| It was with incredible sadness that I read of the tragic accident that took Emilie's life on Saturday.
I came to know Emilie over the past ten years; first meeting her when she
was only 15 years old; even then, taking the track community by storm. Over
the next ten years I came to know Emilie well, first as an athlete, then as
a person..and was fortunate to have created a bond with her that I will
always cherish.
Taking Harvey Mitro's suggestion of dedicating a run for Emilie, I got up
early this morning and headed out for a 5 miler. My run simulated the time
and distance that I last ran with Emilie; that was in Belgium in 2004. The
morning after competitions were over, Emilie would routinely seek me out to
go for an "easy" recovery run with her. After the first time we did this
(Portugal in 2000) I learned very quickly that I would in the future need to
train (and taper) for Emilie's easy recovery runs! As tough as they were
for me physically, they were incredibly gratifying in so many other ways.
Emilie would talk and I would listen (too fast for me to talk!) ...and
learn. I learned so much about Emilie over the years, most notably on our
runs together.
As I ran this morning, the memories came flooding back, and I thought of so
many of the things I learned from and about Emilie.
Emilie was a passionate person, no question. She was passionate about so
many things.
Emilie was passionate about her family. I remember her being so happy to be
able to introduce me to her parents in Toronto a couple of years ago. She
was so proud of her family, and I could tell her family was equally proud of
her They had driven all the way to Toronto to share Emilie's special moment
with her, when she would accept her gold medal at the National XC Awards
Reception.
Emilie was passionate about her friends. She loved to care about people. On
team trips she would do anything and everything to help anyone. As a senior
she would take the time to sit down with the rookie junior women's teams and
talk them through the whole "being a female distance athlete, being on a
national team, being at a world cross country championships" thing. She
cared, and she shared. She helped those young girls out a lot. She helped a
lot of people in so many ways.
Emilie was passionate about the environment. She really cared about the
earth...she loved to set herself loose in the outdoors, a place where
running became, for her, the means to explore her physical and metaphysical
world. In this sense she was also a very spiritual person.
Emilie was passionate about running, training and racing. She was not
willing to give anything less than her best, EVER. She would race until it
would look like she was going to drop, then she'd dig even deeper and push
even harder. I admired her tenacity and shear guts in so many ways. She was
totally absorbed in the sport of distance running, but never made anyone
feel that she was the better one. I was more than twice her age and half as
fast...and she would make me feel as if my running was just as important as
hers. I remember her telling me that she wanted to to still be able to run
when she got to be my age! I used to laugh and tell her she'd still be able
to run circles around everyone by the time she got to be 50..and I really
believed that. Emilie always asked me about running marathons. She was
passionate in her desire to run one. I would tell her to be patient, that
she had many years ahead during which she could run marathons. She came so
close.
Emilie was passionate about learning and living. She took each day and
grabbed it with all her might. She lived to run, to learn, to explore..she
lived to be. If you spent any time with her you quickly learned these
things.
Emilie's passion was what defined her, and that passion is what I will
remember about her in the future. For now, I am just so very sad. I cannot
help but feel the pain that comes with the profound sadness of losing
someone very, very special. I cannot even begin to imagine the grief her
family must be feeling. To them I extend my deepest sympathies.
I've attached a few photos of Emilie. To those in the photos, I hope these
will provide you with the memories of happier times. To those who didn't
know Emilie personally, maybe this reflection will help you learn a little
about the person who was Emilie Mondor.
Rest in peace, Emilie. I will run my next marathon for you.
Geordie Farrell
Saugeen Track and Field Club
Port Elgin, Ontario |
