Dr. Jean continues to carry the torch!

As some of our loyal readers (all three of you) may know, Dr. Jean Marmoreo has played a pivotal role in the running careers of a majority of the Go Girls Toronto runners. Most of us met through JeansMarines, the organization founded by Dr. Jean and her husband, Bob Ramsay. Jean taught us that we are strong and able and capable of completing a whole marathon--yes, all 26.2 miles/42.2 km, in a row, on the same day, in the same event.

Thanks to Jean and Bob, we met and became runners. Thanks to Jean and Bob, we continued to run. In many respects, the Go Girls Toronto running club exists because of Jean and Bob. So we are always delighted to hear about Jean's exploits in the running world. (Bob, unfortunately, is no longer able to run. He says it is because of a knee surgery. We suspect it is the prolonged exposure to running long distance with women.) We were thrilled when Jean placed first (!) in her age group at Boston this past spring and equally delighted when Jean placed third (but the first North American) in her age group at the formidable NYC Marathon in November.

But just when we thought that Jean could not possibly outdo herself, she found a way to continue carrying the torch for us--both figuratively and literally! Jean recently carried the Olympic torch in the national torch relay. Yes, the Olympic torch! What a thrill for Jean! What an honour! In my view, carrying the torch is a fitting honour for this woman who has inspired so many others to go "faster, stronger, higher".

Jean embodies the spirit of the pursuit of excellence. She has gone from a beginner marathoner to a serious age-group competitor. In the process, she has dragged many of us along with her (sometimes kicking and screaming). Jean leads by example. She leads by logging those long, lonely miles in training. She leads by encouraging all of us, no matter what our ability, to get out on the road and run. Jean instills a belief in oneself that despite the fact that one has not been physically active for a decade, it is possible to become a runner, a marathoner, an athlete. Jean instills confidence--which is often not easy to do when one is dealing with a large group of women who were more often told what they could not do as opposed to what they could do.

Jean, Olympic torch bearer, we salute you for carrying the torch of confidence, ability, and fitness for so many of us.