A six star finisher is someone who has completed all six Marathon Major marathons; London, New York, Boston, Chicago, Berlin and Tokyo.  The Six Star Finisher Medal is one of the most exclusive race prizes in the running world – at least for the non-pros. I am delighted to introduce you to Sharon Lindores, our very own six-star finisher.

Sharon is a regular at my Yoga for Runners class …… as much as she is a road runner. The most amazing thing about Sharon is how humble, kind and unassuming she is – and always a smile on her face.  Enjoy Sharon’s story.

RUNNING
I started running around 1997.  I was always active, but when I was growing up a doctor told me that I shouldn’t run because my bones, at the time, were a bit fragile and the doctor thought I might get injured from running. That stuck with me.

However, when I started out in my career I was working in Edmonton and there were a bunch of runners in the office. One of them kept encouraging me to run. I explained a number of times that while I liked cycling, hiking, swimming etc. I didn’t run because of what this doctor had said. My colleague said his friend had a running shop and if I went there, they’d get me a good pair of shoes and could teach me how to run and that I’d be absolutely fine. Eventually, I went and did just that! (My colleague’s friend was John Stanton, founder of the Running Room.)

I took a learn-to-run clinic and a run-faster clinic. I did a 10 km race and then took a half-marathon clinic. I really enjoyed it and as I moved around a bit with my career I carried on running.  I love that running is easy, accessible and fun! Plus, it’s sociable and good for you. It keeps me healthy and fit and, over the years, I’ve made many good friends and run in many amazing places. Long may it last…

My first marathon was in Prague in May 2002.  I’ve done 16 marathons – and try to always run in different places. In fact, Prague is the only marathon I’ve done twice! (And that was because a good friend of mine wanted to do it.)

YOGA
I took some yoga classes around 1998 and more  regularly in 2002. I was living in London, England by then and I started to go to yoga once a week. I continued to do that until the autumn of 2014, when I moved back to Canada and started to go a bit more. I completed my 200-hour teacher training in July 2015.I’ve also been a regular at Christine’s Yoga for Runners classes since I moved to Toronto in September 2015. It’s great to have a class specifically for runners!

I’ve always thought yoga complemented my running. It’s a great way to stretch out my muscles and to stay flexible. Running for me is a cardio and/or endurance sport and yoga is more of a relaxing activity. I generally prefer flow classes but have done and continue to do a mix of classes.

Major Six
I knew about the Majors, but I don’t think I really thought about completing the series until I did New York. And then it just seemed like a reasonable and fun goal!
 London – 2004; Berlin – 2005;  Boston – 2008; New York – 2016; Chicago – 2018; ***Tokyo – March 3, 2019***

I really love running and feel fortunate that I’ve been able to do the marathons that I’ve done.  Completing this series seems like a good achievement overall. And one that not that many amateurs in Canada have done…

Marathon Best Memories
I honestly think there’s something good about every race!  My best time – 3.39 – was in Madrid, so that remains one of my favourites.  One of the most beautiful races I did was a 30 k trail race in Davos – but it turned out that I got a stress fracture in my big toe from that and couldn’t run for a little while afterwards.  Boston was exciting – because of the history and the fantastic crowds.  London was fab because I was living there and running on ‘home turf’ with a great group of friends from my running club.  Istanbul was cool because it’s the only marathon that crosses two continents.  And Niagara Falls was neat because it crosses the U.S./Canada border and it’s a very scenic route along the water and ending at the Falls.

But, you know what they say, the next race is always the best!

Tokyo Results
Sharon’s email post race:
It was a great day and lots of fun – ‘despite the weather’ and quirky rules!  Very friendly people, fabulous to see the wheelchairs & elites on the first switchback and the finish line actually snuck on me while I was looking for the 41 km marker! Lol!

My official time was 3.52.34. It was a wet and cool race. In fact, organizers said they were the worst conditions in the 13 years of the marathon! But it was still a good race and I totally enjoyed it. Read  full Japan Times article

It gave me a chance to reflect on everything that led to me being there – friends I’ve made through running, training and races – and I feel very grateful for the people I’ve met, the experiences I’ve had and the energy and enjoyment running has brought to my life.

I also feel very fortunate that I’ve been able to complete the Majors. And if there’s a message in all of this, I think it’s simply to encourage others to go after their goals – whatever they may be…

For those interested in stats, here are the latest Abbott figures of people who have finished the six-race series – Internationally: 4,989 people (1,376 women and 3,613 men); Canadian 204 (76 women, 128 men).

Next Goal
I usually like to do one marathon a year, so my next race will likely be in 2020.  In the meantime, I’ll keep running and focus on a few other things… I may do a bit of coaching and I’d like to teach a bit of yoga too!

I feel like I’ve been very lucky and I’d like to help and inspire others…

A HUGE CONGRATULATIONS TO SHARON.   SHE IS AN INSPIRATION AND NO DOUBT WILL BE AMAZING AT INSPIRING OTHERS