2010 Vancouver Sun Run

Sunday, May 9, 2010
Vancouver, BC
2010 Vancouver Sun Run 10K Results
Wheelchair Results – Open Category

Final Place	Place in Sex	Place in Div	Bib #	Official Time	Net Time	Km Pace	Name	City
1	1/4	1/4 M-WCO	305	29:48	29:48.0	2:59	Simon Harrington	Courtenay
2	2/4	2/4 M-WCO	304	40:33	40:32.4	4:04	Bob Hamilton	Vancouver
3	3/4	3/4 M-WCO	#23240	48:18	48:17.9	4:50	Alvin Lee	Vancouver
4	4/4	4/4 M-WCO	#2521	1:15:28	55:16.1	5:32	Chris Pallan	Campbell River
5	1/2	1/2 F-WCO	#23066	1:44:04	1:12:06.7	7:13	Debbie Brown	Langley
6	2/2	2/2 F-WCO	#55713	3:01:31	1:33:09.9	9:19	Peggy Ryan	Port Hardy

Track athletes deliver

Tue Aug 1 2000
Byline: Mike Leschart
Source: Alberni Valley Times

Jordan Shimell and wheelchair racer Bobby Hamilton paced Alberni track
athletes to an array of medals at the B.C. Summer Games in Victoria over the
weekend.
[omitted]

Hamilton continued to dominate other B.C. wheelchair athletes–as he has in
several marathons and competitions–winning six gold medals.
[omitted]

B.C. GAMES SELECTED RESULTS
Track and field
Men
Wheelchair
T3/T4
200
1. Bob Hamilton, Port Alberni, 29.83 sec 2. Alan Chartrand, Victoria, 34.66.

5,000
1. Bob Hamilton, Port Alberni, 14:21.4; 2. Mike Negraeff, Vancouver,
14:25.15.

THE MAN AND THE MOTION

Bobby Hamilton’s inspiration comes once again from his home town. Over the
past four years while he struggled to regain that spark and purpose, a neon
green light kept shining for him.

He keeps his special racing chair stored by the side of his bed. He says it
represents so much that is good in his life.
He breaks eye contact at this point in the interview, looks off to the left,
and stops his narrative for a couple of seconds to compose himself.
“It gives me that buzz, you know, I never looked at it bitter. I’m over in
Kits . . . and . . .and . . . the support I got with that chair, it was just
so . . . It’s so important for me to thank everybody in this community for
that chair.”

Hamilton paused again, searching for words.
“It tied me to what was special to me.”
Hamilton says he’ll race again and he’ll win again. He knows he can do it
because he made a brief one-race comeback here inPort Alberni in 2002. “I
did the 100-metre and won the gold medal, but I injured myself doing it.”
He’ll work back up to it more carefully now.
And Port Alberni has offered up another source of strength for Hamilton — a
name so inspiring that thousands have used it like a household word for
nearly 20 years.

The name of Rick Hansen.
Hansen was born in Port Alberni in 1958. At the age of 15 he was hit by a
truck and left a paraplegic. Twelve years later he embarked on the
record-setting Man in Motion world tour. That tour inspired many, many
people and the charismatic Hansen has continued to share his message of hope
ever since.

Hamilton is hearing it now.
The second annual Rick Hansen Wheels in Motion fund-raising event for spinal
cord research happens in the Alberni Valley and in every province and
territory across Canada on June 13. Hamilton is helping to organize the
local effort. He sees it as a way to give back and a way to draw strength as
well.

“I’m really excited to be a part of this positive, positive thing,” he said.
He’s hoping that the people of Port Alberni will draw together to make this
something special. He’s just the guy to lead his community to do that
because, these days, Hamilton’s zest is back.
Some may think he can’t walk, but once again he’s too busy running to
notice.