Adam Bramburger
Editor
Fully, completely.
That’s how committed Joe Reid was to running the Toronto Waterfront Marathon Sunday with a guitar strapped to his back, decked out in a costume resembling Gord Downie’s now-iconic hat, silver pants and Jaws T-shirt from the musician’s final show with The Tragically Hip last August.
While the 38-year-old Napanee volunteer firefighter and chiropractor had planned the tribute for some time as a way to raise money and awareness for the God Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund, he hadn’t planned on Downie passing away just days before the race after a courageous battle with brain cancer.
Preparing to run in the marathon without any formal training, Reid said he was actually wavering a bit about being able to carry out the run, but found that Downie’s death actually motivated him rather than casting sombre doubts over the campaign.
“(It) wasn’t part of the plan, but I believe everything happens for a reason,” Reid said on his Facebook page. “I was struggling to get into the right mental space before Gord passed and starting to fear I might not pull this off. After…I don’t think anything could stop me. Gord’s passing helped me find the headspace I was seeking, so I feel like I need to thank him for that.”
Some people close to Reid suggested he might consider waiting to run another year as it might be too soon for Downie’s family or his fans to see. He gave that some thought, but pushed forward.
“I decided to run because it was for a charity that Gord started and spent time promoting the last year-and-a-half he had to live and I thought he would want me to,” he told the Beaver. “While his death added a whole new level of emotion for the run ultimately, it inspired me and made it easier.”
While the Downie get-up might not have been the most comfortable running tire for a journey that lasted four hours and 21 minutes, Reid found inspiration in what Downie himself went through after his diagnosis.
As he had so many times since discovering The Tragically Hip nearly two decades ago, Reid also forged a real connection with Downie’s words on the course as he played a lengthy playlist of Hip favourites via portable his speakers for himself, fellow runners, and spectators.
“Sometimes we hear songs we are familiar with and don’t truly listen to the words. I listened to the words. I thanked Downie several times. I thought about my family,” he said.
His presence provided comfort for many along the route.
“I’ve never given so many high fives, salutes, waves and smiles in four hours. People loved the outfit, the tribute, and the effort I put in.
“Honestly, I didn’t anticipate it,” he said. “Spectators and other fans alike were very pleased with what I was doing. Some fans even broke into Hip songs as I neared. I had several requests to play Hip tunes. It was amazing.”
Reid says he’s raised several thousand dollars for the fund already and with a front-page photo in the Toronto Star and a number of hits in the national media post-race, those numbers should only climb. Pledges can be made at www.runforgorddownie.com.
Downie started the fund in memory of Chanie Wenjack, a 12-year-old Ainsihinaabe boy who escaped from a residential school in Kenora, Ont. and tried to walk the 600 kilometres to his home community, Ogoki Post.
Reid is pleased that he can help Downies’ effort to stoplight reconciliation for Canada’s Indigenous peoples who are suffering from policies that forced children to attend school hundreds of kilometres from home and from atrocities at those schools. Often, the children were barred from practicing their own culture. Many instances of physical and sexual abuse are documented.
Through the fund, Reid says more Canadians will hopefully become more aware.
“It funds projects such as trying to get more in the school curriculum that covers the history of the residential school system and the Indigenous cultures to try to make more non-Indigenous Canadians more aware.”
One program he highlighted involved a youth hockey team being flown from its community to Toronto to be fitted for new equipment before playing a game with a local team of the same age. Players from both teams shared their cultures with one another.
Asked what’s next, Reid joked “Rest!” He added his wife Stephanie might have a stern reaction to any other answer. That said, Reid indicated “I don’t sit still well unfortunately, though I wish I could.”
Already he said he has some ideas for down the road.
With the commotion of the past week, Reid said the loss of the Amherstview native hasn’t really hit him yet. He added that since many fans knew of his painful diagnosis, the impact may have been lessened. Still, however, the loss remains.
“It’s a pain that will last forever on some level.”
Reid told the Beaver he became a fan of Downie and his band because they remained themselves in the face of stardom.
“I like that Gord stuck to his Canadian roots. His music is steeped in Canadian history and the Hip are Canada’s band. He is passionate about Canada and you can feel that in his music,” he said. “I think they could have conformed and became much more popular worldwide, but they stuck to their roots.”