… so here’s one that’s is long overdue… a couple of stories about Peter von Euw!  Pete is one of my oldest friends (as is friends I’ve known the longest… he’s the same age as me… so he’s really pretty young! 😉 and an original LOSTie!  He is also one of the fastest runners I know (2:44 marathoner), a great Ironman triathlete and a helluva guy!  Oh, and he’s far too modest to say any of this… which is why it’s nice to see him get some recognition for the great things he does!  Atta boy Pete! 

Here are 2 articles that coincidently just came out about Pete… both above and beyond what most people do… one story in the Oakville Beaver about volunteering to go down to NYC and help restore power… and another story in iRun magazine about how he uses marathons to help raise money for Lukemia and to help people pace themselves in marathons… which is how he got the name: Peter Rabbit!

Oakville hydro crew home from New York

Hydro workers slept in trucks during nor’easter

Nine Oakville Hydro workers who recently returned from Long Island, New York were recognized at Town Hall Monday, for their tireless work in restoring power in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.

In a presentation before Town council, Oakville Hydro President and CEO Rob Lister said when Sandy struck Long Island in late October, the area was devastated by wind-swept fires, extensive flooding and heavy winds, which brought down countless power lines and hydro poles.

“On Friday, Nov. 2, I was contacted by the Long Island Power Authority seeking assistance,” said Lister.

“We sent nine volunteers to Long Island for 11 days. Many other Ontario utilities also sent help. They were deployed to one of the hardest hit areas on the eastern seaboard. There were 1.5 million customers without power in Long Island.”

The Oakville Hydro crew worked 16-18 hour days and slept in gymnasiums, fire halls, recreation centres and even their own trucks as local hotels were filled with civilians whose homes had been destroyed or become unlivable.

Many of the workers said they didn’t know what they were getting into by agreeing to go to Long Island stating only they knew it would be an amazing experience and that it was important to help people in trouble.

“It was very touching just to see what these people had been through, either flooding or tree damage… it was quite extensive,” said Paul Horscroft.

“The first day, we were in Long Beach and it was a real eye opener as to the force of Mother Nature and what she can do.”

Horscroft said when he arrived on Long Island the streets were thick with garbage and destroyed furniture of every type.

Soup kitchens had been set up to help feed people and construction vehicles were removing tons of beach sand that had washed inland.

“It was like a war zone,” said Joe Perry.

Perry said once the crew began setting up hydro poles and restoring power it was hard to stop as residents would be coming out and begging them to restore power to their area.

“It is hard to just say, ‘No,’ but you’ve got to get rest for yourself,” said Perry.

“I understand why they want you to stay because they’ve waited so long. They’ve had no power for 15 days or whatever, they see a hydro truck coming and don’t want to let it leave.”

Conditions grew worse with the arrival of a strong nor’easter, which hit Long Island the second week of November.

The storm coated the area in thick wet snow while heavy winds brought down hydro lines and deprived thousands more of power.

The rec centre the Oakville Hydro workers were staying in also lost power, so those in charge would not allow the workers in at the end of their shift for fear the building’s heat would escape. That night the Oakville Hydro crew stayed in their trucks — drying their soaked clothes with the heaters of their vehicles.

Despite this, the crew said they were well received by the people of Long Island.

Horscroft said people were honking at them and giving them the ‘thumbs up’ as far away as Buffalo when they were en route to Long Island.

At another point, two women stopped their car, got out and hugged Perry when they saw him working by the roadside.

“There was one guy who said, ‘We waited 12 days and nobody came. Then you guys came and in one day the Canadians got all the power back on,” said Peter von Euw.

“That made you feel kinda good.”

Perry said when they restored power to an area, a party would almost break out with people cheering, thanking them and sometimes offering to make them dinner or get them coffee.

The group does not know how many people they restored power to during their time in Long Island stating one repair job might restore power to just two households while another might restore power to dozens.

“You didn’t care about the numbers. They were all important,” said Garrett St. Pierre.

With power restored to much of Long Island, the Oakville crew returned home Nov. 14.

At Monday’s council meeting the crew received a standing ovation.

“It’s an outstanding job and we’re very proud of you,” said Oakville Mayor Rob Burton, giving each a certificate.

The Oakville Hydro team also included Chris Cudmore, Joe Rizzi, Jon Castillo, Alex Rusic and Brent Le Tual.

 And Pete in iRun Magazine this month too!

Peter Von Euw, Oakville, ON
iRun for the fun of it, but I also see that running can be a way to help other people.

Photo by Ian Murchison

“I enjoy pacing, it’s a way to help people out,” says Peter Von Euw who likes to pace at the Boston Qualifying time of 3:10. Having just completed his 47th marathon in ten years of running, Van Euw is now a marathon coach with Team in Training. “I enjoy helping new runners. Usually all they need is some encouragement and support to get off the couch and start with the basics.”

Von Euw came to Team in Training as a participant in the Paris Marathon in 2009, after his twin brother was diagnosed with leukemia. “It was quite a shock. I actually had to look leukemia up when he told me about his diagnosis.” Raising money for curing blood cancers became a way for Von Euw to do something for his brother. “It was an outlet for all the anger and frustration I was feeling,” he explains. Von Euw raised $19,000 that year. “I put my whole heart into it and it made we really warm to think that people wanted to help,” he says.

A few months after his diagnosis, Von Euw’s brother passed away. “When I ran that marathon in Paris I wasn’t just running it by myself, I was also running with Mike.”

Von Euw says that it helped to be with other people who had similar stories when his brother was ill and after he passed away. “The long runs felt healing.”

In the ten years since he started running, Von Euw notes that it has kept him fit. After mastering the art of the marathon, he began competing in triathlons and is now planning his 6th Ironman.