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Beach volleyball whiz misses Golden Bed Pan

Martin Readers team gives it a good go at fundraising bed race in Toronto
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OLYMPIANS MARTIN READER (second from right) and Ken Pereira (right) competed in the seventh annual Danforth Dash Bed Race in Toronto.

Perhaps if the race had been held on sand…

On Aug. 9, Canadian Olympians Martin Reader (2012 London beach volleyball) of Comox and Ken Pereira (2008 Beijing field hockey) joined fans and spectators in Toronto to kick off the 20th annual Pilaros Taste of the Danforth celebrations, celebrating Canada’s Greek culture, by competing in the seventh annual Danforth Dash Bed Race to help raise funds for Toronto East General Hospital.

"We came second to the eventual winners in the semis. It was close!" Reader told the Record in an e-mail.

Teams of four competed by pushing a hospital bed down a stretch of Danforth Avenue in a footrace. Amalgamated Transit Union 1 (Local 113) won the title and the coveted Golden Bed Pan.

The fundraiser was just one example of how Reader strives to contribute to the community.

After attaining his longtime goal of representing Canada at the Olympics, the Highland Secondary School grad retired from beach volleyball and co-founded StriveLife, where he works as an elite fitness and nutrition trainer in in Toronto.

 

The switch in focus was "inspired by a lifelong passion in athletic performance and nutrition (and to help) people make positive changes to their habits and lifestyles," the Comox athlete-entrepreneur notes on his website.