Red Suit Running

“Who wears boots and a suit of red – Santa wears boots and a suit of red.”

The snow is falling gently and there is a sea of red and smiles. Runners of all ages shuffle and stay warm on the main street of Casselman, Ont. Bales of hay line the sides of the street and there is an atmosphere of good cheer. It is hard to tell who has been naughty and nice at the start line in the sea of Santas at the start line. Of the thousands of footprints in the snow I think I may have even spotted a few reindeer hoof marks.

Santa Run

It’s Dec. 1st and there are 200 or so runners in red Santa costumes and running shoes milling about, trying to stay warm. The small town of 3,000 has a 5K Santa Run as part of their Christmas Festival. With all the snow, early December feels more like mid-winter and adds to the holiday atmosphere. The smell of hay, snow, too many jolly faces and laughs around that the real Santa good have been there.

Guy “Pere Noel” Parent

Guy is originally from a small town in Northern Ontario called North Cobaltand. He moved to Casselman in 2004 seeking a smaller community with strong franco-Ontarian roots. Guy is married to Caroline and has three boys. When not coaching or running Guy works for the National Research Council of Canada in Information and Communication Technology.

Guy is a relatively new runner and began pounding the pavement in 2001 when he lined up to run the Run for the Cure. “I remember running for team MetroPhotonics, the company I worked for at the time and I remember arguing with my co-workers that I could never run 5k, Guy admits. “What really hit me was not the race but the cause behind the event. Our directors’ wife at the time was battling breast cancer and we were there to support the cause. I managed to run the entire race, finishing the race in a good time, too. That was start of my running passion.”

Guy says he has been able to transfer his passion to his oldest son who participates in at least one race a year. Guy also hopes to pass his passion for running along to his other two sons as well.

I was intrigued by the idea of running in costume, especially as Pere Noel (heck the event was named after me!) and had never been to Casselman. I registered for the run and got hold of Guy before and after the run to talk about his running.

Why did you want to put on this Santa run?

My participation in the Christmas Festival started five years ago when I volunteered to organize a fun street hockey tournament for the kids. It was such as success that the next year I was asked to add an adult division. The street hockey tournament is always on the Saturday. This year we had 275 participants. What makes this event special is that we don’t focus on the competition but focus the love of the game as we did as kids in the streets. Last, year the Christmas Festival committee asked that I extend my tournament to a weekend event. That is when I decided to propose the Santa Run as the Sunday event. I have to admit, this idea had been brewing in my head for about three years. I’m a person that likes to organize events that are fun in a different way but at the same that reunites the community. I try to leave my personal stamp on everything I do. I love sports and try to spread my passion to others. My wish for the Santa Run in Casselman is to create a tradition in our community and to introduce running.

What part does running play in your life?

Running is what I do to keep my cardio healthy and to disconnect from work/life stress. I love running during lunch hour or late in the evening. One thing that is perhaps odd is that I love to run in winter. I guess it shouldn’t surprise you since I did organize a race in December.

What was it like running in costume and with your family?

It was very special to have my little family running with me all dressed up. What made it even more special was that my parents came down from Northern Ontario to support me and to participate in their first run.

The run was a blast and pushing my middle-aged Santa self through a snowy 5K was a lot of fun.

There are runs across Canada where people show up as Santa or in costume but I had never taken part – this would be a PB no matter what time I ran: a 5K in costume PB. I am glad I ran and hope to be back next year – sometimes running is just supposed to be fun!

Run on Guy and my fellow Santas.

See you on the roads or in the blogosphere and happy holidays!

Do you have a running story to share?

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