2024 | Phil Booker

Phil Booker, of Fredericton, was posthumously inducted into the RunNB Hall of Fame on Saturday, November 16, 2024.

Phil's running career had begun at the age of 48 when he ran his first race, "Run for Love," in Woodstock, NB, in 1991, and it had continued for more than 30 years. "Run for Love" was an appropriate name for the race that started his running career, as running for the love of it was exactly what Phil had done.

Over time, Phil had participated in more than 500 races, including 43 marathons, seven of which were the Boston Marathon. He had competed in races across the province, nationally, and internationally, winning numerous events in his age group.

Running had not been the only contribution Phil had made to the running world. He had also served two terms as President of RunNB, in 1991 & 2001, and again between 2001 & 2008. Phil had been a committee member for many other runs at both the local and provincial levels.

Phil was featured as an Inspiring Stories in 2021. Click link to read the article.

In 2014, Phil was awarded the RunNB Personal Achievement Award

The induction had been part of RunNB's annual general meeting and awards luncheon that took place on Saturday, November 16. 

At the RunNB Hall of Fame induction ceremony, Jennifer Booker, Phil's daughter, shared some touching words and stories about her beloved father. Her reflection speaks volumes about the bond they shared and how many in the running community remembered this kind person, Jennifer called "dad". With a heart full of love, this is what she shared to all in attendance:

My Mom, Marguerite, asked me to pass along her gratitude as she is no longer able to travel. She was Dad’s biggest supporter. She was quiet, but cheering him on from the sidelines, opening her home to traveling runners, and always having that big plate of carb-loading spaghetti hot and ready for Dad the night before a race.

Dad definitely had a way with people. He truly enjoyed getting to know others, especially runners. He looked forward to catching up with everyone at the races (especially the ones people didn’t expect him to show up to). I really admired this about Dad and, growing up, there were so many ways I wanted to be like him. So, of course, I wanted to be a runner.

I told Dad this, along with my fear that I wasn’t good at running. Don’t get me wrong, I was an athlete, but running just seemed like you’d be freezing cold more than half the year, and I really don’t like being cold.

Dad said, “Don’t be silly; all you have to do to be a runner is run. You can run fast. You can run slow. You can run long distances, or you can just run to the end of the block and back.” So, with Dad’s encouragement, I started running a little bit every day. Dad ran with me for encouragement and to annoy me by talking about how far we were going to run tomorrow and the next day and the next day after that. Day after day, I just kept running and, one day, I realized it was getting easier. That day, I learned about consistency. I don’t have to be the best or fastest runner, I just have to keep at it every day, and I can achieve big goals.

Over the years, I went on many runs with my dad. Little did I know, all those runs we went on together, he was teaching me so much more than how to be a good runner.

When he got me to wake him up in the early morning hours to go for a run, he was teaching me to be self-motivated and to push myself even when I just wanted to rest a little longer.  When he always made me run on the inside of the sidewalk so he would be between me and the traffic, he was teaching me to protect my loved ones. When he smiled and waved at strangers on the trail, he was teaching me how far being kind to other people could go. When we came to a steep hill and he told me to look ahead, keep my eye on the finish line, and take baby steps, he was teaching me how to get through hard things in life one step at a time.

I’ll never forget our runs together and how he stood by me during the hardest days of my life (especially that one and only marathon I “ran” in PEI).

I am still not a great runner, but the lessons Dad taught me through running remain with me today.

I’ve probably met many of you over the years. This running community… this second family really meant so much to Dad. On behalf of our whole family, I just want to say thank you for recognizing our dad with this award as, not only an amazing runner who left his mark, but as someone who encouraged others to take the first step, put one foot in front of the other, and smile along the way.

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