Ihor Verys was looking for an outlet, a place to burn off some of his pent-up energy during a challenging time in his life. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * Ihor Verys was looking for an outlet, a place to burn off some of his pent-up energy during a challenging time in his life. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? Ihor Verys was looking for an outlet, a place to burn off some of his pent-up energy during a challenging time in his life.
Born in Ukraine, Verys was in the midst of a significant culture shock when the pandemic hit and the seclusion of feeling alone in a new country was difficult to deal with. Verys was living in Brandon and attending school at Assiniboine Community College after moving to Canada nearly a decade ago. Ruth Bonneville / Free Press Endurance runner Ihor Verys is back in Manitoba to take part in this weekend’s Suffer on Centennial! Race.
A large Ukrainian population in the Westman region certainly helped the transition to living in a new country, but getting involved in the running scene was where Verys felt right at home. Little did he know a solitary low-impact stroll in the great outdoors would change his life. “To me, running was a mental-health tool to process challenges and deal with my own demons because I was a fairly young kid here in a new country, with a new culture and language,” Verys said this week.
“I started running on the roads, but when.