Shauna Bunbury, 41, still holds the West Vancouver Secondary record in the 16-year-old girls’ 100-metre race at 12.38, which she set in 1993. The record was previously held by Canadian Olympian Jean Sparling.
The current North Vancouver resident continued competing after high school but her athletics were put on ice when she had a child in her early 20s and mom duties took over.
One day, though, driving to her job as manager at Carmelo’s in Ambleside, Bunbury saw a sign for the Norwesters Track and Field Club, advertising: All Ages Welcome.
She joined that evening after a 20-year hiatus from sprinting and long jump.
That was three years ago and Bunbury is once again competing in her specialty, the 100-metre race. She also competes in the 200 metre and started doing long jump again this spring.
Bunbury had a rocky start getting back on track.
The first year was painful, she said.
Her body was rejecting the workout and she felt she had no muscle memory. In the second year, she got a stress fracture in her foot and couldn’t compete, but she continued going to the track, coaching and cheering on her teammates.
“If I didn’t (go), I’d lose the drive to go back,” she said. “I was pretty determined to stick with it.”
In her third year back, everything started falling into place and as she started competing, she kept breaking personal records.
“Everything has been a personal best – a better race than the one before,” she said.
She started training privately last August with a teammate who is at Simon Fraser University, and then in September, she started up again with the club.
While her category is 40-44, she competes mainly in the 20+ open category. Competing against younger athletes challenges her physically.
“The younger generation, they push me,” she said. “Even if I come in last, it’s helping improve my personal best.”
She competed in March at the UBC Open, in April at the SFU Open and later in the spring, at Percy Perry in Coquitlam.
In June, she competed at the UBC Open and was determined to get under 30 seconds in the 200-metre race. She squeaked under at 29.98 – her previous personal best was 31.74.
“My coach was jumping up and down like a child,” she said.
At the Trevor Craven meet in early July, put on by the Norwesters Track and Field Club, Bunbury placed first in all her events in her age category (20+), in the 100-metre, 200-metre and the long jump, and got personal bests in the last two. She also ran a personal best in the 100-metre at provincials in mid July.
Her last meet of the season will be the Canadian Masters Championships in White Rock Aug. 3-5.
Bunbury is currently ranked third in Canada in the 100-metre and 200-metre, and first in long jump in masters in her age category 40-44.
“It truly has been a busy but incredible season,” Bunbury said.
