Latest reviews by Kelli

(2017)
"Hot, Hot, Hot in Montreal"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management

Great event from start to finish. Flat course. Water station at 3K mark. Live music every 1K to keep you entertained and some residents cheering you along the closed road course. Loops around and out the park and back for 5K distance. Ample washrooms along the course and free Metro pass to use to commute to the event as there is no parking close to this venue. Recommend staying at the Best Western Plus on Ste Catherine Street as it is a quick 2K walk to the venue and they offer free breakfast in the morning and valet parking upon your arrival.
The Expo was held at Place Bonaventure and a few more signs would have helped street side for those coming in from out of town. Lots of vendors, samples and free draws for prizes and little to no lineups to pick up your race kit: tech tee and racing bib. Great communication prior to the event via email and social media and the maps provided were clear to understand. Corrals were released every 2 minutes and the event kept on time which is a plus! Finishers medal and top 3 prizes. Apple, banana, juice, and water as you finish and head towards the festival area with great kids area, music and sponsor booths. Marathon was canceled due to heat and 1/2 was bumped up one hour to help avoid heat-related illness. Well organized, fun and the Remix Challenge was a nice touch with a third medal if you complete 2 events that weekend. Photographers located at various starting points and finish line. Family-friendly event.

Login or sign up to leave a comment.
(2017)
"Half Mudder was twice the fun!!"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management

This was my first Tough Mudder and I was not disappointed! From the well-organized check in lanes to the great on-site parking, it did not disappoint. Lots of staff to answer questions, security, medics, and everything was well marked so you knew exactly where to go from start to finish! Showers and change rooms at the end and a great vendor village. Lots of free photo opportunities and great routes for spectators to take to enjoy the show throughout the mountainous course. This year racers had the choice of both the 1/2 or full Tough Mudder and it looped around and back the hill with 13-20 obstacles to thrill all levels of racers. Some of the greats even turned up to race such as Ryan Atkins taking home a first place finish to add to his many accolades. Each participant received a bib and were sent off according to their timed heat every 30 minutes. At the finish line, you received your coveted head band and excellent tech tee shirt in charcoal grey; Merrill is the sponsor and they were on site with discounted shoes etc...vendors for food were also there to fuel the racers with poutine and snacks. The outdoor pub offered spectators a great view of the two traditional obstacles Kong, which is an elevated rings obstacle and the dreaded Shock therapy where you crawl over bales of hay in water with electric eel tentacles zapping you along the way. The MC was hilarious and kept the racers pumped before their launch up the mountain to tackles the creative and muddy challenges. This is a team-building event and is not timed (non-pro) and allows racers to help each other at every turn. Costumes are also welcomed and added a humorous twist to the climbs, crawls, carries and swings. Water stations are well located and ample along with port-o-potties everywhere. Medics and radio carrying volunteers were seen along the route and it was a great loop out and back with some beautiful mountain top scenery. This is an event for 14+ and is highly recommended. Bag drop was $10.00. And you could park on site. Gloves are not necessary. No cleats or spikes allowed at this event.

Login or sign up to leave a comment.
(2017)
"Foamy Family Fun"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management

I know when an event is hosted by 365 Sports that it will be well run! We arrived early and managed to register and get our racing bib quickly and easily. Parking was off site and had a fee of $10.00 and racers were shuttled between the parking and the park by yellow buses. They were quick and well organized with easily accessible drop off points. The event had great signage and you knew where to go without having to ask. Once registered we headed towards the gear check and a donation of $5.00 was given towards the Salvation Army. The staff were great and escorted everyone to and from the bag check to ensure the gear was safe during the event and for pick up. Ample washrooms on site and the music kept us entertained throughout the entire course. The main start/finish line had music, food and vendors to keep spectators involved while they waited for their family members to complete the 5K course. There were inflatable slides, lily pads into the lake, mud crawls and cargo net climbs. This is a family friendly event and offered participants a flat scenic course through the Zwick parklands looping back and forth beside beautiful Lake Ontario. Each racer received a finisher's medal and beach towel and Zoomphoto.ca was on site to take the candid after race shots that will be posted free online. There is a kids zone where young ones can play on bouncy walls and castles and you can purchase Foam Fest tee shirts etc....right on site. The ladies shirts are super comfortable brushed cotton. Medics were on site and there were 3 water stations well placed along the course. The mud was slick and smooth and the infamous giant slides did not disappoint. Excellent course and organization!! Highly recommended.

Login or sign up to leave a comment.
(2017)
"Head to Perth for a Fast, Flat course!"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management

This was a first year event to raise funds for refugees through the Northgate Ministry. Located in beautiful downtown Perth, Ontario and scheduled along with the local farmers market and outdoor music festival in Stewart Park. Ample close parking if you arrive early and race kit pick up was quick and easy. Each racer received a racing big with attached timing chip and the event started promptly at 0900 hrs. A Salvation Army band was on site along with a local street musician that kept participants entertained as they awaited their scheduled heats (based on estimated times). It was twice around the park for the 5K loop and had some interesting scenery through the park and over some lovely old bridges and waterways. There were 2 water stations well situated along the route and every participant received a pancake breakfast with maple syrup and fresh strawberries and one beverage. Well organized and a family friendly event with a 3K walk option available. The medal was a baked cross made out of gingerbread for the racers to savor at the finish line. For those coming in and spending the weekend there is the beautiful Best Western located within walking distance and many local artisan/craft shops and restaurants to enjoy. Located only 1 hour from Kingston and 45 mins from Ottawa, Ontario. Port-o-potties and indoor facilities were available on site. Timed, flat route. No tee shirt. Homemade pies for prizes! Thanks to all the volunteers and the race coordinator for a well run event.

Login or sign up to leave a comment.
(2017)
"Spartan Tackles Orno, Ontario"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management

I vowed I would never do another Spartan and yet a few weeks later I am climbing up the relentless hills of Brimacombe, Ontario. Located between Toronto and Kingston it was an easy 2 hour drive to get the the race venue. Parking ($15.00) was a bit disorganized and this seems to be one of the downfalls of these large events. We were directed towards a lower field and parked in the middle of the field. For those coming in from the west it was a traffic jam along Highway 18 trying to get into the parking areas. After a short walk up towards the base village we headed to registration where there was more confusion as to which lines to pick for race kit pick up. All the lines were 30-40 people deep and we had about 45 minutes until our heat was to start. It was a bit stressful, but once we were registered we still had time to head to the bag drop $5.00 and then for a quick bladder break before making our way to the start line. Each Spartan is to hop over the entry wall and await instructions from the MC. We opted for the Competitive heat this time so we could head out before the heat really set it. It was a comfortable 18 degrees when we started off. As with any Spartan it was the same series of changes in elevations and we tackled the 6.4KM course with 8 climbs up and down the mountain. This event had more mud involved which slowed some racers down a bit. The obstacles are standard with walls, crawls, barbed wire, carries of buckets, sandbags and the infamous cinder block drag up and down the hill attached to a chain. The volunteers were quick to chastise you if you did not complete the full burpees when an obstacle was missed and kept racers as honest as they could. The vendor village was well laid out and there were hose off stations beside nice tented change rooms when the race was over. It is suggested to bring water with you along the course however, they do have stations along the route. Prizes for top 3 finishers and this is a qualifying event for the OCR World Championships being held this fall in Barrie, Ontario, Canada. Gloves are recommended for some climbs and carries and long socks were not needed.

Login or sign up to leave a comment.