Al Cantlay, owner of Runners’ Choice Kingston, was inducted into the Kingston Sports Hall of Fame in the spring of 2014. He was the first runner to earn this prestigious honour. With friends and family, he attended the Hall of Fame banquet at the Ambassador Hotel on Friday May 29th, 2014 where he was honoured and gave a heartfelt speech.
Al Cantlay’s bio
A competitive distance runner for more than 30 years, Al Cantlay competed for Queen’s university as a member of the Cross-Country and Track & Field teams in the late 1970s teams which he also coached from 1980 to 1985.
Al’s coaching and organizing carried over into the wider Kingston community, including his free weekly group training sessions (which continue to date), which have helped many runners achieve personal goals including qualification for the Olympics and the Boston Marathon; among other prestigious races.
Always a superbly fit athlete, Al insisted on hard work and perserverance from himself and those he coaches. He is an innovative trainer bringing ‘track training’ coaching methods to Kingston and area distance runners. He has served in a variety of capacities: participant, coach, organizer, volunteer, advisor, sponsor and fundraiser, for the Kingston Triathlon Committee and the Kingston Road Runners Association since he arrived in Kingston in 1977.
Al Cantlay was instrumental in starting the Kingston Kids Read and Run Program and regularly donated equipment to ensure all interested children could participate.
He was inducted into the Queen’s University Coaches’ Hall of Fame in 2004 and was named a Paul Harris Fellow by the Kingston Rotary Club in 2013.
Hall of Fame banquet and luncheon photos
Click this link to enjoy the animated slideshow of photo images taken at the 2014 Sports Hall of Fame banquet and luncheon as alumni, family and friends celebrated Al’s induction.
Click here to check out coach Al in action on a chilly winter day as he trains his runners.
the MOMENT is CAPTURED by photographer Robby Breadner.
Al Cantlay Sports Hall Of Fame
