2022 Archives - Army Run

Governor General’s Foot Guards celebrate 150th anniversary in 2022

Formed on June 7, 1872, the Governor General’s Foot Guards (GGFG) is Canada’s senior Army Reserve infantry regiment.

Over the past 150 years, the Regiment has earned 34 Battle Honours, and its members have served abroad and at home in wars, peacekeeping missions and domestic and international operations.

Currently, the GGFG provides individual augmentation to Regular Force units when they deploy on operations. Most recently, the Regiment has deployed members on Op IMPACT in Iraq and Jordan, Op CALUMET in Egypt, Op SOPRANO in Sudan, Op REASSURANCE in Poland and Latvia, and Op UNIFIER in the Ukraine.

The Regiment also maintains a robust domestic response capability to support Canadians at home in the event of a natural disaster or emergency. The Regiment has deployed soldiers to the 1998 Ice Storm, floods in 2017 and 2019, and during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

The GGFG has been headquartered at the Cartier Square Drill Hall in Ottawa since 1879.

Members of the Regiment took part in the Nile Expedition of 1884 and the following year provided a company of sharpshooters to the Battleford column during the North West Rebellion, where the Regiment suffered its first two casualties at the battle of Cut Knife Hill. During the Boer war, the regiment contributed volunteers for the various Canadian contingents, mainly the 2nd (Special Service) Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment of Infantry.

The GGFG perpetuates two battalions of the Canadian Expeditionary Force, who took part in the First World War. The 2nd (Eastern Ontario) battalion, “The Iron Second,” which was a part of the 1st Canadian Division, saw continuous service on the Western front from 1915 to end of war in 1918. The 2nd Battalion also fought at the battles of Ypres, St. Julien, Festubert, Pozières, Vimy (1917), Arleux, Hill 70, Passchendaele, Amiens, and Canal du Nord, to name only a few. By the end of the war, 242 officers and 5,084 other ranks had fought with the battalion. Of those, 52 officers and 1,227 other ranks were killed. The 77th (Ottawa) battalion provided reinforcements for the Canadian Corps until 22 September 1916, when its personnel were absorbed by the 47th Battalion (British Columbia), CEF and the 73rd Battalion (Royal Highlanders of Canada) and the battalion was disbanded. The honours and traditions of these battalions are perpetuated by the GGFG.

During the Second World War, the GGFG was mobilized in May 1940. In 1942, the regiment was re-rolled to become an armoured unit to address the need for more armoured units in the Canadian Army, assuming the name “21st Canadian Armoured Regiment (G.G.F.G.)”. It embarked for Great Britain on 23 September 1942. On 24 July 1944, it landed in France as part of the 4th Armoured Brigade, 4th Canadian Armoured Division, and it continued to fight in northwest Europe until the end of the war, taking part in the battle of Normandy, the battle of the Scheldt, and the Rhineland. Over the course of the war, the Regiment’s casualties were 101 dead and 284 wounded. Forceful III, a Sherman tank that served with the regiment, is currently on display at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa and is dedicated to the memory of the members of the GGFG l, killed during the Second World War.

In the intervening years, members have participated in numerous United Nations and NATO operations, including service in the Cyprus, Somalia, the Former Republic of Yugoslavia, Haiti, Ethiopia, and Sierra Leone. During the Canadian mission in Afghanistan, the GGFG deployed numerous members, taking part in Task Force 3-06, Task Force 3-08, and Task Force 1-10 in Kandahar, as well as the Op ATTENTION training mission in Kabul.

For service on active duty, members of the Regiment have been awarded more than 500 decorations, including 2 Victoria Crosses.

GG02-2017-0242-017
June 25, 2017
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada, invited members of the public to join him for the annual Inspection of the Ceremonial Guard and the launch of Storytime on Sunday, June 25, 2017, on the grounds of Rideau Hall.
Credit: MCpl Vincent Carbonneau, Rideau Hall, OSGG

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Event Information Uncategorized

Status on In-Person Event

#ARMYRUN is Returning to Ottawa!

After a long time away, we are ecstatic to announce we are returning to in-person racing on Sunday, September 18, 2022! We are taking a hybrid approach in order to begin a return to a traditional Canada Army Run, while continuing to maintain what it’s all about: connecting with Canadians and raising funds for Support Our Troops and Soldier On – joining together in the spirit of camaraderie and community. Once again, this will be a chance for the troops to extend the military esprit de corps to Canadians and to thank them for their support. And, it’s an opportunity for Canadians to say thanks to the men and women who serve them in so many ways at home and abroad.

In-Person Event Details:

Date: Sunday, September 18, 2022
Location: Ottawa (City Hall)

Distances, Start Times and Registration Cap:
5K (9:00am) – 4,000 participants
10K (10:00am) – 2,500 participants
5K + 10K Challenge – 3,500 participants
There will be no in-person Half Marathon event for 2022.

Registration goes live Tuesday May 24 at 12:00 noon, so get ready to register!

Important Details:

While the Army is beginning to return to more normal circumstances, we remain cautious when it comes to events which do not directly support training and operational readiness. Hosting large public events requires many resources, including equipment, volunteers, and military personnel. There is an increased demand at present for training resumption, impacting our personnel capacity for non-operational functions.
The in-person event is returning to downtown Ottawa for 2022. This decision came after evaluating many factors to ensure the best possible event with the distances provided and resources available. Exact start and finish locations will be announced in the coming weeks
Start times may be subject to change, however, they are currently set based on maximum access to OC Transpo, O-Train and STO services on Sunday mornings
5K and 10K Courses will be released this Summer
Additional on-site events and schedules will be released leading up to the event date. Please continue to follow us or check armyrun.ca for the latest details!
Please note that the in-person event will be capped at a total participant number of 10,000 people, so don’t wait to register!
Both in-person and virtual participants will have access to all virtual training events offered leading up to the event
Virtual event race packages will not be made available at the in-person events for virtual registrants

Current Virtual Participants:

Transfers

You may transfer your registration at any time to the in-person event while spots are available. To transfer, you can visit our registration page here, where the transfer button is available under the main menu. You may also access transfers via your participant dashboard, which can be accessed here.
Note – Transferred events may be subject to additional charges of the price difference. No refunds will be issued for transfers to events of lesser price value.

Virtual and in-person racing
You may register for both the in-person and virtual events to take on even more #ARMYRUN action! Your virtual race package will still be mailed to your address; they will not be made available at the in-person event.

We thank you for your patience as we continue to develop an exciting 2022 event, and hope to see you in September!

Canadian Army Uncategorized

Canadian Ranger Sergeant Emily Coombs

The military has always been a big part of Canadian Ranger (CR) Sergeant Emily Coombs’s life, so it is fitting that for the past two years, she has chosen Canada Army Run as her big running challenge.

CR Sgt Coombs, who is Patrol Commander for 4th Canadian Ranger Patrol Group (4 CRPG)’s Ucluelet Canadian Ranger Patrol (CRP) on Vancouver Island in British Columbia and lives in nearby Tofino, has run the virtual Canada Army Run the past two years and is planning to run her third straight Commander’s Challenge this September.

Both of CR Sgt Coombs’s grandfathers were in the military, and as she runs, she thinks of them often,

“My father’s father was in the Navy during the Second World War, and my mother’s father was a signaller for 30 years with the Canadian Army, so I kind of always have those two people in mind when I’m doing it,” she said.

CR Sgt Coombs was also attracted to Canada Army Run because it gives her a goal to work towards and a good reason to keep training.

“The overall greater good of it appeals to me as well,” she said. “I probably wouldn’t think to do a run for cancer or something, but I would for the military because the military is such an important part of my life.”

CR Sgt Coombs has been serving as a Canadian Ranger for six years, and she has been the Ucluelet CRP Patrol Commander for four years. She is also a volunteer firefighter in Tofino.

CR Sgt Coombs was in the Naval Reserve when she was younger, and she says when she left, she had full intentions of joining again, but then life happened, and she didn’t end up going back. She hadn’t heard of the Canadian Rangers while she was in the Reserves, but when she and her family moved to Tofino 10 years ago, she heard about the Rangers and thought it sounded like something that would be a great fit.

“I realized later that I really missed the military in my life, which is part of the reason I joined the fire department because I really like the structure and being useful for my community and having some really good skills that you hope you never have to use them but you’re glad you have them if you ever do, just that feeling of being prepared for anything and helping my neighbours and my community,” she said. “I just like feeling useful, and I want to be the person who will run to the danger as opposed to away from the danger, and I want to feel like I’m prepared to do that. I’m really passionate about the military in general, and from my experience in Navy and just from what I know about the Army, I think the Rangers is the perfect mix of everything, especially for me being near the ocean. I get to be on my boat and do Ranger stuff on my boat but also do the land-based stuff, and I’ve really taken a shine to the bushcraft aspect and the wilderness survival. I get to do all the things I love to do in one organization, and I’m providing a service to my community at the same time.”

Beyond running her CRP, CR Sgt Coombs has been serving 4 CRPG as an instructor on several different training courses.

She has instructed on the Enhanced Wilderness Survival Training and Basic Wilderness Survival Training courses, and she has been an assistant instructor on the Canadian Ranger Basic Military Indoctrination course. As well, CR Sgt Coombs is in the process of becoming a Wilderness First Aid instructor.

“It’s a way for me to pass on what I’ve learned,” she said. “It also keeps my own skills and knowledge sharp as well, so it forces me to keep up to date. There are so many Ranger skills that are perishable unless you keep doing it, so if I’m teaching it, I’m forcing myself to not forget it. I really enjoy Company- and Group-level work within the Rangers, so teaching on courses and stuff kind of gets me out of my patrol to get a broader context of the Rangers, and I get to learn from other people from other places and things that are done a little differently elsewhere.”

Uncategorized

Canada Army Run to finish at National War Memorial

Canada Army Run is proud to announce our new finish line at the National War Memorial. Located in the heart of downtown Ottawa, this iconic landmark will greet you at the end of your 5K or 10K journey. It brings together the landmark features of a Canada Army Run event, with the importance and symbolism of military history and culture

Unveiled in 1939, it is a symbol that honours Canadians who fought and sacrificed in war. It also includes the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and is the site of the national Remembrance Day ceremony.

A special thank you to our partners at Veterans Affairs Canada, the City of Ottawa, The NCC, and all of our valued partners who have helped make this possible.

We invite you to take part in this historic year, and hope to see you cross the Finish Line with us on September 18!

To learn more about the National War Memorial, click here.

Running Uncategorized

Running Resolutions

Suggestions for the New Year

**Always follow public health measures to help prevent the spread of COVID-19

Often, our New Year’s resolutions are food and drink related. Sometimes they involve self-improvement, better productivity or sleeping hours. Regularly they are harder than we thought and regularly they are broken. Because they’re not easy! Especially when they involve physical activity.

At the very least, acknowledge that resolutions are difficult to keep, focus on only one or two, and don’t be so hard on yourself. Habits take time to form and the small things we do to move in the right direction result in big future changes. There’s also something humbling about running in the New Year, especially in January. It’s cold, it’s slippery, and it’s the season when resolutions—and your mettle—are tested.

Here are some suggestions for great running resolutions to take up this New Year alongside several tips to get there. Stay strong and have fun and print out your goals! Stick them on your computer monitor or make them into a smartphone background. Keep your eyes on the prize!

Running Resolution #1: I will log all my running and training!

Write it down! Commit to your running goals on paper and do so in a running journal. This is an example of many small things adding up to a big one: the kilometres you clock and the times you ran.

Looking back on all that data, you’ll see incremental improvement that can be quite motivating. If you go a step further and log your other training exercises, you can use this info to piece together what works best for you. This is also a very helpful way to get other resolutions done: the big ones. Because the trick to doing something big is to break it down into little tasks.

Running Resolution #2: I will run further!

More writing, yes—but this is more about mapping out the terrain and strategizing your attack plan. Break down the long distance you want to run by slowly ramping up to it.

You can even plan out shorter but increasingly longer runs to lead you up to a big race! If you’re aiming to do 21.1K in September, aim to run a 16K in August, 12K in June, and maybe 8K in April. Understanding what your body is capable of will be very important as you plan these out.

Running Resolution #3: I will run faster!

If you want to run 10K under 50 minutes, you certainly can! You got this. Plus: beating a Personal Best is a very motivating goal when you are aiming to improve your running in some way.

Get an app that tracks your speeds and pay attention to how far you can go at a new speed. Work to strengthen your muscles outside of running, but also schedule in time to recover and stretch. These are integral parts of intensive training.

Running Resolution #4: I resolve to sign up for a race, like the Canada Army Run!

Registration for the 2022 Canada Army Run opens spring of 2022 and signing up will be a great kick in the butt to run it. Tell yourself you’re going to race, tell your friends and family, and then tell the world. Nothing is more energizing than registering for a race with the knowledge that you have fans cheering you on.

Maybe, if you’re lucky, you’ll have haters on the sidelines who don’t believe you can do it. Oh, to prove them wrong! Spite is great motivator! (There are no bad reasons for running.)

Running Resolution #5: I will be a Running Buddy

You’ll go further if someone is there to urge you on, to tell you can do it, to hold you up when you are limping. And to be this kind of running buddy for another person is very fulfilling—helpful for your running goals too! Connecting with a running will both keep you honest about your abilities and push you to surpass them.

Put out the call to the Canada Army Run community, join a running club, or just ask that neighbour you see getting out there every weekend. A running buddy will do you a world of good—and you’ll repay the favour to your partner. Good luck!

STAY ON TRACK

And, this can’t be stressed enough, don’t be so hard on yourself! Mistakes will be made, you’ll fall behind. Just learn from them and get right back out there!