Ryan Cuthbert has picked out a new $3,000 singles kayak, a craft he will use for the intensive training he hopes will land him and his teammates on the podium at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Cuthbert is one of 201 athletes across the country, including 42 in Quebec, who are receiving cheques for $5,000. Many are considered to be podium contenders. The windfall comes from the Hudson's Bay Co., which started fun runs three years ago - the first was in Ottawa - to raise money for Canada's cash-strapped athletes. The runs have since spread to 10 cities, including Montreal. On Canada Day, nearly 800 runners took part at the Old Port. All paid entry fees for the two runs and a walk, and many had gone door-to-door through neighbourhoods collecting more funds. The Bay has pledged to raise $20 million during the next seven years leading up to the Vancouver-Whistler 2010 winter Games and beyond, and seems to have found a good strategy by tapping into Canada's enormous running community. Running is a solitary endeavour for many, so runners don't need much of an excuse to get together for a cause, such as supporting the athletes who give up 10 years or so of their lives for very little money. Elite athletes receive $1,500 a month from the federal government and another $10,000 annually from Quebec. Most of that money goes for living expenses. In return, athletes like Cuthbert, 26, and his teammates in the kayak fours (K4), who have just come off podium finishes, including a victory, in two World Cups in Europe, train several hours a day year-round. They are full-time athletes, with barely the time to pursue studies at college or university. Summer-sport athletes spend huge amounts of time training in warm climates during the winter and travelling extensively to events to get the best competition. There is little or no time left to get a real job. What Cuthbert likes about The Bay's strategy is that it puts money into the pockets of the athletes, rather than going to the sports federation. Cuthbert was at the Old Port on Canada Day with other Quebec athletes - many of them virtually unknown to the public - presenting the runners with medals and thanking them for their contributions. Achraf Tadili, Canada's second-ranked 800-metre runner, will use his money to participate in more meets at the Grand Prix level in Europe as he prepares for Beijing. At 26, he's been training full-time since 2000, and spends much of his time in the more moderate climate of Victoria, far from his Laval home. A full-time student at John Abbott College, Marina Radu, 22, has no time to raise extra money to support her role with the national women's water polo team. Expectations are high for the team, which placed third at the World Aquatics Championships in Montreal last summer. The squad has trips planned to Los Angeles, China and Europe during the next two months. Water Polo Canada will pick up transportation, accommodation and food costs, but the athletes are responsible for their own pocket money. Radu will tap into her bursary money to cover that. She credits her mother and family for helping her get this far. "It's absolutely impossible for these athletes to work," said Radu's coach, Pat Oaten. "The government has really stepped up to the plate and helped. I think corporate Canada can and should do more." In Radu's sport, the standard has been set in Europe, where players can earn up to $200,000 a year thanks to company sponsorship of local teams. The Bay deserves some kind of medal for taking a step in the right direction in Canada.
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