Groups/

McCain in Motion

Mary M.
Mary M. Sendmail

McCain News Stories - athletic

posted over 3 years ago | Report

Athletic talent has a chance to shine

05 October 2009
By Martin Herron

ASPIRING athletes in Scarbor-ough have the opportunity to be talent-spotted next weekend by members of UK Athletics at the Yorkshire Coast 10km Road Race.
Scouts from Scarborough's own athletics club will also be on hand hoping to check out a future champ.

Olympic stars Sally Gunnell and Iwan Thomas, 2012 athlete hopeful and world junior gold medallist 1,500m runner Steph Twell, Beijing silver medalADVERTISEMENTist and paralympic club thrower Stephen Miller and under-23 international long jumper Chris Kirk will be on hand at the event to offer practical tips and inspiration to budding track and field hopefuls.

They will be part of a roadshow organised by sponsors McCain Foods. The McCain Track and Field Roadshow provides those who might not normally consider trying athletics the opportunity to have a go at different disciplines. These include testing reactions and strength, as well as jumping, throwing and sprinting ability – and the talent spotters will be keeping their eyes peeled for people with potential.

Bill Bartlett, corporate affairs director at McCain Foods, says: "We are thrilled to be able to build on our sponsorship of this fantastic event by bringing the McCain Track and Field Roadshow to Scarborough, our home town. Although, at the very least, it's great to see people trying new sports, the idea that we might find a champion of tomorrow on our doorstep is very exciting."

Nearly 1,000 people have signed up for the 10km race on Sunday and entries are now closed, although places are still available in the day's 2.5km family fun run.

Chris Clayton, chairman of Scarborough Athletic Club, said: "We've had over 900 entries to the 10km, which is absolutely phenomenal for the first year of an event like this.

"Entries for the fun run are still coming in and can even be made on the day, so I'd encourage families, schools and workplaces to get a group together and join us for a fantastic day."

* The McCain Track & Field Roadshow will be located on South Bay Beach between 9.30am and 2.30pm on Sunday and is free of charge.

Respond

3 posts

scroll to bottom
  • Mary M.
    Mary M. Sendmail

    This was posted on the McCaintranet ....very inspirational.

    Name: Tony Ford
    Location: Ballarat, Australia
    Headline: Tony Ford – Mr. Marathon
    Story: Tony completed his first marathon. And who better to tell about it than him:
    I completed Melbourne marathon on Sunday… my first marathon. It went well with the distance
    of 42.195 km (26 miles) covered in just on 4 hours 25 minutes and I finished about half way in
    my age category(50-54 ages)… but who really cares- I finished! The time was within my
    expectation for my first marathon. Quite a hot and windy spring day with temperatures on the run
    of 26c+ and while the race started at 7.30am by the finish time it was quite hot approaching 30c.
    My run went well with a good 4 hour pace for the half, I then was a bit cocky and pushed a little
    too hard in 3rd 10km thinking I could go under 4 hours. This caught up with me in the last 10k
    where the headwind really kicked in and I walked quite a bit (that is OK). Finished quite strongly
    in last 4 -5km running into the Melbourne Cricket ground for a lap of the hallowed turf. Feel great
    today as I did after the marathon - having a nice lunch with my support crew!
    Twenty thousand participants took part in various distances from 5 km through to the Samsung
    Marathon. The race is in its 31st year and attracts elites as well as average guys like me. The
    men's winner was from Ethiopia -Asnake Befikadau finishing in 2hrs 17 minutes! And boy does
    he fly. I past him on the way out before 21 km… he was on his way home. The first lady home
    was Mai Tagami from Japan in a time of 2 hrs 38 min.
    Beautiful run along the bay in our beautiful city. The race starts at the Melbourne tennis centre,
    home of the Australian Open, runs through CBD and out to the bay at St Kilda beach, around
    which Melbourne is built, and follows the bay on closed roads out and back. I can assure you the
    city skyscrapers look a long way out as you turn around and head back from the away point on
    the course. The race finishes inside the MCG the Mecca of sport in Melbourne (110,000 seat
    coliseum) which is a 10-15min walk from the CBD.
    As part of the motivation for me we fundraised for the main charity of the event Cerebral Palsy,
    with predominantly McCain colleagues donating $750. A great effort and special thanks has to go
    to them. As my wife Jane said to me at the 32 km mark, as she awaited her struggling husband ( I
    had hit that famous wall by then), you have to finish now with all those friends donating.
    That’s it for the year. Will I do a second Melbourne Marathon next year, or some other
    race?…..PROBABLY but not next week!
    Website: http://www.melbournemarathon.com.au/
    Regards
    Tony Ford

    posted over 3 years ago | Report

  • Mary M.
    Mary M. Sendmail

    Another story from the intranet:

    On May 18th, 2008, 10 McCain
    employees competed as a team in the
    Brazil Marathon. Each member ran
    4km of the 40 km race. The team
    finished in an impressive time of 4
    hours, 50 minutes. One of the racers,
    Sergio Domingues summed up the
    day very nicely. "It was very intense
    as all competition is; the feeling of
    personal overcoming is fantastic! I
    need to fell like that! Either in my
    work or my personal life, it is very
    good for breaching limits. I’d like to
    congratulate the McCain in Motion Program that
    allows me learn more and do more for myself."
    For some this was their first real running race and
    the excitement and the challenge of the day has
    inspired them to continue running. Ana Paula
    Rodrigues, one of the team members said "It was
    fun to participate and the McCain team stimulated
    me. This was my first participation and now my
    husband and I are inspired to run twice a week.
    I’m preparing myself for the next race."
    Congratulations to all of these McCain
    employees for competing this race and
    demonstrating what McCain in Motion is all about.
    Team Members:
    Robinson Monteiro - Controller
    Alessandra Fonseca - Product Manager
    Daniel Alves - Customer Services Assistant
    Elaine Silva - Logistic Supervisor
    Mario Tadeu Souza - QSR Manager
    Guillermo Navarro - HR Director South America
    Fabiana Silva - Product Manager Food Service
    Sibele Cupertino - Marketing Analyst
    Ana Paula Rodrigues - Marketing Analyst
    Sergio Domingues - Retail -Sales

    posted over 3 years ago | Report

  • Mary M.
    Mary M. Sendmail

    McCain Foods’ River Runners
    Colleagues achieving success by staying fit

    Friday, June 26, 2009


    Ghislain Pelletier (654), McCain Foods’ corporate vice President of Agriculture, finished his first marathon in 2009 with his fellow River Runners cheering him on.

    The majestic St. John River, home of the River Runners
    Whether you choose to run, power walk, bike, swim or take on other physical challenges, the simple story of the River Runners in Florenceville, New Brunswick, Canada, a small group of colleagues committed to supporting and inspiring one another, is sure to motivate all McCain Foods’ employees to consider how they can leverage their local support systems for personal success.

    Three or four years ago Fred Green, director of Purchasing at Day & Ross Transportation Group in Florenceville, New Brunswick, Canada, motivated a fellow colleague who shared an interest in running to join him Saturday mornings for weekend runs. This quickly expanded to include a few other colleagues who also were seeking an opportunity to run in a team environment.

    “Time passes quickly,” says Fred. “But we have achieved quite a lot of personal success since we first started running together.”

    The group, consisting of Ghislain Pelletier, vice president of Corporate Agriculture, Chris Swimm, National Quality manager for McCain Foods Canada, and Fred along with a non McCain Foods friend and a recent addition of Paul Kurvits, a Marketing consultant to McCain Foods Canada, the group’s runs vary in distance up and down the local St John River.

    “We all have busy lives with work and family events, so some Saturdays all members are present, while some Saturdays a member will run alone,” says Fred. “But despite this, we run every week of the year in rain and heavy wind, on cold winter days with ice and blowing snow and occasionally on gorgeous sunny days without a cloud in the sky.”

    While the group members have their own personal reasons for taking up running, including losing weight, developing a healthy lifestyle or managing stress, all the members enjoy a newfound addiction to the sport and the drive to set themselves personal goals. For Ghislain, this meant running the 42-kilometre 2009 Fredericton, New Brunswick (Canada) Marathon on May 10th, his first marathon, in a time of 3:15:41, finishing 15th in a field of 136 runners, a result which qualifies him for participation in the Boston Marathon in April 2010. As Fred states, Ghislain’s accomplishment is the result of commitment, dedication and hard work and a feat that most runners will not achieve in a lifetime.

    On the weekend of May 23 the River Runners, with the exception of Fred, also participated in a 298-kilometre relay race around the Cabot Trail in Nova Scotia, Canada, while Fred completed his 23rd half marathon (21.1 kilometres) in Ottawa, Canada.

    McCain Foods’ global employee health and wellness program, McCain in Motion, supports McCain Foods’ employees in their quest to live healthier lives through programs and events, education on living healthier lifestyles and providing continuous support. If you are interested in organizing an event or program that will inspire your fellow colleagues to get active, we encourage you to discuss this with your local Human Resources team.

    posted over 3 years ago | Report

Other Topics in the McCain in Motion Forum