Gaylord Silly
Encyclopedia
Gaylord Silly is a French
-Seychellois
long distance runner who represents Seychelles internationally. Born in Vendôme
, France, to a Seychelloise mother and a French father, he holds dual nationality.
His first regional event came in 2007 when he finished fourth in the 3000 metres steeplechase at the 2007 Indian Ocean Island Games
. After finishing 49th at the 2008 Cross Ouest France, he took part in the 2008 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
as the sole representative of the Seychelles. Before the race, he stated that he wanted to push himself to his limits and said "my ambition is to make my country proud and to run a good race". His time of 43:03 for the 12 km men's race was over eight minutes behind the winner and he finished in 162nd place overall. Silly had been chosen by the Seychelles Athletics Federation instead of veteran Simon Labiche because Silly was living comparatively near to the race venue (Edinburgh
, Scotland
).
Silly ran in the Semi Marathon de Vendome in 2009, running a half marathon
best of 1:10:44, and as a result he was selected to represent the Seychelles for a second time, forming part of a Seychellois trio (including Labiche and Simone Zapha) competing at the 2009 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
. He finished in 90th place out of 94 finishers, although his time of 1:11:57 was just enough to beat compatriot Labiche. He returned to the world cross country stage with an appearance at the 2010 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
– again being the country's sole representative in the men's race. He finished in 121st position, over six minutes behind winner Joseph Ebuya
who lapped him. However, Silly did manage to beat the entire four-man team sent by Iraq
.
When not running competitively, Silly works as a tree surgeon in France.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
-Seychellois
Seychelles
Seychelles , officially the Republic of Seychelles , is an island country spanning an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, some east of mainland Africa, northeast of the island of Madagascar....
long distance runner who represents Seychelles internationally. Born in Vendôme
Vendôme
Vendôme is a commune in the Centre region of France.-Administration:Vendôme is the capital of the arrondissement of Vendôme in the Loir-et-Cher department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. It has a tribunal of first instance.-Geography:...
, France, to a Seychelloise mother and a French father, he holds dual nationality.
His first regional event came in 2007 when he finished fourth in the 3000 metres steeplechase at the 2007 Indian Ocean Island Games
Indian Ocean Island Games
The Indian Ocean Island Games is a multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from Indian Ocean islands. The Games was adopted by the International Olympic Committee in 1976 and currently gather the islands of Mauritius, Seychelles, Comoros, Madagascar, Mayotte, Réunion and the...
. After finishing 49th at the 2008 Cross Ouest France, he took part in the 2008 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
2008 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
The 36th IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held in the Holyrood Park at Edinburgh, Scotland on 30 March 2008. Four races took place, one for men, women, junior men and junior women respectively. All races encompassed both individual and team competition...
as the sole representative of the Seychelles. Before the race, he stated that he wanted to push himself to his limits and said "my ambition is to make my country proud and to run a good race". His time of 43:03 for the 12 km men's race was over eight minutes behind the winner and he finished in 162nd place overall. Silly had been chosen by the Seychelles Athletics Federation instead of veteran Simon Labiche because Silly was living comparatively near to the race venue (Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
).
Silly ran in the Semi Marathon de Vendome in 2009, running a half marathon
Half marathon
A half marathon is a road running event of . It is half the distance of a marathon and usually run on roads. Participation in half marathons has grown steadily recently. One of the main reasons for this is that it is a challenging distance, but does not require the same level of training that a...
best of 1:10:44, and as a result he was selected to represent the Seychelles for a second time, forming part of a Seychellois trio (including Labiche and Simone Zapha) competing at the 2009 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
2009 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
The 2009 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships was held in Birmingham, United Kingdom on 11 October 2009. It was the final event of the International Association of Athletics Federations' 2009 World Athletics Series.-Organisation:...
. He finished in 90th place out of 94 finishers, although his time of 1:11:57 was just enough to beat compatriot Labiche. He returned to the world cross country stage with an appearance at the 2010 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
2010 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
The 2010 IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held at Myślęcinek Park in Bydgoszcz, Poland on 28 March 2010. It was the first time in over twenty years that Poland hosted the annual championships, having previously held them in Warsaw in 1987. Kenyan runners dominated the competition, taking...
– again being the country's sole representative in the men's race. He finished in 121st position, over six minutes behind winner Joseph Ebuya
Joseph Ebuya
Joseph Ebuya is a Kenyan runner who specializes in the 5000 metres and was the 2010 IAAF World Cross Country Championships champion.-Early life and career:...
who lapped him. However, Silly did manage to beat the entire four-man team sent by Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
.
When not running competitively, Silly works as a tree surgeon in France.