To celebrate his 80th birthday, Dick Voneugen won't be lacing up his shoes for an 80-kilometre run. On his behalf, others will be.
When he was in his 40s, Voneugen started a tradition of running his age on every birthday -- July 24. His distances got longer every year until he reached 60. That year, he started counting back down. As time marched on, Voneugen became less able to keep up with his self-imposed requirements and his annual birthday trot fizzled out.
It now has new life.
On Sunday, June 10, the Dick Voneugen Birthday Fun Run will be on the streets and trails around Prince George. The idea was born when Voneugen and local ultra-marathon runner Jeff Hunter were having a chat during a meeting of the Cranbrook Hill Greenway Society.
"Dick and I were talking about distance running and he mentioned that he used to run the matching kilometres on his birthday," Hunter said. "I said, 'Are you still doing that?' and he said, 'No, I started going backwards when I hit 60.' I said, 'Well, we'll do it next year.' So I phoned a couple buddies and asked who was interested. Everyone that's into that kind of distance said, 'Yup, we'll do it.' But nobody knew how far we were going so I e-mailed Dick back and he told me he turns 80 this July."
So far, Hunter and fellow Prince George resident Reid Roberts have committed to running 80 km. In the interests of getting as many people as possible involved, the decision was made to also include several other distances -- 7.5km, 19km, 25km, 42.2km and 50km. Start times and routes will vary, but all runners will finish at about 4 p.m. at the Otway Nordic Centre.
Hunter sees the day as a nice tribute to Voneugen, a Prince George Sports Hall of Fame member, for his decades of involvement in organizing and promoting local events like the Labour Day Classic and the Terry Fox Run.
"He sure does a lot for Prince George," Hunter said. "He's out all the time. I remember one time this winter he phoned me up and asked if I could drop him off in the middle of the Greenway Trail so he could provide an aid station for the Ski the Greenway day. There's not many guys that are 79 years old sitting out in the middle of winter on the Greenway."
Voneugen said it's "incredible" that the run will be held in his honour. He was quick to point out, however, that he wouldn't mind if his name was dropped from the title of the race.
"I would just be happy to have it called The Birthday Run," said Voneugen, who, along with friend Dave Wood, used to alternate his yearly birthday runs between Mount Robson Provincial Park and the Greenway Trail. "Never mind my name, because anybody can make it their birthday run."
Voneugen will participate on June 10, but only at the start/finish line to send runners off and later to welcome them home with blasts from his signature horn.
"My running days are over," he said. "I'm struggling with lower back and right hip problems. I struggled in the 10K last August at the Seniors Games in Trail and it's been progressively getting worse. But I consider myself blessed. I've had lots of fun in doing [runs] over the years."
More information on the Dick Voneugen Birthday Fun Run can be found online at www.runningthenorth.com.
