TORONTO March 26th 2015. For thirty-seven years the Harry’s Spring Run Off 8k and 5k has been the season opener for many of the country’s top distance runners. It is Toronto’s oldest, continuously held road race.
On April 4th more than 4,400 runners of all abilities including elite racers, fun runners and charity fundraisers, will line up in Toronto’s High Park for what will be the 37th anniversary of this prestigious race. Harry Rosen Inc. has been title sponsor of “Harry’s” Spring Run Off for the past ten years.
Some of the sport’s superstars have emerged victorious on the picturesque and challenging course. Indeed, the 8k course records are held by Daniel Komen of Kenya (22:35 in 1994) and Britain’s Jill Hunter (25:56 in 1990).
Komen, of course, went on to set world records at 3,000m and 5,000m as well as capture the 1997 IAAF World Championship at 5,000m. Incredibly that 3,000m record (7:20:67) still stands.
There have been some epic battles. Defending champion, Paul Kimugul, a Kenyan born resident of Toronto will be hard pressed again by two-time Olympian Eric Gillis who is a late entry.
Eric Gills breaking the tape in 2011
Last year Gillis was 3rd about twelve seconds behind the Kenyan. The resident of Guelph, Ontario had planned to run the Rotterdam Marathon but tendonitis in his shin hindered his preparation. As a result he adjusted his training to include some spring road races
“After I decided not to do Rotterdam my goal was just to get back into healthy form and get some good workouts under my belt; get my groove,” says the 35 year old. “I got another couple weeks of training in and decided to go for some races and Harry’s is one I have done a few times before. It’s 8k and a bit of a different distance for me. It’s a fun race so I emailed Alan to see if I could get in and he said sure.
“I like that it’s in High Park, I enjoy the nice scenery there; it’s a beautiful area of Toronto – a challenging last hill. It’s one of those things: I enjoy the thought of it; don’t necessarily like it when I am finishing. It makes it interesting. I like watching the race after I am done and cheering on people up that hill.”
The hilltop finish is also on Larry Rosen’s mind as he thinks about the race. The CEO of Harry Rosen, a leading menswear company with 17 stores across Canada, is extremely proud that 2015 marks the company’s 10th consecutive year as title sponsor. He and many of the company employees have run every year in their distinctive lime green t-shirts and raised roughly $3 million for the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre’s research into prostate cancer.
“Listen, that last hill in that race is an absolute bugger,” says Rosen, the eldest son of founder Harry Rosen, with a laugh. “At the end of the 8k you come up that last hill and it separates the men from the boys and the women from the girls, so to speak.
“It’s a really great sense of community and great spirit when you go out there. A few years ago I remember (the late NDP leader) Jack Layton had been diagnosed with prostate cancer and he came out to launch the race. It was very meaningful to know that a real victim was there supporting the race and supporting the fundraising.”
Olivia Chow, Jack Layton, Mark Dailey and Larry Rosen at Harry’s Spring Run-Off, 2010
Rosen, who also sits on the board of the Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation, points to the impact this race has had on cancer research.
“It’s interesting,” Rosen continues, “almost all of the money we have raised over the past ten years has gone to support the work of Dr. Robert Bristow and his team at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre.
“Last year he made a very significant breakthrough to do with the genetic code and being able to make certain predictions vis a vis prostate cancer. We know that we have made a difference in men’s lives and our activities have bettered and extended the lives of many men. We feel a great sense of accomplishment as a result of that.”
Besides that challenging Spring Road hill, which has earned the respect of thousands of runners of all abilities, there has been another constant from the beginning. Race director Alan Brookes will be celebrating his 30th year at the helm. Harry’s Spring Run-Off 8k is also part of the eight race Canada Running Series.
“The Spring Run-Off has always been really special to me,” says Brookes. “To me, it means Spring and a new season in Toronto’s most beautiful park. It was started by the Dyon brothers, Mike and Paul, and Brooks Shoes (the original title sponsor), (former Canadian 1,500m record holder) Dave Reid and his father, Coach Hugh Cameron, and was Canada’ s first ever prize money race.
“And what can I say about Larry Rosen and the Harry Rosen team who have been partners of the event for the past ten years? They have helped this historic race move into the modern era for a great cause. It’s an experience, not just a run what with the piper, the maple syrup, the great swag, the pancake breakfast.”
The 8k race starts at 10:00 a.m. followed by the 5k at 11:15 a.m. A children’s 800 metre run goes at 11:45 a.m. To cap off a great morning the $3 pancake breakfast Brookes allludes to will also be held post race (10:45 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.) in the Party Site. Pancakes will be flipped by Councillor Sarah Doucette, and all proceeds go to the High Park Nature Centre.
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For More Information and last-minute entries: http://www.canadarunningseries.com/springrunoff/index.htm
