The Nova Scotia running community is coming together to honour a beloved coach who passed away suddenly in March.
Ethan Michaels is helping to plan the Night of Champions in Halifax. He says it didn’t take long for him to realize Cliff Matthews wasn’t an ordinary running coach.
“I asked Cliff once, ‘what should I be reaching for?’” says Michaels. “And he said, ‘to find the best in yourself.’ And that was who Cliff was.”
Matthews died after suffering a heart attack while training with Dartmouth marathoner Denise Robson, a former Boston Marathon age group winner, in Kenya. He was 69.
Michaels was coached by Matthews and was in Kenya with him when he died.
“His tone was soft, but his direction was sure,” says Michaels. “He always made you feel like you were reaching to be the best that you could be.”
Matthews became a staple in the running community, where he was known for his compassionate personality and unrelenting drive. But Michaels says Matthews’ legacy stretches far beyond coaching.
“Cliff made all of us better runners. But more than that, he made all of us better people.”
Matthews helped prepare hundreds of runners for spring and summer marathons during his longstanding career. He was in Kenya to learn about its famous style of running when he suddenly collapsed.
Michaels knew a funeral wouldn’t be enough to honour his running coach’s accomplishments.
“After they took Cliff away, I looked at Denise and said, ‘Denise, this is not the end. We have to honour Cliff.’”
The Night of Champions will honour Matthews’ life and coaching career. Special guests include Kenyan marathon runner Abel Kirui and Canadian runner Reid Coolsaet.
“He touched a lot of people’s lives and was such a good coach and mentor to so many people,” says Coolsaet.
Michaels says the name "Night of Champions" surfaced because of the principles Matthews embodied.
“Everybody, from my experience and the years being around Cliff, was a champion his eyes,” he says.
The Night of Champions will include a silent auction, guest speakers, and entertainment. All money raised at the event will go towards purchasing a defibrillator for the running mecca of Iten, Kenya.
The event will be held at the Spatz Theatre in Halifax on May 14. Michaels says all are welcome to attend, even if they’ve never met Matthews.
“We’re going to say farewell to a great coach and a pillar of our community,” he says. “And the running community around the world is united by people like Cliff.”
