Anyone who has been to a Calgary Stampeders home game will have been treated to a unique sight at half-time – a lucky fan partaking in a foot race against The World’s Fastest Cow.
What some people might not know is that the cow is Cochrane native Alex Saretsky, who has been showing off his speedster prowess for the last three years.
“A couple years ago I was playing flag football just to try and stay in the game,” Saretsky reflected.
“Jamie Seguin (the Stamps’ senior director of game operations and events) talked to my captain about who the fastest player in the league was, and my name came up. A friend and I went out for a trial and played around with it, and I’ve been doing it ever since.”
Despite giving contestants a 20-yard head start, Seratsky has amassed a 20-3 race record, with his most recent defeat coming in the Stamps 23-13 pre-season loss to the Edmonton Eskimos on June 11, against local sportscaster Jock Wilson of CHQR 770.
For his full-time gig, the 26-year-old former Cochrane Cobras football player works as a personal fitness trainer out of The Gym in Northeast Calgary, and practicss powerlifting, something he attributes his ripped physique and endurance to.
“I coach a powerlifting team and have some casual clients as well,” Saretsky said. “That’s exactly how I stay in good shape. For the last two years I’ve competed for Team Canada in the 100 Per Cent Raw Federation.”
What continues to drive him to compete and to race?
“Setting a record and trying to beat it,” Saretsky said without hesitation. “That’s definitely what drives me. I think that’s maybe how I can keep my speed, or maybe it’s genetics, I’m not entirely sure.”
After losing to a 54-year-old sportscaster, does Saretsky feel like his days as the cow are numbered?
“I’m planning on going on as long as I can until the body can’t take it anymore and I’m getting beat a lot,” he said. “Until then, I’m going to keep going, but someone eventually has to take over.
“You can’t do this forever.”
