This award was created in 1991 in honour of the late Dr. Harold N. Segall, a founding member of the CCS who served as the society's archivist for many years. It is presented to an individual, group, or organization that has made a significant contribution to the prevention of cardiovascular disease or to the promotion of cardiovascular health in Canadians.

Mr. John Stanton & The Running Room, 2009 J Stanton

Run… Run… Run…

When John Stanton started running in 1981, he chose to do so pre-dawn to hide his overweight and lack of condition.

“Privacy was a huge factor,” he says. “I couldn’t possibly go to the gym. And I knew that running was the fastest, simplest and most affordable way to get in shape.”

On those first mornings, a light flicked on at a neighbour’s house. John could see a silhouette peeking out. Embarrassed, he sprinted to the first lamp-post, walked the rest of the block puffing, and sprinted from the remaining lamp-post back home.

Since then, John has run marathons, triathlons, road races and founded the Running Room, the company—dedicated to far more than the mere mechanics of the sport—that provides information to which people can relate, social interaction for support, free practice runs and walks for motivation, and events (mass charity runs and walks across Canada) that benefit the community. Over 600,000 Canadians use his 10:1 run/walk combination to get into shape or run marathons themselves.

These days, all shapes, sizes and ages run together. Stanton suggests that the best path to success is to stay injury-free, to progress, keep it fun, social and supportive, and never be embarrassed.

Of his silhouetted neighbour, Stanton remembers, “He knocked on my door one morning and asked for help. All the time, he was looking at me with admiration when I thought he was laughing.”