At TCS, Good Health means a Sustainable Future

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October 17, 2024

TCS is the title sponsor of marathons in Toronto, New York, London, Amsterdam, and Sydney, among a portfolio of 14 global endurance running races. Michelle Taylor, head of Global Sports Sponsorship at TCS, tells iRun why her global technology company puts a premium on your health.

A marathon runner, Michelle Taylor is effusive when talking about the sport we love. Her company, which provides global technology services and consulting, has changed our sport by elevating the world’s best races. TCS is a leader in the growing fields of AI, digital twins, and synthetic biology. Through their apps and sponsorships, innovation and green initiatives, it’s not exaggerating to say that TCS is the most important brand in the world for the running community that’s non-endemic to our sport. For Taylor, a nine time marathon finisher, the qualities that make a runner successful mirror the ones that have made Tata Consultancy Services thrive across 55 countries with a market cap of more than US$200-billion.

“Running shows how much good you can do in the world,” says Taylor, still emotional after returning home from the TCS Sydney Marathon, the most recent TCS race sponsorship—an event most believe is on the cusp of becoming an Abbott World Marathon Major. “We sponsor marathons because we believe in health and wellness and events help us showcase how TCS’ technology can help solve problems and build a better future—together.”

**JUST DID IT: A finisher celebrates her success at the TCS New York City Marathon.**

The TCS technology on display at the races, including this weekend’s TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon and next month’s TCS New York City Marathon, is the race app, powered by Tata Consultancy Services, that gets downloaded 2 million times-per-year. The app allows live tracking of runners and pinpoints racers across the course, so family and friends can lend loved ones their support. But that’s not all TCS does for runners. In 2023, TCS created a digital twin of Boston Marathon champion and two-time Olympian Des Linden’s heart. This year, with its Future Athletes project, TCS aims to help a diverse group runners train smarter and safer by creating digital twins of their hearts. The data on nutrition, medicine, sleep and recovery can be shared with us all as TCS uses the information to enhance knowledge and improve global health.

“We believe technology can help everybody live longer, healthier and fitter lives,” Taylor says. “We’re studying the heart through the lens of sport, but the implications are much broader. At TCS, we use sport for innovative new learnings that will impact people—clients, runners, employees, the whole world at large—across a much wider, diverse space.”

**START SOMETHING NEW: Start lines are a perfect metaphor for a step towards good health.**

TCS is forward-thinking, so it’s no surprise that schools are where the company also parks its vast resources. Taylor says that at TCS, the company recognizes and celebrates our most influential and inspirational agents of change—teachers—and the communities that support them. To that end, TCS is heavily invested in the education system of their communities: enhancing science, technology, engineering and math programs. Leanne Loney, a teacher with 22 years experience in the Ontario and Quebec school systems, says she uses the TCS’ flagship digital innovation and career readiness program, goIT, to provide a structured environment for K-12 students to imagine and design tech-based solutions to global problems and introduce them to careers in the STEM fields.

Through compelling design workshops and custom mentorship experiences, goIT engages students around the globe by challenging stereotypes and inspiring our future leaders to pursue careers in STEM and the computer sciences.

To that end, Leanne Loney is a fan.

“I use the TCS goIT challenges to incorporate technology in the classroom and tackle global issues, like sustainability, and the program has opened the world up to my students,” says Loney, who’s intricately connected to the TCS ecosystem. Loney doesn’t only teach her students. She also inspires them through her marathon running, which TCS also supports. As part of Team TCS Teachers, Loney was awarded a bib by the company to run the 2023 TCS New York City Marathon with fifty other teachers from around the world. “Running helps me feel good, clears my mind, and gives me energy so I’m ready to inspire my kids,” says Loney, attempting marathon number forty-nine at the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon this month. “My students—even my own children—see my marathon running and realize it’s something that they also can do. Everyone who knows me sees how running makes me feel so fulfilled.”

Michelle Taylor also feels fulfilled, and the lifelong runner says she’s working her dream job. Holding the tape at the TCS Sydney Marathon, Taylor watched as the last runners crossed the finish line before the Sydney Opera House, expressions of hope and pride across their faces.

“At TCS, we have a long future ahead of us in the running space and we know that technology will continue to evolve the sport and make it more inclusive and accessible,” Taylor says. “Sydney was just the most emotional, wonderful experience and it solidifies how the beautiful sport of running is a place of shared values at TCS.”

A Few Feelings Before Race Day from the Athletic Brewing Race Team

By

Ben Kaplan

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October 16, 2024

Jen Savage sums up the race day emotions pretty well in her last race day report. “I’m excited to try and complete something I never thought I could,” she tells iRun, as she prepares for her first half marathon this Sunday at the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon. “I’m not really a long distance runner and I have a medical condition which impacts my throat. Due to that, I won’t able to do gels during the race which makes fuelling tricky. This will be a big rewarding challenge for me to show that I can overcome challenges. I’m really excited for all the energy everyone will bring on Sunday.”

Athletic Brewing has helped train fifteen athletes and we’ve followed them through the course of their journey. The idea behind this series is: what these random fifteen people might be experiencing probably relates to what’s going through your own head right now.

**HARDER THEY COME, THE HARDER THEY FALL: Running prepares you for life’s challenges.**

“I’m pushing myself to be my best version,” Jorge Suarez reports. “What motivates me every day? Hard things take time to do. Things that seem impossible to you, take just a little bit longer. Never give up.”

Oftentimes at the magazine, we question why we run. It’s something we also wrestle with as we seek out personal bests and sustainable habits and some sort of routine that provides both mental and physical health. Running, engaging with the sport over the long-term, requires discipline and delayed gratification and sacrifice. Oftentimes we seek out pain. So why do it?

“I run because I can,” Pamela Bottos, pictured up top, told us. “I relish the challenge and the journey leading up to race day. All the early morning runs, the weight lifting at the gym, the cross training all accumulate to this day. Your body and your mind are fully charged with a variety of emotions. This year, I will race for my brother who lost his life to brain cancer last August. He always loved a good challenge. I run because I can.”

**FACING THE MUSIC: Race day is a day to celebrate that you can run.**

Ultimately, that’s the message I always come back to: I run because I can. And I love the idea that race day is just a celebration of your training. And, even if your training went sideways—life, we all know, can sometimes get in the way—race day can also be a time to celebrate life. You’re outdoors. You’re exercising. You’re amongst likeminded people all working hard to fulfill their own variation of the same dream: crossing that finish line and, indeed, preparing for whatever comes next. At iRun, we thank Athletic Brewing for such a great program and for making a product that we truly love. Non-alcoholic drinks have become a huge part of my training and it feels good to drink less and it’s something that makes me feel proud.

Thanks to everybody on our Athletic Brewing race squad for being so awesome, and good luck to everyone, everywhere, doing hard things. We’ll leave the last words to Athletic Brewing athlete Martha Lukowicz. “I’m feeling super pumped for race day and ready to dig deep! Knowing that my three kids and husband will be there along the course cheering me on is keeping me motivated during this taper while I take it easy and eat like it’s my job,” says Martha, pictured above. “I’m lucky to have my husband be so supportive during this journey and many Saturdays dedicated to long runs and I’m running and fundraising to raise awareness for melanoma and other skin cancers which has personally affected my family, so this one is for my sister and my momma. I can’t wait—let’s gooooo!!!!”

Athletic Brewing’s street team will be out in Toronto between 3pm and 7pm at King and Bay Streets on October 16 and October 17, and at the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon. If you’ve never tried their product, now is your chance.

The Marathon and What You Can Control

By

Benjamin Errett

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October 16, 2024

What is the marathon but a 42.2-kilometre metaphor for carefully controlling what you can control and gracefully adapting to all that you can’t?

Whether you’re running the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon this weekend or beginning to taper for the Hamilton Road2Hope, or, hello, the TCS New York City Marathon in early November, there are a few things we know for sure.

We know it’s 26.2 miles, which we know is 42.2 kilometres, though unless we manage to run the tangents perfectly, it’ll probably be more.

We know how well we’ve trained, how much speedwork and how many long runs we’ve managed to complete, and we know that at this point, we can’t get much better but we can definitely still get injured.

**A GOOD DAY TO HAVE A GOOD DAY: The start line at last year’s TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon.**

We know they hide the wall around mile 19 or kilometer 30, which is when our muscles will run out of glycogen, and we know we can minimize its effect with sugar, electrolytes, caffeine, and water.

We know that “Nothing new on race day” is always good advice. We know that if we’ve never carb loaded with an all-dressed pizza before, we’re not going to start now.

And if it’s New York, we also know we run through the five boroughs, and we know that’s the title of an excellent Beasties Boys album that would make sense to put on any running playlist.

Then, of course, there’s all the things we don’t know. Will the weather be good, or bad, or hot, or cold, or will there be sideways rain hitting us in the face for the duration? Will the crowds be so dense throughout that we never really get into our groove until it’s too late? Will the steel-cut oats we’ve sworn by for years have gone off just enough to hit us with stomach cramps at the halfway mark? Will a new course record be set? We just don’t know.

**FEELS GOOD: Pictured above, the vibes we all want to channel on race day—whatever we’re running, wherever it is.**

And if it’s New York, we could be in the middle of a World Series between the Mets and the Yankees. If this subway series comes to pass, and if it goes down to the wire, Game 7 would happen the night before the world’s biggest marathon. Will we be running through mountains of ticker tape? Will the city that never sleeps be wired beyond belief? We just don’t know.

Oh, also: Two days after the race, Americans go to the polls to decide the closest presidential election in modern history. Will they elect their first female president? Or their last president ever? Are we headed into an era of renewed optimism and abundance, or a desperate vendetta of malevolence tempered only by incompetence? It’s a coin toss! As Canadians, we can only watch and wait. We just don’t know.

So for that marathon, for any marathon, and for life in general, we focus on what we can control. We know the distance. We fuel accordingly. We support those running around us. We avoid novelty for novelty’s sake. We trust our training. And we aspire to gracefully adapt to everything else.

Shoe Review: Hoka Mach x 2

By

Caroline Bolduc

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October 9, 2024

When I got gifted these brand new Hoka Mach x 2 not only was I truly grateful, but I was so excited because I heard these fast shoes were more aggressive!

I’m happy to report: are they ever!

I’ve enjoyed running in them for both short and longer distances and I feel like they’re amazing! Because of the Pebax plate design you find yourself focusing your running on your forefoot, which is definitely where I feel good and strong in my stride. (Most runners land on their heels, which is fine, but it’s great when you don’t do that!)

**BOXING DAY: Caroline getting ready to take her shoes to the track in preparation of her fall marathon.**

The Hoka Mach x 2 still has the Hoka cushion we all love, that’s transforming the sport, but are light and speedy—perfect for your tempo road workouts. I love doing my tempo runs on the track and I definitely will be lacing these up for my workouts leading up to my marathon. I can highly advise for you to do the same. As a fan of Hoka, they won’t let you down.

Also, let’s be honest: these speedy Hokas are also so cute, which is not that important, but is one of the things I love about Hoka! Good design just makes me feel good when I have them on. The Mach x 2 has awesome taste in colour design and their slogan, “be the bird—run free, be free,” really hits home for me. The whole package resonates in a way that makes me love to run.

**WATER WORKS: Caroline takes a break down at the water in her new Hoka Mach x 2 sneakers.**

To conclude before I head out on my run, if you need a light fast tempo shoe with a kick, search no more and pick up a pair of Mach x 2! You won’t regret it. And, on a personal note, thanks Hoka, you made this human definitely feel like she was flying!!

“Every kilometre is a tribute to her life.” My Journey with My Sister to Break the Mixed-Sibling Half Marathon World Record

By

Simon Chiu

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October 9, 2024

Running has always held a special place in my heart, but this year, it’s about more than just personal goals. My sister and I are on a mission to break the Guinness World Record for the mixed-sibling half marathon, and we’re dedicating this journey to someone incredibly special to us: our mother. It’s been ten years since her passing, and we’re running to honour her memory and mark this significant anniversary with a shared goal that brings us closer together.

Running in Honour of Our Mother

Our mother was our biggest supporter, and her strength continues to inspire us daily. As a stay-at-home mom, she sacrificed everything to raise us, demonstrating resilience and a strong work ethic that shaped our lives. Unfortunately, her sedentary lifestyle led to her passing earlier than expected. That’s why we’re determined to run this race: every kilometre is a tribute to her life and the values she instilled in us. Breaking a world record together is a meaningful way to honour her memory and carry forward her legacy. Each stride reflects her love and resilience, and we’re proud to celebrate that on this journey together.

**RUNS IN THE FAMILY: Simon and his sister on one of their many training runs for next week’s Record-Breaking Half Marathon attempt.**

Training My Sister for Her First Half Marathon

This journey is especially special because it’s my sister’s first half marathon! As an experienced runner, I’ve had the privilege of training her, and it’s been incredible to witness her transformation from a complete novice to a committed athlete, completing three test half marathons over the summer. She has embraced the challenges and joys of the sport, and introducing her to the running community has been a joy. She’s felt the camaraderie, dedication, and exhilaration that come with running alongside others, making this experience all the more rewarding.

The Journey So Far

Every training session has been an adventure. We’ve tackled everything from long runs in the heat to days when motivation is low, always supporting each other. Our discussions have ranged from the importance of nutrition to the mental strength needed for tempo runs and intervals. This journey has reminded us that the experience is as valuable as the destination. I’m incredibly proud of my sister for pushing through, and I know we’ll be ready to take on this challenge together on race day.

**JUMP AROUND: The Spartan Race is just one of the adventures Simon and his sister have enjoyed during their half marathon preparations.**

Celebrating Our Bond as Siblings

This experience has deepened our sibling bond in ways I didn’t anticipate. Running together, we’ve had more time to talk, laugh, and motivate each other. There’s something about sharing both the sweat and the joy that brings us closer, and this journey will be a shared memory we’ll always treasure.

Inspiring Others to Run for a Purpose

We hope our story inspires others to find their own motivation for running, whether it’s for a loved one, finding an amazing community, a personal challenge, or just the joy of the journey. We’re running this race for our mom, but we’re also running to show that with determination and the right support, anything is possible. The race might only last a couple of hours, but the impact of this journey will stay with us for a lifetime.

Run Your Way: iRun selects Kenia Sousa as our first New Balance Community Star

By

Ben Kaplan

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October 9, 2024

Kenia Sousa, reached on her forty-sixth birthday, has plans to have a nice dinner, eat cake with her husband and two children and go for a run. The Brazil native who, after twelve years in Belgium, moved to Canada in 2018 and was nominated for the Run Your Way New Balance community prize by several members of her Run Waterloo crew, and, of course, the team at Runner’s Choice, is training for the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon—her third—and is known for her enthusiastic cheering and support.

“I’m a beginner runner, not a fast runner, and I don’t know how to coach, so I never imagined I’d be an important part of our community,” says Sousa, who began dragging her 12 and 10-year-olds to water stations around Waterloo to volunteer at local races, but now says that her children love participating on race day. “At first, it was hard—giving our time and changing our routine, but now cheering has become something we all love to do.”

Kenia says that it’s one thing to tell her kids that it’s important to care for other people and support your friends. But when she actually does it, and brings her children along for the ride, it puts action beyond her powerful, important words.

“I can tell my kids that it’s important to be a good person and help your friends, but it doesn’t have that much impact,” Kenia says, “but when we’re out there actually cheering and my children see all the faces, they can feel the impact we’re making and it fills my heart.”

**FAMILY MATTERS: Kenia, in her gifted New Balance outfit, has brought her children into the Run Waterloo community and lifted our sport through her generosity of spirit.**

New Balance is one of the world’s best running shoe manufacturers and they’ve been in business since 1906, creating such winning lines as the FuelCell SuperComp, SuperComp Elite, FreshFoam X1080 and the FreshFoam X 880v14, which they sent to Kenia, along with performance shorts and shirt. As part of an iRun collaboration, New Balance is promoting their Run Your Way campaign by reaching out to runners across Canada and asking them which runners positively impact their community.

Emma Walpole, who runs with Kenia in Waterloo, told iRun: “My heart warms knowing Kenia is out there.” Emma then said, “Kenia’s love for our community is demonstrated through her smile and actions, and you can see this in her kids. Her leadership sets a great example for our whole team.”

Meanwhile, another Waterloo runner, Gary Gravelle, also raved about his friend. “Kenia is passing on a really positive community spirit and she’s a bright spot when she volunteers at races—which is often!”

**FRESH, FOR RACE DAY: the New Balance Fresh Foam X 880v14, a gift to Kenia for encouraging other runners in her community. Each of us have the chance to offer support and encouragement.**

Kenia describes her gifted New Balance Fresh Foam X 880v14 shoes as feeling like “running on a cloud,” and says that running not only helps with her physical health, but also with mental health. This is another attribute that Kenia believes is important to share with both her community and her kids.

“When I first arrived in Canada six years ago, running seemed like the perfect deal—affordable, flexible and a great way to explore Toronto while staying fit. At first, running kept me confident and that helped me land a job quickly. Well, running stuck around and it evolved into a habit that now fuels me, it clears my mind, solves problems, inspires my ideas and decisions, and keeps me fresh,” she told iRun. “Running and volunteering have become a family fun event with my husband and two kids alongside me. Seeing generosity and positivity flourishing in my kids has been my proudest achievement, and I appreciate the acknowledgement from iRun and New Balance very much.”

Running is an individual sport, but every runner has the ability to uplift their community. Please join New Balance and iRun in applauding Kenia Sousa, and be on the lookout for three more Run Your Way community leaders in the coming weeks. Together, let’s all find new finish lines.

“Anything is possible.” 17 Sleeps from Race Day, Athletic Brewing Race Team Tells All

By

Ben Kaplan

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October 2, 2024

iRun and Athletic Brewing have teamed up to create a race team for the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon. Throughout their journey, we’ve taken you inside their training for the highs and lows of what it’s like to prepare for a big race goal. Now, with just eleven sleeps to go before race day, two athletes talk about how they prepare for their moment of truth. Can you relate? Let us know in the comments.

Tim Hartley, “I want to slow down getting slower.”

**ALL HEART: Working in Cardiac Rehabilitation, Tim Hartley knows first-hand the value of exercise.**

In my work in a Cardiac Rehabilitation program I was shocked the first time I encountered a patient the same age as me. Surely I’m too young for that?! Well, first, heart disease encompasses a huge spectrum of illnesses, some of which can present at birth, so no, one is never too young. And second, yep, I’m the same age as many of our patients in Cardiac Rehabilitation.

One of the best predictors of mortality (death) and morbidity (illness) is functional capacity—fitness, or VO2peak. A larger and larger proportion of the Canadian population is becoming less and less active, and as we age, our functional capacity tends to decline: starting from a progressively more sedentary baseline, things are looking bleak.

I completed the final version of Ironman Canada in Penticton at the end of August—next year it moves to Ottawa. In a strange turn of events, the swim ended up being cancelled, resulting in a bike-run event— 180K ride followed by a marathon. That’s a really long warm up for a really long run, and it was more of a humbling experience than a race. But I finished, and I’m proud of that. It was also great to see Athletic Brewing in the athlete village! So I got to try their Run Wild IPA. It’s light, and refreshing, and without the alcohol, there’s no fuzziness and no headache, so I’m pretty much sold. My next choices are going to be the All Out Stout or the First Ride—I like ambers and browns, so they might tickle my palate more. The Oktoberfest might also be timely and tasty, we’ll have to see. It’s certainly the season to give it a try.

I was pretty worried about falling into a post-milestone funk, so the opportunity to do the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon sounded like an excellent antidote to a post-Ironman let-down. I planned to take a few weeks off, and then get back to running. Not having to fit in biking and swimming sounded blissful, too. Unfortunately, the few weeks off were extended by a travel-induced cold, but I have managed to get back out there, and I’m still looking forward to the marathon. I’m not feeling great about the training I haven’t done, but there’s nothing I can do about missed workouts now!

Trying to re-establish a routine continues to be the biggest challenge. There are always a million excuses to do a million other things. I did get out to 14k last weekend—and it didn’t feel horrible, so that’s really encouraging. I’m scheduling run time into the calendar, too, which cuts down on the excuses. I’m looking forward to getting back into cooler weather and some good runs, and I’m looking forward to getting back to Toronto to celebrate the running community and soak up the experience.

**BLAZING HER TRAIN: Tascha prepares for the Athletic Brewing Race Team at Sulphur Springs.**

iRun: What have you learned, and what do you need to unlearn—what can be tweaked?

Tascha: Learning is a process and I have definitely learned what works for me nutrition wise while running. I now know when to take my gel, nibbling throughout my runs, and small sips along the way! I need to unlearn the bad habit of me not picking up my feet—the result has been going flying over roots and landing on my hands and knees! Haha! Cut knees and ripped tights have been the result!

iRun: What are you most looking forward to about race day?

Tascha: I am looking most forward to running among the crowd, motivating people along the way, and breathing in the fresh air. Running creates a sense of freedom that is what my mind and body need to conquer the weeks ahead and decompress from the one prior.

iRun: Tell us about one particular run that made you feel good.

Tascha: My run that made me feel good was racing at the Golden Ultra. 60km’s of trails including gruelling climbs and rocky terrain, but the reward of being on top of the clouds at the top of Kicking Horse. It challenges me but made me realize anything is possible as this was my longest distance ever.

Two Brothers Complete 100 Marathons; at 74, the Second Oldest Brother Approaches Marathon Number 200

By

Ben Kaplan

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October 2, 2024

The 74-year-old Quebecois marathon runner Benoît Rancourt is the second child of a family of ten boys and two girls and, since 1982, has completed 192 marathons. One of his brothers has also run 100 marathons and, once, nine of the ten family members finished the same marathon race. Three brothers are currently approaching 100 marathons. Rancourt, who has run 92 marathons since 2015, aims to complete marathon number 200 next year and runs five days a week. He takes the month of November completely off.

“I’m not good at offering advice,” says Rancourt, one of the few runners you’ll ever meet who’ll say that. “Running is a good way to keep a certain physical shape which isn’t too expensive and is easy to practice. I do my errands and when I come back home, I go running.”

**100 MARATHONS AND RUNNING: Rancourt, after finishing his one hundredth marathon.**

Running, of course, is something we obsess about—especially now, race season. But to hear great athletes simplify the sport is always refreshing and almost always these athletes tend to be the nicest people you’ll ever meet. Leanne Loney, a teacher based in Quebec, is closing in on marathon number 47 this month at the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon. She’s met Rancourt on several occasions and says she always leaves these meetings inspired.

“He has always been welcoming and encouraging when I see him at local races and in May I was so excited to give him his Ottawa Marathon medal when he finished,” says Loney, who finished that marathon and, afterwards, hung around the finish line to give out medals. “Inspired by him, I tell my students that I hope to be a little old lady running marathons for as long as I can.”

**FINISH LINE FRIENDS: Leanne Loney with Benoît at the Ottawa Marathon.**

Rancourt wouldn’t give me any secrets to his longevity, but he did mention that it’s not necessary to race to be a runner and that it’s also not important to run fast. “Time is not so important and everyone can choose their distance and run at their own speed,” he said, adding that he recently branched out from running with his siblings, to also run with his kids. On marathon number 100 and number 150, Rancourt ran with his daughter and son. (That’s him with his daughter pictured up top, at the 2015 Boston Marathon). “I think I’ve been able to share my passion for running with my family,” he said, mentioning that he runs in Saucony Kinvara shoes. Like many great runners, Benoît hesitates to find any divine wisdom in his sneakers, though after we spoke, something he said lingered in my mind.

“Running has taught me to better understand my strengths and weaknesses,” he said, “and make adjustments accordingly.”

New Balance Fresh Foam Hierro X v8 Will Get You from Road to Trail Easily

By

Sabrina Young

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October 2, 2024

Running with Purpose Event. — Photo credit, Kevin Ong

The New Balance Fresh Foam Hierro X v8 launched back in the summer. iRun put it through the test on a few spicy trails and park paths.

The first run was mainly on flat paved park surfaces and grass. The start of the run was on urban thoroughfare to get to the multi-use path along the Trent Severn Waterway. Once on park paths the Fresh Foam lives up to the plush cushioning and comfort between surface transitions. It made for a smooth and comfortable run switching road, path and grass.

On dirt trails and gravel, the traction and durability really shines through with the Vibram® outsole on the undulating sections. The Fresh Foam helps to keep the bounce in your step on the ascent and a padded feeling on the downhills. The treads don’t have as aggressive a pattern as seen on other trail shoes, regardless, it had excellent grip on switch back tracks on trodden trails for 10K-20K distances.

The New Balance Fresh Foam Hierro X v8 comes in black, but for warm weather running lighter colours best to help mitigate the heat. The colour schemes of the Hierro X v8 are Gulf Red or Licorice (looks more like purple to me), and the tab at the back of the shoe makes for easy slip-on wear. The breathable mesh upper keeps the foot from overheating and it has a toe protector as part of its outer sole.

As we head into the autumn and you’re looking to tackle a trail race on dirt surfaces, forest paths that also include stretches of gravel or paved roads, I would recommend this lightweight, 6mm drop, cushy trail shoe.

Get these shoes now for your next trail race here.

Running in Unison: Truth and Reconciliation, Progress, and Sport

By

Enid Kohler

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September 25, 2024

It was Truth and Reconciliation Day on September 30, 2021, and over 600 runners came together in Edmonton for the Orange Shirt Day Run/Walk. Along the trails, there was a sea of orange, teepees at the starting line and wooden medals at the finish line.

Anita Cardinal, Edmonton-based Nêhiyaw (Cree) ultra-trail runner, race director, lawyer, and founder of the Indigenous Runners Red Trail Running, pictured above, remembers the organization’s first Orange Shirt Day Run/Walk. “I’ve never seen that before. I think I sat and cried for a week. It was so healing to bring our community together, to honour, remember, and learn.”

Cardinal has always been a runner. She founded Indigenous Runners Red Trail Running five years ago to include more Indigenous people in the sport. Cardinal says that the racing environment initially did not feel like a welcoming space to her. After her first race in her early 30s, she began to realize the real lack of Indigenous people at the start lines. “It was a lonely place, because I didn’t see very many people who looked like me,” she says. “I think that’s what attracted me to ultra running. If I’m going to be alone, I might as well be alone, right?”

Cardinal’s organization combats this sense of loneliness by fostering an inclusive, safe community for Indigenous runners. At the 60th annual Calgary Marathon in May, a team of Indigenous runners joined to run together. Cardinal says they wore their running ribbon skirts and shirts. “We stood proud and together in unity, in ceremony, and in healing,” Cardinal says.

**VANCOUVER’S FINEST: Showing off their medals after the Vancouver Half Marathon.**

Cardinal is not alone in noticing the limited representation of BIPOC individuals in the running space. Crossing Lines, a grassroots collective founded this year, specifically advocates for the representation of BIPOC people in the ultra-running community. Matthew Geofroy, one of four founding members of Crossing Lines, noticed a lack of people of colour at the starting lines of Ultra races.

“Until you see someone who looks like you doing something, you are not necessarily sure you can do it,” Geofroy says, pointing out the necessity of their organization’s work.

Not only is Crossing Lines about crossing colour lines, it is also about crossing the start line. Kortnee Borden, a founding member of the group, says, “When it comes to ultras, you may not finish. Just crossing the start line is a big accomplishment in itself.”

Crossing Lines encourages BIPOC individuals to join the ultra-running community by removing some of the barriers associated with the sport. They provide resources like customized coaching plans, knowledge sharing sessions and financial assistance for registration fees, demonstrating their support for their budding community. This month, Crossing Lines will hold its inaugural event in Michigan by racing in Run Woodstock.

In Toronto, twins Alex and Vince Huynh saw the missing representation of Asian Canadians in the running space. Vince felt this starkly after participating in a number of run clubs. “It’s 2024. It was a bit of a shocker that the running community did not have that space for Asians,” Vince says.

Alex and Vince launched the Asian Toronto Running Club in April to promote a diverse and inclusive community for every runner, regardless of their background or fitness level. “We want to ensure that BIPOC individuals feel seen and valued,” Alex says. The group is already one of the fastest growing run clubs in Toronto, with over 150 active members. They encourage Toronto runners to join their community.

**FACES IN THE CROWD: Trail runs defying stereotypes in 2024.**

In October, the Asian Toronto Running Club will be running the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon. They look forward to representing Toronto’s Asian communities at the start line.

The Ultra Black Wellness Society, known on Instagram as Team Ultra Black, also promotes diversity within Toronto’s running scene. Growing up after moving to Canada as a refugee at age six, co-founder Diana Anyim says she did not spend much time with her parents as a child, as they were busy with work and education, but they were adamant about her playing sports.

She says, “Being part of a team teaches you to have personal goals but also understand the value of support and unity.” Anyim brought the values of wellness and community into the organization. “We’re a group of Black athletes, who encourage each other and our peers to prioritize their wellness,” she says.

A registered non-profit, the organization launched in 2023 with an ultra-relay marathon from Toronto to Montreal. Now, their goal is to run an Ultra group relay or complete a group challenge every year. Once runners join Team Ultra Black, they are not alone in their training. “We are a community, and we value the growth of one another,” Anyim says.

Anyim calls for more inclusion in Canada’s running world. “It’s important for everyone to see people who look like them, in various spaces, including running,” Anyim says. “Our goal is to create a collective of inspiring Black wellness advocates to be ambassadors of positive change in our communities.”