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| parkrun with Ian and Kade |
In a week that has finally given me a glimmer of hope that I
will one day return to being my former self, I have made a decision that makes me very
sad.
Running my highest mileage week since
November has given me the opportunity to do a lot of thinking and planning for
myself and also for the huskies. Three of our huskies have thrived on the increase in exercise, whilst one of our team
members has sadly struggled.
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| Retiring on a high, big happy smile.. |
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| preparing for his final run with the team |
Krofti will be twelve years old in a few months. Throughout his lifetime he has run thousands
of miles ranging from fast 5k’s to ultra distance events. He has run in 6 dog teams pulling rigs and
bikes and run alongside many different dogs.
Although he has done all of this, mostly with a smile, Krofti has never been the greatest fan
of running. He has always liked to take
part, to doddle along admiring the view.
Never a puller and with a questionable working ethic, I have always
accepted him for who he is and our runs have fit around his needs and
desires. You can only run as fast as
your slowest team member, so when Krofti is on the team we simply run at his
pace. The youngsters may object to this,
but they do accept it with some encouragement!
Sadly as Krofti gets older, his ability to run continuously
is changing and in the past few months he prefers to jog, stop, walk for a bit
and then jog a bit. Sometimes he just
stops dead, and refuses to move until we turn around and head for home. When we return home, he looks relieved to get
to bed and have a sleep. He does sleep a
lot, always has done. He is still capable
of running at a fast pace, but just prefers not to! Oh yes I have spied him charging around at galloping
pace when he thinks no one is watching….
Anyway, the facts of the matter are that he is happiest when
he is not expected to run, but he can chose to run or he can just doddle along, muttering to himself
and stopping to sniff as many blades of grass as possible. Sadly this is not what parkruns are for. parkruns are continuous walking/ running events where
the objective is to get to the finish as quickly as one’s ability allows.
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| Our amazing parkrun with all the team |
I have lost count of the number of different people that
Krofti has run with over the years, in particular at parkrun events. A dog that we can trust with the smallest
child, he has brought smiles and joy to many people. Adults and children alike have taken great
pleasure in running with him in Great Britain and also further afield. In 2010 he ran in the European Canicross
Championships in Belgium. He was a last
minute stand in for the injured dog of a person that Krofti had never
previously met. They ran together and
finished together with huge beaming smiles.
I used to say that Krofti was “never much of a worker”, but
as I reflect on all that he has done over the years I now know that is not
true. He was not born to be a puller, to
lead a husky team tirelessly across miles of frozen tundra. He was born to bring joy and happiness to all
that met him. His job is to make people
smile, through running, walking, cuddling or even just by experiencing his
sense of humour. I now apologise for all
those times I spoke negatively about Krofti’s “working ability”. If you consider his role in the pack, his
working ability and ethic is exemplary.
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| A very special day.... |
And so, with all of this in mind, we have made the sad decision that Krofti will no longer take part in parkrun events. He will still run and he will still go on
little trips with the rest of the pack, but it will be on his terms. He will attend parkruns for cuddles and
attention, but will no longer be asked to run round the course. No pressure for him to perform and no worries
for us as to how he is coping. It is
time to give this very special boy the sedate, relaxing life that he richly
deserves.
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| Protecting Colin Caterpillar |
Dear Krofti,
Thank you for all the
joy that you have given to so many. I am
sorry for the times I removed you from your bed and made you run when you
wanted to sleep. I guess now you are
having your revenge by singing when we want to sleep…..
Your sense of humour
makes us smile and your ability to deal with unruly and disrespectful teenage
huskies is nothing short of amazing.
There was a reason why
I chose you to run with me in the Olympic Torch Relay. A very special day forever etched in my mind.
You have taught me a
lot in our time together and no doubt you will continue to teach me further more.
Thank you, for being
you.
Sandra xx
(Photos with kind thanks to Pete Aylward, Ian J Berry & Katie Jarzyna)
