Fred is one of our most decorated Masters athlete, an unsung hero who is our go-to-person, is still deeply involved with the club and sport for decades.
Fred started road running in 1985, track running in 2003. It was a case of not love at first sight, but just merely for the sheer joy of enjoying running. He has tried distances from 400m all the way up to half-marathons. “But my most successful are 800m, 1500m, and 400m in that order.”
He has been an athlete since high school, “having played a tremendous amount of basketball in high school and competitive summer leagues.”
What kept you interested in Track and field up to the present?
“A sense of achievement, awareness of physical and mental benefits, camaraderie.”
One of his notable contributions/ involvement is spending five years as President of Kajaks Track and Field Club, which he considers as a rewarding experience.
He is currently the co-meet director of the 2023 Harry Jerome Indoor Games and is an active member of the Achilles International Track and Field Society.
One of his most memorable experiences is being inducted into the Richmond Sports Wall of Fame (Masters category) in 2019.
Fred was part of a men’s relay team that set a new world record in August 2022.
"I was asked to join a men’s 75+ year old team in an attempt to beat the world record. As a relay team, we each were required to run 800m. It was quite thrilling to realize a world record was achieved.”
What do you enjoy Volunteering?
“Volunteering has a dual purpose. It contributes to the benefit of society and it promotes satisfaction from within. As a student of happiness, I am aware of how beneficial GIVING is.”
Among his hobbies are gardening, beekeeping, writing, being a grandad.
From this stems the birth of Fred Pawluk, the author.
“Within a year after retiring, I began to recall many of my hilarious experiences in life. These were recorded in point form at first, and then the stories were fleshed out over a ten-year period. They were meant to be for the sole benefit of family and friends. However, the need for professional editing led to a published memoir.”
Published on Wednesday, January 18, 2023.
The book is entitled Life, Laughter, Lessons. It is available in Paperback, Hardcover and Kindle/Kobo (subject to each seller), Amazon.ca; Amazon.com; Chapters/Indigo.ca; Barnes & Noble.com.
Sneak peak into the book:
“The goal of the book is… Simply to see if there is an interest in my quirky humour and life experiences.”
What are your future plans?
“I have 38,000 words archived for a potential follow-up memoir.”
“Keep on running, competing, volunteering.”
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