Across six decades, Ray Tucker has built a legacy for his athletic abilities on the track, fueled by his competitive nature and passion for running.
Tucker, who grew up in Hamilton and moved to Brantford as an adult, delved into his early start to running.
“I was mostly into hockey, baseball, and volleyball during grade school and participated in the school track day, but there was no training for track at all. But when I went into high school, I tried out for the football team. I got cut at the first practice, and the coach of the football team suggested that I try out for the cross-country team. So that was the start of my journey, and this was at Westdale Secondary School in Hamilton,” he recalled. “I ran the local high school races in my grade nine year; but, I did not compete in OFSAA because the Hamilton Wentworth schools were banned from competing from 1955 to 1962 for some reason…but I had the four following years where I was eligible to compete. In that time, I won 17 OFSAA medals, [and] in 1964, I set a Canadian High School record in the half mile back then. So, I was very competitive.”
After his exceptional performance during his high school tenure, Tucker looked to compete at the next level.
“I was always competing in age groups above me. And in 1964 I went to the Olympic trials for the Tokyo Olympics in St. Lambert, Quebec, and I ended up coming fifth. I was hoping to do a little bit better but I was pleased with it. It was an open category and they only took the very the first-place qualifier, and we all knew who that would be, and that was Bill Carruthers, who ended up earning a silver medal at the Olympics. So, that meant I would have had to beat him and run about a six-minute personal best to do it,” Tucker said. “I also ran the in the qualifiers for the British Empire games in 1966 in Edmonton, and I got tripped up in the back stretch and ended up in seventh place…And in 1967 there was an international friendly between Canada, US and some of the Caribbean countries which was held in Trinidad Tobago. And that was a nice experience, but that was basically the only international team that I ever got to compete in.”
However, Tucker would step away from running, to focus on family life. Tucker and his wife would welcome two children and he would settle into family life and wouldn’t run for eight years until he learned about the Masters running program.
“A friend of mine informed me about the Masters track and field for older people. I was 33 at the time so I couldn’t quite make it to that age bracket. There’s a sub master’s group at 35 to 40, and then the masters. I decided to start running again, doing a little bit because at that point my kids were around ten [and] I had a little bit more free time…the target was to be competitive again when I turned 40. And that was my goal which I was able to make happen,” he explained.
With that goal in mind Tucker started to train, eventually becoming part of the Brantford Track and Field Club in the mid-1980s.
“I started running again when my brother, who was teaching in eastern Ontario, brought three kids down to compete Tom Longboat run at the W. Ross Macdonald School for the Blind. I wasn’t running at the time, and I was watching and supporting them…but, and it kind of piqued my interest. I then decided to start job and entered a 5K in London a few weeks later. Although I came in second last…which I was happy about, it made me realize I still had something there, but I needed to train,” he said. “So that’s when I joined the Brantford Track and Field Club to train with them and ran with a number of the local runners, including Rick Mannen. I had a chance to mentor Kevin Sullivan, who has gone to do amazing things on the track. I mentored him for about two years. He was looking up to me as an inspiration, which I cherished.”
Nevertheless, Tucker, who was project manager for Westinghouse/Siemens Westinghouse for over three decades until he did home inspections, would continue competing in the Masters, achieving solid results.
“In in 1987 when I had turned it 40, and I became eligible to run in the Masters. The World Masters Organization hold their track and field championships every two years…In 1987 they were held in Melbourne, Australia, and I ended up coming second in the 800 meters,” he said. “Two years later, in 1989 the championships were held in Eugene, Oregon, and I ran the 800 meter and 1,500-meter event where I finished sixth, and I made the final in both of them, but I didn’t medal.”
And over the years Tucker who has competed in other events such as the Boston Marathon and capturing gold medals for the 800-metre, and 1,500-metre events at the Canadian Championships 2022, but eventually gaining many honours in the community for his success and commitment to running
“One of one of the things that came out of the blue was my son’s school recognized me with a plaque for my athletic accomplishments. It was something that I never expected. And I thought that was a really nice thing of them to do! I also won the Expositor trophy for track athlete of year several times. Which is always a great honour.” he said.
In 2018, it was a tough year for the dedicated runner, as his wife passed on. Tucker had been away from running for a while at this point.
“In September 2018, we celebrated 50 years of marriage, and then towards the end of December, she passed away. I needed something to keep going…I had been married to my wife for 50 years, and you’ve got a way of life…. I realized I needed to keep my mind active [and] ended up going back to running as I had been away from the track for a while…I rejoined the Brantford Track and Field Club with the objective of getting into a shape and into a competitive level, but I wanted to also be a mentor for the kids too,” he said.
With his mind and body getting back into shape, Tucker started to regain his winning form.
“Ever since then I’ve been competing in Masters events. I won the Canadian and the Ontario masters Indoor Championships and outdoor championships in the 1,500-meter events for the last five or six years. This past March I was in Gainesville, Florida for the World Indoor Masters track and field championships. And I was running the 400, 800 and 1,500- and 3,000-meter events over a span of eight days. I also participated in the 4 x 200 relay for the for the team Canada on the last day. Although I was pleased with my results…I didn’t perform as I should have, because I was coming off an illness which had knocked me down for about six weeks. The goal was to go down and run the best I could and I got a sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth place finishes, and in the relay, we came in second,” he stated. “The thing for me at this point is to keep active, but also doing something that I enjoy…and that’s my philosophy that I pass on to kids. Find something that you like, but keep active throughout your life. You know, track and cross country are my passions, but I always tell kids that running doesn’t have to be their thing…. it’s important to find something that you like to do.”
After decades of running, Tucker reflected on the best aspects of his experience, one of them is the people he has met.
“In most sports, you get a chance to meet people. You get exposure to different people, different ways of life, and it has been a great learning experience for me…track and field has allowed me the opportunity to travel across Canada and internationally to meet new people and some of them have become my lifelong friends. Again, it has been a great…especially getting a chance to compete…starting at a young age [as well as] to train and compete with groups over the years…building camaraderie and enjoying these experiences together,” concluded Tucker.
