ASICS Returns As Official Partner for Canada Running Series’ Top Three Races

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ASICS to bring unparalleled expertise and experience to the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon, 21K de Montréal, and Vancouver Half Marathon.

[February 2, 2022 – Toronto, CAN] – Today, ASICS and Canada Running Series (CRS) are thrilled to announce a partnership between the two brands which will see ASICS serve as the official partner for CRS’s three largest events, the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon, 21K de Montréal, and Vancouver Half Marathon. This five-year deal, beginning in 2022, will see ASICS leverage the brand’s various platforms and performance running products to support and benefit CRS’s core running audience. As part of the partnership, ASICS’ apparel will serve as the official merchandise brand for the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon and ASICS will support the pacer programs for all three CRS races. Also, as part of the partnership, access to the ASICS Runkeeper app will provide CRS athletes with exclusive, personalized, and flexible training programs leading up to each race. Lastly, CRS will continue using Race Roster, a leading race registration platform for running events and a recent ASICS brand acquisition.

“ASICS is excited to partner with CRS and to support the top distance running races in Canada,” said Kris French, Country Manager at ASICS Canada. “We hope that through our platforms and products that we can help share the power of movement and the impact that sport can have on these communities.”

“We are immensely proud to partner once again with ASICS and leverage their extensive knowledge of race technology to dramatically enhance the participant experience,” said Charlotte Brookes, National Event Director at Canada Running Series. “While we remain focused on our mission to build community through running, our community has evolved, pivoting toward virtual connections and subsequently allowing us to expand our community well beyond our racecourses. The unique partnership between ASICS, the ASICS Runkeeper app, and Race Roster will allow us to continue driving positive change for both virtual and in-person racing.”

Registration is now open for all three events. The 21K de Montréal will be held on April 23-24, 2022, while the Vancouver Half Marathon is set for June 26, 2022, and the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon will take place on October 16, 2022. With hybrid events here for the foreseeable future, each event will offer all distances virtually as well.

For more information on Canada Running Series events, please visit canadarunningseries.com.

For more information on ASICS Corporation, please visit: www.asics.com/ca.

-ENDS-

About Canada Running Series
Canada Running Series is Canada’s premier road race series, offering eight annual events nationwide. Since 2017, CRS’s flagship event, the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon, has served as the Athletics Canada national marathon championship race and has doubled as the Olympic trials. In 2021, CRS raised $4.8 million for 260 local charities through the Charity Challenge.

Using innovation and organization as guiding principles, Canada Running Series stages great experiences for runners of all levels, from Canadian Olympians to recreational and charity runners. With a mission of “building community through the sport of running,” CRS is committed to making sport part of sustainable communities and the city-building process. For more information, visit: canadarunningseries.com.

About ASICS
Anima Sana In Corpore Sano, meaning “A Sound Mind in a Sound Body,” is an old Latin phrase from which ASICS is derived and the fundamental platform on which the brand still stands. The company was founded more than 70 years ago by Kihachiro Onitsuka and is now a leading designer and manufacturer of performance athletic footwear, apparel and accessories. For more information, visit www.asics.com/ca. Follow @ASICSCanada on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube for exclusive content and real-time news around ASICS products, events, and elite athletes.

Media Inquiries
Sam O’Neill
Marketing and Communications Coordinator
Canada Running Series
sam@canadarunningseries.com

Our Top Moments of 2021

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As this year comes to a close, we wanted to share some of moments and accomplishments that have inspired us in 2021. Undoubtedly, getting back to in-person racing with the Toronto Waterfront Marathon 10K was a huge turning point for all of us and we can’t wait to build on that momentum in 2022. Virtual races continued to dominate and served as an anchor to keep us connected, with over 21,000 participants lacing up and completing their races close to home. We had an outstanding year in fundraising and we renewed our committment to working with underrepresented and marginalized communities which resulted in the creation of some exciting, new, accessible events we can’t wait to reveal.

Thank you for your continued support of Canada Running Series! We can’t wait to share what we have in store for 2022, including an epic announcement about a new title partner and new athletic partner for the Toronto Waterfront Marathon. Make sure you are signed up for our newsletter so you don’t miss a beat. We hope you enjoy our top moments of 2021!

5000 runners joined us for a 10K race along the lakeshore to celebrate a return to in-person racing! Whether you were running, cheering or watching from home, the Toronto Waterfront Marathon 10K on Sunday October 17th was more than a race, it was a celebration of the joy of coming together to achieve a common goal. Whether you were running your first 10K, going for a personal best, or cheering from the sidelines, the collective energy and enthusiasm you created is carrying us into an exciting 2022 race season

You helped 260 charities continue their important work in the community. Although the past 2 years have been challenging for all of us, your generosity and commitment to fundraising have remained steadfast. This year, through the incredible fundraising efforts and generous donations of many people around the globe, you’ve raised over $4.8 million for 260 local charities across 11 virtual and in-person events. These contributions have been vital for charities to be able to continue supporting their communities and those most in need. Thank you for inspiring us and allowing us to be a part of this journey.

We got to cheer on so many of our Canada Running Series stars and friends during Tokyo 2020! Our vision has always been to provide races for everyone, from Olympians to recreational runners. This summer we were inspired by the performances of so many of our friends at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, including Trevor Hofbauer and Dayna Pidhoresky, who qualified for Tokyo 2020 at the 2019 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon!

We strengthened our commitment to the communities we run through. In 2021, we started working with community groups to understand how we can contribute to positive change. We made a commitment to reflect diversity in running in our imagery and copy as well as in our Ambassador team. In consultation with communities that have been historically underrepresented, we hosted panels to create space for marginalized voices and offered 1% of race entries to BIPOC runners. Moving into 2022, stay tuned for continued commitments and more exciting and accessible community events.

Our friends did some pretty amazing things! Our ambassadors inspired us all year long. Ambassador Bernard celebrated his 42nd birthday by running a marathon every week for 42 weeks. He brought the community together during a time when we needed it. Quinton created Escape to Chicago and brought awareness to some amazing community charities, while also running to Chicago. Anthony (and so many of you) raced his first-ever in-person race during the Waterfront 10K! Melanie created an online forum for Black Runners of the GTA and created a space offline for people to come together. The Everyday Fit Social Club team took on the TTC challenge over one night by each racing a line and meeting at Union Station. We’re lucky to be surrounded by such inspiring people!

We also asked our community members to share their favourite moments of 2021 and here’s what they had to say:

“Seeing all the happy faces of the runners and volunteers at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon 10K.”

“Watching Leslie Sexton win the 10K Championships.”

“Running to every station during the TTC Challenge. It was a great way to connect with our city.”

“Crossing the finish line of the Toronto Waterfront Marathon 10K and having “The Comeback” by Zac Brown Band playing in my ears.”

“Running through the trails with my grandson.”

“Running the virtual Under Armour Eastside 10K on the East Coast Atlantic View Trail.”

Happy holidays from everyone at Canada Running Series. We can’t wait to make new memories with you in 2022!

Alan’s Journal: Holiday 2020

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First and foremost, thank you! We can’t say it enough. As this year draws to a close, we want to give a heartfelt thanks to you, our community, for sticking by us in 2020. Canada Running Series is something we have built together over the last 30 years and we are grateful and excited to be planning an incredible 2021 season for you.

The past nine months have felt like the last leg of a tough race – we are moving toward the finish line, but the end still seems so far away. Many of us continue to be physically separated from our family, friends and training partners. Many businesses have not survived. The demand for the services our charity partners provide has been high, while resources have been stretched thin.

Our Canada Running Series team has been challenged like never before to create meaningful virtual experiences in an effort to keep our community running together, while we have to be apart. We’ve been challenged to completely rethink the meaning of “diversity and inclusion” in our sport. We’ve acknowledged that running, a sport that prides itself on democratically including everyone on our start lines regardless of talent or speed, may not be as inclusive as we assumed. “No-one left behind” has become so much more than just an assurance that runners of all abilities are welcome.

But throughout this difficult year, your passion, energy and determination has kept shining through and kept our team moving forward.

Four cheers for a resounding, remarkable team effort! 

1. To our community. You went to the fences and back this year. Almost 20,000 of you participated in our Canada Running Series virtual events. A far cry from our usual 70,000, but still an enormous number that has helped keep us in business.

Even more impressive, you raised over $4.6 million for our charities across nine events, with $2,960,760 of that donated to our 163 charities in the Scotiabank Charity Challenge at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon. That’s 85% of our usual fundraising total, a truly astounding feat this year!

A special tip of the hat to our Scotiabank Charity Challenge prize winners: Fountain of Love and Life (Largest amount raised, $622,063); Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Toronto (Largest average amount raised per participant, $15,473); and Giant Steps Toronto/York (Most participants, 72). Congratulations all!

The sport component had its diamond-studded moments, too. Yes, it was a year when the Olympics had to be postponed, and our Canadian team was forced to withdraw from the World Athletics Half Marathon in Gdynia, Poland. But it was a thrill for me to have so many of our top Canadian stars compete virtually in our 4-person Athletics Canada 42K Relay Challenge, a substitute for the Athletics Canada National Marathon Championship. They raced hard from Newfoundland to British Columbia: from Kate Bazeley’s ‘Rockin’ Rock’ team in St. John’s, Newfoundland to the ‘Quarantine Queens’ featuring Malindi Elmore, Natasha Wodak, and Kinsey Middleton in the West, with 4th member Emily Setlack racing in Ontario.

The ‘Quarantine Queens’ Kinsey Middleton, Natasha Wodak, Emily Setlack and Malindi Elmore.

Fan favourites Krista DuChene and Reid Coolsaet had teams from Ontario where Chris Baslestrini’s ‘Backroad Bandits’ took the Men’s title. In Vancouver, Justin Kent went out and blistered a 62:34 half to help his British Columbia Endurance Project ‘White Team’ best ‘BCEP Red’, to win the Mixed category (2:11:46 to 2:12:41), despite Luc Bruchet’s scorching 22:47 8 km leg for the latter.

Pumped? I was! Go Canada Go!

2. Our second resounding cheer goes to our partners. It’s an apt saying that “sponsors pay for races: partners help build them.” We have always known how important our partners were to our events and this year they showed up in ways we can never repay.  Their commitment to our events and our community is something we’ll forever be grateful for and we can’t wait to show you how we’re building on that commitment in 2021!

3. Our third cheer must go out to our Canadian government. Without the support of the wage and rent subsidies, we would not have been able to keep our incredible team of employees – a team that has taken us 10 years to build and without whom our races would be vastly inferior when we return to real-life events.

4. My fourth cheer goes out to the Canada Running Series team, in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal and Mexico. Our world changed overnight in March. I recall editing a statement about the cancellation of our in-person events six times in two days because the situation was being transformed by the hour.

The Canada Running Series team.

Over the last nine months our team has joined event organizers worldwide in the pivot from in-person to virtual running experiences.  They quickly transitioned from five-star event planners and organizers to fulfillment experts – packaging, shipping and delivering race kits across the country and overseas.  They came together to collectively write 20,000 hand-written thank-you cards for our virtual race kits, many of which they then personally delivered to your doorsteps. They did this while, like many of you, they were also looking after their children, quickly learning new roles at work, and trying to adjust to a remote work lifestyle. And like you, many of our team also tried to juggle work/life responsibilities while trying to find the time to get out and run! Over the summer, our team participated in a virtual distance challenge as we collectively logged enough kilometres to cover the distance from our Toronto office to Vancouver, over to Edmonton, then Montreal and finally back to Toronto again!

To cap it off, this week we received the iRun readers’ “Best Virtual Race of the Year” award for Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon. It feels like this award is from and for ALL of us. Thank you.

2021. The road ahead.  

Where do we go from here?

We’re inspired by the fact that so many of you continue to run, to walk, to train hard, or to race (virtually and in person); and in fact, by so many new people taking up the sport. It’s a hugely positive sign. If you’re a new runner who has joined us for the first time this year, thank you! We look forward to continuing to support your running goals both virtually and in-person.

If virtual has been the key word to describe 2020, hybrid will be the word that best-characterizes 2021. Hybrid races will offer a real-life race option for those willing and able to travel, and to commit to in-person gatherings, plus a virtual option for those more comfortable connecting at a distance.

Our staff getting out to RUN our races this year, something we have never been able to do before.

Virtual races are here to stay. They’ll never replace that mass-race, in-person celebration, but they offer a flexibility in time and space to connect us, when face to face get-togethers aren’t possible. Virtual races have proved especially popular among charity runners and walkers; among people who’ve moved away but want to still be part of their hometown race; or those who want to travel to a Canada Running Series event but can’t do it this particular year.

Gradually, we are planning to return to real-life races, when it is safe to do so in 2021. When in-person races return, they will look different. They’ll be smaller and stripped down to reduce contact touch points, with lots of extra safety precautions. At first there are likely to be no bag check services, no post-race parties and awards, and packet-pick-up will be outdoors or via mailout. Lots of physical distancing, mandatory mask wearing and hand sanitizing.

In order to help you plan your race season, here is our Canada Running Series 2021 calendar. We are currently committed to hosting virtual races for the first half of 2021. Working alongside our municipal and athletics partners, and following local and national health and safety guidelines, we will continue to re-evaluate the potential of in-person events for Fall 2021.

Apologies for this lengthy chat, but there’s so much going on! Rest assured we will continue to do our best to deliver world-class events, both virtually and in-person, while keeping our Canadian running community (and our international friends) strong and moving forward.  To paraphrase that old chestnut that “it takes a village to raise a child”, it has taken all of us to get though 2020, the worst of years. And it will take our continued, combined efforts, working together, supporting each other, caring, resilient, determined and strong to get back on those Starting lines that we love so much in the year ahead.

Keep running. Stay safe. Stay with us. One foot in front of the other, with patience, dedication and determination – all great runner characteristics – we will be back! For the moment, let’s keep connected across all our social media platforms, and keep sharing experiences through our virtual events.

Much love and gratitude,

Alan
Connect with me @alnbrookes on Twitter and Instagram

*Header photo credit: Runners from CECI – Centre d’étude et de coopération internationale fundraising for the Scotiabank Charity Challenge! 

Larabar Joins Canada Running Series as Official Snack Partner

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TORONTO August 31st 2020 – Canada Running Series is delighted to announce a new partnership with LÄRABAR. As the Official SnackPartner of Canada Running Series, LÄRABAR will provide participants with nutritious options to fuel their training and racing over the next three years. LÄRABAR bars are an indulgent combination of whole foods, like nuts and fruits, that participants are sure to enjoy!

“We are especially thrilled by this new partnership,” said Alan Brookes, President of Canada Running Series. “On one level, it is a great opportunity to provide a new nutritious snack reward to our participants, and introduce them to another ingredient in a wholesome lifestyle. Equally significant is LÄRABAR’s commitment to partner with us in these uncertain times. Whether we’re training together or running solo, whether we’re racing IRL or URL, LÄRABAR will be with us for at least 3 seasons, supporting and sustaining our wonderful, resilient Canadian running community.”

Twenty years ago, in the summer of 2000, Lara Merriken created LÄRABAR™ with a simple goal:

“Combine simple ingredients such as fruits and nuts to create a food product that’s tasty, real, and convenient. Natural foods, I believed should be fun and enjoyable. Believe it or not, I used to be a junk food junkie — until… I discovered how natural foods enlivened my mind, body and spirit. With friends and family serving as focus groups, I tinkered with recipes until a consensus on yummi-ness was reached. The next step was to launch a company to market. I also assembled a sophisticated manufacturing arm…what amounted to be a Cuisinart™ and a rolling pin. A passion for real food soon followed, and continues to be a driving force behind everything I do professionally and personally. I really appreciate the opportunity I have to make a positive difference in the world we live in.”

All varieties of LÄRABAR are made with 3–6 real,wholesome ingredients and no added sugar.They are gluten-free, non-GMO, vegan and kosher. We look forward to enjoying this tasty partnership for years to come.

About Canada Running Series

Canada Running Series is the nation’s premier running circuit with 8 events: 4 in Toronto, 2 in Vancouver 1 in Montreal and 1 in Edmonton. It annually attracts some 60,000 participants and raises more than $6 million for some 320 mostly-local charities. The Series includes the IAAF Gold Label Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, and the Athletics Canada National Marathon Championships. Since 1999, CRS has gained international recognition for innovation and organization. We are passionately committed to staging great experiences for runners of all levels from Canadian Olympians and International stars, to healthy lifestyle people and charity runners; and to making sport part of sustainable communities and the city-building process. Our mission is “building community through the sport of running.”

About General Mills Canada Corporation

Established in 1954, General Mills Canada Corporation is based in Mississauga, Ontario. General Mills purpose is to serve the world by making food people love. Its most popular products include CheeriosTM/MC and Honey Nut CheeriosTM/MC cereals, Nature ValleyTM/MC snacks, Yoplait® and Liberté® dairy products, and Old El PasoTM/MC Mexican products. General Mills Canada is a proud and long-time supporter of Team Canada, Hockey Canada, Concerned Children’s Advertisers and United Way.

Cancellation Announcement for the Oasis ZooRun

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Thank you for supporting us and being a part of the Canada Running Series family.

We have made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 Oasis ZooRun. While we are disappointed that we won’t see you at the Toronto Zoo this September, we know this is the only solution until it is safe for us to run together again.

For those of you who have been training, fundraising and looking forward to this event, we want to help you stay motivated and active. That’s why we are excited to announce the Oasis ZooRun 10K, 5K & Cub Run Virtual Race!

Currently registered runners, please check your inboxes for options regarding your 2020 Oasis ZooRun registration. If you’re not registered yet, online registration for the Virtual Race will open on July 7th.

If you have any question, please take a look at our FAQs page or email info@canadarunningseries.com 

 

Cancellation Announcement for the Under Armour Vancouver Eastside 10K

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We want to thank you for your ongoing support and for being an important part of the Canada Running Series family.

We have made the difficult decision to cancel the Under Armour Eastside 10K. The safety of our running community is our top priority and we know this is the only solution until we can run together safely again.

We know how important it is to stay motivated and active and we are excited to continue supporting our participants and charity partners through the launch of the Under Armour Eastside 10K Virtual Race!

For those who are already registered, please check your inboxes for new options regarding your registration. If you are not yet registered, online registration for the Virtual Race will open on July 7th. If you have any questions please take a look at our FAQs page or email crswest@canadarunningseries.com.

An Update on the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon

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Thank you for your patience as we navigate our options for the 2020 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon. We are currently in conversations with the City of Toronto and Public Health to get the most up-to-date information on government closures of mass participation events in the fall. At this time, the City of Toronto has not been able to confirm if the ban on mass events of over 25,000 will be extended beyond August 31st.

While we will be pausing race registration at this time, fundraising for the Scotiabank Charity Challenge will remain open. Our 149 charity partners need our help now, more than ever.

In the coming weeks we will provide you with an update as we learn more from the City of Toronto and Public Health. If you have any questions in the meantime feel free to reach out to our customer service team at info@canadarunningseries.com.

Thank you from all of us on the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon team.

L’événement physique du Banque Scotia 21K de Montréal sera annulé

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Nous avons pris la décision difficile d’annuler l’édition physique du Banque Scotia 21K de Montréal, prévue le 26 et 27 septembre 2020.

Lorsque nous avons originalement repoussé notre événement d’avril en septembre nous avons pris cette décision basée sur les informations que nous avions à ce moment concernant la COVID-19. Depuis cette décision en mars, plusieurs éléments entourant cette pandémie mondiale ont changés et nous savons maintenant que c’est la bonne décision à prendre jusqu’à ce que ce soit sécuritaire pour nous de courir ensemble.

Course Virtuelle

Même si nous sommes déçus de ne pas pouvoir se retrouver en personne pour courir, nous espérons que vous vous joindrez à nous pour le Banque Scotia 21K de Montréal virtuel. Avec les options du demi-marathon, 10K, 5K et 1K pour enfants vous pouvez continuer votre entraînement afin d’atteindre votre objectif de distance. Chaque participant recevra un chandail Stopwatch de Saucony ainsi qu’une médaille de participation qui célèbre la beauté de Montréal. En plus, les participants au Banque Scotia 21K de Montréal auront la chance de gagner des prix de nos partenaires Saucony et Nuun!

Soutenir les organismes locaux

Les levées de fond resteront ouvertes jusqu’au 21 septembre. Chaque dollars compte. Si vous êtes en mesure de donner, s’il-vous-plaît considérez encourager l’un de nos organismes partenaires. Ils ont besoin de votre aide plus que jamais. Depuis le début des inscriptions en novembre, des centaines de levées de fonds au Défi Caritatif Scotiabank ont aidé à récolté plus de 400 000$ jusqu’à ce jour en supportant plus de 80 organismes locaux.

Pour ceux qui débutent leur programme d’entraînement, amasse des fonds pour encourager un organisme local ou pour ceux qui comptaient sur cette course pour être leur première course nous comprenons la frustration causée par une autre annulation. Nous sommes tristes de ne pas être en mesure de vous voir à la ligne de départ du Parc Jean Drapeau, mais nous continuons de se réunir virtuellement. Inscrivez-vous au Banque Scotia 21K de Montréal virtuel.

Si vous avez des questions n’hésitez pas à contacter le service à la clientèle à l’adresse:
crs-mtl@canadarunningseries.com

 


Banque Scotia 21K de Montréal In-Person Event Cancelled

We have made the difficult decision to cancel this year’s Banque Scotia 21K de Montréal in person event that was scheduled to take place September 26th and 27th, 2020.

When we originally postponed our April event to September, we made that decision based on the knowledge we had at the time about COVID-19. Since that decision was made in March, many things surrounding this global pandemic have changed and we know that this is the only solution until it is safe for us to run together again.

While we are disappointed, we can’t get together in person, we hope you’ll join us for the Banque Scotia 21K de Montréal Virtual Race. With a half marathon, 10K, 5K and 1K Kids Run to choose from, you can keep on training to reach your goals of completing this race! Every participant will be rewarded with a Saucony Stopwatch shirt and unique finisher’s medal that celebrate the beauty of Montréal. In addition, participants in the Banque Scotia 21K de Montréal Virtual Race will have the chance to win awesome prize packs from our sponsors including Saucony and Nuun!

Supporting Local Charities

Fundraising will remain open until September 21st. Every Dollar Helps. If you are in the position to do so, please consider supporting our charitable partners, who need our help now more than ever. Since we launched registration for this event back in November, hundreds of fundraisers have helped to raise over $400,000 to date, in support of over 80 local charities in the Scotiabank Charity Challenge.

For those starting training programs, fundraising for a local charity or those who had planned on this event being their first race, we understand the frustration another cancellation brings. We are sad we won’t be seeing you at the start line in Parc Jean-Drapeau, but we can continue to connect virtually. Register for the Banque Scotia 21K de Montréal Virtual Race.

If you have questions, please contact our customer service team at crs-mtl@canadarunningseries.com

Update on the Status of Canada Running Series Events

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*Last Updated: Thursday June 25, 2020

Under Armour Spring Run-Off 8K, 5K & Kids Run

Virtual Race – May 4th – July 1st, 2020
Status: OPEN for registration

In-Person Race – Postponed to November 7th, 2020
Status: Registration opening soon


Banque Scotia 21K de Montréal 10K, 5K, & Kids Run

Virtual Race – May 25th – August 31st, 2020
Status: OPEN for registration

In-Person Race
Status: Cancelled for 2020


Scotiabank Vancouver Half Marathon, 10K & 5K

Virtual Race – June 29th – September 18th, 2020
Status: OPEN for registration

In-Person Race
Status: Cancelled for 2020


lululemon Toronto 10K & lululemon Edmonton 10K

In-Person Races
Status: Cancelled for 2020


Oasis ZooRun 10K, 5K & Cub Run 

In-Person Race
Status: Cancelled for 2020

Virtual Race
Status: Registration opens July 7th, 2020


Under Armour Vancouver Eastside 10K

In-Person Race
Status: Cancelled for 2020

Virtual Race
Status: Registration opens July 7th, 2020


Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, Half Marathon & 5K

In-Person Race: Sunday October 18th, 2020
Status: Registration paused.
Read our latest update here. 

 

Cancellation Announcement for the Scotiabank Vancouver Half Marathon & 5K

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A Message from Race Director, Ryan Chilibeck: 

Out of an abundance of caution, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 Scotiabank Vancouver Half Marathon & 5KWhile we are disappointed that we won’t be getting together this June, we know this is the only solution until we are told that it is safe for us to run together again. 

The conditions around COVID-19 are changing so quickly, in our city, our country and around the world. Every time we feel like we have made a correct decision, new information emerges and we are turned in another direction. While whave been doing our very best to keep up and remain flexible, it is clear to us that cancelling this race is the only decision we can make right now. We want our city to be able to devote 100% of its energy to fighting COVID-19 and bringing this race to Vancouver would only be adding unnecessary strain to already maxed out resources. It wouldn’t be fair to our community or our incredibly hardworking frontline and essential workers.  

At this time, our primary goal is public safety while maintaining our commitment to supporting those most in need. We have closed registration for this event, however fundraising will remain open. If you are in the position to do so, we hope you will continue to support our charitable partners, who  need  our help now  more than ever. Since we launched registration for the Scotiabank Vancouver Half Marathon & 5K back in September, hundreds of fundraisers have been working to help us reach our goal of $1.3 million raised to support over 70 local charities in the Scotiabank Charity Challenge. 

As a runner myself, deeply recognize how invested you were in getting to the start line of the Scotiabank Vancouver Half Marathon & 5K. Whether you were just starting your training cycle, fundraising for one of our official charities or planning a trip from out of town, our entire team is heartbroken that we won’t be able to see this all come together, in person, on June 28th. In the meantime, we are working on ways to keep our community connected in the virtual world. Keep your eyes on your inbox over the next few weeks as we share our action plan.