Paul Huyer is a familiar face among the Shelter Movers Greater Toronto (SMGT) community. Since joining SMGT in November 2020, Paul has volunteered for over 400 hours – and counting, in both a Lead Mover and Move Coordinator capacity!
Since his very first move, Paul has shown such enthusiasm to help others and an eagerness to learn. His work as a lead mover and MC has been marked by immense care for both our clients and the move team. I've done a few moves with Paul now and I have always been impressed by how he keeps things light in some hard situations. Anyone who has met Paul knows of his indomitable energy so it's no surprise he has decided to support Shelter Movers in this way as well. Go Paul!
In his spare time, Paul is an avid master’s competitive runner and triathlete, having competed in 12 multisport world championships, including the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii and 33 marathons, including 12 Boston marathons, where he finished second in his age division in 2022. He was also the world champion in his age division in duathlon in 2017, second in 2018, and third in 2021.
In an incredible show of support for SMGT, Paul has generously turned his two upcoming Ironman events into fundraisers! He has set a fundraising goal of $15,000, and in an amazing additional show of support, Brian and Colleen Johnston have generously agreed to match any donations received up to $10,000, and Miik Inc. will match donations of $5,000, for a combined total fundraising goal of $30,000 to help meet the ongoing demand for our services in the Greater Toronto area! If you are interested in following Paul’s journey, follow the SMGT Facebook page for updates, or if you would like to donate to his Ironman Fundraiser you can here.
Paul’s first race will be The Ironman 70.3 World Championship in St. George Utah on October 30th (consisting of a 1.9 km swim, 90 km bike and 21.1 km run (a half marathon) for a total of 113 km, which he is aiming to complete in 5 hours)! And the full Ironman Race in Tempe Arizona on November 20th (doubling the World Championship race with a 3.8 km swim, 180 km bike and a marathon (42.2 km) for a total of 226 km, which he is aiming to complete in 10.5 hours! To prepare, Paul will on average train 20 hours per week, consisting of 8 kms of swimming, 275 kms of biking, and 60 km of running plus 3 hours of strength work.
In addition to all the amazing work Paul does for Shelter Movers, he coaches primary school children in an after-school fitness and literacy program in Regent Park, Toronto, and leads on-line fitness classes. A truly exceptional individual!
SMGT is incredibly grateful for volunteers like Paul, and we’re cheering him on from the sidelines for his two upcoming races! We can’t THANK YOU enough Paul!