Latest reviews by Paul
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This was the first time I ventured to Saint John for the Marathon by the Sea. As I'm working on completing all six events for the Ultimate Running Challenge in the Maritimes this summer, I decided that 5k would be enough for this race.
While the location of the start is quite nice, the 5k course was not particularly scenic. There were a few rolling hills and a couple of changes between pavement and hard packed trails which made a moderately difficult course - not the easiest I've done, but certainly not the hardest, either.
Parking at Lily Lake and the side roads was an adventure as it certainly did seem that car pooling was not an option taken by many people. The shuttle bus to the start location from the parking was a convenient option, but could have been organized a little better as it was not clear where the pick up was and there was a concern shared by many runners as to whether or not we would make the race start on time.
The t-shirt and medal were both very well done. The medal was one of the nicer I've gotten this year and the colour of the shirt was nice and it is certainly a shirt I have worn since and will continue to wear both for running and casual occasions.
There was actually a small fee for bag drop, which is unusual and surprising. Of all the events I have done in the past two years, this is the first time I remember having to pay for a bag check. Even if it's in support of a local charity, I feel like a donation would be better or just have the fee included in the registration. I rarely have money on me at the race start for obvious reasons.
Overall, this was a very nice event and any negatives were certainly minor and easily remedied. If I was to come back to this event, I would certainly choose one of the longer runs, as from my understanding, the scenery is quite impressive.
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I don't think any review can really do this event justice. Having not done a trail race in over 20 years, the 5peaks trail race at Rattlesnake Point in Milton, Ontario may be my favourite race to date - road or otherwise.
I only decided to do this race as an add on to my trip to Ontario for another trail race and I am so glad I did. The organizers of this series and this event really have something to be proud of here. Trail racing, like road racing, is a growing sport and with events such as this it is not hard to see why.
For Rattlesnake Point, as with any 5peaks event, there are two options - the shorter "Sport" course or the longer "Enduro" course. Having another race the next day, I elected to do the 5.3 km Sport course rather than tackle the 12.7 km Enduro course. According to organizers, both courses were the most technical in the series and they did not disappoint!
Before the race, kit pickup was well organized and easy. 5peaks prides itself on unique swag for each event and I was happy to get a rubber pint glass with "How to Recognize a Trail Runner" written on its side, as well as some Kick Ass coffee. There was a small expo set up on the field with some of the sponsors selling various things, which was also well organized and low key.
The race itself was well organized. Both distances started at the same time with several waves. Elite runners and those running for time went in the first wave and others chose a later wave, each starting a couple of minutes after the previous. I was filming the course with a GoPro camera and running with an awesome Twitter friends, Caitlin, so we decided to go to the back of the third wave.
After starting on dirt road for a loop of the grassy field, we were onto the trails and they were incredible! The directors and those familiar with the course had not lied - it was breathtaking and technical! There was a good mix of scenic wider path, single track and rocky, rooty and technical trails.
The course was very well marked, with easy to spot signs directing runners. Although it was an out and back course, the return run was on a parallel trail which meant that there was not any real issues with congestion.
5peaks events do not have finishing medals, saving awards for overall and age group categories, but there was no shortage of draw prizes. It is no exaggeration to say that the handing out of draw prizes took longer than the race itself - this is one well sponsored and supported series!
I completely enjoyed every aspect of the Rattlesnake Point course and have already decided that should the opportunity to run it again arise or if I have the chance to run another 5peaks event I won't hesitate. If you haven't tried a trail race before I would suggest checking out 5peaks - they have several series in various locations and if those events are even remotely as well run as Rattlesnake, you won't be disappointed.
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I am far from a marathon veteran, having only completed two so far but I can so to this point that the half-marathon I completed at the Blue Mountain Resort as part of The North Face's first Endurance Challenge in Canada is the hardest race I've done.
The events leading to me doing this race were actually quite fun - as part of one of the earliest Twitter BibChats, I won a free entry in to any of TNF Endurance Challenge Series. I really didn't think I would be able to realistically use the prize, but when I saw there was one in Ontario, the wheels started turning and through the support of my family and help of an amazing Twitter friend, Michelle, it all came together.
While locals refer to Blue Mountain as "Blue Bump", as it is relatively small by ski hill standards, running up the "bump" is another story altogether. There was over a mile of elevation change from start to finish of the race, including a quad burning mile long descent at the end. In between was a variety of terrain, ranging from single track to gravel roads to open grassy areas. Large chunks of the actual trail were part of Ontario's Bruce Trail and was quite technically challenging, made even more challenging by the heavy overnight rain that muddied up the trail and made all rocks and wooden bridges as slippery as ice.
Finding the resort and parking were simple and the area was well marked to find the kit pick up, expo and other race related activities. While the expo was small, the sponsors were well represented and there were even games for kids there to win prizes and keep themselves occupied. Prior to the race, ultramarathoning legend Dean Karnazes gave a short pep talk and was also responsible for the official start, which was a great touch.
The course markings were generally pretty well done, although a number of runners did get lost and shorten their race. The problem areas were general at unmanned intersections with multiple choices that weren't marked as clearly as needed. By the time the half-marathon runners joined in with the later starting 5 and 10 k runners, there was definitely a little more congestion and confusion than I would have liked. Another concern that organizers tried to address was people using head phones on the trail. Even with repeated requests by organizers, there were still many runners wearing these devices, which was unfortunate as it made the course less safe for other runners in tight areas and when trying to pass.
Overall, it was a fantastically run race and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who was looking for a challenge. This is certainly not a course where you are going to get anywhere near a PB for distance, but it will be one that you will remember!
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Out of all of the races I have done in 2014, this event is the first I have chosen to not recommend. I will say that many people whose opinions I respect spoke highly of this event, so it may have just been a case of increased numbers surprising organizers this year.
The event certainly seemed to have more than it's fair share of logistical problems, so I will start there and then move on to the positives. My biggest issue was the value - 40 dollars for a 5km is a bit steep, but not altogether unheard of these days. However, there was no t-shirt included, no mention of the cost supporting a specific cause or charity and the finishing medal was pretty generic. There was a towel included (although some people did not even get the towel) and a couple of other small things in the race kit, but nothing of particular note.
Another issue was that the organizers ran out of bibs, meaning that some racers received plain white bibs with their number written on with a sharpie marker. This seemed to be more of an issue for those running the half marathon event, but was still unusual to see at an event of several hundred people.
A third issue was how the separate events were started. For some unusual reason, the half marathon runners began 200 m ahead of the 5k and 10 k runners. What this meant is that the quicker 5k/10k runners very quickly found themselves weaving in and out of all of the slower half marathon runners. It was particularly annoying given that most of the course was an open course, meaning vehicles were in play. Inconvenient at best and dangerous at worst. There was also a bridge as part of the course - 5k runners (300 of us) were told to confine ourselves to the sidewalk and run in single file. Having the turn around in such narrow confines made NO sense at all.
My last issue was the bag/key check. As you would expect, this was near the start line at the local civic centre. What wasn't communicated to runners was that everything that was checked would then be transported to the finish line, about 1 km away. After finishing my race, I walked back to the civic centre where I was told that my car keys were back at the finish. I have never done a race where the drop off point is not the pick up point. It's not that it's a terrible idea - but at least communicating this to people would have been helpful.
The course itself was fine. The bridge and river were quite beautiful and it was a fairly quick course with only a couple of small inclines. The on course management for the 5k was fine with all turns being clearly marked, plenty of volunteers and local police doing a great job directing traffic for runner safety.
If this race had not been part of a provincial and regional challenge, I likely would not have done it. I will definitely follow it with interest next year to see if the logistical problems were dealt with. Miramichi has a very vibrant running community and if some of the concerns I have mentioned with are addressed, the Rock n Run can definitely become a much improved and worthwhile event.
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The Bluenose Marathon is one of, if not the largest running events in Atlantic Canada. 2014 marked it's 11th year and was the first time I had experienced it at all. Having competed in a full marathon the weekend before but still eager to find out what the Bluenose was all about, I signed up for the Johnson 5km run.
Like many other large events, the Bluenose has a variety of options for runners of all ages. This year marked the first year that the 5 km race was moved to Saturday, as well as the 2km and 4km kids races. The 10km (with two waves now, due to demand), as well as the half and full marathons remained on Sunday.
The 5km race was held at 3 pm, which was very convenient for me, as I live a couple of hours away. This meant I could save on hotel costs and drive down the day of the event. It also meant I could check out the Active Living Expo, pick up my race kit and still not feel rushed at all. Some people felt that this time of day was tough as it would be very warm, but for a 5 km race that wasn't a concern of mine at all.
The only hiccup we experienced was parking - which was expected with the number of visitors in town and the road closure. We did find a parking garage nearby which was laid out in a confusing manner but we eventually found a spot and made our way to the Expo and kit pickup.
The Active Living Expo was amazing. Lots of great businesses, causes and other races were represented there and the WTCC in Halifax was a great location to hold the expo. It was very close to the race start and had plenty of space for athletes and others to move about and check everything out. A number of impressive speakers were scheduled throughout the weekend, although I missed out on them (including 3 Kenyan athletes who were participating in Sunday's marathon or half). Kit pickup was smooth and easy with no delays at all. There wasn't a lot of swag with the kit, other than the t-shirt but the handouts and other things at the Expo more than made up for this.
The race organization was also top notch. Considering there were well over 2000 runners for the 5km, I can't imagine things going more smoothly. Runners were asked and repeatedly reminded to line up according to expected paces and for the most part they seemed to stick to that. A guard in full regalia from the Halifax Citadel fired his musket to start the race - a first for me!
The course was relatively flat and considering it was downtown in a city, fairly scenic. Halifax is definitely a beautiful city and it was a perfect day weather wise. There was only one aid station, standard for a 5km race and all turns were well marked and staffed by race volunteers. There was also a misting station set up just past the 4 km mark, another first for me which I though was pretty neat.
At the finish, runners were handed their medals and then funneled into the Metro Centre where they could grab some food and drinks as well as instantly find out their time and placing by talking to one of the many volunteers armed with tablets connected to the Chronicle Herald website for race tracking. Another great touch!
Overall, I just can't say enough positives about my experience at the Bluenose. Everyone I spoke to seemed to really enjoy themselves and the community support was fantastic. A huge congrats to the organizers and especially the volunteers on course.