The Running Whys – Dean Strowbridge
Long before Dean Strowbridge was racking up victory after victory on the New Brunswick running circuit, he was searching for a fitness forum.
The year was 1996, he wasn’t feeling the best and he decided then and there, he needed a change.
“I actually was going to the Aquatic Centre for general fitness so I could lose weight. I was in a size 40 pants back then,” said Strowbridge, the Willow Grove native who has captured three Run New Brunswick Super Series points titles and three Timex Series titles.
As he participated and made inroads toward achieving his new goals, he enjoyed the new regime. Then, a few years later, Dean and a good friend of his – Cyril Landry – entered the Catch The Bug road race, a 5 kilometre journey in Saint John that produced a time of 29:09. It was a respectable debut but looking at his regular results these days that come in under 17 minutes, that initial time proved to be a far cry from where his potential would eventually take him.
Approximately two weeks after he caught the running bug with Cyril, Dean got an invite from a stranger.
It was in June of 2001 and the rest, as the old sports cliché goes, is history.
“A girl by the name of Trina Goguen asked me if I wanted to go for a run, so I said yes and then decided that I wanted to try to finish a 5-miler at Marathon By The Sea,” Dean says. “Trina and I have been running together ever since. Oh yeah, I never knew Trina when she asked me to go for a run.”
Even now, as he ranks as one of the favourites in this year’s 20th anniversary of the Emera Marathon By The Sea’s (MBTS) half marathon, a race he’s finished second five times in the past, Dean remembers the early days on the roads.
“It amazes me sometimes that I’m even where I’m at today when I think about where I was,” he said. “I still keep a big picture of me on the fridge (from 1996) beside a picture of me now, just so I don’t forget where I was and where I’m at. It keeps me humble and keeps me grounded.”
His first win came in June of 2005, when he clocked a 17:09 to win the Do it For Dad Father`s Day race. Trina, his running partner, was seventh.
He captured the New Brunswick Timex Series crowns in 2008, 2010 and 2011 while winning his age division in the provincial Super Series in 2009, 2010 and 2011.
Last season, he won the Fredericton half marathon, the YSJ Airport 10 k and Saint Andrews 5-miler, was the top male in his age division in every race he entered and was no worse than fourth overall in any of the seven NB Super Series races he ran.
In 2014, he has capturedthe YSJ Airport 10k and was second in the 13k Lorneville Loop.
“I couldn’t have ever dreamt that I would’ve put up the times that I have or that people would consider me one of New Brunswick’s best,” Dean said when asked about his success. “I am honored and very fortunate that I’m in the position that I’m in. I’ve really enjoyed the journey and hope there are lots of miles left in these legs. I’ve had lots of help along the way such as Trina Goguen, Daryl Steeves, Alex Coffin and Gilles Gautreau. They’ve all had a big impact in my running and I am very thankful to have them help me over the years.”
He will be busy this summer, like many, racing in various events but, he is focusing on MBTS.
There is the elation and positive atmosphere associated with the crowds in town for the Aug. 8-10 MBTS event, but he would like to finally get a win in the half after coming so close, so many times.
“ It’s funny but the last five years that I ran this race; I’ve come second all five times, to five different men. It’s always been one of the big races for me each year and I think that Mike Doyle and Patrick Grannan do a wonderful job with it.”
He enjoys the training, logging the miles, dealing with the various weather conditions that add to all the challenges. But he also enjoys meeting and training with others, watching their progress and celebrating afterward.
“Running takes a lot of work and dedication but when you’re passionate about it, you’ll put the work in,” he said. “The best thing I love about running is that no matter how fast we are, we can all take the time to run together.”
