FORT FUN & WATER RUN | Grovetrotters show some sole and soul!

The Bob Rompre Dozen — two less than a baker's — showed up at

Fort Langley on Sunday for a fun run. Many of Bob's other teammates

were in Abbotsford for the seventh annual Run For Water and in the

B.C. Interior for the Half Corked Marathon.

That's Bob on the right, by the way!

A photo gallery of the Fort Run, some extras from the Run For Water and a few other "gems" can be found by clicking HERE!

WE LET THE DOGS OUT | Warm run in the sun with cuties and canines

The Grovetrotters took their dogs and other ruff types out for a Tuesday

night run in Langley and had a great time. Several of the runners will

be in the B.C. Interior this weekend taking part in the Half Corked Marathon,

a half dozen others will be in Abbotsford for Sunday's Run For Water, and

several others will be in Fort Langley for the group's Sunday morning trail run.

For a photo gallery of Tuesday's run with the dogs click HERE!

RODEO WEEKEND | The Grovetrotters Round-Up!

The Grovetrotters met Sunday in Fort Langley for a long weekend run.
A couple passerbys with eye-sight problems said we looked like
"magazine" covers so we have a few of those "magazines" in our gallery!

To see that photo gallery and other fun stuff, click HERE.

THIS IS HOW WE ROLL | On and before Mother's Day!

Wearing their best smiles, and warm weather gear, the Grovetrotters

met outside of Wendel's in Fort Langley on Mother's Day for more than

an hour of running and apres-workout socializing.

To see how we roll, in a cool photo gallery, click HERE.

DOING THE SUN RUN!

Some of the Langley Grovetrotters celebrate their Vancouver Sun Run
accomplishments after the April 27th 10K. Many of these runners will
be taking part in this Sunday's first Grovetrotters run, which starts at
8:30 a.m. in Fort Langley. Hope to see everyone there!

For a SMILE BOX of more Sun Run memories, click HERE!

RELAUNCH OF A LANGLEY LEG-ACY

Gord Kurenoff Photo

Bob Rompre, one of the early members of the Langley Grovetrotters running group that promoted stress-free fun and long-lasting running relationship, is thrilled to be part of the group's relaunch that will keep people of all sizes and speeds running, laughing and training together. The group prides itself in having a number of experienced Sun Run trainers with diverse and in-depth knowledge of how to run better and, more importantly, injury-free. There is no cost to join and the one rule about Run Club is we actually talk about Run Club! Tell your friends.

By Gord Kurenoff | Vancouver Sun

FOR whatever reason this winter and spring, our normally supple Vancouver Sun Run InTraining leaders in Walnut Grove were decimated by freak injuries or nasty flu bugs.

In fact, the body count dipped so low a few weeks ago that I kindly offered — during one of our breathtaking-away morning hill climbs — to help Arian Soheili “lead” our Langley sole-mates, maybe even get to yell “loop,” hug the beautiful “twin” sisters or scream sarcastic stuff at the Sunday slackers snapping group selfies. You know, all that hypothetical stuff.
Without skipping a beat our wise and wonderful ‘Grove guru asked me to turn around and tell him what I saw.
“Uh, nothing,” I said. “Nothing at all.”
“Exactly Gord, you are at the back of our group. So who exactly would you lead?,” he barked, making sure everyone on our lightning-fast team heard his rare valid point.
As yours truly dragged my aerostatic pouting lip along the street totally devastated that I would never get to wear a tiny shiny reflective leader’s vest like Super Arian, another veteran leader offered up an enticing olive branch.
“Cheer up Gordo, maybe you can train a bit more and then eventually lead the Grovetrotters,” said Bob Rompre, a delightful dude who undoubtedly guzzles from the Fountain of Youth and looks at least 18 years younger than his 68-year-old birth certificate.
The smile returned to my face — no, not because a desire to one day lead was closer to reality, but because this wild promise was made by a grown man on a refurbished mountain bike named Huffy. You just can’t make this stuff up.
Then, just as I was about to get a tad cocky, he added: “All we need is for some real, real, real slow people to come out so you can lead them.”
Yep, no wonder he and Arian are buddies, but I digress.
Thanks to Rompre, once the fun Sun Run training and the April 27th race are in the history books, the Grovetrotters will be relaunched.
The Langley man, married to Sun Run walking coach Renee Poley, was in tech sector marketing and sales for most of his adult life. On the advice of Renee he got back into running to get in shape and expand his social network.
He was part of the original Grovetrotters — still has the neat shirt designed by Kathy Wainright — and to this day runs into many of the original members, a lot of them like Mike and Rita Paine he still considers good friends.
His decision to reboot the free, drop-in running group that focuses on fun, fitness and friendships, was inspired by this winter’s Sun Run InTraining group.
“For a lot of different reasons, that was the most fun I’ve had in a long time and a lot of the people want to keep it going, so the timing is right,” said Rompre. “We plan to run Sunday mornings, Tuesday and Thursday nights.”
Rompre says a lot of people training for mudders, summer 10Ks, half- and full marathons will be out running with the group, and he hopes they bring their friends.
“The more the merrier, for sure. We’ll use the ‘no-man/woman-left-behind’ philosophy perfected by the Sun Run training sessions and make sure everyone feels part of this group.”
The Grovetrotters will also include a number of experienced runners, including Sun Run trainers, so the resources should prove helpful for beginners and people who need to remain motivated during the warm, barbecue-friendly summer months.
“It really does go in waves. People get really motivated, they do a lot of running, and then for whatever reason go away for a while. But many come back. Once you get the running bug it’s hard to stay away forever.”
Rompre, who has helped lead in half of the Sun Run clinics in Langley, became infamous for one incident helping newbies tackle hills.
In conducting interval training, Rompre decided to run up one hill backwards while yelling instructions to the runners. He didn’t notice a vehicle behind him and, upon contact, lost his balance, nearly bust his right hand and landed with a thud on the vehicle. He got an instant “grill tattoo” across his chest that took several weeks to heal. He affectionately became known as Isuzu Bob.
The other thing about Rompre that should be shared, especially given his “oh-so-kind” promise to let me lead the snails and slugs in his group, is that he was the original voice of “Garbage Gus,” a hand puppet used to teach school children about recycling and the environment.
So yes, my hopes to one day lead a running group now hinge on a 68-year-old man who rides a bike named Huffy and whose claim to fame is being a hired gun for a freakin’ puppet show!
So, good luck to everyone in next week’s Sun Run, and if you live anywhere near Langley, check out the Grovetrotters for a free run, lots of fun and who knows, maybe a photo-op with Huffy and friendly chat with Garbage Gus! And please bring your real, real, real slow friends, too. Just saying!
Stay happy and healthy.
Gotta run …

Twitter.com/ohgord

Gord Kurenoff photo

Bob Rompre added some humour to a training run at Derby Reach
 Regional Park when he pulled out  his trusty timing device, no doubt
from the same box he keeps his 8-track tapes and pet rocks!

PHOTO-FINISH FOR LATIN RUNNERS VISIT!

Bob Rompre Photo/Langley Grovetrotters

There are some mornings when life just seems a little bit better than others!

Check out the photo galley | Smile Box below of Latin Runners! visit to Derby Reach Regional Park to run with Arian Nation, a.k.a. the Walnut Grove Sun Run elite (smile) training group!

Click HERE to see the photos of a superb Sunday.


Story that appeared in The Vancouver Sun reflecting the visit:

By Gord Kurenoff | Vancouver Sun

SHE had me at hola!

A chica bonita, with running tights that discourage any thoughts of passing and a mega-watt smile that would turn stone to gravy, came up to me Sunday morning, extended her hand and asked for my name.

“Gord,” I mumbled, thinking this goddess had mistaken me for some darn lucky dude, or that I was being Punk’d big time by our mischievous running leaders.

“George?” she asked in that Salma Hayek-Penelope Cruz dreamy accent that gets me each and every time.

“Gord,” I mumbled again, now on the verge of droolapoloza.

“Ord?” she said, as harp music from the heavens seemed to accompany her question.

“Gord … it’s like George and Ord combined. You know, like gored the bull,” I said slowly, knowing an extended explanation might prolong this pleasant process.

“Ahhh, like El Gordo. Si. So nice to meet you,” she said before floating away on a cloud giggling.

I would discover some 90 minutes later that this goddess with the all-women Latin Runners! informed everyone in her group that I was “the big stuffed one,” which apparently is what El Gordo means translated in Spanish. Close enough, I suppose!

With less than two weeks to go before the starting gun goes off at the 30th Vancouver Sun Run, our awesome training titans hooked up with an upbeat group of wonderful women to tackle an eight- and 10-kilometre course in Langley’s scenic Derby Reach Regional Park.

The Latin Runners!, led by Lluvia Meneses, joined us on a sunny morning and fit in perfectly, which is no surprise given that Senorita Meneses is a former participant in the fun Sun Run training group.

After training with Arian Soheili’s wild thangs in Walnut Grove two years ago, she caught the running bug and was inspired to do much more than just loop around fire halls, yell “we’re feeling great,” stretch against fences and burn out expensive shoes.

“I truly consider Arian my mentor. He inspired me to run, to have fun, to help people and to eventually start the Latin Runners! Running really changed my life, and now we’re running to change women’s lives. I could not be happier,” said Meneses.

Gord Kurenoff Photo/Langley Grovetrotters

Arian Soheili "welcomes" Lluvia Meneses to Derby Reach
Regional Park. And to think she considers him a mentor!

She applied for, and received, government grants to start a club that offers physical, emotional and social support and networking for Latino women, some who have had postpartum depression or faced other challenges in their lives, or who just needed to become active to grow their social circle in B.C.

She found that running led to long-term relationships, a “sense of belonging,” confidence and friendship building. Through her efforts, the Latin Runners! now have 10 clubs in the Lower Mainland, 15 leaders, some 90 members and 280 people on Facebook and other social media who keep in touch regularly helping each other.

The first session started last June with nine runners in Langley and then quickly it expanded to New Westminster, Abbotsford and Coquitlam. It continues to grow and thrive.

Their philosophy is to always run in company, always have a goal in mind and always support the other runners.

“And we can be loud at times … afterall, we’re Latinos! We always yell ’1-2-3 Latin Runners, a correr’ before we start — people tend to know we’re around,” said Meneses.

She chuckled when asked about her new group’s involvement in the Sun Run.

“Maybe next year as I know some really want to do it,” said Meneses. “Many of our members, mostly Mexican women, do not like training in the cold or rainy months when most Sun Run clinics start. I’m trying to change that thinking, and it’s happening, but it’s a slow process. They’re adapting to Canada, but many still prefer the warmer weather!”

She has received a lot of help from Soheili, SportMedBC’s coach Lynn Kanuka, and the provincial and federal governments who recognize her efforts as an outstanding program.

“Many ran their first 8K or 10K today with you folks. I’m really proud of that. We have something good going on here, more than just healthy exercise. Look at all the smiles — it has to be working, right?”

Despite refusing my request — OK, shameless begging — to join as their first male member, I still admire Meneses’ passion for paying it forward.

Speaking of which, if there is something I will take away from my Sun Run training odyssey — besides tips for muscle cramps, group selfies and new nicknames — it’s the fact that this entire exercise isn’t about how fast you run, or how far you can go, or how you fit or look in running gear. It’s all about the people, and the fact there are so many good ones, with so many great stories, and so many making this world a better place.

It truly will be bittersweet when we meet this Sunday for the final time in Walnut Grove as “Arian Nation.” We are all excited about testing ourselves in the April 27th Sun Run, but bummed out this weekly meeting of superb sole-mates is about to end. Good thing the memories never will.

While it may take me a few additional months of training — and a closer review of my Timbits diet — to experience the so-called runner’s high, I’m sure this scribe will feel the runner’s low when we do the Happy Feet warm-up routine for one final time Sunday.

Can’t express enough gratitude to our leaders, my training colleagues who put the fun in run, and the quality people who made this January-to-April experience nothing short of awesome.

El Gordo salutes you!
Stay happy and healthy.
Gotta run ...

Bob Rompre Photo | Langley Grovetrotters

Arian Soheili leads his group and the Latin Runners
through a morning workout at Derby Reach Regional Park.