the very end of the marathon when the sun finally presented itself to warm shivering penguins. John and I ran the 5K. The race organizers invited two Toronto-ites to run with us... dressed in tuxedos to honor the penguins. So we had a ball running with a personal trainer and a power lineman dressed in tuxes, and their 60-pound lab named Tux. Honest. We did it in 36+, taking frequent water breaks for Tux. A Toronto elementary school class had painted big penguin cheer signs that were posted all along the 5K course. It was terrific. Back to the finish line for the half and full marathon, we waited for everyone to finish. Not to steal anyone’s thunder, but the penguins ran spectacularly today. In fact, we ROCKED Toronto! I can’t begin to tell you how many of our group PR’d, placed, and qualified. Their stories to follow. AND, the Toronto penguins won the award for the best water station. It was a day to remember.... no it’s been a weekend to remember. The Toronto penguins rule!

Day 3: Burlington Rock ‘n’ Roll Canada Races
(Click above to see thumbnails and slideshow)

Day 3: Penguin Awards Banquet
(Click above to see thumbnails and slideshow)
 

Monday, May 27, 2002 Back home, feeling a little low not surprisingly, after the high of the weekend. I really can’t find the words just now to thank Glenn and the Toronto Penguins for the best, the most wonderful conference weekend imaginable. It was flawless, they were flawless. Last night’s banquet on the island with the city sparkling across the water was a perfect ending to a perfect weekend. Highlights: calling Kathryn Lye. Kathryn, you were missed very much. And Glenn’s closing speech, which was really touching. More than one of us cried through it. I also want to thank Marathon John Cotham in Bosnia for sending the penguins to be given as door prizes at the conference. Toronto penguin Maryanna won one; Ken Fargnoli the other. They were special gifts, among many others. More tomorrow, after some of this has sunk in. Thanks Glenn and all Toronto penguins. Day 4: Goodbye Breakfast Thank you to our photographers Todd Byers of Long Beach, Calif. Tracy Cross of Toronto Frank Lemire of Toronto Debra Meier of Buffalo, N.Y. Carlene Paquette of Kanata, Ont. Marcella Ruscio of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. Carol Schobert of La Porte, Ind. Daniel Wellner of New York City If you would like your PWC IV photos to appear here, e-mail Glenn Gabriel at ggabriel@pathcom.com

 

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