We have the opportunity to build an eight-lane competition track at the University of Guelph. If the Guelph community can raise enough funds in the next few weeks, Guelph can be a centre of excellence for track and field. I can hear your questions: Why spend $1 million on 400 metres of rubber? What is in it for me?

Track will bring benefits to every part of our community.

We have everything else that we need. Athletes have come from every province in Canada to train here. We have the coaches, physiotherapists, sports psychologists and massage therapists. We have the equipment and the expertise. What we lack is a competition track facility.

Track is an inclusive sport. Each meet alternates between men’s events and women’s events. The distance runners are tiny and lean; the sprinters and throwers are not. Participants range in age from seven to 70. Track offers the thrill of wheelchair racing and guided blind runners.

The elite athletes that have come here to train give a great deal to our community. They work to support our local race series that attracts 2,000 runners a year and raises funds for many local organizations. They work with many programs; with kids at risk introducing them to the discipline and satisfactions of distance running, with elementary school kids in after-school programs such as Xtreme team, with in-school programs focusing on the grades where children drift away from being active.