Tag

STWM Archives - Page 6 of 10 - Canada Running Series

Jul 27 2016
0

Digital Champions Blog: Go Your Own Way(s).

By | Digital Champions, Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon | No Comments
By Dan Grant.
Toronto July 27th 2016.

It took me a while to understand what it is about running I love so well. I had heard plenty of reasons I should love it, but nothing ever resonated.

I was a solo runner – and adamantly so – not because I had found the elusive high others hinted at. It was simply a means to escape and be alone with my thoughts, letting them run as far as they liked. Running was therapy, plain and simple. And that was enough.

Then, one day in 2014, in a bout of depression WinterBeerMileor desperation or maybe inspiration – I honestly don’t remember, just that my life needed a kick in the ass – I sent out a plaintive tweet in search of anyone who might want to join me for a 5k run to a brewery.

What has evolved into RunTOBeer taught me the beauty of falling in with like-minded runners. Until then, run clubs had never appealed to me, with their focus on results, photos and/or the latest branded merchandise. I just wanted to run and have beer.

That’s how I discovered others were looking for something similar. RunTOBeer might not be your thing (but there’s no cost and it does involve free beer… just sayin’), however I do believe there’s something more out there for pretty much everyone. If you’re not a beer fan, maybe you’re a foodie. Conquer the castle or cruise the beach. Out at dusk or up before dawn. Or maybe there’s another concept just waiting for you to breathe life into. In the past couple years many other new packs have formed, built by and for people that love running their own way. And that’s beautiful.

Even if it’s working for you now, don’t get stuck doing the same thing until it grows stale. If you’re part of a group you love, try some solo runs as well. Mix it up with different crews. Try running in the snow. Sprint. Go somewhere you’ve never been.

Some (probably most) trials won’t be your thing, but what have you got to lose? You’re going to learn more about yourself, and you might just find something else you grow to adore.

One of the most gratifying aspects of RunTOBeer is that in two-and-a-half years we’ve never had to ask anyone to be less of a jerk. Runners are generally kind, supportive individuals. Give yourself a chance to learn from more of them.

For me, personally, I’ve learned I’m capable of going so much faster than I thought. Even though my thighs have always been bigger than my wife’s waist, I assumed I was only a distance runner. I never planned to enter a race shorter than a half marathon, because what was the point when I run lesser distances with RunTOBeer anyway? What would I gain by doing it in a more organized setting? Did I need another reminder I’m not speedy?

2016-07-02 | 2016 Pride & Remembrance RunThen I tried the Race Roster Spring Run Off. Then the Waterfront 10, then the Pride & Remembrance 5k. A couple weeks ago, while in Buffalo, I saw signs for a four mile race that same evening and entered on a whim. It turns out I’m hooked on something I always thought I’d be lousy at… and generally finishing in the top 15%! Who knew?

By placing myself in different situations I’ve not only become a much more well-rounded runner, but I’ve also found new connections to both introspection and community. I’ve become simultaneously more at peace and ambitious. I find myself endlessly inspired by other runners’ discoveries and enthusiastic about sharing my own (hence, bringing City Running Tours to Toronto).

If the role of a Digital Champion is to provide inspiration, the best advice I can share is this: give yourself the opportunity to inspire yourself. Explore what’s there for you. You wouldn’t have read this far if you weren’t curious, so go get it! It’s there for the taking. Play around, because running isn’t just running, it’s also beer at the finish line if that’s what you want. It’s the sun rising over the lake. It’s friends you haven’t met yet. It’s wooded trails with bird songs and the sound of your feet hitting the dirt. The possibilities are enormous, so go find out what kind of runner(s) you are. You won’t regret it.

About Dan Grant: If you’re running with me, chances are we’re finishing with a beer. The crew I co-founded in 2014, RunTOBeer, takes 100 or more sets of legs to breweries and craft beer bars a few times each month. Earlier this year I also brought City Running Tours to Canada and completed a 50k “beer run” to raise money for Northern Alberta wildfire relief. Check out my blog, From Pint A to Pint B, at RunningMagazine.ca. Connect with Dan on Twitter and Instagram. 

*Photo Credits:
1. Header Image: STWM 2015 – Closing in on the finish line of the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon.
2. Winter Beer Mile with RunTOBeer co-founder Tej Sandhu – Ever tried a Beer Mile in Winter?
3. Pride and Remembrance 5k – I’m not sure the wig helped, but it was way more fun this way.

Jul 26 2016
0

Tarah Korir Running For World Championship Berth and For Kenyan Kids

By | Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon | No Comments
July 26th, 2016 – By Paul Gains 
STWM15_TarahKorir

Tarah Korir, STWM 2015

Any marathoner would be delighted with a personal best time, but Tarah Korir wants this and more when she lines up for the 2016 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon on October 16.

A berth on the Canadian team to the 2017 IAAF World Championships Marathon in London is in the offing should she run fast enough in this IAAF Gold Label race. And, because Toronto is also the Canadian National Championship, there are other considerations and rewards to be considered.

The Kenya-based mother of two was paced to a 2:35:46 time at the Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon last May by an exclusive pacemaker, her husband and Kenyan Member of Parliament, Wesley Korir. That was a personal best by some fourteen minutes and opened her mind to greater prospects.

Wesley, the 2012 Boston Marathon champion, will represent Kenya at the 2016 Olympics and the couple had hopes of being the first husband wife duo to compete in the Olympic marathons. But Ottawa was unseasonably warm and Tarah fell short of the Olympic qualifying standard of 2:29:50.

“I am very happy with how that race went,” she says from her home in Cherangany, Kenya. “I think that I ran a smart race given the conditions. I hydrated well before and during the race which helped me to run well despite the heat. I do not usually run well in the heat so running a ‘PB’ in hot weather was great.

“Unlike my first marathon I still was able to maintain a decent pace right up to the end. I knew my chances of getting an Olympic qualifier on my second chance at the marathon was quite a long shot and that everything would have had to come together on race day including the weather. Finishing fifth overall – and first Canadian – also helped to make the Ottawa Marathon a special experience for me. I love racing in Canada where I can get support along the course from family and friends.”

Korir who is from St Clement, Ontario, just north of Waterloo, met Wesley when the two attended the University of Louisville. She has had an impressive year thus far. In addition to that enormous personal best, she represented Canada at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in Cardiff March 26, finishing 23rd in a very good 1:12:04. Considering that day was marred by cold rain and wind her confidence has grown immensely.

“I think I will decide (my Toronto goal) once I’m further along in my training,” Korir adds. “Of course a personal best would be nice and I wonder what could have been possible on a cooler day in Ottawa.

“I don’t think I will change a whole lot (in training) except maybe trying to do a bit more mileage in workouts and long runs. My second marathon buildup had more mileage that the first but was still relatively conservative. I will see how my body responds to training.”

At this point the couple can’t say for certain whether Wesley will pace his wife, but he would like to. If he runs well in Rio, no doubt he will earn invitations to race a fall marathon. Regardless, Korir expects to have a good run in Toronto. “Wesley has told me he really enjoyed pacing me in Ottawa,” she reveals, “and I enjoyed having him pace me, especially because there ended up not being many other people around us. Wesley would love to pace me again if it works out.”

“I will definitely go in to Toronto with more confidence than the first one because of having now covered the distance twice. My confidence going into Ottawa was based on having good training leading up to Ottawa so my training prior to Toronto will also factor into my confidence level.”

In Kenya she has no shortage of training partners. Occasionally she runs with Wesley on his easy days and with a group of elite Kenyan women on other days. Given the conditions in Ottawa she knows she can run much faster.

IMG_2656

The IAAF announced the London 2017 qualifying standards in March. Women running 2:45:00 or better during the qualifying window, which began in January 1st of this year, are eligible for the race. At this point, Athletics Canada has not released their standards although Head Coach Peter Eriksson has indicated his standards will be superior to the IAAF’s. He says the National Team Committee will announce them “prior to the marathon in October.” That doesn’t sit well with athletes and coaches.

“Of course knowing the standard is nice so that you don’t end up finding out after the fact you were a few seconds off of a particular standard and you have a target to go off of for training,” Korir responds.

“That being said, I think most athletes are always trying to better their own personal times and, sometimes, chasing a particular standard can force people to run at a particular pace that may be too fast. (They do it) just to try to make the standard and then blow up in the second half of the race. But that is part of what happens with racing.”

Korir says she enjoys every opportunity to come back to Canada. Besides being the official Canadian Championship, Toronto represents a chance to further the objectives of the charitable organization she and husband Wesley set up a few years ago called the Kenyan Kids Foundation.

The foundation is one of 185 official charities that are part future-STWMrunnerof the Scotiabank Charity Challenge at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon, and is operated by Tarah’s father Blair McKay. Among the initiatives they have undertaken are improvement in dairy farming techniques, clean water and health education as well as general education from pre-school age children and up.

Their fundraising target at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon is $15,000. This money will provide scholarships to twenty impoverished high school students as well as fund a pre-school program in Cherangany. Korir is encouraging runners to sign up to run Toronto Waterfront with her and raise money for the team or to make a one-time charitable donation.

-30-

For more information and to join Tarah’s team:

http://www.torontowaterfrontmarathon.com/en/charity/kkfc.htm

Photo Credits:
1. Header Image: PHOTO RUN

Jul 13 2016
0

The Girl in the Stroller: Calum Neff Set To Bring Guinness World Record Back To Toronto!

By | Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon | No Comments
By Amy Friel.
TORONTO. July 13th 2016.

Annika Kapral’s advice for setting a Guinness World Record is simple:

“Don’t do anything.”

Michal Kapral

Michal and Annika Kapral, STWM 2004

And she would know; Kapral, now thirteen, was featured in the Guinness Book of World Records at just under two years old – a tiny passenger along for the ride as father Michal set the record for the fastest marathon pushing a stroller.

“I tell her that she’ll always be The Girl in the Stroller,” he jokes.

Kapral’s mark of 2:49:44, set at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon in 2004, has been bettered several times since then – a Guinness World Records title that is at once hotly-contested and surprisingly fast, by any standard.

“It doesn’t slow you down as much as you might think,” Kapral recalls of racing with a stroller and toddler in tow. “But the whole experience is just totally different because you have so many other things to worry about. Before a marathon, you kind of have enough to worry about, with your nutrition and gear and whatnot. And on top of that I had all the stuff for the stroller, and trying to take care of a toddler. It was like a two-page checklist.”

For his part, Michal says that Annika was a model passenger.

“She was asleep for the first half,” he recalls. “Around the half-marathon mark, she woke up. And when she woke up I immediately had a minor panic attack.”

But his worry proved unfounded as Annika, who had hitched a ride for the bulk of her father’s marathon training (including long runs), happily took in the sights of the race without complaint.

“The best thing that she did was to not complain,” he says. “She was really encouraging, in training and in the race. She was like ‘Go Daddy go!’”

When it comes to competing for a Guinness World Records stroller title, a successful race comes down to equal parts training, dedication, careful planning, and plain old luck. It’s a formula that Calum Neff hopes to replicate this fall, when he tries to once again bring the Guinness World Records title home to Toronto.

Katy Half-Marathon, 2016. Photo Credit: Bill Baumeyer

Katy Half-Marathon, 2016. Photo Credit: Bill Baumeyer

Neff is no stranger to stroller racing; earlier this year, he set the Guinness World Record for the fastest half-marathon while pushing a stroller at the Katy Half Marathon in Texas, with 11-month-old daughter Holland in tow. For Neff, who boasts an impressive 2:22 marathon PR, the stroller record for the full marathon distance was a logical progression.

“I’ve been meaning to race in Toronto for a number of years,” says Neff, who has strong family ties to the Toronto area. “It allows family members to see me run, because most of the time they’re not around when I’m running. It gives them a chance to be a part of it.”

So when he saw that officials would be on-site as part of the Guinness World Records challenge at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, he knew the time had come for him to make his mark on the Toronto course.

“I jumped through a few hoops to do it on my own and get it ratified, since Guinness wasn’t there,” he says of his half-marathon title.

In order to prove he’d run the entire distance with the stroller, Neff streamed the run live on Periscope. For him, the added bonus of having Guinness World Records officials present at the Toronto race means one less thing to worry about come race day.

“It’s pretty special,” he says of the partnership. “It’ll be nice to take that pressure off, and have them actually on-site.”

The special partnership between Guinness World Records and the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon can be traced back to Michal Kapral’s original record-setting run more than a decade ago.

“Marathons don’t usually allow strollers – or really any race, for that matter,” Kapral says.

Like many marathoners who hope to claim a Guinness World Records title, Kapral knew he needed to find a top-level race that would be willing to accommodate his unusual requirements.

“So I checked with (Toronto Race Director) Alan Brookes,” he recalls. “And being the good guy that he is, he gave me a special dispensation to try to set the Guinness World Record pushing Annika in the stroller.”

With that, a unique tradition in the Toronto running community was born – a tradition that has grown steadily over the past decade, with 2016 promising to be the biggest year yet.

Cal Neff 2016-01-13 17.23.32-1

Calum with older daughter Aley.

For his attempt at the marathon record this fall, Calum Neff plans to run with with older daughter Aley as his passenger, in the hopes that his older daughter will be able to take a positive memory from the experience.

“Aley will be turning four in August, and four-years-old is definitely when you start forming those lasting memories,” he explains. “Even though she’s a little bit heavier than Holland, she’ll be able to take it all in. I’m really looking forward to that bonding experience.”

For Michal Kapral, bringing Annika along on the road to his Guinness World Records title proved to be more than just a bonding moment. Over the final gruelling kilometres, his bubbly toddler became a source of inspiration.

“You’re pushing your kid along, and you’re really suffering in the race, but you’ve got this encouragement,” he recalls. “That’s the greatest thing ever.”

Applications are now being accepted for Guinness World Record attempts at the 2016 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon & Half-Marathon! Find out how you can apply to break your very own Guinness World Record: http://runcrs.co/1TROjVx 

*Header image photo credit: Scott Flathouse

Jun 06 2016
0

The Record-Chasers: Apply to break a Guinness World Record at the 2016 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon!

By | Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon | No Comments
By Amy Friel.
TORONTO June 6th 2016. 

The marathon is a unique and curious event. In one day, on one course, you can witness the complete spectrum of athletic endeavour – from elite distance runners chasing down national records or Olympic standards, to newly-minted marathon rookies pushing themselves to bold new personal challenges.

Michal Kapral

Michal Kapral and Annika, STWM 2004

And year after year, somewhere in the thick of the exhausting, frenzied celebration of human tenacity that is the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, a handful of runners have been quietly and consistently rewriting the record books.

It all began a little over a decade ago, in 2004, when Torontonian Michal Kapral ran down the Guinness World Records title for the fastest marathon while pushing a pram (2:49:44) with daughter Annika in tow. A year later, Kapral returned to STWM to set yet another Guinness World Records title, this time, for “joggling” – running while juggling three balls across the entire marathon distance.

Since then, the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon has played host to myriad Guinness World Record-setting runs – from the fastest marathon dressed as a mascot in 2010 to the fastest marathon in full hockey kit (stick included!) in 2012.

And while some records, like the fastest marathon dressed as a zookeeper (held by Bridget Burns in 4:08:17, and run in support of the High Park Zoo), lie on the periphery of the competitive fray, others are at once rapidly progressing and hotly contested.

For Nicholas Mizera, running to a 1:35:47 finish in the 2015 STWM half-marathon was both a particularly stylish personal best time and a Guinness World Records achievement for the fastest half-marathon in a suit. His record, which caught the attention of both Runners World and several other bespoke-suited distance runners, has been bettered twice in the less than a year since he set it (three times, in fact, if you count a recent 1:06:42 by Japan’s Yuki Kawauchi, albeit on an uncertified course), a progression which shows little sign of slowing down.

And when Michael Kapral’s joggling record was bettered by rival Zach Warren in 2005, the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon became the stage for his redemption, where he recaptured the title two years later in a blistering 2:50:12 finish, a mark which remains uncontested to this day.

“We love Guinness World Records!” says Canada Running Series race director Alan Brookes. “They are the perfect combination of costumes and sport. Costume runners contribute massively to the festive air of big-city marathons; at the same time, racing for records keeps the sport element strong!”

For those up to the task of running their way into the Guinness World Records record books, the flat and fast Toronto course offers an ideal venue to carry them to their goal. It’s little wonder the number of Guinness World Records being set at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon has been growing steadily over the past decade. And with more runners than ever pledging to chase after Guinness World Records marks this October, 2016 is shaping up to be a record year for Canada’s premier big-city marathon – pun intended.

“We are excited to once again be partnering with the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon at this year’s race” said Guinness World Records PR Manager, Kristen Ott. “From creative costumes to record challenges that require additional agility or skill, we’re looking forward to seeing what records will be broken at 2016 marathon and half-marathon!”

Whether you want to set the record for the fastest half-marathon run dressed as bottle (like Toronto’s Allegra Swanson), you’re looking to better the mark for the fastest marathon dressed as a chef (like Daniel Janetos of The Food Runners), or you’re chasing the mark for the fastest half-marathon dressed as fast food (as Pace & Mind’s Jess Collins hopes to do), the Guinness World Records challenge at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon offers the perfect opportunity to make marathon history on the streets of Toronto.

Nicholas Mizera, STWM 2015

Nicholas Mizera, STWM 2015

As for Nicholas Mizera’s suited-up half-marathon record, the competitive zeal he inspired with his dapper 2015 run seems to have taken on a life of its own; fellow runners Jennifer Wilson and Timo Kantereit are now looking to set and better the male and female marks respectively, on this year’s half-marathon course. And though Michael Kapral has long since conceded his former record for fastest marathon pushing a pram, fellow record-chaser Calum Neff hopes to bring the title back to the city by bettering the existing 2:42:21 mark on the Toronto course this fall, with daughter Aley along for the ride.

“I’m excited to try and bring the stroller marathon record back home to Canada and to Toronto,” Neff says. “The city has always been home-base for me growing up around the world, and now I can share it with my daughter, just like I do running.”

The Guinness World Records challenge at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon offers runners the opportunity to chase after the odd, off-beat, and often peculiar corners of athletics history, and run their way into the record books. For marathoners hungry for a challenge, it is a unique and memorable way to take on a distance that, like the records themselves, offers something for everyone. 

If you would like to attempt a marathon or half marathon record at the 2016 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, please click here for more information.

A few records we’d love to see broken at this year’s race include:

1. Fastest marathon or half-marathon dressed as a landmark.

2. Fastest marathon or half-marathon dressed as a cheerleader.

3. Fastest marathon or half-marathon in a police uniform.

4. Fastest marathon or half-marathon run by a pair of siblings.

5. Fastest marathon or half-marathon dressed as a snowboarder.

6. Fastest marathon or half-marathon dressed as a snowman.

7. Fastest marathon or half-marathon dressed as a Doctor.

8. Fastest marathon or half-marathon dressed as a vegetable.

9. Fastest marathon or half-marathon in a baseball uniform.

10. Fastest marathon or half-marathon dressed as a bottle.

11. Fastest marathon or half-marathon dressed in an ice hockey kit.

12. Fastest half-marathon in a suit.

13. Fastest marathon or half-marathon in a lacrosse kit.

15. Fastest marathon or half-marathon dressed as a shoe.

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

Apr 18 2016
0

The Long Road to Boston: Andrew Chak’s Story. By Amy Friel

By | Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon | No Comments

The Long Road to Boston: Andrew Chak’s Story

Today, more than 30,000 runners are poised to make a long and storied 26-mile journey from the narrow country roads of Hopkinton, to the din of a spectator-lined Boylston Street. It will mark the 120th running of the Boston Marathon, a race known the world over for its notoriously challenging course and rigorous qualification standards.

Boston has evolved over the decades to become more than just another big-city marathon; for the ordinary marathoner, the race holds a prestige and significance not unlike the Olympic Games. Never mind the actual running of the race – for many, simply achieving the qualification standard (the ever-elusive “BQ”) represents a lofty goal in and of itself.

Every runner who makes it to the start line in Hopkinton carries with them their own testament to the distance – a testament to countless hours on country roads or city streets, to early mornings chasing splits on a track, and late nights logging those extra miles. It’s a testament to blisters and blown knees, to sunburns and windburns, to worn-out shoes, and too-warm gels, and endless piles of dirty laundry. Perhaps most of all, those runners in Hopkinton each carry with them the memory of a moment – incredible, transcendent, and hard-won – when those laborious hours of preparation carried them to a qualifying marathon finish.

It’s little wonder the Boston Marathon has come to represent so much more than just a foot race. The Boston Marathon, you see, is a pilgrimage.

For Andrew Chak, who achieved his qualifier at Andrew CHak Kidsthe Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon in 2014, his own Boston pilgrimage would have at one time seemed an unlikely journey.

“Boston was not really in my initial sights as a runner,” he explains. “But neither were marathons, for that matter.”

When he entered his first road race at the age of 40, with little running experience and limited training, Chak had no grand expectations for his finishing time.

“I was convinced I was gonna wake up in an ambulance or something,” he jokes. “But that didn’t happen.”

Far from it, in fact. He finished his first 10K in under an hour – no easy feat for any first-time runner, much less one training without a structured program. Galvanized by the race’s lively crowds, his own promising performance, and the prospect of even more free bagels, Chak found himself eager to continue racing. His 10Ks soon turned into half-marathons, and before long, he had his sights set on the full.

“I was getting faster, and things were progressing well,” he says. “And then it got to the point where chasing after a Boston Qualifier was viable.”

But on his first attempt, like so many runners before him, Chak hit the wall hard at the 30K mark, and saw his race – and his Boston dreams – fall apart.

“That last 10K was just, throw time out the window,” he recalls. “It was all about survival, just finishing.”

Faced with a disappointing first marathon, Chak went back to the drawing board. He sought the help of a coaching service, and ditched his mainly solo mileage in favour of group training runs. The results were palpable; his marathon times began to drop, falling to within the Boston qualifying window by spring of 2014.

In recent years, however, meeting the official standard for a Boston qualifier hasn’t always proved sufficient to gain entry into the race. When the 2010 Boston Marathon sold out in a record-breaking eight hours, the BAA decided to institute a rolling application process, prioritizing runners with the fastest qualifying times. In his bid for the 2015 Boston Marathon, it meant that Chak’s qualifying time of 3:14:05 was left out in the cold.

“I missed the cut-off by seven seconds,” he explains. “So I’d qualified, but not qualified enough.”

Andrew Chak STWMTantalizingly close to his goal and unwilling to concede defeat, Chak rallied to knock almost five minutes off of his personal best at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon that fall. So precise was his race effort that his split in the second half showed an overall fade of only seven seconds.

“It was my perfect race,” he says. “Probably the best race I’ve ever run.”

The result represented more than just an ultra-controlled, dead-even split; it was poetic justice. “It was a bit of irony for me to have a seven second split, given that I was out by seven seconds in terms of the qualifier.”

Today, alongside tens of thousands of other runners, Chak will finally get to complete his 26-mile journey from Hopkinton to Boylston Street. The course will invariably prove to be challenging. But for those who have earned a place on the start line, the Boston Marathon itself is really just the final leg of a far longer and more arduous journey.

When you ask people about Boston on Patriot’s Day weekend, they invariably talk about the energy surrounding the event. And it’s true, there does seem to be a kind of frenetic excitement radiating out from the city – you can feel it from 500 miles away. But if you ask Andrew Chak, his most stirring recollections still centre on the hometown race that helped carry him to his qualifier.

“Scotiabank feels like Christmas for runners in Toronto,” he says. “This is our day. We own the city today. This is our party. We come out, we celebrate, and we feel like the city is ours.”

And in the end, the energy of Boston comes down to just that – to the spirit of thousands of hometown races, and tens of thousands of runners, converging for a moment in celebration of the great journey we are all on.

It’s more than just a race; it’s a pilgrimage.

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

Apr 11 2016
0

Superheroes Lead Fundraising at Scotiabank Charity Challenge. By Paul Gains

By | Scotiabank Charity Challenge, Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon | No Comments

TORONTO April 11th 2016. Spectators lining this year’s Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon course will not only experience the thrill of seeing world class runners compete for prize money in this IAAF Gold Label race, but also a group of costumed runners dressed as their favourite superheroes.

Batman, Superman and Thor may not be as fast as those chasing course records, but they run with passion and with a grand objective in mind – to raise awareness and to fundraise for local charities.

For more than 180 official charities, the 2016 Scotiabank Charity Challenge will provide much needed fundraising and awareness opportunities. This is an enormous source of pride for Kyle McNamara, Scotiabank’s Executive Vice President and co-head, Information Technology and Business Systems, who is himself an avid runner.

“Scotiabank believes in giving back to the communities where we live and work. We started the Scotiabank Charity Challenge in 2003 to help charities meet ambitious fundraising goals while giving runners the opportunity to race for causes close to their hearts,” says McNamara.

“Since we launched the Scotiabank Charity Challenge, runners in six community races across the country have collectively raised over $46 million for charities nationally and in 2016, together, we aim to surpass the $50 million fundraising milestone. We want to thank everyone for their fundraising efforts.”

Scotiabank hosts a Charity Challenge at each of their six marathon events in Montreal, Halifax, Ottawa, Calgary, Vancouver and Toronto. Each race profiles 3 featured charities. In 2016, the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon’s featured charities are Asperger’s Society of Ontario, Epilepsy Halton Peel Hamilton and Oolagen Youth Mental Health.

This year ‘Batman versus Superman’ comes to the streets of Toronto as the now familiar and growing group of Justice League Runners will be among the thousands raising money for hundreds of causes.  A year ago it was Toronto’s Sick Kids Foundation who was the beneficiary. This year it will be Oolagen Youth Mental Health, a Toronto children’s mental health charity.

JP Hernandez aka The Dark Knight Runner at STWM 2015. Photo Credit: Tribe Fitness

“As someone who was bullied in Grade 9, I reached out to superheroes to find hope or courage,” says JP Hernandez, also known as ‘The Dark Knight.’ “I know people who have gone through that and they have found different avenues. It can be either tragic or an opportunity to do something positive.

“I have always been a comic fan; I kind of knew that superheroes stand up for those who can’t. I can see why some kids identify with that and I felt it was a great time to switch to something more personal. And that’s why we chose Oolagen. I was looking for any charity that typically dealt with or helped with children dealing with this.”

Hernandez who runs up to 75 kilometres a week, originally met his colleagues on social media. Some would attend training sessions with him.  Others he met for the first time in person just before the start of last year’s marathon.

“I will soon be putting out the call on our Facebook page recruiting new members asking if anybody wants to join us,” he adds. “The interest has grown. We had two teams last year at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon. One ran the half marathon as well as the four of us that were the full marathon team.”

cy_stwm15 100

Captain Epilepsy at STWM 2015

While the Justice League group dress in recognizable, and, not so comfortable costumes, David Charchalis has created his own super hero in order to draw attention and raise money for Epilepsy Halton Peel Hamilton where he works.

Inspired by the glamour and colour he experienced at the Caribbean Carnival, his alter ego has become Captain Epilepsy, a figure he hopes will empower people with epilepsy. The condition afflicts one in a hundred Canadians. Other than an annual Gala event, the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon offers the largest fundraising opportunity for this charity. Charchalis plans to walk the 5km in costume and, along with a team of dozens, he plans to raise more than $25,000 this year.

“It’s extremely important,” Charchalis declares. “The Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon is a great way to raise money for our Sunny Days Kids’ Camp. It really helps us keep all of our programs free for our clients. It’s also a great way to get awareness and the name out there. We have a great time doing it.”

cs_stwm15_1317

Aspergers Society of Ontario at STWM 2015

Though their fundraisers will be slightly less flamboyant, another charity that is celebrating its tenth year with the Scotiabank Charity Challenge is the Aspergers Society of Ontario. At the 2015 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon they raised more than $25,000. They hope to double that figure this year.

For their executive director, Alexandra Prefasi, involvement with the Scotiabank Charity Challenge is the most effective opportunity they can imagine.

“We are a small volunteer driven organization and we can’t run large scale campaigns like some of the larger Canadian charities do,” she says. “We just don’t have that kind of a profile. So events like this afford us the opportunity to, yes, raise funds for the society but also to raise our profile in communities like Toronto. We are able to talk about Aspergers and shine a light on our cause.”

Prefasi proudly claims a 100 per cent participation rate amongst staff and board members all of whom have personal experience with Aspergers, a form of autism. Prefasi’s daughter has Aspergers.

“Our staff and board of directors are all committed to our success in the marathon,” she explains. “So pretty much everyone participated in last year’s Scotiabank Charity Challenge in some way with our campaign from recruitment to fundraising and from promotion to actually walking and running with us.

“We bring together individuals from our community. That’s one of the things that’s pretty special. We have runners and walkers who can overcome the unique challenges of Aspergers Syndrome to participate in this kind of fundraising event for us.”

Runners don’t have to be superheroes to fundraise. Anyone looking to participate can register for the race and sign up for the Scotiabank Charity Challenge here. Participants are also invited to share their stories on social media using the hashtags #runScotia and #STWM.

-30-

For more information and to register for the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, Half Marathon & 5k: http://www.torontowaterfrontmarathon.com/en/index.htm

To join Asperger’s Society of Ontario, Epilepsy Halton Peel Hamilton, Oolagen Youth Mental Health or any of the other charities in the Charity Challenge:
http://www.torontowaterfrontmarathon.com/en/charity.htm

Feb 05 2016
0

‘JP’s Team’ To Launch at Scotiabank Ottawa and Toronto Waterfront Marathons. By Paul Gains

By | Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon | No Comments

TORONTO February 5th 2016. Jean-Paul Bedard made an incredible impact at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon last October when he successfully completed a ‘Triple Toronto’ in order to raise awareness for survivors of sexual violence.

STWM 2015, Photo Credit: Todd Fraser

Jean-Paul Bedard and Premiere Wynne at STWM 2015, Photo Credit: Todd Fraser

En route to completing this 126.6km odyssey he was joined by well wishers including Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne who ran five kilometres with him to help promote her government’s #ItsNeverOkay campaign.

Remarkably, Bedard took just one day to recover from the twelve-hour run and was back training with renewed vigour.

Encouraged and, evidently, not satisfied with this fantastic achievement, Bedard has announced the formation of ‘JP’s Team’ and is inviting others to join him as part of a year-long fundraising initiative in the Scotiabank Charity Challenge.  It will begin with what he has dubbed ‘the Ultimate Canadian Double Double’ at the 2016 Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend May 28/29.

The 49-year-old Toronto resident will run the Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon course twice on Saturday and then repeat that effort on Sunday, the official race day.

Training, team building and fund raising will continue as he then sets his sights on a return to the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon October 16. Over the race weekend he will run the course – which by now he knows intimately –  twice on Friday, twice Saturday before completing the ‘triple-double’ on the official STWM race day Sunday. That’s an astounding 253.2km in three days.

“My wife, Mary-Anne, looks at me and I think it’s almost a simultaneous look of absolute horror and, at the same time, absolute love and awe for the fact that I am willing to put myself out there,” Bedard reveals with a laugh. “There’s nothing saying that I will be able to do this. But I believe I can do it.

“And that’s all the message has to be, is someone willing to try this?  Is someone willing to put herself or himself out there and do something that really pushes the boundaries of their emotional and their physical and their psychological boundaries? That’s what all this is about.”

Earlier this year Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon Race director Alan Brookes met with Bedard and encouraged him to enlist support from the running community which has embraced him wholeheartedly as a survivor of sexual violence.

Bedard was forced to deal with addictions as a result of the violence which he was subjected to as a child. Three years ago he completed a victim’s survival program at The Gatehouse in Toronto.

Brookes pointed out that the New York City Marathon has a ‘Fred’s Team’ named for the late founder of the race, Fred Lebow, who died of brain cancer in 1994. It raises money for cancer research.  Bedard was impressed with the fact that Lebow’s legacy continues even after his death. This led to the formation of ‘JP’s Team’ through which Bedard hopes to raise $100,000 for two charities, The Gatehouse and the Edmonton based ‘Little Warriors’ which assists child victims of sexual violence.

12659576_10154063317536055_1425805014_n“We are launching ‘JP’s team’ and it will be hosted as part of the Scotiabank Charity Challenge on both the Ottawa and the Toronto Waterfront Marathon sites,” Bedard reveals. “People will log onto ‘JP’s Team’ and they will be able to register for these races. When they register for the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, they will get a charity rate for being part of the Scotiabank Charity Challenge. They will be able to create their own fundraising page under the ‘JP’s Team’ banner.

“It will look identical in both places in Ottawa and Toronto. They will see a few buttons: ‘JP’s Team Run Toronto,’ ‘JP’s Team Run Ottawa’ and a third button ‘JP’s Cheer Squad.’   That one is for the people who are not running but who want to raise money in their own platform. But it will still enable ‘JP’s Team’ to raise money for The Gatehouse and Little Warriors.”

Brookes has clearly been one of his biggest supporters and it was he who initiated contact with President and Race Director of Run Ottawa  John Halvorsen in an effort to expand the reach.

“We’re greatly moved by JP Bedard’s decision to expand his crusade against childhood sexual abuse, and run a triple-double Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon 2016 as his grand finale,” says Brookes. “Last year, JP’s triple STWM showed the world that “victims” are not victims but “survivors” who are indestructible.

“This year’s message is to build a team, who will tell the stories of other survivors and provide team support, and to raise money for the broader cause at two important local charities. We’re honoured that STWM and the Scotiabank Charity Challenge can build a stage for ‘JP’s Team’, and look forward to sharing their journey.”

John Halvorsen was equally enthusiastic about the launch of ‘JP’s Team’ at this year’s marathon.

“We are very happy that JP has chosen the Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon to complete his four marathon weekend in support of survivors of sexual violence,” Halvorsen declares. “His efforts are incredible and so helpful to generate both awareness of the cause and the race.  He has the incredible ability to take a cause for a difficult situation and turn it into something so positive.”

Since last year’s Toronto Triple Bedard has found himself popular with local running groups. ‘Fun Runs With JP’ have become a regular occurrence. Just this week he ran 10 kilometres with a group at Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto. Eighty-five runners turned out to meet him.

In preparation for these ultramarathons, Bedard expects to increase his weekly training volume to roughly 215 kilometres in a week. On Saturdays and Sundays however he will be running 60km each day.  At this rate Bedard will go through a pair of shoes every three weeks.

The training also requires practice with fueling. He learned from the ‘Triple Toronto’ he ingested too many gels and not enough solid fuel. The final of those three back to back marathons he said was the worst. During the long training runs he will experiment with different combinations.

“It’s a bit nutty,” Bedard admits of his ambitions. “I started thinking, why are people kind of connecting to this? Literally, I get on average between 20 and probably 75 messages a day from people around the world talking to me about the stuff they are going through and what they have worked through.

“So whatever I am doing seems to be resonating and I am trying to figure out why it’s resonating. It is resonating with survivors of sexual violence, that’s understandable, but it’s having a bigger impact on the broader community.

“I think they can somehow identify with the physical suffering I am going through during these extreme events. They are able to get into my head and see the suffering I was quietly going through for my whole life; the suffering that many survivors of sexual violence quietly go through their whole lives.”

-30-

For further information: http://www.runjprun.com

The 2015 Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend welcomed 49,439 participants in six races, including the Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon, the Scotiabank Half-Marathon, the Ottawa 10K, the HTG Sports 5K, the 2K and Scotiabank Kids Marathon. The Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend is one of only two running events in the world to host two IAAF Gold-label races – the Ottawa 10K and the Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon. The 2016 Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend will take place on May 28-29, 2016. www.runottawa.ca

About the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon:

An IAAF Gold Label race, the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon is Canada’s premier, big-city running event, the National Marathon Championships, and the Grand Finale of the 8-race Canada Running Series. In 2015 it attracted more than 26,000 participants from 63 countries, raised $3.5 million for 173 charities through the Scotiabank Charity Challenge, and contributed an estimated $35 million to the local economy. The livestream broadcast regularly attracts viewers from over 100 countries, and in 2015 the event also hosted the international Bridge The Gap movement of running crews. www.STWM.ca

Feb 01 2016
0

Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon Earns IAAF Gold Label, by Paul Gains

By | Uncategorised | No Comments

TORONTO February 1st 2016. Earning an IAAF Gold Label from the International Association of Athletics Federations represents the epitome of road race management and for the second consecutive year the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon has been awarded this distinction.

Meeting the very strictest criteria, not once but twice, puts the race in the elite category of city marathons around the world, a fact not lost on Race Director Alan Brookes.

“We’re thrilled to receive the Gold Label for the second year in a row,” Brookes declared after receiving the news from the IAAF head office in Monaco. “It’s the Michelin 3-stars of running.

“To be placed in the same category as Boston, Chicago, London, Tokyo and the great city marathons of the world is an enormous honour. It really testifies to the prestige of the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon and our commitment to being a leader in road running in Canada.”

For IAAF Competitions Director, Paul Hardy, the awarding of the Gold Label was especially pleasing. He hails from nearby London, Ontario.

“The IAAF Label programme recognizes the best road races in the world,” he declares.  “To achieve Gold Label status takes hard work, commitment and a passion to want to be the best.  I congratulate the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon on receiving the IAAF Gold Label.  Having grown up just down the highway from Toronto, I know what a great city it is and what a great place it is to run.  Keep running Toronto.”

Blog 02-01-2016 Eric Gillis

Eric Gillis, STWM 2015

The news was also greeted warmly by two of the Waterfront Marathon’s greatest athletic personalities, Eric Gillis, whose five fastest marathon times have come at various editions of the race, and Lanni Marchant, who famously broke a 28 year old Canadian women’s record in 2013 with 2:28:00.

“I thought Alan was a gold label race director since the first year I ran STWM back in 2010,” Gillis says. “He has just been phenomenal for Canadian athletes. He is passionate about every athlete he has running in Toronto. This (Gold Label Award) is just a really nice thing to have happen. I am very happy for Alan and his crew at the Canada Running Series.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to race a competitive international race just over an  hour’s drive from where I train and live. It has meant a lot to me over the years. It is special.”

Gillis ran 2:11:31 in Toronto last October to beat the 2016 Olympic qualifying standard. If he is named to the Canadian team it would be his third Olympic games. Marchant also achieved the Olympic qualifying standard with 2:28:09 in Toronto on the same day.

Blog 02-01-2016 Lanni Marchant

Lanni Marchant, STWM 2015

“I just think it speaks volumes for Canadian running in general,” says Marchant who is presently in the midst of high altitude training in Kenya.  “You used to have to go elsewhere to get Gold Label events and to get the best competition, and having it in our backyard now kind of shows where we are as a country in athletics.

“It shows the kind of events that Alan Brookes has been putting on. It just makes it exciting as a Canadian runner that I can line up in my home country and have one of the best fields to line up against.”

Over the years the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon has attracted some of the world’s greatest marathoners.

Ethiopia’s Derissa Chimsa set a course record of 2:07:05 in 2013.  Sharon Cherop of Kenya set a course record of 2:22:42 in 2010 then went on to earn a bronze medal at the 2011 IAAF World Championships and a victory in the 2012 Boston Marathon. In 2011 Mare Dibaba finished 2nd in Toronto behind her Ethiopian compatriot, Koren Jal. Last August, Dibaba was crowned World Marathon Champion with an impressive victory in Beijing.

But along with the many elite athletes who compete for hundreds of thousands of dollars in prize money are thousands of runners racing on an accurately measured, well managed course to challenge themselves or to raise money for local charities. Last year another $3.5 million was raised by Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon runners for 173 charities.

Entries are now being accepted for the 2016 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon which is set for Sunday October 16th.

“It puts Toronto on the world stage,” Alan Brookes says summing up the value of the Gold Label, “and it is recognition for our amazing Canada Running Series organizing crew, the thousands of volunteers, charities, City of Toronto staff, runners and spectators alike, who have built something very special for the sport and the city we love.”

-30-

To register:
www.stwm.ca

 

Dec 15 2015
0

2015 Canada Running Series One for the Books. By Paul Gains

By | General | No Comments

TORONTO December 15th 2015. The 2015 Canada Running Series is now behind us and will be remembered, once again, for providing runners of all abilities, from novice to Olympians, the chance to lace up, strip down and challenge themselves over certified accurate and fully supported courses.

The Modo Vancouver Spring Run Off 8k (March 22nd) set the tone for perhaps the most competitive series ever with Canadian internationals Kelly Wiebe (the winner in 23:42), Geoff Martinson and Chris Winter occupying the first three places while Canadian marathon record holder Lanni Marchant fought off a challenge from hometown favourite Rachel Cliff to win the women’s race in 26:43.

Marchant would go on to win the Toronto Yonge Street 10k, the Scotiabank Vancouver Half Marathon and finish 5th overall (and first Canadian) in the Series climax, the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon. The event also doubled as the Athletics Canada National Championships.

Marchant’s finishing time of 2:28:09 was her second fastest time ever, missing her national record by merely nine seconds. Nonetheless, she was all smiles as she was rewarded with an Olympic qualifying mark.

The London, Ontario native’s consistency earned her perfect points in a year when no fewer than 131 runners scored points and she also claimed the $5,000 overall CRS prize. Two years ago she was also the CRS overall champion. Asked what she considers the highlight of 2015 she responds quickly.

“Qualifying for Rio in two events,” says the 31 year old. “The CRS races are kind of the bread and butter for Canadian runners; they put on the top events you are going to run in Canada, outside Ottawa Race Weekend.  (Race Director) Alan (Brookes) makes sure to put on great races and invites us out. He invited me up to Toronto Yonge St 10k where at the time it was my fastest 10k ever and it kind of gave me the confidence to run on the track.

“Winning the Scotiabank Vancouver Half Marathon told me my fitness was still there for the longer stuff even though in the summer I had been focused on the shorter distances.  I knew I was going to be able to roll right into a good marathon in the fall.”

The $5,000 overall prize will come in handy as she prepares to represent Canada in either, perhaps both, the 10,000m and the marathon in Rio next summer.

“I was fortunate enough to get carded this year but I won’t get the enhanced funding that other athletes get that help them go to training camps and physiotherapy and stuff like that,” she declares. “So having that boost of money from CRS, well, it’s going to get put to good use this year. Definitely having that extra $5,000 in my pocket will cover Kenya and one other training camp.”

With the 2015 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon earning IAAF Gold Label status for the first time, the international field was once again exceptional. Racing fans in over 100 countries watched the live stream on the STWM.ca website with the first four men finishing within 38 seconds of one another.

Canada’s Eric Gillis placed 7th in 2:11:31 achieving what he had come for – the Olympic qualifying standard. Should he be named to the 2016 Olympic team he would join Lea Pells, Paul Williams and Kevin Sullivan as the only Canadian distance runners to make three Olympic teams.

Gillis, who comes from Antigonish, Nova Scotia but is a long time resident of Guelph, Ontario, also had an incredible season.

Victories at Harry’s Spring Run Off 8k, Toronto Yonge Street 10k and the Banque Scotia 21k de Montreal earned him enough points, together with his Canadian championship marathon title, for the overall CRS prize for the second consecutive year.

“Definitely (the highlight) was getting the Olympic marathon standard in Toronto,” he reveals. “Setting that goal of being around the same time I had run there before and be comfortably under the standard. Setting that goal and achieving it in Toronto was special.

“The (other CRS races) were great setup races (to get the standard). I was hoping to get the standard in the spring nice and early but after a couple of injuries in the buildup for Rotterdam I didn’t feel confident going into that. I didn’t run the marathon and it was so great to have those CRS races in the spring to re-focus myself at home. It was a good ‘plan B’ and it gave me a good vibe going into the summer and in the buildup to Toronto.”

While Marchant and Gillis achieved Olympic standards, the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon also saw Leslie Sexton smash her personal best with a solid performance of 2:33:20. At 28 she is poised to join a growing list of elite Canadian women thanks in no small part to the Canada Running Series.

Another leading light was Rachel Hannah, the 2014 CRS overall champion who elected to run the Pan Am Games marathon, an event for which members of the Canada Running Series staff provided on-site support. She was rewarded with the bronze medal.

Then at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront she entered the half marathon distance finishing with a time of 72:25, good enough to earn a place on Canada’s team for the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in Cardiff in March. Both Canada Running Series and Ottawa Race Weekend are contributing finances to send that team to Cardiff.

Not to be outdone, there was a terrific competition for the CRS Masters’ titles with Vancouver’s Stan Jang earning the victory with 83 points while Lioudmila Kortchaguina, a familiar name to race fans, collected 135 points to win the women’s Masters’ title. They each collected $1,000 prize money for the overall titles.

“Congratulations to Lanni, Eric, Stan, Lioudmila, and all of the runners who crossed the finish lines of CRS 2015,” says Alan Brookes. “We saw so many great races, so many great achievements, so many great stories. So many runners, of all shapes and sizes, all abilities, came together to create a wonderful season. We’re already excited for 2016, which will be a massive year at home with 8 more CRS events to celebrate, plus Cardiff and Rio!”

Almost 60,000 runners participated in the 2015 Series and together raised $5.8 million for local charities. No doubt the numbers will continue to grow as the Series heads into 2016.

For complete Canada Running Series 2015 standings see http://www.canadarunningseries.com/crs/crsRESULT.htm

Registration for Canada Running Series 2016, including “Combo Packs”, is now open at http://www.canadarunningseries.com/crs/index.htm

-30-

Oct 26 2015
0

STWM 2015 Blog Round-Up

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

A selection of race recaps from the 2015 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon:

“I ran the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon three times on the same day; that’s a total distance of 126.6 km. As a survivor of both childhood sexual abuse and rape, I was running to raise awareness of the prevalence of sexual violence in our communities. But more importantly, I was running to demonstrate the resilience we all have inside to overcome life’s greatest obstacles and trauma.”
Author: Jean-Paul Bedard, iRun Magazine
Link to blog: http://www.irun.ca/blog/index.php/like-forrest-gump-meets-groundhog-day-a-triple-marathon-one-kilometre-at-a-time/ 

“This race represents a homecoming of sorts.  It’s the first half marathon I ever completed, so emotionally, it is near to my heart.  It is also so big that it attracts a lot of people from the running community, in-person and online.  In that respect, it feels like a big family reunion.  And much as I enjoy travelling around the province (and beyond) for races, there is a sense of comfort that comes from competing in your backyard. ”
Author: Darren Cooney
Link to blog: http://darrencooney.blogspot.ca/2015/10/race-report-scotibank-toronto.html 

“As for STWM, however, I’m a lifer. This race has changed my life. I was overwhelmed by this year. It was emotional for me. I realized that this race has brought amazingly positive people into my life.” 
Author: Karyn Cooper, STWM Digital Champion
Link to blog: https://tenminutemile.wordpress.com/2015/10/19/marathon-monday-14/ 

“To my surprise, witnessing 26,000 runners take on the course was much more powerful than any personal running experiences have been. I became obsessed watching each runner pass me wondering what their story was, how they got to the start line, and who they were they running for.” 
Author: Sasha Exeter
Link to blog: http://www.sosasha.com/2015/10/scotiabank-toronto-waterfront-marathon-btgyyz-weekend/ 

“I crossed the line in 3:18:33 – a PB of more than 20 minutes, a Boston Qualifier, but most importantly, a race effort I could be proud of. I started to cry in the finishing chute, which seriously creeped out a lot of the race volunteers. I couldn’t help it – like I said, I’m a giant wuss.” 
Author: Amy Friel, STWM Digital Champion
Link to blog: http://thelongslowdistance.com/2015/10/22/the-war-of-attrition-one-marathon-of-a-race-recap/ 

Steve’s Training Vlog: Episode 14 The Race
Author: Steve Lennon, STWM Digital Champion
Link to vlog: https://youtu.be/xIJsxDWrPkE 

“The course was fairly wide open from the beginning and there was always plenty of room to run the pace I wanted. There were more spectators out than I expected, and I was even surprised to see people cheering along the Spadina Road overpass. I finished in 2:07:02 (9:41 min/mile), which was much better than I anticipated.”
Author: Vicky Leung, STWM Digital Champion
Link to blog: http://menubyvicky.com/2015/11/02/2015-scotiabank-toronto-waterfront-half-marathon/ 

“Since running this race I have been absolutely overwhelmed by the support of friends, family and other runners in the community. It has been incredible.  If I had one word to describe this race experience, it would be “gratitude.” I’m so grateful for everything (and if you made it to the end of this very long post, thank you for reading it!). Marathons are hard. But we did it. I am so proud of all of us.”
Author: Mei Ling, STWM Digital Champion
Link to blog: http://plaincanbelovely.com/2015/10/24/chafing-the-dream-scotiabank-toronto-waterfront-marathon-stwm-2015-race-recap/ 

“Jean-Paul ran the marathon three times so people would learn that lesson. A lesson that should never even need to be taught. So, I got to run with this man. This great, wonderful, funny, fantastic, superhero of a man. I got to cross the finish line with this man and share in this glorious victory, and I had fun. I had so much fun! We laughed, we joked, we shared funny and stupid stories.”
Author: Michael Lobsinger, Get Out Do More
Link to blog: http://getoutdomore.com/2015/10/running-with-heroes/ 

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, this community we have in Toronto is really something special and I am at a loss for words when it comes to the many friends and strangers who reached out to me last week on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and in person at local runs to thank me for cheering at STWM. While it is humbling for people to be appreciative of me being out on the course, truthfully I feel that it is what I should be doing and I don’t do it for the thanks or appreciation. I do it because if we aren’t running we should be cheering.”
Author: Allison Miceli
Link to blog: https://kmhungryyogi.wordpress.com/2015/10/25/stwm-2015-wrap-up/ 

“I now officially hold the Guinness World Record for fastest half-marathon in a suit with an adjudicated time of 1:35:47 (1:35:48 chip time), just a little more than four minutes faster than the 2012 record I set out to break. It was as tough as you’d expect. Even training in my Indochino suit didn’t entirely prepare me for how I’d feel during the attempt. When Coach gave me my race plan, I actually laughed out loud. Thankfully, my Pace & Mind teammates refused to let me settle for less and encouraged me every step of the way. It would result in the personal best of a lifetime.”
Author: Nicholas Mizera, Guinness World Record Holder for Fastest Half-Marathon in a Suit
Link to blog: http://thegentlemanjournalist.com/2015/11/01/photo-finish-how-i-set-the-world-record-for-fastest-half-marathon-in-a-suit/ 

“On one hand all I can think about is how much I’ve accomplished and how I only have 5 kilometers to go, and on the other hand every 100 meters feels like a kilometer and I am almost ready to fall over and cry. I am holding back tears and I can feel myself getting more vocal with my breathing. I am huffing and puffing but I will not give up.”
Author: Katie Neilsen, iRun Magazine 
Link to blog: http://www.irun.ca/blog/index.php/experiencing-the-marathon-for-the-first-time/

“When I was selected as a Digital Champion, I never thought I’d be thrown so deeply into the race, and into the running community. Over the summer, I was asked to be part of a photo series for the race, featuring runners from across the city. As I entered the race expo on Octber 17th, I was greeted with a giant version of myself on the wall, where people were signing their names and writing messages to fellow runners. Is this real life?”
Author: Danielle O’Hanley, STWM Digital Champion
Link to blog: http://runhanley.com/post/131748943206/toronto-waterfront-marathon-race-weekend-report 

“When I crossed the 40k check point, I knew it was gonna be a PB. And that was my goal! I needed it so badly after trying so many times to break my previous PB of 3:50 from the very first marathon I ran. What a feeling crossing that finish line and watching over your head the numbers you imagined in your training dreams! 3:42:57 is my new PB.”
Author: Jarek Pachocki, STWM Digital Champion
Link to blog: https://frjarek.wordpress.com/2015/10/22/chasing-pb-at-stwm-what-a-journey-it-was/ 

“I turned onto Bay Street with it’s multiple meter markers of agony. With about 400 meters to go, I totally started to struggle and slowed my step. A tall guy running next to me glanced back and with a big smile pointed to the finish. I nodded, smiled and picked up my pace. We ran side by side until 50 meters before the finish when he smiled again, waved and zoomed ahead, leaping up in the air repeatedly. Thank you random stranger, I thought laughing. I had no kick left to give but I smiled and trekked across the finish with pride. And a personal best of over 4 minutes!​​” 
Author: Cathy Vandergeest
Link to blog: http://www.runningdesigner.com/blog/more-than-a-race-stwm 

“The last 2k were the great!  We ran through the Parkdale Roadrunners cheer section then made our way up Bay street.  Going up Bay street was a sea of cheers and spectators.  We again saw Allison and the Tribe Fitness cheer station; Thank you all again for the cheers during the last 200m.  From then on I grabbed Karen’s hand and we crossed the finish line!”
Author: Mike Van Mil, STWM Digital Champion
Link to blog: http://paramedicmike.ca/2015/11/04/we-are-now-marathoners-runcrs-stwm-recap-a-marathon-of-a-post/ 

“The Canada Running Series group does a great job at the finish line with cameras going and an announcer to tell you how the elites were doing. I totally stuck around to see how Lanni was doing. Someone at the finish line said she was super close and lucky for a couple of us, they let us stick around to watch Lanni cross. Lanni came in at 2:28:09 or so, just 10 seconds off her own Canadian record. BUT – she did qualify for Rio 2016! YAY!”
Author: Rebecca Wemyss, STWM Digital Champion
Link to blog: http://runningfoodbaby.com/2015/10/stwm-half-marathon-race-recap/ 

“The last part of the race was extra special, a feeling I will never forget. As we make our way up Bay St., a few hundred metres from the finish line, all I hear is someone screaming “GO VICTORIA GO!” and jumping up and down from the corner of my eye.  It was Maya and the rest of the Blacktoe cheer squad!! It was so great to see them at the 6km mark but I didn’t expect to see them again at this point. All that energy helped me push to the finish.”
Author: Victoria
Link to blog: http://victakes.com/stwm-half-marathon-race-recap/