Damn, wasn't expecting this. Seems like a 3:56 marathon at any age is a long way from the grave. When we talk about hardest records to break, some of those sub 3's while he was well into his 70's have to be in the conversation. It would have been nice to have crossed paths with him & tell him he was 'da man!
Billy in Chantilly wrote:
I hope there is a heaven. I don't know if there is; none of us do. But if heaven does exist then Ed is having a grand reunion with his wife and parents right now.
RIP
His wife is still alive.
This is very sad news. I recently saw an interview with him after his last sub 4 marathon where he said he'd hoped to do it again in his 90's... I was hoping he would too. The guy was truly amazing.
RIP Ed, you were one of a kind.
If ANYBODY deserves a black page, it's Ed.
Black Page! Black Page! Black Page! Black Page! Black Page! Black Page!
Black Page! Black Page! Black Page! Black Page! Black Page! Black Page!
Black Page! Black Page! Black Page! Black Page! Black Page! Black Page!
Black Page! Black Page! Black Page! Black Page! Black Page! Black Page!
Black Page! Black Page! Black Page! Black Page! Black Page! Black Page!
Black Page! Black Page! Black Page! Black Page! Black Page! Black Page!
Black Page! Black Page! Black Page! Black Page! Black Page! Black Page!
RIP to a LEGEND.
One of the greatest of all time.
What a legend.
+1 for a black page.
RIP :(
You know the guys a beast when even on lrc no one has anything but kind words to say. RIP Ed!
In 2000 Ed was 69 and ran a 37:00 10K and beat me by a few seconds I'll always remember that white hair. Spoke with him a few times very laid back and friendly.
Amazing runner and a legend in our time!
This may be the most relevant photograph ever posted on the internet. I'll wear black on my afternoon run. May we all run as long as Ed Whitlock.
easy weeks wrote:
Endless laps wrote:I hope Ed is buried in "his" cemetery. And haunts it. You just know people are still going to see him doing laps.
I must admit, I thought this as well. Maybe not the haunting part, but it would be fitting for him to rest there for all eternity.
http://storage.torontosun.com/v1/dynamic_resize/sws_path/suns-prod-images/1297889220745_ORIGINAL.jpg?quality=80&size=650x
Pretzel Man wrote:
In 2000 Ed was 69 and ran a 37:00 10K and beat me by a few seconds I'll always remember that white hair. Spoke with him a few times very laid back and friendly.
For the record I was 36 and it was humbling day.
This actually made me sad. Haven't felt that in a while.
RIP Ed, your life and accomplishments will always be remembered here on Letsrun.
I agree, black page.
In a world of crap, Ed was class. He seemed to have a long, full life. We should all be so lucky. He once welcomed me to come for a jog with him when I was in Toronto, but I haven't been there since and now the opportunity is gone.
I will miss his candor on this board. I will not forget his contributions.
Happy Trails, Ed!
I might have run that race (Burlington Downtown Dash? Peachbud 10k?). I was a new runner around that time, and was running around the same times as Ed. We would often come in within seconds of each other. Kept me pretty humble. At the time, I didn't know he was world-class, as strange as it sounds. I knew he was damn good, but it took another year or so of running awareness for it to dawn on me that this kind man I was racing beside was a legend.
Embodied everything great about running!
how sad.
Ed was and will remain such an inspiration for all of us.
Most sincere condoleances to his family.
Even as a much younger runner, I've always been very inspired by Ed and his determination. It seems like just yesterday that I was reading about all his new age-group records in the mile and his sub-4:00 marathon last year.
Even though his times were slower and we all knew it had to happen some day, it almost seems unbelievable now that it has. Very unexpected and sad news indeed for the whole running community.
R.I.P.
easy weeks wrote:
I might have run that race (Burlington Downtown Dash? Peachbud 10k?). I was a new runner around that time, and was running around the same times as Ed. We would often come in within seconds of each other. Kept me pretty humble. At the time, I didn't know he was world-class, as strange as it sounds. I knew he was damn good, but it took another year or so of running awareness for it to dawn on me that this kind man I was racing beside was a legend.
Sorry, meant to quote Pretzel Man. This was a reply to your post.
Your legend will live on in stories, Ed. Rest in Peace.
Black page out of respect - please.
