Sep 28 2015
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Train With Grains Recipe: Barley, Farro and Couscous Salad.

By | Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon | No Comments
Train With Grains Recipe: Barley, Farro and Couscous Salad. By Linda Nguyen.

This year we’re teaming up with the Grain Farmers of Ontario to bring you the best pre and post-run recipes to fuel your marathon training! Each week we’ll feature a new and unique recipe from one of our CRS Community Leader Ambassadors. This week Linda Nguyen shares a fresh and filling Barley, Farro and Couscous Salad, perfect for refueling after a long run. The best part is, you can make this dish ahead and keep it in the fridge until you’re ready to eat! Do you have a recipe you’d like to share? Share a photo on Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #TrainWithGrains for your chance to win a “Good in Every Grain” Prize Pack valued at $50!

Training for a marathon takes so much work and dedication. It is 16-plus weeks of training and a barely-there social life. Add a full time job on top of this and you can kiss your family and friends goodbye until the marathon is over.

Long runs can take up almost half your day and when you get home all you want to do is eat, shower and nap, preferably in that order! That’s why this salad recipe is the perfect post long-run meal. You can make it the night before you run and keep it chilled in the fridge until you’re ready to eat.

Barley, Farro, and Couscous Salad

Ingredients:

7 cups water, divided

1 cup barley

1 cup farro

1 cup couscous

1 cucumber, chopped

½ red onion, chopped

1 orange bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 lemon, juiced

½ teaspoon salt

1 container crumbled feta cheeseLinda Nguyen TrainWithGrains Blog Header

 

Directions:

  1. Bring 2 ½ cups water and barley to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until barley is tender and water has been absorbed, about 45 minutes.
  2. Bring 3 cups water and farro to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until farro is tender and water has been absorbed, about 30 minutes.
  3. Bring 1 ½ cup water and couscous to a boil in a separate saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until couscous is tender yet firm to the bite, about 10 minutes.
  4. Combine farro, quinoa, couscous, cucumber, red onion, orange bell pepper and red bell pepper together in a bowl.
  5. Whisk olive oil, lemon juice and salt together in a bowl. Pour dressing over grain-vegetable mixture; toss to coat.
  6. Sprinkle feta cheese over salad. Refrigerate until chilled and ready to eat. At least 2 hours.

This salad is very versatile and you can use any vegetables you want. This recipe makes quite a large serving so you can enjoy it as a main or side dish and still have enough left to share with others. It stills tastes great after a few days in the fridge and it’s an easy, no-brainer meal for those days when you’re busy hitting the pavement and training hard for your PBs!

* Share your favourite pre or post run snack or meal on Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #TrainWithGrains for your chance to win a $50 “Good In Every Grain” prize pack! We’re choosing one winner every week until STWM!  

Sep 24 2015
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How Running Taught Me To Love Myself

By | Digital Champions, Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon | No Comments

TORONTO September 24th 2015. Digital Champion Karyn Cooper started running in 2011 after suffering a miscarriage. Running cleared her head and eased her sadness, and since then she’s had a son and become a marathoner. Karyn’s most memorable accomplishment was finishing the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon last year. She is inspired to be a better runner by her 3-year old son who loves to see his Mom accomplish her goals! When Karyn isn’t running, she works full-time in community-based HIV work. Connect with Karyn on Twitter and Instagram.

How Running Taught Me To Love Myself. By Karyn Cooper

For as long as I can remember, I’ve never quite felt good enough. I had a great childhood. I now have a great family of my own. For some reason, however, I am often consumed by negative self-talk and comparing myself to others.

Running has brought some amazing things into my life. It has helped me feel like a positive role model to my young son. It has made me a better wife because I take care of myself physically and mentally. It has brought amazing people and experiences into my life. Over time, it is changing how I’ve viewed myself for so many years.

Something it has unexpectedly brought into my life is an increased awareness of the impact negative self-talk and comparing myself to others has on my day to day life.

I began running in 2012. I’ve always been a solo runner, whether on the treadmill or in my rural neighbourhood. In the beginning, I was not active in the online running community so I worked on becoming a runner on my own without much concern or awareness of the bigger picture. As I became more active in the running community on social media, I was overwhelmed by the support. In many ways, it made me more confident, more open to new experiences, and it motivated me to continue this running life.

In other ways, however, it made me consumed with comparing image2my running ability to others. I was constantly seeing posts of other people’s pace, distance, nutrition, etc. Many times I felt like I didn’t quite measure up.

This is why I knew that my first full marathon (STWM 2014) would be a game changer. Running a full marathon was so far out of my comfort zone. To say I doubted my ability to finish would be an understatement, but I DID cross that finish line. For a long time I was embarrassed by my 5+ hour finish time, but with reflection and encouragement from others I soon realized that it was an amazing accomplishment.

I still struggle with comparison and negative thoughts, but that full marathon taught me that I’m not a quitter. It taught me that when the going gets tough, I can keep going. It taught me that running is a personal thing. We set personal goals. We accomplish personal bests. I need to continue putting the emphasis on personal. This shift in thinking is noticeable in my training for this year’s marathon. I’m focused solely on my own plan. People have noticed a more relaxed approach to my training this year. I am still nervous but I know that I will cross that finish line and that will by my personal accomplishment.

Sep 22 2015
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Canadians Chasing Medals and Prize Money at Toronto Waterfront Marathon. By Paul Gains

By | Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon | No Comments

TORONTO September 22nd 2015. History will be made at this year’s Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon October 18th as the event will serve as the Canadian Marathon Championships for the very first time.

The race has also been honoured with IAAF Gold Label status joining Boston, New York and Chicago as the only marathons to enjoy such stature in The Americas.

Canadian citizens will be eligible for Canadian Championship prize money with the first domestic male and female runner earning $5,000 each – in addition to the open prize money. Medals are also at stake.

The fields are superb and with several athletes eyeing the Rio Olympic standards the Canadians are likely to battle each other while offering the foreign contingent all they can handle.

_NGE7361Leading the Canadian women is Lanni Marchant who set a national record of 2:28:00 here two years ago. She was third overall on that occasion earning $8,000 for her position and another $28,000 bonus for beating Sylvia Ruegger’s 28 year old record. Scotiabank has put up another $30,000 for a new record this year.

The 31 year old Marchant, who works part time as a criminal lawyer in Chattanooga, Tennessee, needs to run under 2:29:50 in order to be eligible for the Rio Olympics.

At present only Krista DuChene of Brantford, Ontario has the standard having raced to a 2:29:38 clocking at the Rotterdam Marathon this past April 12th. Unfortunately, DuChene will not be running Toronto having suffered an acute fracture of a metatarsal bone. She will, however, be on site as part of the “live” broadcast team for the race.

Marchant, who earned a Pan Am Games bronze medal in the 10,000m and also finished 18th in the IAAF World Championships 10,000m in Beijing announced her participation at a Toronto press luncheon earlier this month. She noted the strength of Canadian women’s distance running which has surged since 2012 when she and DuChene narrowly missed the Olympic standard.

“I don’t think Krista or I ever expected that we would help ignite a spark in women’s marathoning in Canada when we lined up at the 2012 Rotterdam Marathon,” she said. “We had some great ladies before us – obviously Sylvia but also Nicole Stephenson and Tara Quinn-smith. But women on the road hadn’t really gained the same following the men had.

“Now, just looking back over these years since 2012 we have seen more and more women line up and debut with some pretty amazing marathon performances. I think right now is the best time to be part of the Canadian running scene as there is such a charge of Canadian women absolutely killing it on the roads and I’m excited to see what will happen next.”

Marchant also said she doesn’t expect her record to stand nearly as long as Ruegger’s did. That record lasted twenty-eight years until Marchant and DuChene bettered it in Toronto. DuChene, a Brantford, Ontario resident, ran her personal best that day with 2:28:32.

Amongst those expected to challenge for medals are two female marathon debutants who have excelled on the roads in the Canada Running Series, Tarah McKay-Korir and Dayna Pidhoresky. The latter is finally healthy after several injuries and appears ready to perform to her potential. After all she ran an excellent 1:11:46 half marathon in 2011.

Another promising talent is Natasha Labeaud who debuted on the streets of Toronto a year ago finishing in 2:35:33. That earned her 8th place overall. She focused on 5,000m this past summer finishing 8th at the Pan Am Games.

Not to be forgotten is the 2014 Canadian marathon champion, Rhiannon Johns who, at the age of 23, ran cautiously to a 2:40:24 debut in Birmingham, Alabama. The fight for medal podium places is sure to be epic.

Thirty-five year old Eric Gillis will also be seeking the Rio Olympic standard and a berth on what could be his third Olympic team. The men’s standard is 2:12:50. Gillis represented Canada in the 10,000m in Beijing eight years ago and in the marathon in 2012. A year ago he raced to a new personal best of 2:11:21 in this race earning 9th place.

If everything goes according to plan Gillis will follow specially assigned pacemakers through 30 kilometres and defend the Canadian title he won a year ago in Ottawa. But should he falter both Kip Kangogo (2:15:35 PB) a Kenyan born resident of Lethbridge, Alberta, who acquired Canadian citizenship just a year ago, and Toronto’s Matt Loiselle could be there to claim his medal.

Though Loiselle’s personal best is just 2:16:01 he is determined to produce a great race when it counts.

“I have got up to about 30k at 2:12 pace. Both times that I ran the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon I got to 30k at 2:12 flat pace. That’s when the pacemaker dropped out,” says Loiselle.

_NGE7011“If you look at my best half marathon time, which is under 1:04, I think it’s doable. I just believe in myself and I believe we will get good training in. And, it will help having Sami there too.”

Loiselle’s training partner, Sami Jibril is making his marathon debut in Toronto. The 26 year old works the 3pm to 11pm shift installing and repairing street car lines for the Toronto Transit Commission.

“I am definitely aware of the Olympic standard,” says Jibril. “However, my goal for Toronto Waterfront, in my debut, is to run the best race I can and the rest will take care of itself.

“Matt and I do train three days a week when we can but not always, due to shift changes mainly on my part. However, we both have to do what we have to do in terms of getting miles in the legs. There is no short cut to a marathon.”

Competitive fields and a fast course await the entrants and when it is over will two new Canadian champions be crowned? The prospects of a memorable day are immense.

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For more information and to run with Canada’s best marathoners:

http://www.stwm.ca

Sep 21 2015
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So You’re Running A Marathon In A Month – Here’s What I Know.

By | Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon | No Comments

TORONTO September 21st 2015. Digital Champion Dawn Barnable started running in 2012, 2 years after gastric bypass surgery. She wanted something to keep her strong and fit, and running was something she could do whenever she wanted. Dawn will be completing her third marathon at STWM this year and she loves the distance because it’s in the second half of the race, that you really discover who you are. When she’s not running, you can find Dawn at the gym lifting weights, hanging out with her kids, or working as a full time Realtor. Connect with Dawn on Twitter and Instagram. Dawn Blog

So You’re Running A Marathon In A Month – Here’s What I Know. By Dawn Barnable. 

I can hardly call myself a seasoned veteran of marathon running, I only have 2 under my belt, but I sure have learned a thing or two,

I am sure you have been tracking your mileage, following a plan and building up to those long slow distance runs by now and soon you will find yourself in taper madness but whether this is your first or 21st marathon , there are still things you need to remember.

Here is a list of things I do to get myself ready to run 42.2k with only 4 weeks left.

    Run a half-marathon and practice your race pace. This past Sunday I did just that and I killed it, beating my old PR of 2:22. I ran a solid 2:20 – on a treadmill to boot. By doing this practice “race” I was able to challenge myself both physically and mentally in order to prepare myself for race day. I am by no means one who races –  I am typically one of the slowest out there. For me this practice race is a chance to get my head in the game and review what went wrong and what went right seeing as I will be repeating this distance 2 times in the next 4 weeks.

    Figure out your nutrition and hydration plan. This is vital to anyone running for hours on a course. You may be one of the lucky ones who sails through in under 4 hours or you could be like me plodding along out there for 5+ hours. Regardless, we all need to know what our bodies like and dislike on race day. I do not carry fluids as I have always found aid stations to be readily available. I do carry gels because my tummy likes them and they don’t give me any GI issues. I make sure when passing through the water stations to grab both a Gatorade and a water and down them both. I do not tolerate a lot of sugar so mixing these makes it much easier on my stomach.

    Plan your race day outfit, including shoes, socks and clothes and take them on a test run. The shoes and socks are critical because you never, ever want to wear new shoes to a race. You absolutely need to work them in and make sure they are working for you. I had a bad experience after a race involving blood blisters on both my feet due to ill-fitting shoes that I thought were OK.  The same goes for your outfit – know that the articles of clothing you’re wearing to race are not going to ride up , chafe or fall down during the run. Take your entire race day outfit on a run at least a week prior to the race. Layer, layer, layer is the key to running any fall marathon. The temps can change significantly over the course of the morning so you need to know what to discard, tie up or toss to crowds!

    Do not build up mileage in the last few weeks before the race. You have probably been following a 18,16 or 14 week training plan with a very dedicated run schedule. Do not think that this is the time to start adding in extra runs, doing more speed work, running extra hill drills or pushing too hard on those long slow runs. You will be running your longest distance probably this week and then you will start the decrease in mileage, aka tapering. Learn from this long run both physically and mentally and challenge yourself, but don’t race it quite yet – just get a feel for the distance.

    Run at the same time as race day. This is very important especially if you are running most of your training runs after work or in the late afternoon. You should experience what it feels like to run in the morning, before race day.  The temperature is different in the morning, and your body is also in a different state. Those runs after work may have you limber and loose from being busy all day and you need to know what it feels like to run when you have just woken your body up.

    Let your mind positively embrace the fact that you are about to do something that not many have or ever will do. On those last few runs, while you are spending a lot of time alone with your thoughts, keep telling yourself that you got this. You have worked so hard for the past few months training both your body and mind to conquer this feat. Repeat that mantra in your head over and over so that when race day approaches you arrive to the start line focused and determined to finish what you started so many months ago!

Sep 21 2015
0

Train With Grains Recipe: Oatmeal Fruitcake.

By | Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon | No Comments

Train With Grains Recipe: Oatmeal Fruitcake.  By CRS Community Leader Alyssa Cheung.

This year we’re teaming up with the Grain Farmers of Ontario to bring you the best pre and post-run recipes to fuel your marathon training! Each week we’ll feature a new and unique recipe from one of our CRS Community Leader Ambassadors. This week Alyssa Cheung has a recipe that will satisfy any sweet tooth! This Oatmeal Fruitcake is the perfect healthy treat to enjoy the Sunday evening after your long run. Do you have a recipe you’d like to share? Share a photo on Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #TrainWithGrains for your chance to win a “Good in Every Grain” Prize Pack valued at $50!

Every runner’s favourite meal has to be dessert! Most runners like myself probably run just to feel less guilty about having an extra serving of dessert! So, fittingly one of my favourite go to dessert recipe is an oatmeal fruitcake!

This recipe is great because it can double as breakfast since it’s made with oatmeal and has fruit (at least that’s what I tell myself)! It’s super simple to make and tastes great.

The recipe starts with an oatmeal base.

  1. 1 1/2 Cups Oatmeal
  2. 3 Tbsp Honey
  3. 1/3 Cup Flour
  4. 3 Ripe Bananas Mashed

Alyssa Blog 1

Mix all the ingredients together and pour into round tin baking pan. Bake at 375C for 25-30 minutes. You should see the edges browning when it’s ready.

Pop the oatmeal base onto a cookie sheet and let it cool. While the base is cooling you can begin on the icing.

Alyssa Blog 2

“Icing” Layer 

  1. 2 Cups Vanilla Yogurt
  2. 1/2 Cup of Cool Whip

Combine and spread on cooled oatmeal base. Top with your favourite fruit! I put pineapple, strawberries and blueberries on mine!

Alyssa Blog 3

It’s super easy to make and a great treat after any run! Or even before!

* Share your favourite pre or post run snack or meal on Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #TrainWithGrains for your chance to win a $50 “Good In Every Grain” prize pack! We’re choosing one winner every week until STWM!  

Sep 20 2015
0

Record setting Day for Natasha Wodak and the Eastside 10K

By | Eastside 10k, General | No Comments

VANCOUVER. September 19th. Vancouver local Natasha Wodak continued her banner year with a win at Saturday’s 3rd annual Vancouver Eastside 10K, a Canada Running Series event.  Wodak’s time of 33:04 was enough to break the course record and was awarded an additional $500 for her efforts.  Dayna Pidhoresky  ij_ves10k15_1040was second with a time of 34:01 and rounding out the field was Kelowna’s Malindi Elmore with a time of 34:32.  On the men’s side Geoff Martinson ran a fine solo effort of 29:32 to crush the trailing pack by more than a minute. Calgary’s Trevor Hofbauer was 2nd and Chris Winter 3rd in 30:25 and 30:55, respectively. Defending champion Kelly Wiebe finished a disappointing 4th in 31:18.

Natasha ran a great race maintaining the lead for almost the entire event.  “It’s a really fun way to end out my season with a win and a course record is great,” said Natasha.  “My plan was to come out strong with the leaders and then I took off at the 2K mark and stayed out in front.”

Natashacr_ves10k15_0686_1’s win wasn’t the only record broken at today’s event.  The fastest growing running event in BC attracted 2,300 competitors and raised over $28,000 in support of the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre, Watari Support and Counselling, the Greater Vancouver Food Bank and the Breakfast Club of Canada. The record fundraising amount was achieved largely because of the efforts of the East Vancouver Run Crew and Fraser Street Run Club who raised $5,300 and $4,700 respectively.  Participants can continue to fundraise online until September 28th on line at www.eastside10k.ca

“We were thrilled with the turnout today,” said Canada Running Series president Alan Brookes.  “Canada Running Series events build communities through running and the Eastside 10K is a perfect example of people coming together to support their community.”

Information and complete race results can be found at www.eastside10k.ca

Sep 17 2015
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Tarah McKay-Korir Running For Kenya Kids. By Paul Gains

By | Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon | No Comments

TORONTO September 17th 2015. Lured by the challenge of Tarah Korir HSROT 2012
the ‘classic distance’ and, with a few years of high altitude training in Kenya behind her, Tarah McKay-Korir will compete in the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, October 18th.

In addition to being an IAAF Gold Label race for the first time the event will also serve as the 2015 Canadian Championships.

A junior star, who represented Canada at three successive IAAF World Cross Country Championships McKay-Korir, has slowly built up to this point in her career and encouraged by her husband, Wesley Korir, the 2012 Boston Marathon champion, she feels this is the time to debut.

“The marathon distance is something I have always wanted to cover someday,” she said from her home in Cherangany, Kenya. “ I don’t know if I will ever feel completely ready but I am confident in the training that I have been doing. I ran my first two half marathons this spring so I had started increasing my mileage earlier this year.”

In March McKay-Korir made her half marathon debut in Prague finishing cautiously in 1:13:39. Training under the guidance of Wesley, who is one of Kenya’s top marathoners, she has been running between 80 and 100 kilometres a week at high altitude with one long run of up to 32km weekly.

“I am hoping to use my debut marathon as a chance to raise money to provide scholarships to the young runners we have been mentoring in Kenya,” she adds, referring to the Transcend Running Academy she and Wesley together with the producers of the film ‘Transcend’ – a film about Wesley Korir’s life – have started. “I know how fortunate I was to get good coaching and resources in high school and university and I want to help athletes in Kenya to reach their potential.

“Many Kenyan runners lack fees to go to high school and our goal with the running academy is not only to create great runners but great future leaders of their Kenyan communities which will not be possible without an education.”

To help improve the areas of education, health and agriculture Tarah and Wesley, whom she met while running at the University of Louisville, founded the Kenyan Kids Foundation. The Canadian chapter, which is chaired by Tarah’s father, Blair McKay received official charitable status in Canada last year.

Already the Foundation has had a major impact in the Cherangany region where Wesley was elected as a Member of the Kenyan Parliament and where the couple and their two children live most of the year. With a combination of fundraising measures and donations from Canadian companies such as the Gay Lea Foundation four gigantic milk coolers together with power generators were delivered earlier this year.

Volunteers are helping construct water towers, wells and septic tanks as part of the project. In addition, a representative from Semex Canada spent a week speaking to Kenyan farmers about genetics to improve their cattle breeding techniques.

The Kenyan Kids Foundation literacy program is in full swing. Thousands of used books were also shipped to Cherangany primary schools along with computers for high school students and McKay-Korir is busy initiating a reading buddy program. And the Transcend Running Academy is also off to a great start.

“In June, we had a group of high school runners from Louisville Christian Academy come to meet our Transcend Running students and run with them and visit their homes and schools,” McKay-Korir reveals. “It is important to me that people see our students for the potential they have and not just as poor Kenyan kids in a remote Kenyan village.

Photo Credit: Transcend

Photo Credit: Transcend

“During the month of August I had a full house. The Transcend students were on holiday from school so we hosted a two week training camp for the high school students and then the week prior to their camp we hosted a camp for potential future scholarship recipients in class 7/8.”

With all the charity work she does it is a wonder that McKay-Korir is able to train at the level she does. However, she has always made her visits home count. She has won prestigious Canada Running Series races such as the Harry’s Spring Run-Off 8k and the Toronto Yonge Street 10k.

“I never lack people to run with in Kenya,” she declares. “I have been doing a number

of workouts and long runs with a group of Kenyan women who also happen to be mothers. There are some Kenyan boys who stay with us also and I sometimes also run with Wesley.

“Many marathon runners run for a cause and it gives them extra strength to push through the pain. Using my marathon debut to raise funds for these athletes to get an education is something very important to me.”

Among the group she meets up with a few times a week is Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon record holder Sharon Cherop and Mary Keitany, winner of the New York and London marathons.

On Friday October 16 McKay-Korir will appear at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon expo (6:00 p.m.) to talk about her charitable work, to introduce a special screening of ‘Transcend’ (6:30 p.m. – 7:45 p.m.) and then participate in a Q & A with runners.

Wesley Korir will run in the Chicago marathon the Sunday prior to Toronto and then fly up to support his wife. Along with the countless spectators lining the Toronto streets there are many young Kenyans who will also be waiting to see how their mentor performs in her marathon debut.

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For more information and to register:

www.stwm.ca

Sep 15 2015
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Run Barbados Back Up and Running! By Alan Brookes

By | Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon | No Comments

TORONTO September 15th 2015. It is exciting to see that the Run Barbados Marathon Weekend is back up and running on the weekend of December 4th to 6th. It has been re-energized with a new team at Barbados Tourism Marketing and a new organizing group led by Zary and Kristina Evelyn and Peter Gibbs. Barbados is such an AWESOME destination, and the weekend offers a distance for everyone, from Fun Mile Friday to 5K, 10K, Half-marathon and Marathon over Saturday and Sunday.  View the full race weekend agenda here.

It’s a very special reward at the end of the Canada Running Series year, just as the snow starts to swirl in the North. I recommend that we all check it out! I see they’re still using the slogan I created: “Come for the Run; Stay for the Fun” – and it’s a good one! That’s right, Run Barbados and I go WAY back.RunBdos_Groupshot

It all started in 1984 when then head of Athletics Ontario, Cecil Smith, asked if I wanted to go down and check it out, with the view to setting up a tour group of elite and recreational runners from Canada. I ended up taking a tour group to Run Barbados for more than a decade! Canada and Canadians became a HUGE part of Run Barbados. Richard Lee, who now coaches Natasha Wodak, Dylan Wykes, Catherine Watkins and Kelly Wiebe at the BC Endurance Project, placed 4th in the 10K in 1985; his future wife, Olympian Sue French (Lee) did WAY better, winning the women’s 10k that year in 34:53. Jeff Martin from St. Catharine’s won the marathon that year too! Toronto’s Laura Konantz won the women’s marathon in ’86 – the first of several victories for her – while Toronto Olympic club’s Peter Maher took the men’s marathon title that year.

We raced with some of the world’s best in those years: Irish Olympian John Treacy, 1982 London marathon champion Hugh Jones [who won Run Barbados Marathon SIX times], New York City Marathon legend Orlando Pizzolato. I actually did the Run Barbados Marathon twice, and the 10K a bunch of times. But it wasn’t all about the run. It was always about the fun too. Longboat Roadrunners’ Brian Eley, who still works on our CRS race crew met his wife Carmel in Barbados, fell in love and has been happily married ever since. Olympian May Allison and husband Mark went as a young couple in the early ‘90s, Toronto Olympic’s Laura Konantz beame a perennial marathon podium finisher, and in more recent years the likes of Matt Loiselle have starred in the 10K and half-marathon. Longboat’s Kevin Hayes and wife Melanie became regulars and Kevin designed posters and t-shirts for Run Barbados, as well as making trips to Bert’s Bar in Rockley an annual tradition.

RunBdos_IanMcQueen

Somewhere along the way, in the late 90s, the event lost its way, and our tour group took a break. Then from 2000 to 2003 I actually got a contract as Race Director, to revive the event, and we had SO much fun! We even had “Queen Catherine Ndereba” and her family join us for the 10K and on the beach in 2003. So many great times! Rope swinging on the Jolly Roger. Battling the surf at Bottom Bay. Catching more than a few rays on the pink-sand beach at The Crane or in Worthing or at Accra. Daiquiris at Bert’s Bar. Ian McQueen [who’s been part of our CRS Course Crew for 25 years] and Kevin leading cycling expeditions up to Speightstown and around the island.

And now, after another lean spell, Run Barbados IS BACK!

There are some special fare offers from Air Canada, hotel deals, and Bajan tunes, seasoning, Banks beer and a run or two calling! Let’s check it out, and get Canada back at Run Barbados!

BONUS: WIN one of two Trips to RUN BARBADOS MARATHON WEEKEND, including hotel (accommodations will be provided by Sugar Bay Barbados and Bougainvillea Beach Resort), airfare, race entry, shuttle and food! Winners will be drawn from all entrants in the full marathon distance and announced after STWM Race Weekend! 

Run Barbados 2014

Sep 15 2015
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Shure Demise to Run Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon. By Paul Gains

By | Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon | No Comments
Photo Credit: Photo Run

Photo Credit: Photo Run

TORONTO September 15th 2015. As a young girl Shure Demise dreamed of becoming a world class runner like her hero and compatriot Derartu Tulu. Then, in January of this year, the young Ethiopian raced to a fourth place finish at the Dubai Marathon recording a stunning time of 2:20:59 in her marathon debut.

That mark is almost three minutes faster than Tulu, the two time Olympic 10,000m champion and winner of the London, Tokyo and New York Marathons, ever ran for the distance.

Most remarkable was the fact Demise celebrated her 19th birthday just two days before Dubai. The $20,000 US prize money she earned was, indeed, an expensive birthday present.

The result is in fact an ‘unofficial’ world junior record although the IAAF doesn’t keep junior records in the marathon.

“I used to watch Derartu Tulu on television,” Demise recalls. “Then I got motivated by her brilliant talent and wanted to be like her. So I started running.

“Then when I started running I got to know about (three time Olympic champion) Tirunesh Dibaba. I heard on the TV that she was so famous, and an elite athlete of Ethiopia.”

Demise hopes the experience she has gained in racing in Dubai – followed by an 8th place finish at this year’s Boston Marathon – will help her as she prepares for the upcoming Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, October 18. It is a race she has only heard about from some of her training partners in Ethiopia.

“I know that it is a big race and some of the most well known athletes participate in it.” she says. “With the help of the Almighty I want to win this big event and become a well known athlete.

“I learned a lot about techniques of running (in Dubai). Before this race I didn’t know that water was taken (during the race) but in that race I saw and used it in Boston. I just want to set the Toronto course record and I want to go with that pace.”

Demise grew up in the southern part of Ethiopia in a town called Bore. It is in a fertile region known as Guji zone.

“My parents are farmers,” she reveals, “and the countryside is green land where many cattle are found. My parents have thirty cattle.”

“There are ten children in the family: five brothers and five sisters. My brother is a policeman and they shifted him to Addis where he works in police station. I lived with him at first but now I live alone in Addis.”

Like many Ethiopian distance runners, Demise was introduced to running at school where cross country is the main sport and where children all know the names of the leading Ethiopian runners. As a sixteen year old she ran 33:24 in a 10km in Assella, Ethiopia. That was at 2,430m/ 8,000 feet altitude and the result quickly attracted attention of coaches and officials.

Demise_Shure1-Bogota15

Photo Credit: Photo Run

Today she trains with coach Gemedu Dedefo as part of the Demadonna Athletics group. The group includes Aselfech Mergia, a three time winner of the Dubai Marathon and Tirfi Tsegaye. The latter won the 2014 Berlin Marathon in 2:20:18 and was the second place finisher in the 2010 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon. No doubt she will provide useful intelligence on this IAAF Gold Label race.

In February 2014 Demise finished an impressive 3rd in the junior women’s race at the Jan Meda International Cross Country meeting.

Rather than compete on the track, which would be the natural progression, she decided to focus on road racing instead. A third place finish in the Rome Ostia Half Marathon with a time of 1:08:53 helped her decide to go straight to the marathon even at her early age.

“I saw many athletes being successful in marathon running so I wanted to proceed directly to the marathon,” she confirms.

As for the future Demise wants to create a name for herself much like her predecessors the leading Ethiopian Olympians.

“Yes, during my training time I met most of them,” she says, “but I didn’t get the chance to sit with them and share experiences. In the future I hope I can do that.

“I want to become a number one well known athlete and to participate in the Olympics. Yes, with no question I want to represent my country.”

In Toronto she will line up against a strong women’s field which includes the previously announced Sharon Cherop of Kenya, the course record holder at 2:22:43, and Canadian record holder Lanni Marchant.

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For more information and to register for the race: www.stwm.ca

Sep 14 2015
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Scotiabank Charity Challenge Feature: A Mile is a Miracle

By | Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon | No Comments

By Max Erenberg via Sofie Yang

“In the fall of 2013, along the Toronto waterfront, thousands of people were sprinting towards a common goal. I was one of those runners in the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon 5K. What caught my eye in the midst all the participants was the Autism Ontario team crossing the finish line with linked arms. In that moment, I felt inspired and newly energized.” –Sofie Yang

Road running is something special. It’s amazingly inclusive; people who run a six-minute mile are on the same course and awarded the same glory as those walking. It’s also an avenue for giving back to the community.

To bring this spirit to the Bayview Secondary School community, Sofie, then in Grade 10, and her friend Julia decided to found A Mile A Miracle (AMAM for short). Many others also joined, including myself, who were interested in raising money for local charitable causes. The goal was to bring the joy of running and giving to youths.

Starting the club wasn’t easy, but thanks to our teacher supervisor, Mr. B. Israel who doubles as a Cross Country coach, we were able to raise $760 for the Sunnybrook Foundation in our first year. As our club grew to include 46 members, we created a voting system for our race charity. We always try to keep it local by pledging to charities we see working nearby and participating in local races.AMAM 2

In true democratic fashion, by the time the 2014 Scotiabank Charity Challenge rolled around, we elected to run for the St. Michael’s Hospital neurosurgical research team. The whole team felt a sense of accomplishment and community; our very own Dalton even brought back 3rd place in the 13-19 age group!

It isn’t always serious running for us though. A Mile A Miracle trains regularly alongside the cross-country and Track and Field teams. As a member myself, the sense of accomplishment after a long run and the friendly competition between other students always motivates me to push myself during training. During the summer and winter breaks, the members get a chance to eat together, play Frisbee, or chat about school at our socials. AMAM isn’t just about winning a race; as Mr. B. Israel reminds us, “when you run, your only opponent is the clock.”

The Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon has been our cornerstone event every year since 2013 with a bus-load of 20 students participating last year. This year, we will be supporting the Learning Disabilities Association of York Region. Come cheer us on at the finish line!

Please connect with us! We’d love your support!

Twitter: @amileamiracle

Facebook: A Mile A Miracle

Email: mailto:mile.miracle.bss14@gmail.com