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spring run-off Archives - Canada Running Series

Canada Running Series Welcomes Columbia Sportswear as Official Sponsor of the Beneva Spring Run-Off

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Toronto, ON (Feb. 4, 2025) – Canada Running Series is proud to announce that Columbia has joined our team as the official footwear & apparel sponsor of the annual series opener, the Beneva Spring Run-Off, to be held in High Park in Toronto on April 5th, 2025.

“We are excited to welcome Columbia to the fold; a trusted brand that has been creating innovative footwear and apparel for outdoor enthusiasts since 1938,” said Charlotte Brookes, National Event Director at Canada Running Series. Columbia will be supporting the event’s training run, providing the participant souvenir item, hosting race kit pickup and activating on race day.

“We’re thrilled to be a part of the Canada Running Series, and the Beneva Spring Run-Off” said Dave Brulé Columbia Sportswear Canada’s VP & General Manager – “Toronto is home to a vibrant community of runners that share our passion for the outdoors.  We are looking forward to race day and creating a memorable experience for all”.

Stay tuned for more exciting announcements as more details become available in the coming weeks.

Registration for the Beneva Spring Run-Off is open and is trending towards an early sell-out. The event will take place in Toronto’s High Park on April 5th, 2025.

Visit www.springrunoff.ca for more information and to register.

Follow Columbia Sportswear on social:

Website: https://www.columbiasportswear.ca/

Instagram: @columbiasportswear_ca

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/columbiacanada

 

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Canada Running Series Welcomes Beneva as Official Title Partner of the Spring Run-Off

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Toronto, ON (October 10, 2024) – Canada Running Series is proud to announce that Beneva has joined the team as the title sponsor of the annual series opener, now called Beneva Spring Run-Off, held in Toronto in High Park every April.  

The team at Canada Running Series welcomes Beneva aboard as it adds another running event to its growing list of partnerships – Beneva Mississauga Marathon and Beneva Montreal Marathon to name two. Beneva is an organization that makes participants’ interests a priority, is enthusiastic when it comes to activating its brand and seeks to provide the best possible experience at the events it’s involved in.

CRS National Event Director, Charlotte Brookes, comments,  

We’re delighted that Beneva is expanding their involvement in running in Canada and that they’ve chosen the Spring Run-Off, the longest continuously held road race in Toronto, to be part of their featured events. Beneva has done such an amazing job of activating and enhancing the events they are involved with by creating whole zones to relax after a great run or walk, we can’t wait to see what they do next at Spring Run-Off!  This event is one of my favourites in our series – it’s Opening Day and the start of a new, exciting season ahead. This year it will be an extra-special launch forward into a 2025 of run, fitness and fun.

EVP Talent, Culture and Communication, Martin Robert, comments, 

We are very pleased and excited about this new partnership with Canada Running Series! This collaboration strengthens our commitment to promoting health and well-being and increases the reach of our brand across the country. By supporting initiatives like these, we continue to show that caring for our clients and members is at the heart of everything we do. Together, we’re taking steps towards a healthier, more active community.  

Stay tuned for more exciting announcements as more details become available in the coming months. 

 

Registration for the Beneva Spring Run-Off will open Tuesday, October 15th, 2024, at 12:00 PM and the event will take place in Toronto’s High Park on April 5th, 2025.  

Visit www.springrunoff.ca for more information and to register.  

 

For more Canada Running Series news, results, photos, and events, visit  

www.CanadaRunningSeries.com  

Also, check out @runCRS on your favourite social media sites! 

 

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About Canada Running Series (CRS) 

Canada Running Series is the nation’s premier running circuit with 6 events, 4 in Toronto and 2 in Vancouver. It annually attracts over 60,000 participants and raises more than $5 million for some 300 Canadian and local charities. The Spring Run-Off is the first Toronto race of the Series, which concludes with the World Athletics Elite Label TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon, and the Athletics Canada National Marathon Championships. Since 1999, CRS has gained international recognition for innovation and organization. To learn more about CRS, visit https://canadarunningseries.com/. 

 

About Beneva 

Created by the coming together of LaCapitale and SSQInsurance, Beneva is the largest insurance mutual in Canada with more than 3.5million members and customers. Beneva employs over 5,500dedicated employees: people looking out for people. Its human approach is rooted in mutualist values that are shared by its employees. With $25.2billion in assets, Beneva positions itself as a major player in the insurance and financial services industry. Its head office is located in Quebec City. For more information, please consult beneva.ca.  

 

Media Contact, CRS: 

Damien Hope

damien@canadarunningseries.com 

416-944-2765 x 508

Media Contact, Beneva: 

Media Relations 

1-866-332-3806 

media@beneva.ca 

Running Through the Elements – How to Train in all Types of Weather

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An April 5K or 8K run is a great way to start off your race season, but with unpredictable weather, training can be difficult. Through the weather changes, through the pain, through the doubt – in order to cross the finish line, the only way is through. Stay motivated by coming prepared – no matter what mother nature throws at you. Below are some tips from our friends at Under Armour on how to train through any weather condition:

Sun

There’s no easier time to get motivated to move than when the sun is shining. A beautiful, clear sky is all you can hope for on race day. Make the most of your time outside with our title sponsor Under Armour’s newest footwear technology, the HOVR Machina. HOVR Machina provides an extra edge over your fellow racers by mixing the speed of a racing shoe with the comfort of a long-distance trainer. For more accurate training results, check out the MapMyRun app which all UA HOVR shoes can connect with. The shoes and app work together with Form Coaching, providing real-time, personalized guidance to make sure your form doesn’t break down mid run. The app also tracks your stride length, cadence and distance, helping you analyse your run and keep improving.

Rain

Sometimes, pushing through the excuses is the hardest part of training. Your biggest battle won’t be with the rain, but with yourself. You know you need to keep your schedule and get a run in, no matter what the forecast predicts. When the rain hits and you need to layer up, try outfitting yourself in the UA Qualifier Storm Packable Jacket. The jacket is fitted with UA storm technology, ready to repel wind and water to shield you from the elements.

Snow

Running in the cold can seem scary, but don’t let the bitter winter weather stop you from getting outside. Once you get moving, your body warms up quickly, so you don’t require as much bulk as you may think. The UA Intelliknit is a performance sweater made for keeping warm on the coldest of days. The lightweight feel offers breathability, while the reflective bands on the arms provide extra safety for those late-night and early-morning runs.

Indoors

When the weather is unbearable, opt for a training session on the treadmill. Under Armour’s new HOVR Sonic 3 are great for distance runs, providing a lightweight feel with a little extra comfort and cushioning.

Read the official UA Spring Run-Off Training plan here and show us how you train through the elements on Instagram with #TheOnlyWayIsThrough and #UASpringRunOff. Register to run with us on April 4th at springrunoff.ca

Race Day Tips for the Race Roster Spring Run-Off

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By Coach Colin, High Park Rogue Runners

You’ve done it. You’re injury-free, you’re fit, you braved the early mornings and winter weather and now you’re race ready. So, what next? Tackling this course requires a bit more planning than your regular race. The allure of the course is its scenery, its mixed terrain, and above all else, its signature hills. With just a few tips and a little bit of planning, you’ll be all set to make the most of your fitness and have a great race.

Perhaps the best advice I can give on race day is to leave the watch at home. Gasp, I know! But, the hills that give the Spring Run-Off its reputation are the hills that make traditional pacing extremely difficult. Instead, focus on how you feel. Even the flattest stretches of this race are covered in rolling hills. As such, your pace will fluctuate during the race and focusing too intently on your pace can demoralize you. Relax, take a deep breath, put the watch down, and focus on running well and having fun! You’ll be surprised how well you can do by listening to your body and enjoying your surroundings.

The Start of the Race

There are two big hills in the 8k race – Centre Road and Spring Road – and one big hill in the 5k race – Spring Road. If you’re doing the 8k, Centre Road hill is about 3k into the race. If you go out too hard, this hill will let you know. Try to stay relaxed at the start of the race and don’t let your adrenaline fool you. After about 300m the hill levels out with a much smaller incline. Whatever you do, just don’t panic. Stay focused on your form, stay relaxed, and when you get to the top of the hill, instead of stopping to catch your breath, take a deep breath and keep running – remember what you practiced in training with flat stretches after a hill. You’ll be surprised how quickly your heart rate goes back down after you crest the hill. Count to five in your head and you’ll notice most of that discomfort is already gone!

The Downhills

As much as we’ve focused on the uphill portions of this race, there are a considerable number of downhill sections as well. When you’re running downhill, try to let the force of gravity pull you. Don’t try to force yourself to slow down – that breaking motion can create a jarring effect on your legs, which will slow you down and create more fatigue. Running at the rate the hill pulls you will get you down the hill the quickest with the least amount of strain. Just stay relaxed, and lean slightly forward. Let the hill do the work.

Spring Road. La pièce de résistance.

Spring Road: the place where legends are made. The epic showdown for the coveted title of King and Queen of the Hill! We’ve touched on all of the basics that will help you crush this hill – don’t start the race too fast, stay relaxed, don’t panic, drive the knees and arms, focus on form, and don’t slouch those shoulders when you fatigue – but what I want to emphasize about this hill is actually what comes before it… a flat stretch of ground! The hill is at the end of Spring Road. The road itself is about 1.2k long, which includes nearly 900m of flat running before reaching the hill. In my experience, once people get to Spring Road, they feel like they’re in the home stretch and pick up their effort. 900m is a long way to get though, especially when there’s a large hill after it! My advice is again to stay calm and keep your effort the same, not to increase it. Don’t get carried away by what feels like the first stretch of flat ground you’ve experienced all day. Conserve that last bit of energy for the grand finale! Once you arrive at the hill, buckle down and dig deep. Let the sounds of the cheering crowds pull you along and bask in the knowledge that in just 300m you will have conquered this beast! You’ve got this!

Above all else, just have fun! This is a wonderful race in a beautiful park with lots of amazing people! Enjoy the race and immerse yourself in the full experience! I’ll be there to cheer you all up those hills! Best of luck!

Natasha Wodak Claims Race Roster Spring Run-Off 8k

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By Paul Gains

Natasha Wodak’s first race after surgery on her foot three months ago proved successful as the 35 year old Canadian Olympian handily won the Race Roster Spring Run-Off 8k in Toronto’s High Park.

More than 3,500 runners were led to the start line by piper Duncan McIntyre,  a tradition since the race’s inception 40 years ago, but Wodak was never challenged. This edition launched the 2017 Canada Running Series.

With a cold wind blowing across the hilly course, Wodak, the Canadian record holder at 10,000m on the track (31:41.59) and at 8km (25:28) on the roads, tucked in behind a few of the male runners early on until she dropped them one by one. She crossed the line with a smile while flashing ‘V’ for victory signs. Her winning time was 27:55.

Photo credit: Inge Johnson/Canada Running Series

“I figured I was capable of running about 27:45 to 28:00,” the Vancouver resident said afterwards. “I thought that would be really painful for me at this point. But I felt really strong and it felt more like a tempo run than anything, So I am really pleased with where I am at considering it has been such a short time since I have been back running since my surgery. It’s good. I am excited for the spring”

“Everybody told me it was super hilly but with the uphills come the nice down hills so it evens out. It was a beautiful course and I had lots of guys out there to talk to and complain about the hills and stuff. I thought it was a great course. Lots of fun.”

Wodak earned $1,500 for the victory which will come in especially handy since her contract with Asics ended following the Rio Olympics Games. Next on her schedule is the Vancouver Sun Run, a race she has won on two previous occasions. A fall marathon is also in the cards.

“I still have two weeks of training until the Sun Run so I can get in little bit better shape,” she continued. “This was a good opportunity to get back racing and hurt a bit. You can train all you want but races are only going to give you that certain hurt that you need. I am excited.”

Following the race the good natured athlete joined in with the children’s 800m race saying “Those kids run fast.”

Second place in the women’s division went to 45 year old Lioudmila Kortchaguina in 28:45. The Russian born master’s competitor represented Canada at the 2007 IAAF World Championships in Osaka and sports a best marathon time of 2:29:42

There was little surprise in the men’s race as Tristan Woodfine of Speed River Track Club crossed the finish line first as expected. But what the mass of spectators near the finish area could not have known was drama played out on the back end of the course during the first 2 kilometres. Woodfine had a technical issue.

Photo credit: Inge Johnson/Canada Running Series

“I was leading but my shoe came untied so I had to stop and pull over and retie,” he said with a laugh. “I was worried it would come off. A few of the guys passed me so I  then had to work hard to catch up again.

Woodfine led through the half way 4km point (12:08) with Sergio Raez Villanueva a couple of seconds behind.

“Probably around the 4km mark he actually caught up with me and we ran together from 6km until 7km then I put in a surge,” he revealed. “I could always hear him behind me. So I knew he was right there and it kept me honest.”

Woodfine’s winning time was 24:15 while Raez Villanueva was timed in 24:29. Kevin Tree took third in 24:59.

“I am very happy,” Woodfine said later. “It’s a hilly course, a tough course, so I wasn’t too concerned about a fast time. It was just go out and see where that leads me. It was a successful race. It was my first time here.”

Proceeds from the Race Roster Spring Run Off 8km go to the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre.

The next race in the Canada Running Series will be the Banque Scotia 21k de Montreal on April 23rd.

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Complete results and photos:

www.springrunoff.ca

 

Natasha Wodak To Run Race Roster Spring Run-Off

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By: Paul Gains

Over its four-decade history the Race Roster Spring Run-Off 8km has seen world champions and record holders dueling with the nation’s best in a race which traditionally kicks off the racing season.

This year marks the 40th running of the prestigious event – the second with Race Roster as title sponsor – and Canadian Olympian Natasha Wodak is making her debut (Saturday April 8th).

Wodak is the Canadian 10,000m record holder (31:41.59) and represented Canada at the Rio Olympics finishing 22nd in the 10,000m. In addition, she holds the Canadian best performance at the 8km road distance (25:28).

Most athletes turn up here to Toronto’s High Park wondering what kind of shape they have managed after the winter. Though she always delivers a stellar performance on the roads she too is approaching the race cautiously.

“I haven’t raced since September,” the 35 year-old admits. “I was looking for something a little less than a 10k and this race is part of the Canada Running Series. I like all of (race director) Alan Brookes’ events and I thought it would be a good start to my season. It’s something I have never done before and I always like going to Toronto.

“I had surgery on my right toe on December 23rd. I have really bad arthritis in my toe joints and it ended up fracturing the toe. There was a piece of bone fragment that had to be removed and then they shaved down the bone spur to increase the mobility in the toe joint.”

She believes that the toe issue lay at the cause of several injuries the past few years including plantar fasciitis and a couple of stress fractures. These prevented her from a lengthy block of uninterrupted training which begs the question: what could she accomplish fully fit?

Now, well recovered, Wodak has slowly increased her mileage with a berth at the 2017 IAAF World Championships in London remaining the year’s top priority. She qualified with her performance in the Rio Olympics (31:53.14).

“I just want to get in a race, a hard effort under my belt, to start this season,” she says of the Race Roster Spring Run Off.  “I was going to open at (her hometown) the Vancouver Sun Run but I really want to do well at the Sun Run so I thought I need one race before it. I thought this is perfect, a race I haven’t done before.”

The reputation of the Race Roster Spring Run Off is well known to Wodak. The women’s outstanding course record of 25:50 was set in 1990 by Britain’s Jill Hunter (now Boltz) while the men’s record is held by Daniel Komen of Kenya, an equally remarkable 22:35.  Such is the calibre of some of these champions that three years later Komen was both world 5000m champion and world 5000m record holder.

The race was founded in 1978 as a means for RMP, the Canadian distributor of Brooks Shoes, to promote the brand while putting something back into the sport. Mike Dyon, himself a former national marathon champion, remembers the race’s inauguration well. As one of the principals of RMP Athletic Locker – along with his father Robert and brother Paul – he founded the race with the help of his club, Etobicoke Striders.

Dyon says they were pleased with how quickly the race grew into one of the biggest local races reaching 1,000 plus entries within the first few years. Held inside the park, it affords spectators many opportunities to see the race. He also fondly remembers his late father’s idea of giving out maple syrup to the top ten finishers. This has become a race tradition.

“He also came also up with the idea of having a bagpiper pipe everybody down to the starting area,” Dyon adds.

In 1981 the race became the first in Canada to offer prize money, helping turn the tide towards professionalism.

Former Canadian 1,500m record holder, Dave Reid, a club mate of the Dyon brothers, has attended and volunteered at all but one of the races. The athletic performances of the superstars like Komen, the US’s  Ed Eyestone, and 1995 world 10000m champion Sally Barsosio, are well etched on his mind.

In 1994 Barsosio, he remembers, had to be coaxed out of the Grenadier Restaurant where she was sheltering from the bitter cold. Even though she missed the start she went on to win the race. Three years later she was crowned world 10000m champion.  But his personal highlight was the 2003 edition held in the aftermath of a devastating ice storm.

“I get up Saturday morning, ice everywhere, and get to the park at 4:00 a.m.,” Reid remembers. “The main maintenance guy had actually pulled two massive plows and salters off the main streets. They were working like mad all throughout the night, right up till the 10:00 a.m. race time.

“At 8:00 a.m. the police wanted to cancel the event and I told them that it would be safe by race time. The workers salted and plowed the two huge hills about ten times and sure enough the race went off. I still can’t believe we pulled it off or that 1,400 runners showed up.”

That infamous Spring Hill Road has seen many a fine runner humbled. Organizers have capitalized on this with a ‘Kill the Hill Challenge’ whereby runners can compare their times up the 365 metre long climb. The prize, naturally, is a bottle of maple syrup.

This year, following the race all participants and their families and friends can head over to Henderson Brewing Company for a complimentary beer. The brewery is also providing a Grand Prize to the top fundraising team at the Race Roster Spring Run Off.

Another addition to the event is a free training run led by 2016 Canadian Olympian Genevieve Lalonde and Tribe Fitness this Saturday morning, March 18th.

And so Wodak is stepping into a race with illustrious history and charm relishing the opportunity. Like all Olympians she has extraordinary ambition for the upcoming year.

“Obviously the World Championships this summer,” she explains. “I already have the qualifying time. So that is awesome.  I would like to get fully healthy and run a fast 10k and hopefully a fall marathon.”

The Race Roster Spring Run Off will give her an indication of her progress towards these goals.

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To run with Natasha Wodak at the Race Roster Spring Run Off or for more information on the Training Run: https://canadarunningseries.com/race-roster-spring-run-off/

Robert Winslow and Rachel Hannah win 38th annual Race Roster Spring Run-Off 8k

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TORONTO. April 9th. Robert Winslow and Rachel Hannah cruised to comfortable victories at today’s 38th Annual Race Roster Spring Run-Off 8K in High Park, in 24:42 and 27:51, respectively. It was race # 2 in the 2016 Canada Running Series, the country’s premier running circuit. Steeped in tradition as Toronto’s oldest continuously-held road race, the Spring Run Off is famous for its scenery, its challenging hills and weather, and its “Opening Day” position in the city’s running calendar. Today did not disappoint, with bright blue skies and a crisp -4 degrees for the almost 3,500 runners in the 8K, and the 5K and 800m Kids Run that followed.

This year’s main bill was a re-match between U of T Track Club’s Rachel Hannah and Vancouver’s Dayna Pidhoresky in the 8k. Hannah, who won the bronze medal in the Pan Am Games marathon in Toronto last July, and Pidhoresky raced together at the Houston Marathon in January, chasing the Canadian marathon standard for the Rio Olympics (2:29:50). They went through 25k with Dayna slightly ahead, 1:29:24 to 1:29:32, before she was forced to drop out with stomach problems. Rachel went onto set a new PB of 2:32:09, just shy of the standard. Today they again started out together, with Hannah just a step or two ahead:

Pan Am Games Bronze medallist Rachel Hannah, women's champion in 27:51.

Pan Am Games Bronze medallist Rachel Hannah, women’s champion in 27:51.

“I felt quite good, and comfortable throughout the race. It was really good to be out racing again,” said Rachel. “I tried to be pretty conservative the first kilometre or two. Felt really smooth. Then I started to pick it up a little bit. I felt good on the first hill (at 3k) and that gave me good confidence. I really got away from Dayna around 5k, 6k. I was feeling really strong and I didn’t want to save it ‘til that last hill!” By the time they crossed the line at the top of Spring Road hill the gap was 14 seconds. The ageless Lioudmila Kortchaguina was third in 28:35. The 44 year-old from Markham also claimed first Master’s honours. Part of the tradition of the Spring Run Off, Lioudmila was overall Women’s Champion in 2002 and 2003.

Although it was his first time racing Spring Run Off, Robert Winslow continued the strong Speed River Track Club tradition at the Spring Run Off. With teammate and defending champion Eric Gillis racing the Berlin Half-marathon last weekend as “proof of fitness” for Rio, the challenge fell to Winslow to uphold the Guelph club’s reputation – and he did so convincingly. It was the 27 year-old Winslow’s first podium finish with Canada Running Series and he couldn’t have been happier.

Robert Winslow

Robert Winslow upholds Speed River winning tradition, 24:42.

“I cruised through the first couple of K, then hit the first hill around 3k, and that’s when things started to open up. I opened the gap more on the big downhill at 5k, then just tried to maintain ‘til I got to the last hill as I knew it was going to be a tough one. I just tried to work that last hill hard – it’s easier to do when you know the Finish is right there. I’ve been getting some good workouts in with Eric and Reid [Coolsaet] and the rest of the Speed River gang. I was hungry to get going today and get some good racing in.”

A new, up and coming CRS star, 19 year-old Ehab El-Sandali of Toronto West Athletics, took second in 25:12, holding off Paris’ Josh Bolton (25:20). Ehab is the current Canadian Junior Cross Country Champion, and represented Canada at the Pan Am XC Championships in Caracas, Venezuela last month.

Canadian Running and Runner’s World magazine sport-science columnist Alex Hutchinson took the Men’s Master’s title in 27:22.

The accompanying 5K was won by Miles Avalos in 16:20 and Jenni Dwyer in 20:09.

The Kings and Queens of The Hill.

The Kings and Queens of The Hill.

One of the highlights of the morning was a new “Kill The Hill Challenge” (#killthehill) that timed all participants up the final 365 metres of the infamous Spring Road hill. Invited, elite athletes were timed but not eligible for “King and Queen of The Hill” awards. The titles, complete with cloaks, crowns and tiaras, PowerBar and maple syrup prizing, went to Luka Senk (79.7 seconds) and Pascale Gendron (1:34.9) in the 8k; to Avalos (79.0) and Dwyer (1:40.2) in the 5k. Interestingly, both runners-up in the 8k posted the best elite times, with Ehab El-Sandali “killing the hill” in 73.0 and Dayna Pidhoresky in 1:34.

Despite the chilly temperatures there was a festive, “Opening Day” atmosphere. It was a day of family fitness, fundraising and fun in Toronto’s grandest park. More than $55,000 was raised for the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation. Councillor Sarah Doucette flipped pancakes in support of High Park Nature Centre. And she was joined by MP Arif Virani and MPP Cheri DiNovo to help hand out awards. Councillor Mike Layton let his feet do the talking, running the 8k and “killing the hill” in 2:36.

Complete results for the 8k and 5k, including the Kill The Hill Challenge at http://www.canadarunningseries.com/springrunoff/csroRESULT.htm

Next races in the Canada Running Series are Banque Scotia 21k et 5k de Montréal, April 24th; and Toronto Waterfront 10k, June 25th. http://www.canadarunningseries.com/crs/index.htm

A Running Start: Why Your First Race Matters. By Amy Friel

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A Running Start: Why Your First Race Matters. 

Here’s something nobody told me when I was younger: the moments that change your life don’t happen all at once. They happen in stages, in bits and pieces, in tiny shifts so imperceptible that often you never know the significance of these moments until they’ve long passed.

On September 22nd 2012, at the behest of an enthusiastic runner friend of mine, I ran the Oasis ZooRun 10K. I didn’t know it at the time, but that first race four years ago would change my life forever.

As races go, it’s a far cry from my most impressive time. But even after running my Boston Qualifier last fall, this first race remains my proudest. I struggled just to finish – but finish I did, thanks, in no small part, to the help and support of my friend and pacer, Chris.

That first race, tough as it was, gave me the confidence to push towards increasingly ambitious goals, both on and off the roads. It taught me about my own ability to persevere through the tough stuff. More than that, it taught me about the tremendous value of friendship and camaraderie in times of struggle. Without Chris, I would never have made it to the finish line. Without Chris, I doubt I would have had the guts to start.

Running might appear to be a straightforward pastime, but from the outside looking in, the sport can be daunting. Taking on your first road race takes dedication, perseverance, and above all, courage – qualities that are difficult to call upon in the best of times, and even more so when you’re going it alone.

So when Toronto-based runner, cyclist, and yogi Heather Gardner founded Tribe Fitness in 2013, she aimed to make the process just a little bit easier. Pairing novice runners up with seasoned running mentors, Tribe established a popular and highly successful Learn To Run program. This year, the Tribe newbies have their sights set on the upcoming Race Roster Spring Run-Off in High Park – for most of them, their first-ever road race.

Lisa O'Donoghue Tribe

“It is a compete anomaly for me,” says Lisa O’Donoghue, who began running with the group in January of this year. “I generally hate exercise, and I’ve never done any sport consistently.”

A newcomer to the city, Lisa moved to Toronto in August of last year from County Kerry, Ireland. She had been toying with the idea of beginning to run when the Tribe group whizzed past her one evening last December. Drawn in by their cheerful, social vibe, she decided to give it a try, and quickly found herself in the heart of the city’s tight-knit running scene.

“It gives a completely different sense of community than any place that I’ve lived previously,” she says. “All the people that I’ve met, I’ve really, really liked. I think it’s such a nice, salt-of-the-earth, genuine group of people.”

This warm sense of community is also what drew Violeta Hernandez to Tribe’s Learn To Run program this winter. Violeta was a track runner in high school, but had since stopped competing. Now a busy mother of two young children, she felt the need to make a change.

“The last couple years have been hectic,” she explains. “I needed an escape. It was a pretty dark time in my life. So I sat down with my Dad and was like, something has to change.”

JP and VioletaVioleta is close with her father, JP Hernandez, perhaps best known as the Dark Knight Runner – the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon’s resident Batman. JP has been deeply involved in the Toronto running community for some time now. So when he introduced his daughter to the Learn To Run group, Violeta immediately felt like one of the tribe.

“It feels like a family,” she says. “One week I was sick, I wasn’t able to make it to Tribe, and I had just met this lady, literally two weeks ago. She noticed that I wasn’t there that day, and she gave my dad soup to bring to me and the kids. It was just really touching, that someone thought about me.”

For Lisa, too, the Learn To Run group has offered so much more than just a training regimen. “It’s that accountability thing,” she explains. “Because if I don’t show up, people will miss me.”

Confident in their training, and eager for the challenge, both Violeta and Lisa have opted for the longer 8K Spring Run-Off course. “I know that I’ve done the training, so I’m not that worried about my ability,” Lisa explains. “I have minor trepidation about the hill at the end, but apart from that, I’m actually quite excited.”

For my part, “minor trepidation” feels like a bit of an understatement. Perhaps I’ve spent a little too much time swapping war stories with my fellow Torontonian runners, but that final climb up Spring Hill Road has been growing steadily steeper in my mind’s eye as race day draws nearer. Can I do this? Am I ready? Whose idea was this, anyway?

(Oh right. Mine.)

In the face of any new challenge, it’s easy to count yourself out. It takes courage to bet on yourself, on your own strength and ability, especially in the face of an uncertain outcome. Which is precisely why groups like Tribe are so important. Because sometimes we need a little help from those around us before we can see just how strong and capable we truly are.

I wasn’t prepared to bet on myself in my first race four years ago. But my friend Chris was. He helped me to believe that I belonged there, and that despite all my doubts, I was, in fact, a runner.

It may not have been my fastest race, but it’s the race that changed my life forever. Even if I didn’t know it at the time.

Join Amy, Lisa and Violeta at the Race Roster Spring Run-Off this Saturday April 9th! Walk-up registrations are still available. Click here for more info. 

All photo credits: Tribe Fitness.

Amy Friel (@AmyFrii) is a Toronto-based freelance writer, two-time marathoner, and unabashed running geek. As a Digital Champion for the 2015 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, Amy had a taste of the city’s vibrant running community – and hasn’t been able to stop writing about it since. Her work has been featured in iRun magazine, the Globe and Mail, as well as on her blog thelongslowdistance.com

Hill Seeker: How Struggle Makes You Strong. By Amy Friel

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Hill Seeker: How Struggle Makes You Strong. 

If you ever run along Avenue Road, you’re probably familiar with that steep climb going northbound through Summerhill, just before you hit St. Clair. The rest of the route is a gentle rise, but here, the grade grows markedly steeper, towering over you like this impossible task. Even on my best days, this hill challenges me.

In my now four years living in Toronto, this hill has been a fixture in my training for countless races, in blistering hot summers, and polar vortex winters, and everything in between. Regardless of distance or pace, it invariably represents the most difficult portion of my run, and in the four years that I’ve been dragging myself to the top, it’s come to represent a good many other things as well.

It’s been dead-end jobs, and fights with friends, student stress, and impossible goals. It’s been breakups, breakdowns, injuries, and illnesses. It’s been, by turns, both a glaring reminder of my own limitations, and a triumphant means of redefining them.

Conquering this hill time and again has emboldened me, teaching me to be unafraid in the face of challenge. It’s turned me into a hill-seeker.

Conventional wisdom holds that favourable circumstances foster favourable outcomes. As a runner, I can’t count the number of times I’ve found myself praying to the racing gods for flat courses, low winds, or mild weather. And while it’s true that circumstance plays a pivotal role in determining performance – whether we’re talking about athletics, academics, or professional success – it’s also worth noting that, counter intuitive though it might seem, there is also tremendous value to be found in the experience of struggle.

We’re accustomed to thinking of adversity as something to be avoided, something that inevitably leaves us worse off than we might otherwise have been. But a growing body of psychological research into the phenomenon of desirable difficulty suggests that, in certain circumstances, setbacks can trigger a valuable process called compensation learning.

Unlike capitalization learning, which is focused on improving upon our strengths and talents, compensation learning requires that we confront our weaknesses and shortcomings. Not every athlete is able to adapt this way – it is, after all, a difficult and often disheartening process. But those who can often wind up better off than they would have otherwise been, because the skills they hone out of necessity are inevitably more powerful than those that come easily.

FB_IMG_1438740166517For distance runner Josh Bolton, the concept of learning through struggle is anything but abstract. A relative newcomer to the road racing scene, Bolton has quickly built an impressive running resume, racing to a breakthrough fifth-place finish in the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Half-Marathon last October, as well as back-to-back wins on the road this spring at the Re-Fridgee-Eighter 8-miler and Bay City Music Hall 5K. And with his sights set on the notoriously hilly Race Roster Spring Run-Off this April, Bolton looks poised for yet another powerhouse performance.

But it hasn’t always been smooth-sailing for the Paris, Ontario native. A runner for the University of Windsor, Bolton’s collegiate career was dogged by a painful condition known as Haglund’s deformity. The injury derailed his first two years of competition almost entirely, finally resolving after surgery to his Achilles tendon. Bolton was advised against any racing or speed work for the better part of a year following the surgery. So instead, he ran long.

“I focused a lot more on the mileage aspect of running,” Bolton recalls. “When I spent like eight months doing that, I came back a stronger runner than I ever was.”

Adversity, whether it’s a steep uphill climb or a near-catastrophic injury, has a curious and profound effect on those who manage to struggle through it. They slow down, and take their time with the process. They try new tactics. They address their blind-spots, and invest more resources on the task at hand.

In the face of his long recovery, Bolton was no exception.

“In essence, I actually think it was almost like a good thing,” he says. “It kind of made me reflect and get back to the basics of running, instead of always trying to push and work on the speed.”

For the best of us, an uphill battle can be demoralizing. But for a rare few, like Bolton, struggle and adversity even their darkest forms can be galvanizing. The conventional negative view of setbacks rests, in part, on the assumption that there’s only one response to adversity. But there isn’t – there are two.

IMG_5724For Lauren Simmons, shrinking from a challenge in the face of hardship has never been her style. Simmons is the daughter of an accomplished marathoner; her father competed in both the Boston and New York City Marathons. She took to running in college while living in Montreal, as a means to keep fit and explore the city’s nearby mountain trails. For her, distance running seemed a natural fit.

Even as a newcomer to the sport, Simmons never shied away from tackling more challenging routes. “Hills have kind of always been a part of my running,” she explains. So when she moved back to Toronto after college, the annual Spring Run-Off course, with its infamously tough climbs through the hills of High Park, was a welcome challenge.

“It’s hilly, that’s the first thing anyone will tell you,” Simmons, now a veteran of the course, explains when I ask what to expect. “And because it’s a little earlier – it’s not in May, it’s the beginning of April – you have to have been running at least a little bit in winter. So it’s not just your fair-weather runners – it’s people who’ve committed to doing some training in winter. It’s a little bit of a different breed of runner.”

The challenging course took on a deeper personal meaning for her in 2007, when Simmons’ father was diagnosed with prostate and bladder cancer; he later passed away. Ever resilient in the face of adversity, she resolved to turn her running into a fundraising endeavour to benefit the Princess Margaret Hospital, where her father received treatment.

Since then, Simmons has completed the Spring Run-Off course more than a half-dozen times, along with events like the Ride to Conquer Cancer, each time fundraising in her father’s memory.

In the face of personal tragedy, Simmons made a rather striking choice. She chose not to shrink from the challenge before her, and more to that, she chose to embrace an even greater challenge in the process. The choice to continue to run, and to fundraise in her father’s memory, speaks to an unconquerable spirit, to a bold celebration of human tenacity. It speaks to the heart of a distance runner.

Running is, at its core, about finding meaning in life’s uphill battles. Sometimes it allows us to overcome obstacles. Sometimes it simply allows us to cope with what we cannot overcome.

There’s a hill in High Park that’s been waiting, all winter, for Josh Bolton, for Lauren Simmons, for thousands of other runners… and for me. The toughest and most unforgiving part of the race, it will doubtless represent something different to each and every runner. But for all of us, our drive to “kill the hill” is more than just a physical challenge. It’s an affirmation of what this sport continues to teach me, in big and small ways, every day:

The things that make you struggle are the things that make you strong.

Join us April 9th in High Park for the Race Roster Spring Run-Off. To register visit: http://springrunofftoronto.com 

Amy Friel (@AmyFrii) is a Toronto-based freelance writer, two-time marathoner, and unabashed running geek. As a Digital Champion for the 2015 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, Amy had a taste of the city’s vibrant running community – and hasn’t been able to stop writing about it since. Her work has been featured in iRun magazine, the Globe and Mail, as well as on her blog thelongslowdistance.com

Dayna Pidhoresky Returns To Race Roster Spring Run-Off 8k by Paul Gains

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TORONTO March 15th 2016 Dayna Pidhoresky returns to Toronto’s High Park April 9th for the Race Roster Spring Run-Off 8k confident and feeling stronger than the start of any previous season.

This is a race she won in 2011, the same year she was crowned the overall Canada Running Series champion, and one in which she placed third in both 2012 and 2013. Those races seem a long time ago.

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Photo Credit: Rob Shaer

The 29 year old native of Tecumseh, Ontario is now living in Vancouver and like many athletes has her sights set on achieving the Olympic marathon qualifying standard this spring in Ottawa.

Earlier this year, after a superb buildup, she started the Houston Marathon with confidence only to succumb to stomach problems during the race. Several times she had to stop and finally abandoned at 25km. Despite the stops she had been on Olympic standard pace.

Confident that the buildup to Houston left her in her best aerobic condition ever, she looks ahead to the Race Roster Spring Run Off 8k as a suitable test of her training which she confirms is continuing to go well.

“This will be my fourth time running this 8k race, presuming it’s the same course,” she declares. “I just remember it being hilly and that last hill….. I feel now I am living in Vancouver, which is much hillier than Windsor, maybe I am going to feel more prepared for this race. In the past I have just not been the best hill runner.”

In November 2013 she and her boyfriend/coach Josh Seifarth left their home in Windsor, Ontario and moved to Vancouver in search of more fitting training climate. Upon arrival she joined Richard Lee’s BC Endurance Project and earned the bronze medal at the Canadian Cross Country Championships.  But after six months she decided the change in training programs wasn’t suitable.

“I just found it wasn’t working for me,” Pidhoresky reveals. “I am working with Josh who is now my husband. That had worked for me in the past.  The workouts that he gave me, I thought, were a better fit for me.  So I went back with him. Obviously, I knew he would take me back.”

She laughs at her last statement. But working with a spouse can test a relationship no matter the chosen field. There have been occasions, she admits, where they have had a conflict over training.

“It happens if I am very frustrated,” she says. “He is very easy going which is necessary I think, and I am not. Sometimes I will panic if something is not going well, and maybe sort of go on and on about it. Sometimes he can sort of put me in my place (laughs). There have definitely been moments of tension during workouts but it’s not something that carries over into our life outside of running.”

After her move out west she encountered several injuries including a fracture of her sacrum. And she developed an ongoing problem with her shins.

“I have only had two fractures in my life but I have been really prone to shin inflammation which hurts, I think, just as much as a stress fracture,” she explains.  “It is a little more frustrating because it can sort of linger longer than if it was an actual stress fracture.

“So that is something I really have to stay on top of. It’s sort of a muscle – tendon issue I have been getting a lot of physio and massage. I have two guys that I work with on that, which seems to be helping and keeping me running.”

Josh works full time at Forerunners, the Vancouver running store owned and operated by former Canadian international Peter Butler.  She works the occasional shift but, since their recent move to a new apartment, she has been busy painting and decorating between her two a day training sessions. She is also an avid reader of books based on true stories.  Adrift the biographical story of Steven Callahan’s 76 days lost at sea is her current read.

And, when her husband comes home in the evening he is treated to a fine meal, cooking being another of her passions.

“I am (an enthusiastic chef). But sometimes I don’t feel like I have enough energy. I really do like to cook I try out new things,” she admits. “We experiment.”

“My ‘go to’ dinner, if we had company, would be Vietnamese rice paper rolls with veggies, shrimp, tofu, avocado, and nori paired with a peanut or Sriracha dipping sauce.”

Pidhoresky was delighted to hear about the Race Roster Spring Run Off 8k’s ‘Kill the Hill Challenge’ where runners can compare the time it takes them to crest the final hill with those achieved by the elite runners.

“We actually live on top of a hill so every run I do down on the beaches and Spanish Banks I am always running up hill,” she explains. “So I feel I am naturally incorporating more hills. I probably won’t do anything specific as far as workouts for hills just rely on the strength I have gained by running them.

“In the past I have done a lot of hill workouts so (I’d advise others) to include hill sprints in your workouts or even tacking them on at the end of an easy run. I found that was helpful for me just to help with turnover, sort of working on your form running up hills. So I would usually find a steep hill and maybe do 6-8 hill repeats, a 100m hill repeat at a decent grade.

“Also I do a longer hill, maybe 300-500 metres, sort of a sprint up, then an easy jog down, and repeat. That definitely helps with strength. That I have done in the past,   usually at the beginning of the buildup, when I haven’t started doing any timed intervals yet.”

Pidhoresky is unclear as to who will be her major competition since many athletes are holding their cards close to their chests. But she will want to ensure her Olympic dream is on schedule. And that augurs well for a good race.

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For more information and to register:

http://www.canadarunningseries.com/springrunoff/