HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News Record, 2016-11-23, Page 13Many near -death experiences
for extreme fitness racer
Shaun Gregory
Postmedia Network
From missing Thailand just
hours after one the world's
deadliest tsunami disasters rav-
aged the country, to being a
mere 300 feet away from the
explosion of the Boston Mara-
thon bombing, long-time Sea -
forth native Jim Scott has had
some close calls with the Grim
Reaper during his amateur
career in extreme racing.
However or Scott, it's away of
life, and little will keep him from
competing.
He says he's "addicted" to it.
Everyday he wakes at sunrise
and travels with his wife, Jill, to
the localYMCAin Owen Sound
to prepare for the next gruelling
competition, whatever it may
be.
Sometimes it's a triathlon.
Other times it's a 26 -mile -plus
run.
Once it was a 2.4 -mile swim,
180 -km bicycle trek and a
42 -km long distance run, which
he completed in under 12
hours with no breaks; not too
shabby for a 53 -year-old ele-
mentary teacher.
That was the Subaru IRON -
MAN last August in B.C.
"I felt good about that," Scott
said over the phone Nov. 8
regarding the completion of the
race. "I wasn't going to do [an
IRONMAN] because the dis-
tances are pretty extreme and
actually kind of stupid:'
Though it was three months
ago, Scott admited he is still,
"feeling the repercussions"
from it.
But he also said he doesn't
regret it. These races that push
his body to its limit come with
satisfying results; however, he
has also had some misadven-
tures along the way.
A prime example was on
April 15, 2013, at the Boston
Marathon, renowned as the
oldest annual race of its kind.
Scott and his wife were in top-
notch shape and had just com-
pleted the long distance course
in exceptional time. Usually
after finishing a race of this
magnitude a celebratory beer is
in order. This time, however, the
couple decided to head to the
finish line on Bolyston Street to
watch the rest of the runners
before having a cold one.
Then the worst happened.
Scott said he heard a loud
bang, which at first he thought
must have been a celebratory
salute, given the fact there was
such a large military presence.
Then came the second
explosion, shattering his hope-
ful and naive predictions. The
racers were under attack. The
loud sound of two pressure -
cooker bombs stuffed with
shrapnel could be heard from
miles away. Only a couple hun-
dred meters away, Scott, his
wife and friends stood motion-
less for a brief moment, before
darting to their hotel that was
close by.
"I had never heard so many
sirens in my life. It was just
crazy. There were helicopters,
ambulances and police cars,"
Scott said, describing the scene
surrounding the double bomb-
ings that killed three and
injured 264 people. "It was cha-
otic. Police were shoeing peo-
ple off the street. We just
wanted to get out of town:'
Runners were jumping over
barricades. The stench of the
bomb filled the air, said Scott.
"I think everybodywas think-
ing
hinking of when the next bomb was
going to go off," he said.
Witnessing the bombs,
which were 12 seconds apart
according to CNN, and what US
President Barack Obama called
an "act of terrorism," Scott
decided to take part in the run
the following year.
I think a lot of people
wanted to run it again, just to
show that the marathon goes
on," Scott said. "The great tradi-
tion goes on without being
afraid of terrorism:'
Scott will be the first to admit
that he has not had a lot of good
fortune when it comes to big
races.
The year previous, Scott
qualified for the ING New York
Marathon and the misfortune
that time came from Mother
Nature as the post -tropical
cyclone known as Hurricane
Sandy ripped through the east
coast of the U.S. and the race
was cancelled.
"I have not had a lot of luck
with big races," said Scott, who
still makes appearances to the
Seaforth area to see family and
friends.
What he considers ill fated
could also be looked at as a
blessing because no matter
what happens in these disas-
ters, he seems to just miss the
devastation, sometimes only
by hours in the case of the
earthquake that devastated
Thailand.
CONTINUED > PAGE 14
Postmedia file photo
Jim Scott, a 53 -year-old raised in Seaforth witnessed the Boston
Marathon Massacres first hand. He has had some unusual incidents
in his long career of running and other physical activities.
clintonnewsrecord.com
Kyra Leddy
Allison Colquhoun
Shayla Ward
Brett Gibbings
Emma Vanstone
Savannah Rutledge
Jordyn Clark
Sydney Middleton
Coye Edgar
Micah Wubbs
Macey Adams
Ryan Russell
Mieka McClinchey
Taylor Paterson
ov. 15
Nov. 15
Nov. 16
Nov. 18
Nov. 19
Nov. 23
Nov. 24
Nov. 25
Nov. 26
Nov. 26
Nov. 28
Nov. 29
Nov. 29
Dec. 1
If you wish to have your childs
name & birthdate in the Birthday
Club for ages 1-12, please call
the office, it's free. 519-482-3443
Hey Kids!
Come in to visit
Ryan & Amanda
@ Clinton Foodland
1.1111
on your
BIRTHDAY
for a Birthday gift
_ Clinton
rOODIAND
6 Mary St., Clinton 519-482-9341
Wednesday, November 23, 2016 • News Record 13
tit,HEART '" MAKE
TROKE HEALTH
FOUNDATIOIN LAST CA
ASSESS YOUR RISK
BABIES OF
2016
Bring in a picture of your
little one born in 2016
Along with the form below
filled out & $20
Before January 4, 2017 4pm
To be included in the
Babies of 2016
Section of the
Clinton News Record
To be published January 11, 2017
Drop into 53 Albert St. Clinton
with your prepayment & picture
r
I PLEASE COMPLETE 1
1 Parent's Names
I I
Resident of
1 Weight at Birth
I I
Grandparents
Baby's Full Name
Birth Date
1 Siblings