Farewell to a father and runner

“Cherish the freedom and ability to run. Suck the air deep into your lungs and enjoy life and the thrill of the run. Wrap your arms around those you love and who put up with your silly running. You never know what tomorrow holds.”

I didn’t know RCMP Constable Douglas Larche but, as many Canadians were, I was horrified and saddened at the events that took place in Moncton last week. Whether in uniform or business suit, in a cubicle or cop car, behind our work-day personas we are all people. We are all sons, daughters, sometimes husbands or wives and, in this case, also a father.

Douglas Larche was also a runner. Maybe not that important in the grand scheme of things but, when you have something in common with someone, it seems to make a difference. For the Canadian running community, Douglas was one of us. He tied up his running shoes when he had time and hit the roads.

On May 11, Douglas toed the start line for the 2014 Fredericton half-marathon like so many other New Brunswick runners. He crossed the line in 1:41, a very decent time. Like others that day, he would have savoured the accomplishment and grabbed water or a bagel as he walked tired and happy.

Douglas Larche

Douglas was 40 years old, was born in Kazabazua, Que., but raised in Saint John, N.B.

Douglas was a runner. Around 50 minutes for a 10K and hovering just under 2:00 for the half-marathon.

Douglas was posted as an RCMP member to New Brunswick in February 2002 and served in Miramichi, Doaktown and Codiac, which covers the Moncton area, in the highway patrol division

In 2008, Larche received a Commander’s Commendation for saving the life of an unconscious baby in Moncton. Last week he was in the same neighbuorhood for a different reason. This time it was for a heavily-armed man walking through a north Moncton neighbourhood, right past the front door of the little boy he had saved.

Douglas never left that neighborhood. A life saved and a life taken. Constable Douglas Larche was killed while on duty that.

Father’s Day

It will be a quiet weekend for the Larche family on the weekend. A father was taken from his wife and children with a senseless act of violence. Lives changed in mere moments.

Douglas will never lace up his shoes again. Throw on a red shirt next run out and think of Douglas, or maybe someone else who’s time on earth was too short. Enjoy your every step, enjoy having the chance to run and breathe in the morning, afternoon or evening air. Go give your dad a hug if he’s still with you. Time, running and sometimes fathers can too often be taken for granted.

Not sure what happens after we take our last breathes. I imagine, being an RCMP officer, that Douglas would be wearing his uniform wherever he is. Perhaps, just maybe he’ll be tying up his running shoes and slipping along quietly on foot through the afterlife. Run on Douglas. Run on friends.

See you on the roads or in the blogosphere.

Do you have a running story to tell?

runningwriter@hotmail.com

You can also follow me on Twitter @NoelPaine or on my personal blog.