This website uses cookies and pixels so we know how people are using the site and to ensure you get the best experience here and elsewhere on the internet. That cool?
View our
Privacy Policy
Latest reviews by Carmy
Carmy recommends this race
(2014)
"MEC 15K Recap"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management
Before the Race
I went to MEC to pick up my race kit - the store has underground paid parking if you're driving or you can take the King TTC and it'll drop you off right beside the store so it's quite accessible. Inside my envelope was my bib and a map to the start of the course. Plain and simple, no fuss no muss. Sure I was a little disappointed that there wasn’t a Clif Bar inside my envelope like the first race but that’s okay (edit: apparently other people got a bar, mine was just an anomaly). With the race bib, you get 10% off in store purchase from the day of kit pick up the the Sunday.
Day of the Race
Parking was easy. The park that was picked has multiple entrances that all have parking spaces so if you couldn't get one right beside the start line, you could get one a bit further down or beside the shopping plaza up the little hill.
Picking up the race chip was also simple and well organized. I showed them my bib number and they gave me my chip. It took 2 minutes tops.
During the Race
The problem with picking a trail-ish area that isn't closed off to the public is that there will be other folks there! Bikers were pretty good at avoiding us and due to the narrow path, most of us ran single-filed. We ran a 2.5k loop so we weren't in anyone's way for long but that means you have to see the same thing over and over which I didn't mind. However, I did have to mind crossing the bridge more than once. The bridge is quite narrow and there was a bottle neck there as racers would have to stop and go one at a time on the bridge.
End of the Race
Huge thanks to MEC Toronto for making this race possible and I hope to continue to race these wonderful small races. Also, seeing all the under 12 year old kids sprinting through the 5k and 10k was super impressive. Thank you MEC for having a low key race where children can attend without it costing an arm and a leg to get the whole family involved. Also, thanks to the first aid tent for providing me with ice! The medics were super ice and patched up my chafing nicely.
At the finish line, due it to being a small race, there weren't a lot of fancy energy drinks but MEC did provide us with bananas, water, and KIND bars which is really all we need! ;)
Login
or
sign up
to leave a comment.
Carmy recommends this race
(2014)
"Sporting Life 10K Recap"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management
Sporting Life 10k where 27000 runners down Toronto’s Yonge St! Sporting Life 10k is a fundraising race for Camp OOCH which is the only residential children’s camp in Canada offering on-site IV chemotherapy and blood transfusions. The "swag bag" included a OOCH shirt from Nike and a $35 off coupon to Sporting Life.
When I woke up at around 5 am, I fueled my usual way… a banana and peanut butter straight from the jar!! Haha. My friend and I ended up being early and the race but it was okay, we were able to get a good starting position and be the first runners to use the port-a-potties. Port-a-potties were everywhere so there was no fear of having to line up for long to use one.
This race was supposed to be an “easy” race because it was supposed to be a downhill race but do you know what people down tell you about downhill races?? There were a bunch of mini uphills to get through in order to run down those hills! I was misled!! The uphill parts were not really noticeable while running but since the race had so many runners, it was visible which took a toll on me mentally. However, this is one of the easier 10k courses to get a PR in Toronto.
Some highlights of the race!
> Saw a man’s butt cheeks at the starting corrals as he lifted his short shorts to try and massage a kink out of his butt muscle I guess (I could have gone without this)
> A young man dressed in a full head to toe ELMO costume ran past me, gave me a giggle as he kicked tens of thousands of runners while in costume. the atmosphere was very fun!
> Really awesome under-10 year old kids cheering with Free High Five signs/Black Toe cheer group/Tribe Fitness posters
> Running past closed sushi places and Chipotle made me long for food as that was the main scenery haha
> Upset over the fact that some lady in the first wave with a double-digit bib walking in the middle of the course. Yes you may have messed up and not been able to run as you’d like to but with 20k people running, walking right in the middle with your head buried in your fancy pack was not the best thing to do. Please move to the side and allow the other runners to not barrel through you ):
> The wonderful volunteers who cheered us all through the water stations (I remember volunteering a couple years ago and props to you kids, waking up at 4 am to get bussed down for set up is a pain)
> There was a man hole cover where the middle WASN’T COVERED! Someone could have lost an ankle! Tsk tsk Toronto!
> I passed a young lady was on the ground around 300m away from the finish line (cramp I’m assuming) and the runners around her were wonderful enough to stop and try to carry her to the side for the medics. We Canadians take care of our own!
> Almost took myself out of the race by tripping over some uneven roads/potholes.
> I would love to meet the guy who placed first with 29:19 because my mind is tired just thinking about running at a 2:59k/min pace!
> They dangled BANANAS just out of reach under the bridge we had to run under. Some tried to make a grab for it for giggles but of course no one was tall enough. haha
> There were no markers needed for the race as it was mainly all in one direction - literally straight down Yonge St.
All in all, 10/10 would repeat this race