When Pat Malaviarachchi laced up his running shoes in 2025, he wasn't just chasing personal records—he was chasing something far more meaningful.

This veteran member of the Rackets & Runners Run Club embarked on two extraordinary journeys that would test not only his physical limits but also his capacity for friendship and resilience.

In May, he pushed his longtime friend Lisa through the Vancouver BMO Marathon in her trike, turning a solo sport into a powerful act of solidarity. Then, just weeks later, he flew to South Africa to tackle Comrades, the world's oldest ultramarathon, where cramping quads and moments of doubt would teach him that sometimes the greatest victories come from simply refusing to give up.

Pat's story is a testament to how running can be both deeply personal and beautifully communal. A reminder that the miles we cover are often less important than the people we bring along for the journey.

We were fortunate enough to sit down with Pat and chat about his story— from his origins as a runner, his history with the Run Club, to his two events this spring, and even the gear he chose for his races.

LUCA: Hi Pat! How long have you been with the Rackets & Runners Run Club? And can you tell us about your running background before joining?

PAT: I’ve been with Rackets & Runners for about a year and a half now. My background is kind of funny — in elementary and high school, I absolutely hated running. I didn’t understand why people would want to put themselves through that pain! I had no talent for it and it was miserable.

But in university, I realized the main reason I hated it was because people would start out way too fast. I discovered I’m more of a slow-and-steady type — I’m not a sprinter, but I can do things for a long time.

I got into running through mountain biking. Many of my biking friends were also runners, so I started doing the occasional 5K or 10K in my twenties — with no real idea about training or pacing.

I moved to BC about 20 years ago and met more serious recreational runners, which led me to my first marathon. I ran mostly road races for years — half marathons and marathons. In 2009, I qualified for Boston, which was a big goal for me at the time. Running Boston was incredible, but it was also the peak for me in road running. After that, I switched almost entirely to trails — Five Peaks, Coast Mountain Trail Series, peak bagging on the North Shore — and stayed there for years.

Eventually, Comrades Ultramarathon came onto my radar. A few local friends were interested too, so I thought, Why not? That’s when I joined Rackets & Runners — partly to get back into road running shape!

The Trail vs. The Road

LUCA: What is it about trail running that you prefer? Was it just a new challenge because — like you said — you’d already reached the pinnacle of road running with Boston, or was it something else?

PAT: A mix of things, really. I love to explore new places, and trails feel like a bigger adventure. There’s an element of the unknown — there’s bigger terrain, more mountainous terrain — you don’t always know if you’ll succeed. With road running, you know if you go out for 10 or 30K, you’ll complete it just fine as long as its within your ability.

Trail running requires more prep — reading weather, downloading offline maps, satellite communication, navigation. There’s a steeper learning curve and I enjoyed that. I started with shorter trail runs but worked up to 50K, 100K, even 120 miles. The longest was the Fat Dog, near Manning Park.

Community & The Run Club

LUCA: So obviously you had plenty of previous experience with running, but what has being part of the Run Club taught you — whether that’s about training, community, or something else?

PAT: Community is the key word. It’s an amazing group — super friendly and welcoming. I didn’t necessarily join to learn training or nutrition since I thought I had that figured out — but I wanted people to run with, especially on those long three-hour-plus runs. I have my own running friends, but I wanted fresh stories and new company.

Then, when I started with the club I ended up realizing how much information I could get from Coach Lara. I thought I already knew a lot, but she knew a ton more. She’s great to bounce ideas off of and we’ve had various discussions about running theories. So the Run Club has given me both new friends to run with and new knowledge.

LUCA: Do you feel like you get to share your experience with newer runners too?

PAT: Definitely. A lot of people know about the Sun Run or BMO, but there’s a whole world of other race formats and adventures. I like sharing that. Comrades is a perfect example — or destination races like that. Even outside of the race itself you can build a vacation around that event which is great and I like talking to people about that

LUCA: So we’re going to move on to your ultramarathon soon but I’m assuming your running goals have been very geared toward that goal. Do you feel like joining the Run Club helped you to achieve that goal?

PAT: Absolutely! With the way the runs are structured: intensity on Tuesday, long runs on Saturday, it’s perfect. I’ll do filler runs between the two but that Saturday long run is great because we’re basically chatting the whole time so our mind is off of the monotony of running. Long runs can be really boring and tough to stay motivated on your own.

Comrades — The Original Ultra

LUCA: Let’s talk about Comrades now. What inspired you to take on such a huge challenge? And how different is training for something like that compared to a marathon?

PAT: Comrades is the oldest ultramarathon in the world, so the history aspect was a huge draw. It’s also a massive event — this year there were about 22,000 people running. So think of the Sun Run’s numbers — but it’s people running all day which is crazy!

I’d done lots of trail ultras before, but only one other road ultra — a tiny local race called Haney to Harrison with maybe ten solo runners. Comrades is the total opposite and I had heard that the crowd support is fantastic throughout the race so that also drew me to it. Plus it meant a trip to South Africa and I’d never been there before!

Training is for this type of race is very different. You need high volume, so running back-to-back long runs helps you learn to run on tired legs. I’d do three hours with the club on Saturday, then four hours with friends on Sunday.  An ultra is a little more than double the distance of a marathon, but it takes much more than double the time.

LUCA: So, how did the race go?!

PAT: It didn’t go exactly to plan… I was on pace for a nine-hour finish until 50K, then both my quads seized. I had to walk, right when the smooth downhills started. For a while, I thought I wouldn’t make the cutoff because I was doing the math — I’ve had more than 40k to go so I might not make the cutoff.

But then a friend gave me Tylenol and antacid — that alleviated the symptoms and it ended up being the turning point. I got my legs back and I actually finished kind of running and smiling, so overall I was feeling really good about the finish.

LUCA: That sounds like the exact kind of situation you would expect to encounter when participating in such a gruelling event. What did that experience with Comrades teach you about your ability to overcome adversity to achieve a goal?

PAT: Well for me it’s exactly that — that things can turn around, even when they seem hopeless and not just with running but with anything in life. You can be in a really dark place, but you push through and come out the other side. That’s what draws me to ultras — the uncertainty and challenge and I feel like I got exactly what I wanted out of this one. I wanted to face some hardship, start questioning whether it was actually possible, and then make it through in the end.

LUCA: We’re going to pivot to your experience at the BMO, but do you have anything else you wanted to add about Comrades or ultramarathons in general?

PAT: Just one more thing. If anyone is reading this and has any interest in a very long, challenging race in a beautiful area — I highly recommend considering Comrades. The only barrier is a five-hour qualification time, but otherwise, anyone can sign up!

The BMO — A Unique Challenge

LUCA: Ok so let’s switch gears now — tell me about the BMO Marathon. You ran it in a pretty unique way from what I’ve seen and heard!

PAT: Yes! My friend Lisa had a mountain bike accident and now uses a wheelchair for most things. She’s incredibly driven — always was and now maybe even more than before her accident. It was very much her idea — she wanted to do a marathon so she asked me to push her, and I said yes right away.

We were talking about it for the past year but then in the last few months started thinking more seriously about how we would make it happen. We used her off-road recumbent trike, took the chain off so it counted as a wheelchair, and got approval from the organizers.

LUCA: That’s incredible! So obviously slightly different preparation from what you’re used to for marathon — did you do any specific training together?

PAT: Personally, I was doing a lot of standard marathon training — following Coach Lara’s program — but then also ramping up for Comrades. But yes, of course Lisa and I trained together to make sure we could handle it, especially the hills and downhills, which is what I was worried about. We handled it really well — she did the braking on the downhills and we communicated effectively, so we were pretty confident we could do it.

LUCA: Did you run into any obstacles on race day that you didn’t anticipate?

PAT: Surprisingly, it was the smoothest marathon I’ve ever done! I wasn’t chasing a time, just the cutoff, so we took it super gently and we were basically just chatting the whole time. I crossed the finish line with energy to spare which is unbelievably surprising, and of course there was also no shortage of inspiration, you know, with Lisa there and the crowd support.

PAT: The only real challenge we had was steering through the narrow seawall sections, but Lisa handled that. We walked the big hills like Camosun and Spanish Banks.

LUCA: Did you feel the love from the crowd when you did go through more packed fan areas?

PAT: Yeah, it was huge. The crowd is supporting everyone, but you could definitely tell when they saw us, there was a jump in volume and excitement. There was just so much support and then another amazing thing — other runners stopped their own race to help us lift the trike onto the less-crowded bike path on the seawall.

That’s so kind and thoughtful because, you know, they’re also suffering — that’s at kilometre 36. That says a lot about the running community here.

LUCA: That sounds like an incredibly unique and fulfilling experience! How does that feeling differ to completing a marathon or an ultra for the first time, or hitting a PR, or something like that?

PAT: I think it’s different because we were actually a team which isn’t usually the case with running solo marathons is all about personal goals. And, you know, what was mainly on my mind was that it was Lisas dream to run a marathon and I was a small part of making that happen for her.

Pat's Gear

LUCA: Okay — let’s talk a little bit about gear. What shoes did you use for the BMO and Comrades?

PAT: I’ve been a Hoka and New Balance guy for a long time, but for both BMO and Comrades, I wore the Brooks Hyperion Max , which proved to be amazing. Super comfortable, no issues, the fit is perfect.

Because I wasn’t really going for speed for either race — mainly just survival for Comrades — I didn’t need a super light, carbon-plated race shoe or anything like that.

LUCA: Now for an ultra like Comrades, I’m guessing you need more than just shirt, shorts and shoes, what kind of other gear were you carrying and how about nutrition?

PAT: Pretty simple — Morton gels, salt pills, and a friend handed me a sandwich mid-race. Also, a very liberal amount of Body Glide. For Comrades, I picked up water at the aid stations, so I didn’t use a vest or anything like that.

LUCA: Awesome well thank you Pat, thanks for making the time and sharing your story with us!

PAT: My pleasure. Thanks for having me!

R&R Run Club

Pat's experience in the Run Club also perfectly illustrates the various runner types and skill levels that we like to accommodate. Whether you are a seasoned veteran, or just looking to get some cardio in this summer, there's a place in the Run Club for everyone!

We'd like to thank Pat for taking the time to sit down and talk to us about his truly inspiring story. It's a tail of physical toughness, mental fortitude, but also compassion and friendship.