A Williams Lake track and field athlete returned home with an impressive three gold medals after competing as part of Team B.C. at the Canada 55-plus Games in St. John, New Brunswick.
Seventy-six-year-old Pat Harton won gold in the 400-metre, the 1,500-metre and the 3,000-metre events. It was his first time competing on the national stage at the Canada 55-plus Games, held this year from Aug. 21-24.
“I’d done well at the BC Games the past two years, so I just decided to go,” Harton told the Tribune. “I figured I’d have a chance to win a medal or two because of that.”
Harton joined roughly 2,500 athletes from throughout Canada, and was one of 59 participants on Team BC.
“It was just a great experience,”he said. “People were there not only to compete, but to sight see in the St. John area, and it was a lot of fun. The people were very friendly. People were there to party, to socialize — all those things — and I’m glad I went.”
Track and field was held at the University of New Brunswick St. John campus where Harton posted times of 1:21.3 in the 400 metre, 6:52.6 in the 1,500 metre and 15:01.4 in the 3,000 metre events to capture his gold medals.
In Williams Lake, Harton said he trains mostly indoors on a treadmill, along with some interval training on a hill on his property he uses to run shorter distances for roughly seven months of the year.
“I don’t do well outside,” he said. “Some people here [in Williams Lake] train all year round outside, but another reason I use the treadmill is it’s a little easier on the legs.”
He said following his third and last race on his final day of competition, the 3,000-metre, his legs were beginning to tire.
“My legs were showing wear and tear after that,” he said. “I’d done the 1,500-metre first, on the Wednesday morning, then in the afternoon I did the 400 metres. Thursday was the 3,000 metre.”
Harton was schedule to also race the 800 metre event, however, decided to forego that event, but added he was extremely pleased with his results.
“It just worked out for me,” he said. “There were 59 people in attendance from B.C. but there were only four us there from the entire province [in track and field], and I was the only male track and field athlete there from B.C. I just couldn’t believe that.”
Harton, a retired school teacher, found a renewed passion for the sport of running roughly six-and-a-half years ago.
“I’d done quite a bit in high school,” he said. “I did track and cross country running, and in university I did all cross country, but job commitments got in the way, and I got into other things like curling, and I did golf quite a lot.”
In 2012, Harton discovered the BC 55-plus Games, and thought he’d try running again.
“I’ve had back problems but running, strangely enough, doesn’t seem to bother it,” he said. “Other things like improper lifting or too much golf certainly does.”
In preparation for the Canada 55-plus Games, Harton said he trained roughly four to five times a week at varying distances either on his treadmill, or outside on his property’s incline.
Prior to the Games, Harton attended the Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas Marathon in November of 2017 where he ran the 10-kilometre event on the Vegas strip, and, in past years, has participated in the Vancouver BMO Marathon three times and Sport Chek Kamloops Marathon.
“In Las Vegas, it was getting dark just as we finished,” he said. “There were over 4,000 runners and I finished 369th out of over 4,000.
“I remember I could hear the P.A. system going as we approached the finish line, and the announcer says: ‘And here comes Pat Harton from Williams Lake, B.C., Canada — a 76-year-old!’ I was quite astounded from them to say that.”
At this year’s BMO Vancouver Marathon, Harton completed his first half marathon — a bucket list feat he’s proud of completing in two hours and 27 minutes.
“I ran all the way,” he said. “I only stopped to take on water. My breathing was good all the way through but my legs were really stiff and sore, but now I can say I’ve done a half marathon.”
And from Sept. 11-15 Harton will help represent the North Central Zone at this year’s 55-plus BC Games in Kimberley/Cranbrook.
Harton is entered in the men’s 75-79 400 metre, 800 metre, 1,500 metre, 1,500 metre race/walk, 5,000 metre and 10-kilometre road race at the Games.
