Took the bus trip to this one. Leaving Pickering, we piled into the bus at 6:45am to get to the race with plenty of time for the race start. The ride was pleasant as everyone on board chatted about goals and expectations for the race. There was no rushing or anxiety as we could take our time and get ready when we got there.
Upon arriving at the race site I was pleased to find that we were parked one block from the race start and the TravelLodge where the expo/recovery zone would be. Tim Horton's provided coffee to kick start the runners and get them ready for the race. Loads of businesses were around to grab a bite to eat or use the facilities. The race is staged in a very vibrant part of Burlington with a nice charmful setting.
9:30 came and a group of us set out to cheer on the start of the race walkers for the half. It was really great to cheer them all on the start of their race. This also got us into the right mindset for our own race start.
The race started with a great cheer and a lot of people rushing off. The same things happened at this race as with other large HM's, there were a lot of people who started too far up in the pack from where they should have, and runners had to avoid in the first 200m past the chip mat. Regardless of this problem it was great to be running in such a large pack with some very fast runners. The course had a few tight turns in the first mile which made for some jostling and shoving. One friend of mine complained of elbows flying in his face and general poor etiquette in the starting rush. Again, this comes with races like this. Passing the first km marker was a surprize as it had been knocked down and was lying face down on the sidewalk. Again, with a race of this size, I would hope that the organisers would spring for some signs instead of using the borrowed ones from the Running Room. As the race went on it became a game to spot the fallen down or oddly placed km markers.
The course isn't anything special as it runs thru a lot of nice neighbourhoods and ends with the last 7 or 8 km along one lane of Lakeshore Ave. There were some great uphills and rollers to challenge the legs as well as a bit of a headwind in the final stretch. It was great to practice drafting and chasing down people to draft. Water stations are well placed and provide top notch support to the race. There were a lot of spectators along the route which made it very enjoyable to run.
The finish line area was top notch with the final stretch being a tight righthand turn and the last 100m. This type of finish surprizes a lot of new runners as well as bringing smiles to their faces as they see that they are almost done. It also makes the crowd of spectators seem louder and more impressive as they cheer you in. The food was great at the finish line and it was only a block away from the free Chili and Coffee.
The recovery tent and post race expo were really crammed. It was held in the basement of the TravelLodge with overflow in the tent behind the hotel. Post race massages were in the middle of the room with people walking by on all sides going to and from the food tent. I overheard many a participant walking out saying that it was too crowded to stick around. Overall the awards were great with a lot of great prizes given out.
Pros: Big race, Big Local Field, cap on number of runners.
Cons: Bad km markers, Poor Venue, High entry fee.
Bottom line: While this is a huge race for a lot of people, I don't see it as a memorable race. And as far as the race entry goes, there should be a lot more bang for the buck. It seems a little bit too much of a money grab. Points to work on: Select a venue that can cater to a crowd such as this. Showers were 4 blocks away from the race site, so you might as well go home (which is what a majority of people chose to do). Fully close more of the roads so people don't get clipped by passersby.
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