Category: Builder

Inducted: Thursday, July 12, 2012

Joe Keating has played a valuable and important role for Burin Peninsula athletics for more than 20 years. In fact, his overall contributions have involved athletic events well away from the Burin Peninsula but have always benefited Peninsula residents.

From 1986 to 2006 he filled the position of secretary-treasurer for the Mariners Athletic Club, an organization that has been beneficial for a large number of Peninsula track and field individuals and was mainly responsible for the great increase in numbers of entries for the popular annual CHCM 10K road race.

He ran ten of the 20 10K races as the event grew from 15 runners in 1986 to more than 100 in 2012. He was greatly responsible for generating interest in the race by residents of St. Pierre and Miquleon 25 K race. He led the natural reaction of organizing an annual trip by Peninsula residents to participate in the Miquelon 25 K race.

In addition to the Miquelon race, he has been the guiding leader in organizing Peninsula runners to a variety of major races including the Telegram 10, the Twin City Marathon, the New York Marathon and several other events.

He won two gold medals by winning the five and ten K races when the provincial masters games were held in Gander and he plans to enter his eleventh Telegram 10 in 2012.

He has a long history overall of community contributions and is a member of the provincial and Peninsula soccer halls of fame.