iRun Radio – April 8th, 2018

This week’s show will give you the kick you need to push past your limits. First, Mark speaks with Terry Fox’s brother Fred about the anniversary of the start of the Marathon of Hope and how the Running Room has been celebrating across the country. Then, Alex Hutchison, the author of Endure: Mind, Body and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance delves into the science behind human endurance and how our understanding of human limits have changed over the years. Plus, with one week to go until her first ever Boston Marathon, Emily McLean shares her journey.

All Things Run! Edmonton 10K Runners Can Expect a Party on July 22nd

Ravi Singh

April 5, 2018

Canada Running Series Director Alan Brookes says his mission as a race director for the past 30 years has been to “bring running into the mainstream.” Brookes’ underpinning philosophy is that a race can and should be part of a city’s cultural calendar, welcoming a diversity of participants as well as building and celebrating the surrounding community.

The mission continues in 2018 with the addition of the Edmonton 10K to the CRS calendar. The race also expands the CRS partnership with Lululemon, which started when the apparel retailer became the title sponsor of the Toronto Waterfront 10K in 2017.

With elements like a doughnut wall in the finishing chute and a post-race party in Bandshell Park featuring food trucks and yoga (it’s Lululemon after all), the Waterfront 10K was dubbed Race of the Year by our friends at Canadian Running Magazine.

Lindsay Harrison, Director of Edmonton Events, says that when CRS introduced the opportunity to the City of Edmonton, the latter was eager to cooperate.

Harrison says, “Through Edmonton Events, a unique partnership between the City of Edmonton and Edmonton Tourism, we were able to make the connections with our colleagues at the City to help determine the race route and civic services required to make an event like this a success.”

While cities and race organizers can be known to tussle, Harrison feels that bringing the race to Edmonton was a no-brainer. Harrison says, “We are supportive of races like this in our city as running aligns so well with the City of Edmonton’s Healthy City and Live Active strategy, which provides opportunities for citizens to be active and inspires them to adopt healthy lifestyles.”

Harrison and CRS were also on the same page when it came to blending running into the city’s cultural fabric and brand. According to Harrison, “A race with such a strong brand power and loyal following, like the Lululemon Edmonton 10K, attracts hundreds – maybe even thousands – of participants from outside the region, which ultimately creates economic impact for our city.”

CRS’ man in Edmonton is Ryan Chilibeck, west coaster and former pizzeria owner turned Prairie Race Director. Ryan’s involvement in the Vancouver running community led to the founding of the East Van Run Crew and acting as a promoter for CRS races.

Ryan is enthusiastic about Lululemon’s involvement in the race, reporting, “We knew that partnering with Lululemon would give us access to a massive audience, but I don’t think anyone expected such an natural harmony between our companies.”

Ryan adds, “Their guests are incredibly engaged, brand loyal and have high experiential expectations. We hope that bringing this race to Edmonton will introduce new runners to the sport and encourage more racers to participate in some of the other amazing events happening in the city.”

The cooperation from the City of Edmonton and Edmonton Events has proven equally fruitful for Ryan and his team with the City fully embracing the new race. While details of the race are still being finalized, one of the biggest victories thus far has been the City’s agreement to a full closure of the High Level Bridge.

Ryan says, “We didn’t know where to start when planning the course so going after a full closure of the iconic High Level Bridge was something that definitely got me excited. Crossing the bridge once is amazing, but crossing the bridge twice is unheard of!

Without spoiling any surprises, Lululemon’s Canadian PR Manager Seema Dhillon says that participants in the Edmonton 10K can once again expect a party atmosphere with festivities featuring food vendors, music, and of course yoga at the Alberta Legislature Grounds.

Like its Toronto counterpart, the Edmonton 10K will also offer complimentary race photos and enhanced cheer stations along the course. In keeping with the CRS philosophy that running is for everybody, participants can join in a complimentary eight week training program led by ambassadors across Lululemon stores in Toronto and Edmonton. “Like Toronto, we look forward to immersing Edmonton in all things run!” Seema exclaims.

The Edmonton 10K happens on July 22nd. Spots are limited, so register now!

Vancouver Remembers Roger Bannister

AttheRaces

April 3, 2018

By: Margaret Buttner

Vancouver is very fortunate to have a climate suited to running throughout the year. While Stanley Park and Pacific Spirit Park are both popular destinations for running, runners often train at smaller parks are scattered throughout the city. Perhaps none have a more storied past than the Balaclava Track, located on Vancouver’s west side.

The track (and surrounding park) are named for an adjacent street and named for a famous battle from the Crimean War. It’s served as a green space since the late 1930’s, and the running track was assembled in time for the 1954 British Empire Games to serve as a secondary training facility. Indeed, the Track and Field Committee for the Games were very complimentary about the excellent conditions of the track and its length was 440 yards, an imperial mile, adding to its appeal.

While a number of athletes trained at the track, none are so famous as Roger Bannister. At the time, it was reported that Bannister and some of his team mates headed for the track, out of the public eye for their pre-race time trials. Of course, Bannister subsequently ran his “Miracle Mile”, beating out John Landy with a time of 3:58:8 and thrilling track fans in Vancouver and across the British Empire and beyond.

Fast forward to early in 2004, when running enthusiasts, Steve Emerson and Roger Brownsey of Lions Gate Road Runners, noted that the 50^th anniversary of Bannister’s famous run would take place in May that year (he first broke the four minute mile in England). But time was short, and as an alternative, they chose to host the event in August of that year to coincide with Bannister’s achievement in Vancouver. Coincidentally, Brownsey lived near the Balaclava Track and when he learned that Bannister had trained there, he and his fellow club members knew it was the perfect spot to host their first Miracle Mile celebratory event.

Gate Road Runners have hosted this annual run (and club picnic) every year since, and it has grown in popularity as runners from other local run clubs also join in the festivities. Together with other club volunteers, Brownsey organizes a series of races based on estimated running times and finish with a series of relays for faster and more competitive club runners. While the winning times will never be world class, local runners have set some impressive times, with Nic Browne setting the pace in 2014 with a time of 4:46 and Kristyn Webster setting the female record with a time of 5:40. The top age-graded time of 4:25 goes to Jim Swadling (a frequent winner in his age category). Regardless of ability, all club members and guests are welcome to take part, and the post-race potluck picnic brings together family members and friends.

With Sir Roger Bannister’s passing last month, it will be with a degree of sadness that Lions Gaters commemorate his famous run in August of this year. For more information, visit lgrr.com

iRun Radio – April 1st, 2018

Why I Run

April 1, 2018

As we head into the final weeks before the Boston Marathon Mark speaks with Dave McGillivry, the race director for this iconic event. Then John Stanton shares his memories of Terry Fox as an incredible athlete along with details on an event that commemorates the anniversary of the Marathon of Hope. Plus a Yukon-based writer shares the lessons she learned after her participation in the Yukon Arctic Ultra was cut short.

No Limits: A Review of Alex Hutchison’s Endure

Training

March 28, 2018

By Brodie Ramin, MD MPhil CCFP

When Alex Hutchison was chosen to cover Nike’s Breaking2 project which aimed to make history by destroying the 2-hour marathon barrier, he started to get hate mail. And Hutchinson, as a polite Canadian, was sympathetic with the haters. As a runner, a writer and perhaps the best popularizer of exercise science alive today, he could see their point. “Though I’m surprised by the vehemence, I understand where it’s coming from. Running’s simplicity is its defining characteristic” he writes in his new book Endure: Mind Body and the Curiosity Elasti Limits of Human Performance which was 9 years in the making and distills everything we know about the science of exercise and athletic performance. What the haters hated was Nike’s commercial and technological incursion into this beautiful sport.

But running, indeed all sport, is not simple. Once you turn up the power on your microscope and look deeper and deeper at the cellular and molecular actions of the body under the stress of intense physical exertion you start to see worlds within worlds. It’s not simple to sort out, nor is it easy to define the limits of what can be achieved. The subtitle of the book is Mind, Body and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance. Hutchinson breaks his inquiry into such chapters as Pain, Muscle, Heat and Fuel. Each chapter uses an engaging and illustrative narrative from sports journalism to explore the limits of performance.

Hutchinson also explores the limits of our knowledge, or more frequently, our ignorance. The chapter on Heat focuses on the death of teenager Max Gilpin following a scorching afternoon’s football practice in 2008. In Hutchinson’s hands the tale becomes a scientific murder mystery which breaks though layer after layer of conventional thinking about how the body works and how it responds to stress, to heat and to exercise. He shows how so much of what we think we know is wrong, completely wrong, 180 degrees wrong. These ideas are then blasted away by Hutchinson using the weapons of science.

The chapter on Fuel explores the well-trodden carbohydrate vs. fat dietary debate then goes one step further. Hutchinson explores a study published in 2017 showing that endurance athletes on a three-week high-fat diet became “fat-burning machines to an extent few had imagined possible” But the problem was that fat metabolism uses more oxygen, and the performance of these athletes was limited by this increased demand for oxygen. It’s not fat or carbohydrates Hutchinson shows, there is a balance to be sought. The best athletes achieve “metabolic flexibility” by maximizing both fuel pathways.

Pain is a fascinating case-study in limits, as it is seemingly so simple to test. Who can suffer the most, for the longest? But pain is also “a subjective, situation-dependent phenomenon” and regular physical training can actually increase an athlete’s pain tolerance. The word pain is mandatory in most motivational athletic aphorisms, such as “No pain, no gain,” “Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional”, “Pain is weakness leaving the body” and many more. Hutchinson explores the role of pain in creating champions. One way to suffer is to see how far you can cycle in 60 minutes, a challenge known simply as the Hour. Hutchinson uses the story of the Hour to explore pain, ultimately suggesting that “top athletes really push themselves to a darker place, and stay there longer, than most people are willing to tolerate.”

In the end, you realize that Hutchinson is a scientist trapped inside the body of a runner. I don’t doubt that VO2max data, racing split times and metabolic pathways fill his dreams. He wants you to share in this knowledge, to pick up the weapons of truth-finding that science allows us all to wield in the battle against ignorance, against injury and against our own limits.

Brodie Ramin is a writer and physician based in Ottawa. He practices family medicine and addiction medicine and is an Assistant Professor at the University of Ottawa.

How My Little Goals led to Big Goals led to my Second Marathon

Ben Kaplan

March 27, 2018

We sometimes have far fetched goals that seem, from the outside, as impossible as climbing the CN Tower. Where I am now in my health and fitness from where I was, was one such goal. So much so I could never have dreamed. I set small goals. Those small goals opened the door and introduced me to the stairs, difficult—but possible.

Six years ago my big goal was to lose 200 pounds. I wanted to regain my ability to walk more than a few blocks without struggling. As part of my journey, I began walking, 2-3 days a week. Short distances at first—8 blocks a day with 30 minute breaks half way between. It was hard to get motivated. After one year I lost heart because I stopped seeing results and could not motivate myself to walk further.

One year later, I resolved to try again, got into a weight management program, and joined a walking group. With the support from friends and family and health care workers, I was able to stay motivated. I started slowly, walking only four laps around a local hockey arena. I did this two days a week. I added one lap each day, in about three months I was easily walking 27 laps, equal to over 7 kilometres. In this time frame I had also lost around 80 pounds which made the walking easier.

By the time spring came around and I was able to walk outside I was walking 5-10K a day, every day. At this point I could not really get anymore fit through walking. By now I was below 300 pounds. Where to go from here? I had accomplished my first goal. I met a friend who got me to try racing. They were difficult. I had to mostly walk them. It took me 96 minutes to do 10K. I could have gotten discouraged. The support and enthusiasm from my friend kept that from happening. At that moment, I resolved to run another 10K.

Like my walking, I needed to start slowly. I needed a way to regulate my speed and timing. I joined a gym. I used the treadmill to work on intervals. 1 min running at 8 kph 2 min walking at 5.6 kph. It was hard. I needed the whole two minutes for recovery. But, when that got easier, I increased my running speed to 8.8 kph. When that got easy, I decreased my walking time. After about a month, I decided to see how far I could run without stopping at 8kph. I made it to .8 km and my legs felt great. I went to 1.6K and still good. I made it to 2.4K and still ok. I stopped there for fear of overdoing it. From there I worked on increasing my distance and speed. After two months I ran my first 5K outside in 32.5 minutes.

I had signed up for my second 10K. It was only three months after I started learning to run. I was running 5K well enough by 2.5 months. I decided that I would run 5K and walk if I had to. It would still be an improvement. The day came. It was a small race, only around 10 people in the 10K distance. All but one were ahead of me. By the 5K mark, I was a couple of minutes ahead of that person. I knew if I started walking they would catch up. I went to 6K, starting to hurt. The competitive side of me did not want to be last, but on the turn arounds, I saw that person, still running—they did not give up, I would not give up. 7K, hurting more, I wanted to stop and walk, but one more kilometre. 8 km, so close, maybe just one more. 9K, I started walking but how could I walk the last km, having come so far? I started running again. I finished with a 65 minutes and nine seconds time.

That winter I spent my time training to run 10K on a regular basis. I wanted to be able to run 10K where it would not push me to my limit. My friend who was out of town, supported me online. I do not know what possessed me, but I decided to run my first half marathon in April. Again, I had only ever run half that distance. This time, however, I had the support of my friend running with me. That support, and the atmosphere of race day, helped a lot. 2 hours 10 minutes. My legs hurt. I spent a lot of time recovering, I realize that it is not wise to push oneself that hard. I think I needed to do it, though, as a test of my determination.

With the help of many new running friends, I accomplished a lot that summer and fall. I ran a 10K pb of 54:36. I walked 40K for four days straight to support the friend whose enthusiasm got me running. I even ran a second half marathon in 2:08.

With all of those accomplishments in walking and running, where should I go from there? The most logical step of course was to train for and run a marathon. Run a marathon? Running a half marathon seemed like the ultimate accomplishment for me. With the support of my running friends, I began training. It was hard, of course. I will share a secret with all of you: the training for a marathon was hard, but in terms of soreness, and motivation, learning to walk when I first started my journey was harder. All of the hard work I had done previously had provided a base for me that I did not have when I first began walking.

I ran my first marathon on April 29, 2017. I will admit, I did walk a good portion of the second half, and I hit the wall hard. I made some technical mistakes, starting out too fast, and not carb loading enough. I did however finish in under 5 hours. 4:53:52 to be exact. I may have had to walk at times, but I did not give up. All of my journey led to this moment. All the pain, all the times when I wanted to give up but didn’t. All of it, were steps in a journey. I could not have climbed the last flight of stairs without starting the first. In May, one year after my first marathon I will be running my second. I will be racing the Ottawa Marathon. I am excited to continue to share my journey during the Ottawa race weekend. I hope to inspire many as I attempt to better my first time. And always keep finding new finish lines.

Krista DuChene at Around the Bay

Ben Kaplan

March 27, 2018

Sunday’s 124th Around the Bay 30 km Road Race in Hamilton was my ninth time completing the event since my debut, 15 years ago when I ran it in 2:12. Between 2012 and 2018 I finished the race five times with either a first (x2) or second (x3) in a time of 1:47 (x3) or 1:51 (x2), and in 2010 I was third with a 1:53. For a history of the Oldest Race in North America’s top 10, click here.

I’ve always referred to this race as “The Bay,” but it seems like “ATB” is now the more common abbreviation.

There’s something special about ATB. It’s that time of year where runners are finally fine-tuning their training after weeks of winter running in harsh conditions and limited daylight. It creates that butterfly feeling in your stomach when you know that (the true) spring weather is right around the corner. It brings back high school memories for me, before my U of G hockey days, where the outdoor track season is near. Running surfaces are no longer snow and ice covered, and there are fewer layers of clothing to carry. The 30 km race is the light at the end of the tunnel in some ways, and also a gentle, or not so gentle, reminder that the marathon is going to be that much more gruelling. There’s a bit more time to hammer out a few more high km weeks and tough workouts. But for the most part, it’s a bitter sweet feeling that the end is near.

Going into Sunday’s race, the plan was to train through. I wouldn’t be “racing it” or significantly decreasing my weekly mileage; 150 km would be close to my 155-180 km range and I’d be completing a decent workout earlier in the week. Coach DST recommended I start at ~3:40/km pace for the first 12 km, then pick it up to the 3:35-3:38/km range for the middle part, and finish strong on the hills as good preparation for Boston. Dan Way and Mitch Free would be joining me in this pursuit, but we all knew that perfect plans are difficult to perfectly execute. They were a good ways ahead of me at the Chilly Half, but I knew the longer the race distance, the closer I’d be to them. We started out together with about six other guys in the mix. It wasn’t that far into the race that we got separated into two smaller groups. I ended up in what I called the “chase pack,” taking my fair share of leading the group into some decent headwinds. I enjoyed the company, but we too dispersed as the race went on. If I had more women around me, I likely would have pushed harder so it was a good thing that it was just me and the guys.

I knew ATB was a key race for Dayna who finished strong in 1:49 for her fourth victory so I didn’t even attempt to run with her. After the race I wasn’t sure how I felt. I had never not raced a race before. I rushed back for my daughter’s 1:00 p.m. hockey game, her last of the season, then completed a longer cool down shortly thereafter where I collected some thoughts. My cousin also completed the race so he and his wife joined us for the afternoon and dinner on their way home. Once I sat down to email coach DST my thoughts, I concluded that I was satisfied with fairly successfully executing our plan.

“Temperature was decent. It was windy and I took my fair share of leading a pack of guys into the wind (not the guys I planned to run with, they were ahead a bit and split the first 12 km at exactly 3:40/k!) so not a whole lot to complain about re: conditions.

I have enjoyed not being a slave to my watch this year – no standards or criteria to meet based on numbers, which I’ve quite liked. I’ve focused more on a solid effort while being able to handle hills. I know I’m not as speedy as I once was, which is ok. I’m not saying a PB can’t happen again. Rather, the focus has been elsewhere. So, not “racing” today and using it as a good Boston effort = mission accomplished, particularly because I felt solid on the hills.

I knew Dayna had this as a key race for her season so I let her go from the start. I think if she was a bit closer or I had other women around me I would have given a bit more. I had a little sprint at the end, which makes me think I left some for Boston. Fuelling was good. Good pay day with overall and masters and a Cdn masters record. Not bad!

Here is my 5 km per km pace average: 3:39.8, 3:43, 3:37.6, 3:38.2, 3:43.8, 3:42.2 Looking at the numbers, I did dip into a faster pace as planned around 10-20 km then handled the hills well.“

I’ve taken the day to recover with an easy 15 km run, some stretching and rolling, an epsom salt bath, and a massage to keep me in good form. Aside from the chafing due to four gels stuffed down my bra, I can’t complain about anything else.

March was its usual busy month with three birthdays, the kids’ peak competitive seasons, March break, two races and peak training, but here we are already, just three weeks away from the 2018 Boston Marathon.

Photographs by the talented Edison Yao.

Around the Bay wrap up

Ben Kaplan

March 26, 2018

It was a bright and chilly Around the Bay road race in Hamilton on Sunday, the 124th running of a proud Canadian tradition that many runners use as a tune up to their spring races and enjoy year after year. Anne-Marie, pictured above, in the pink, found it a very rewarding morning.

“First time doing a 30k and it was awesome. Ran 3:28 and found the hills not so bad as I trained in Peterborough and did the half there in February. Living well at 62 years old!“

Cory Boyd said, “I trained for the ATB 20 years ago, and hurt myself the last long run. Every year since I ask myself why I didn’t do it. I’m turning 50 this week, and finally did it! I am so pleased with myself, and thankful for my running group friends!!”

Indeed, the feel of family and friendship was prevalent at the race, which generally brings out a fairly dedicated level of runners, what with the hills and the chilly conditions and the requirement to train through January and February to be able to perform on race day.

The male winners were Haron Kiptoo Sirma and Paneul Mkungo and the female winners were Dayna Pidhoresky and Krista DuChene. Reid Coolsaet, deep in the throes of his training for Boston took fourth place and finished according to his race plan. He also found the stamina to join the official after party, baby and wife in tow, at Merit Brewery. For Dana Cantarutti, who trains with Toronto’s Black Toe Running, her successful race was a credit to her crew. [photograph by Carlos Game-Garcia]

“Wearing the Black Toe jersey makes me feel like I toe the line next to my entire team. Today’s biggest ‘happy moment’ was realizing that I’d never have accomplished what I did without the support that each teammate provides in their own individual way. Whether through running next to me, sharing my happiness at the finish line, informally mentoring me and caring about my success, joking around pre-race or sharing warmth through hugs at the start line…. I love you all!”

Tanis Smith, pictured below, trains with Grand River Endurance, a talented group of runners, including her husband Josh, who took 11th place. She said, “It was a beautiful sunny day for running with some very challenging winds. We all fought hard especially in that first 10K to stay tough. I was running mostly solo for the race through 20K, still close to my course PB pace. I felt great on the hilly section as we’ve run that as a training run a few times this winter. I’d definitely recommend people do this if they can! I did have someone pass me near the 25K mark, and they were having a great day. All in all good to get our there and run my best on the day—lucky to be doing what I love and doing well at it! Mitch Free won the masters, Rob ran over 2min PB and Josh ran about 1.5min PB!”

For me personally, it was a great race. I had lost a little of my love after the Chilly Half. That race I ran with a fever and, worse than that, I was in a bad mental place. I didn’t sleep a wink before the run and for whatever reason, maybe that it was the first race of the year, I just gave myself a lot of stress.

Around the Bay was my first race back in which I high-fived kids, listened to my music and had a smile on my face. It was great to see so many familiar faces, there’s nothing better than this running world, and I always love when everyone comes together over a few beers at a party after the race. Next year will be the 125th running of Around the Bay.

I bet you there’s a lot of runners with me this morning saying, despite the sore muscles, I can’t wait to do this again.

ps: If you ran Around the Bay yesterday or anything else, please get in touch with us. We want to share your stories!!

iRun Radio – March 25th, 2018

Why I Run

March 25, 2018

Some runners take the love of this sport to the next level. First, one Ottawa runner talks about his experience running a marathon that benefits communities in Guatemala. Then, another runner will explain why she’s running from Ottawa to Montreal to raise awareness of childhood cancer. Plus, Jennifer Sygo a Toronto-based dietitian talks about healthy habits that you can ensure you have the energy for your morning run.

Running Commentary: Brewmaster John Peat

Ravi Singh

March 21, 2018

If you’re a brewer, it makes good business sense to have friends in the running community. The now global phenomenon known as the Mikeller Run Club sees an estimated 12,000 runners in cities across the globe gather on the first Saturday of each month for a crew run and a pint. Even the beer mile event has now yielded its first athlete sponsored by a mainstream athletic brand.

It makes sense that it’s in a Toronto brewpub packed with runners that I first meet John Peat, runner and founder and brewmaster at Longslice Brewery. Many, John included, had just finished participating in the annual Founders Classic Beer Mile hosted by RunTOBeer.

It’s John’s first crack at the event that brings together his two passions, but both became firmly rooted in his teens.

John explains, “I grew up in Muskoka in a very rural area, so if I missed the bus, I’d have to wait a few hours before my dad could come pick me up.” In the intermittent time, John would wander over to a nearby winery, the owner of which informed him that he could technically purchase anything in the shop because it wasn’t yet alcohol. Because John’s father had been an avid homebrewer, he had access to all the necessary equipment.

John began running on August 14, 2003, the day of the legendary Northeast blackout. “I was a bigger kid growing up and I just got tired of that, so I went running,” John relates. It was a surprisingly pleasant experience. John recalls, “After the first kilometre, I really loved it and went on to run track and cross country throughout high school.”

Running followed John overseas to Korea, where he worked as an English teacher following graduation. Living along the Han River, John had a path he “could follow forever.”

When Longslice took off, John admits that running took an unfortunate backseat. Having a similar revelation as the one in his teens, John decided last winter that he would not only start running again, but recruit coworkers and family members, many of whom will join him as he races the GoodLife Half Marathon in Toronto this May.

Of the journey back, John says he’s learned that, “Getting back in shape is incredibly hard and I honestly consider that to be my biggest accomplishment.” It’s hard enough to start running, but perhaps more gruelling to start, then stop, and have to work your way back knowing how far you’ve fallen. Right now, John’s focus is less on personal bests and more on fitness and continuing to enjoy running.

John says he can’t quite put his finger on why there seems to be such a prevalence of beer lovers among runners, but is pleased that the connections between the craft beer industry and local run crews have offered a social element to what newcomers may initially consider a very solitary pursuit.

John and friends at the Toronto Waterfront Half Marathon.

John points specifically to his brother, roommate, and business partner Jimmy, who, “never liked running, but I think the beer connection helped him a little bit.” It was in fact Jimmy who first connected with RunTOBeer, encouraging John to follow.

Currently, Longslice operates as a contract brewer, renting out equipment from Common Good Brewery in Scarborough, but are expected to have their own space by the end of summer.

“One thing I’m excited for is that the location on the Front Street promenade is right along the Don Valley Trail,” John exclaims, referencing one of Toronto’s most trafficked running and cycling trails. For John, the location means not just easy access to the trails on his lunch breaks, but the opportunity for lots of running events. Should a beer mile be among those events, John pledges to opt for short cans this time around as opposed to bottles on order to save himself time and an easier flow.

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