How a 100-year-old man made history in Ottawa's 5K race

Roy Allen, 100, and grandsons Matthieu Bercier, 20, rear, and Justin Bercier, 24,  right, near the four-kilometre mark in the 5K event of Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend. Photo by Abyssinia Abebe /Postmedia

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Ottawa was on fire for 100-year-old Roy Allen on Saturday.

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But it wasn’t just because he did something no other Canadian his age had ever done before.

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It was because he did it with a huge smile on his face.

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Almost every stranger who crossed Allen’s path melted into a smile, and a few broke down in tears. “It’s just really sweet,” one woman shouted as she cheered on Allen.

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The centenarian made history on May 23, when he became the oldest person to walk the Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend‘s five-kilometre race.

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Allen crossed the finish line in an hour 47 minutes 19 seconds, according to the Run Ottawa app that his grandson Alain Bercier, 26, monitored throughout the event.

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Thousands signed up for this year’s race weekend and each one probably had personal goals and motivations. While some wanted to beat personal records, they all encouraged Allen on the journey to reaching his.

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Gladys Treptow came out to cheer for Roy Allen during the Ottawa 5K event of Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend on Saturdray. She met Roy three years ago at Smart Aging. “You’re an inspiration, Roy,” she said from the sidelines. Photo by Abyssinia Abebe /Postmedia

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Allen’s motivations were bigger than himself, and perhaps that was also why so many gravitated towards him as he gave back to a cause deeply personal for himself and his 94-year-old wife, Melba Allen.

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They have benefited from four organizations that Allen’s walk was raising funds: Council on Aging of Ottawa; Perley Health Foundation, where Melba Allen stays; Gloucester 50+ Centre; and the Dementia Society.

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“He’s a sweet man,” Sara Bercier said of her 100-year-old father as family members walked the 5K race with Allen. “What you see is what you get.”

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The “Team 100” crowd was undeniable when the centenarian kickstarted his journey just after 4 p.m. Along the busier streets of Metcalfe and Wellington, the city was buzzing as Allen used his walker to make his way through the crowd.

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With every sharp turn into a busy corner, Allen became another stranger’s favourite part of their day.

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Elizabeth Anglin, 17, joins her grandfather, Roy Allen, and Allen’s daughter Sara Bercier at the start of the 5K race on Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend. Photo by Abyssinia Abebe /Postmedia

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The crowd would eventually fall quiet, yet Allen was never alone. Walking side-by-side with him were eight members of his family: granddaughter Elizabeth Anglin, 17; grandsons Alain, Justin and Matthieu Bercier and Kevin Dutrevil; Kevin’s wife, Tonisha Dutrevil; and daughter Sara Bercier and her husband, Marc Bercier.

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Sara, 59, grew emotional as she watched thousands of strangers cheer her dad, but it was in the quieter moments that she was able admit to herself the weight of the moment. “I was trying not to cry,” she told the Ottawa Citizen near the one-kilometre mark.

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Grandsons Justin and Matthieu Bercier explained that family members would take turns taking Roy to the mall as he trained, but that they hadn’t anticipate the uphill sections of the roadways on the course.

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Sara said the secret to Roy’s good health was that he never smoked or drank, and he smiled often.

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That was how Roy Allen proved Saturday that he was 100 years young. After the race, he said he planned to walk the event again next year.

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