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Biondic’s inspirational life as a marathoner, ultramarathoner, and community builder stamps his ticket into the Aurora Sports Hall of Fame

October 16, 2026   ·   0 Comments

After 25 years as an ultramarathoner and 20 years of experience as a marathoner, George Biondic knows a thing or two about ultrarunning.

The dynamic 74-year-old, who is being inducted into the Aurora Sports Hall of Fame in November, offered sage and itemized advice to aspiring ultrarunners: “First, run with controlled passion; Second,   forget speed—focus on endurance by avoiding overuse injuries; Third, during the race, runners can be so serious. My advice is to smile, relax, and breathe. Fourth, in pursuit of running records, remember this: you’re not the centre of the universe. Narcissism makes nobody happy—when you’re so self-centred, you’re not any happier. Fifth, and this is really important—seek balance in life by expressing humanity to others; Sixth, run for a cause—like food insecurity.  Make the world a better place to live in.  Any good I’ve ever done I’ve not regretted.”

The only regret in the forefront of George Biondic’s mind is hunkering down to do a Holiday Weekend interview. He noted humorously, “It’s easier for me to walk 100 kilometers than do an interview”—yet Biondic described his exhilarating, multisensory morning walk with ease.

“During my regular Saturday walk for physical and mental health, I experienced a sunrise that was beautiful. Who needs coffee if you’re feeling the cool Fall air against your skin? All the senses come alive when I’m enjoying the parks, trails, and neighbourhoods during early morning. The song ‘What a Wonderful World’ by Louis Armstrong comes to mind in terms of describing my walk this morning.”

The allusion to Satchmo’s enduring classic illustrates the joy and satisfaction that Biondic derives from being an ultramarathoner.

“It’s really changed over the years. Back in my fifties, it was a feeling of being young and alive and executing the unbelievable. Now, it’s quite different—it’s really about the awareness and Erlinda and I working as a team. That’s paramount to me.”

The Biondics are, indeed, an indomitable team on the ultramarathon circuit and Erlinda was enshrined in the Aurora Sports Hall of Fame in 2025.  She is George’s primary focus in the upcoming 2027 racing season.

“Next May, Erlinda is eager to do this race in New Jersey. I’m supportive of her getting her 1500-mile lifetime award on that course. She needs only 36 more miles at the ‘Three Days at the Fair’ event. While you’re completing your 1500th mile, the organizers present you with the award. It’s a heavy concrete brick with your name and 1500 inscribed on it.”

In addition to supporting Erlinda to reach a career milestone in New Jersey, George has some travel plans of his own in 2027: “I enjoy adventure. I plan on hiking the Grand Canyon. Erlinda’s not joining me because she’s done it 30 times. Anyone who’s interested in joining me, please email me at erlinda_george@hotmail.com. We’ll be going in either April or May. I love the Grand Canyon—it’s my favourite hike. The temperatures vary—at 7,000 feet of altitude, it can be 30 degrees cooler at the top.  The sweet spot for hiking there is early May.”

As much as Biondic will derive much joy from hiking the Grand Canyon next Spring, his individual competitive fires were stoked in 2026.

The record-setting ultramarathoner discussed his low point of the past season which ended triumphantly: “My body can tolerate two races a year. In May, in New Jersey, at a six-day race called Three Days at the Fair, I was fine until the halfway point. It got ugly—nausea, chest pain, sweating, and dizziness. This was totally new for me and I was asking myself, ‘What the hell is going on?’ I had to hang on to Erlinda to get back to my table. She was very concerned, especially since she was a nurse and was alarmed by my chest pain. So many showed kindness to help me get going again. We’re a community. With prudent rest and Erlinda’s care, I limped through the last half. I covered 430 kilometers in the race and came in 9th out of 42.”

Biondic recovered from the health scare and rallied in a race in London.

“My forte is the 6-day race. Last month, I raced in an event in London called ‘That Damn Hill.’ With Erlinda’s help, I managed pain by resting. I competed in the entire 24-hour event, I never stopped, and kept going at a continuous rate. I covered 116 kilometers and finished 18th out of 51. I was happy with our effort. A couple of guys who were in their 30s stopped running and couldn’t finish the race. Even though they lapped me during the race, many had to quit after 20 hours. It’s all about experience in ultramarathons—knowing your body. I was walking the whole 24 hours. It’s a 24-hour race—you have to take advantage of every hour and keep going.”

It is this range of performances as a 74-year-old and his illustrious history as an ultrarunner that earned Biondic his upcoming induction into the Aurora Sports Hall of Fame.

The Aurora resident described the best part about his upcoming enshrinement: “It makes me feel good, but I’ve had lots of support along the way. The recognition goes to me, but it’s been about the collaboration between the runner and the crew. I have the best crew the sport has ever seen. Ultrarunning is not a major sport, but we train just as hard. Hopefully, this induction will showcase the passion and drama of the sport.”

After setting numerous marathon and ultramarathon records and encapsulating his endeavours in The Search: Adventures of a Restless Soul, Biondic’s legacy is on solid ground. He’s donating all future royalties from his 2022 book to the Aurora Food Pantry and called on residents to support local food banks.

“We live in a condominium and just yesterday our community donated two lots of food. I want to encourage people to donate not only at Thanksgiving and Christmas, but year-round. We need to look after people that are less fortunate.”

In addition to his legacy of fighting food insecurity, Biondic also acknowledged the records he’s set and invited the next generation to break them: “I have age records. The Canadian records are the carrots for future runners to do their best. I’m confident that the next group of runners will break those records.  That was the key for me. I looked at the record for 100 miles and that’s what pushed us. Breaking a record comes down to the final moments of a race and that’s where to drama is in this sport.”

It’s evident that Biondic has had his share of dramatic moments and achievements in a life filled with adventure—all of which will be celebrated during the Aurora Sports Hall of Fame’s induction ceremony on November 5 at the Royal Venetian Mansion.

By Jim Stewart
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

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