The plush, comfortable new Saucony shoe is called Ride 14 but every time I wear it I automatically think: “Let go and enjoy the Ride.” It’s because the cushioning, fit and foam create as smooth a running experience, where the outsole and toe box perfectly align, to make the fourteenth generation of the Saucony workhorse a kin to a Lexus sports car. Light, but sturdy, the perfect vehicle for chewing up kilometres, the Ride 14—with its neutral fit—is designed for maximum acceptance: it’s hard to imagine the runner who couldn’t find comfort in this elegant $165 shoe.
In an interview with iRun, Tokyo Olympic marathon competitor Trevor Hofbauer, who signed with Saucony in January, praised the brand for the width of their shoes, specifically as opposed to his Nike VaporFly Next %. This dimension, usually attributed to New Balance, adds to the lushness of the fit. The Ride 14 envelopes the foot, offering security and reassurance without forcing unnatural, even painful, movements.
I tested the Ride 14 on both a mile time trial and 25 kilometre long run and found the shoe a dependable partner. Responsive, and weighing 9.4 ounces (8.4 ounces for women), with a 8mm offset, the Ride offers something absent in the most recent carbon-plated shoe wars: durability.
It looks nice, too.
My fondness for the Ride might be my COVID-19 hangover, perhaps a pandemic-found appreciation of heartiness and a simple reconnection with the joy of running—an experience I’ve come to cherish with no watch or planned workout, just a simple jog along the waterfront. I found myself repeatedly retreating back to the Ride 14 long after I’d completed enough runs to review the shoe. In 2021, I prioritize comfort, value, and security. With so many unknowns still facing Canadians in this second pandemic summer, I feel proud to recommend the Saucony 14 Ride.
We’ll talk with Sean Burnett, who is running a huge challenge to raise money for the hospital that has supported his family through tremendous loss. Also, Tracy Shouldice, who’s running a virtual marathon for mental health. And one of the people who’s normally helping out on the sidelines at Ottawa Race Weekend, Annie Boucher, is actually running the event this year for the first time in 20 years.
At the end of 2020 I was just getting back into running after recovering from my November 54K trail race. Reid had shared with me the idea of going after the 50K Canadian record, and I was all in. With another raceless season ahead of us, it put something in my calendar to work toward and gave meaning to my workouts. While training for his own spring marathon, coaching, and leading our Bayfront Endurance group, Reid was able to get a course certified and the event sanctioned so that our results would be official. With provincial lockdowns and restrictions, he wanted to ensure that it would be a safe event, which I’m sure made for an interesting and challenging experience as he earned himself the title of Race Director.
Initially we planned to have the event May 7, but had to postpone it for two weeks due to recent changes in restrictions. There would be less than ten of us racing and although we knew we might be faced with warmer conditions, we wanted this opportunity. I had kept in touch with several of the runners while training and we looked forward to seeing each other in person and putting our hard work to good use. In particular, I had been regularly communicating with Rachel Hannah, who was healthy and back to training. Our build was fairly similar and we were able to meet up twice for workouts with our good friend Mitch Free. As race day approached, we began to discuss a pace plan. Another running friend, Rob Brouillette, graciously committed to pacing us. On a good day, I think my fitness had me in the low-mid 3:50’s. Rachel preferred a bit slower so we met in the middle, aiming for ~4:00 min/km.
We didn’t know how we would feel with the heat, but knew we would benefit from working together and agreed to adjust as necessary. It likely wouldn’t be a matter of proving our fitness, rather conservatively handling the distance as best we could given the day’s conditions. The record of 3:28 had been set in similar conditions by Catrin Jones at the 2015 IAU 50 km World Championships in Doha, Qatar. I knew it was realistic to target the record. On the men’s side, Chris Balestrini and Phil Parrot-Migas would be aiming for the men’s Canadian record of 2:51 set by Cal Neff earlier this year.
Race morning was uneventful as I woke early to have my coffee and bagel with honey before grabbing my Endurance Tap gels and Eload bottles from the fridge and heading out the door. Leah, my 10-year-old daughter, would come with my running friend and neighbour, Tina Perilli ,to manage the aid station at the 5K turnaround. We had been looking forward to this day together for weeks, particularly as it would be a special outing where she could volunteer and cheer me on in my pursuit. Upon arrival the runners talked race logistics with Reid, completed a short warm up with a few strides, donned our masks and had staggered starts while staying physically distanced.
Rob pulled up just ahead of Rachel and I and we consistently hit kilometre markings at just slightly under our planned pace. The course was a 5K out and back that we would complete five times. After the first aid station at 5km I began my usual routine of alternating between consuming my fluids and gels. Reid had a third table set up with water that we could use to keep cool. Like I did in Rio 2016, I poured a bottle over my head at every opportunity. Everything was fairly smooth and according to plan for the first 20-25 kilometres with Rachel and Rob.
Rachel then dropped back a bit while Rob and I continued on, but it wasn’t long that I started to have some stomach issues. The heat and humidity wreaked havoc with my digestive system, forcing me to make several short stops along the way for the next several kilometres. Then, at 34K, I came to an abrupt stop, vomiting what had to have been the entire contents of my stomach. Rob patiently waited and I started running again, feeling fine and amazingly back to our original pace. I decided I should continue taking sips, but not the amount I normally would consume. Everything settled and I had less than 15 kilometres to go, feeling cautiously optimistic that I could get the record. I should note that I’ve had this go the other way, and suffer for what seems like hours to simply jog the remaining distance of a marathon; to this day, The 2017 London Marathon remains my most disappointing race. I was in top form after a month away from my family for altitude training in Kenya, only to become completely depleted after stomach issues hit me in the early stages of the race.
This 50K would have a much better ending.
At the 40 kilometre turnaround, I told Reid what happened and he assured me that I was still on track to run well under 3:28. I grabbed another baggie with ice from Mike Gill to put in the back of my racing top to help keep me cool—ready for the final push. One thing I’m often asked is what I think about when it starts getting tough in the later stages of a race. I wasn’t feeling terrible. Actually, I was feeling surprisingly well, but I still needed to focus and keep it together. On this particular day, I thought about the special trip to Booster Juice that Leah and I had planned to take on the way home. When I saw her at 35K, I told her, “Booster Juice!” and kept going strong for the remaining 5K. Sometimes it’s the simplest things.
As I neared the finish line I could see her there (she got a ride back with our Team Orange friends), crying and full of emotion as I approached the end. I gave her a high five as I ran by and a big hug upon crossing the line saying, “We did it!” It was our day.
Reid was also quite pleased at the finish with a handful of others, some whom I think were complete strangers walking the path and simply happy to stop and cheer us on. My finish time of 3:22 and Chris Balestrini’s time of 2:48 would be the new Canadian 50 km records. It was a successful morning (results here! Look at Chris’ metronome pacing!).
We cheered on the remaining runners, helped with some course clean-up, and headed out, stopping for some Booster Juice before arriving home.
I’ll take a solid break for the next 10-14 days in order to fully recover, before resuming training again for the next goal. I’m excited about my fall marathon and looking forward to announcing it later this summer. I’ve really enjoyed and grown with Reid’s coaching and program that is thorough, detailed, flexible and balanced. I’m quite looking forward to seeing what we can do next.
Until then, I will be following the six Canadian athletes who will be running at this summer’s Olympic Games in Tokyo in preparation for my role as broadcast analyst with CBC’s Scott Russell. Exciting times ahead.
All photos taken by @dreizle André Morgan @dre.run
With the great weather upon us, we’re usually full steam ahead preparing for one of our key events of the year, The Beaches Jazz Run in Toronto. Unfortunately, the live events are still not going on. I really thought we’d be live this year after last year’s event was forced to become Virtual.
As a runner myself, I so miss the live events, mostly the head to head racing, but also, the energy, excitement and maybe most importantly for events like ours, the camaraderie among the running community.
As a race director, I miss it even more. Those who know me know how hard I work to make our events the best they can be. We put on top-rated events, especially as far as small to medium races are concerned. I like to consider our races as being geared towards exactly what the runners want. Switching to virtual makes these hard attributes to match. But we are trying.
The virtual race scene is very saturated right now, with most of the standard longtime running events still happening as well as many new ones being offered, trying to make up for the fact that most events are running at 30-40% sales of what they normally would be. This is leading to fatigue among the runners and that percentage is dropping.
Racing we will persevere and with the 2021 Beaches Jazz Run, we’ve tried to spice things up a bit with a few events that go beyond just running one race and be done with it. We have a weekly running series (starting soon!) where runners can enter performance results weekly, similar to beer league hockey, and results will be tabulated over the course of 8 weeks, taking the individual’s five best performances. This way if they miss a few weeks, they’re still eligible for the overall standings.
We also have the return of the Provincial Pass. Where a team of four combines their mileage to cover the distance of crossing Ontario (1568km). First team to do it wins—but, given our limitations during COVID, many just do it to challenge themselves. And of course we have the standard Jazz Run one of events of 5k, 10k and 21.1k. All runners, regardless of event they choose, will earn one of our best medals yet, plus fantastic tech t-shirts and of course, the feeling of helping one of our main charities, The Michael Garron Hospital Foundation, supporting their front line workers.
The runners and this charity are why we keep going! More info and registration can be found at www.beachesjazzrun.com
John Stokes, Head of Global Sustainability at New Balance, has some bold declarations about what his shoe company will be doing to help the environment: namely, a near-term commitment to 100% renewable energy and a 30% reduction in CO2 emissions for the American, Boston-based company. Green living is, of course, of tantamount importance to all of us, but runners especially seem to be simpatico with Mother Earth. At iRun, we’ve looked deeply into the issue with stories on how races can go green, and this sustainability survey, which we encourage everyone to complete. Here, Ben Kaplan, editor of iRun, talks frankly with Stokes, from New Balance.
Ben Kaplan: As leaders in the running market, do you think good health, running and environmentalism enjoy a special relationship?
John Stokes: Access to a healthy environment is essential for running and enabling active lifestyles in general, which we know is critical to overall human health, both physical and mental. Whether you are a runner or an environmentalist, or not, we all fundamentally need a healthy planet. This connection is at the root of our new 1% for the Planet partnership – based on the idea that runners have a vested interest in protecting the places we love to run. That’s why we’re giving a portion of sales from the Fresh Foam Hierro v6 to benefit nonprofit organizations that are working so hard to activate the outdoor community around climate change and protecting public land.
BK: You get at this with your last answer, but I want to emphasize the point: why, as a company, is sustainability important to new balance?
JS: New Balance has been around for over 100 years, and we see sustainability as essential if we’re going to be around for another 100. New Balance stands for something bigger than sneakers and apparel. Doing right by people and the planet is a core part of our mission to create a brand that people are proud to wear and communities are proud to host wherever we operate around the world.
BK: Your commitment to 100% renewable electricity for owned operations by 2025 sounds ultra-impressive. How long has that been in the works for and what, specifically, does that mean?
JS: This goal means that we will source renewable electricity for all of the electricity we use globally across all of our offices, owned retail stores, distribution centres that we own or operate, and our “Made” factories that we proudly own and operate in the U.S. and U.K. New Balance joined RE100 to formalize this goal in 2019, but we’ve been at it for much longer. Our first solar array was installed and began generating renewable energy at our Flimby UK factory in 2013.
BK: If New Balance achieves 30% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2030, what will that bring the number down to—from what to what?
JS: While the RE100 goal is incredibly important, this 2030 goal is much broader and addresses our largest impacts. Over 95% of our carbon footprint comes from what is called “Scope 3 emissions,” most of which are driven by our supply chain and the materials we use to make products. That is why we’re super focused on decarbonizing our materials, finding ways to increase renewable energy use across our supply chain, and emphasizing product longevity, repair, and more circular resource systems.
BK: Let’s speak broadly here and blue sky our future. Hypothetically, if competitive brands like Nike, Under Armour, Brooks and Asics all committed to the same New Balance green ethos, how much CO2 emissions could be reduced?
JS: I can’t speak to specific emission reduction levels at those other brands, but you bring up a great point. The entire industry needs to be taking action, and it isn’t about competition. Our success will depend on collaboration, sharing ideas and tools, and working together toward common goals. The good news is this is happening across a number of really impactful industry groups, and New Balance continues to lead where we can and is always learning from others.
A lot of runners have earned PBs during their races-without-races this season as we pivoted from in-person events to virtual runs. The problem is that the times we’re recording aren’t accurate and we could be doing ourselves a disservice when we step back on the line at an actual measured race course. Due to the nature of GPS watches, our virtual finishes could be reporting times that are as much as 10% quicker than we’ve actually run.
“In my last race, I ran a marathon on a 5km loop that had a bunch of gentle 90-degree turns. My GPS said I ran 64:05 when I actually ran 65:16 for 21.1km,” says Reid Coolsaet, the two-time Olympian and run coach who’s been explaining to his athletes why they shouldn’t get hung up on times being uploaded to Strava by their peers. “If you record a good time on a course with lots of turns you may have a hard time replicating that time on a properly measured course. In reality, you may be running just as fast once races open up, but your finish time could be slower and that’s demoralizing when you’re putting forth the same effort.”
Make no mistake: virtual races are awesome and every PB is worth celebrating. In fact, every finish is worth celebrating, regardless of your time. We’re not disputing that. We’re applauding everyone’s effort, and #MyRaceisReal, a popular virtual racing hashtag, has popped up on social media and many athletes on the iRun Facebook page have scored hard-earned virtual race personal best finishing times.
“I’ve run enough virtuals that I now have virtual PRs to try to break,” Meghan Braithwaite said. “That said, #MyRaceIsReal and I still put a good effort into them. My marathon isn’t less valid because it was virtual.”
Dan Suher, the global sales director of COROS wearables, has long been interested in how GPS watches work and his company was first to put a course-correcting feature for the track on their watch in 2019. “When the watch stays on one side of your body and you pivot the way you do when you run around a track, the GPS antenna has trouble cleanly interacting with the satellites and the data gets skewed,” says Suher, adding that what lane you’re in on a track can also affect your watches appraisal of your finishing distance and time. “Your GPS watch is interacting with the satellites on average every 1 to 3 seconds (depending on the brand and mode) and it’s squaring rather than curving in its record of your data. The time being recorded is based upon a straight line, which is shorter than points on a circle, and so the numbers are off.”
To offset the faulty data, COROS has a function called “Track Run-mode,” which creates an algorithm for the GPS satellite and helps it configure your time and distance based upon what lane you’re running on the track. Bernard Conway, a longtime grade-A course measurer for such events as the Pan Am games, the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, and races from Philadelphia to Cuba to Buffalo to Niagara Falls, says the virtual races are a soon-to-be boon to business. Conway knows that the virtual runners of today are the same racers who will be out on his certified courses tomorrow. He timed his first race course with a Jones counter on his bicycle in 1972 and plans to ride his bicycle to measure more courses once Canada can return to large-scale racing events. He just doesn’t want virtual racers to finish his events disappointed.
“You think you’re faster than you are if you’re running over courses that aren’t properly measured,” the 79-year-old says. “A runner will always want an accurate course to record an accurate time.”
Coolsaet says not to put too much stock in a virtual course that has a lot of turns if you’re measuring your time and distance with your GPS watch. “If it’s a virtual race then it’s fun to shoot for a time and it’s a great training stimulus and it bridges the gap to normal races,” he says, which is a nice way of saying: that Boston Marathon-qualifying finish may not hold up to close scrutiny and it’s going to be harder when you try and break three-hours again in Ottawa, Vancouver, Calgary, Halifax or any properly-measured race course.
However, Tina Perilli, pictured, who has run nine virtual races since the Chilly Half Marathon in 2020, one month before COVID-19, says she’s scored seven virtual PBs and she’s proud of each one. “To me, it’s a PB regardless,” Perilli says, adding that she’s dropped as much as 12 minutes off her marathon time and 4 minutes off her 30K finish at Around the Bay. Of course, if you’re breaking your records by those kinds of margins, the tiny discrepancies hardly matter. What’s more, Perilli says the virtual events may even be worth more than in-person races. She says they require more effort. “I think when you’re all alone and have no one to chase, the race is even harder,” she says. “A virtual race takes more effort because you don’t have anyone rooting you on.”
Dr. Jon Hooper is an ICU doctor who has led the medical team at Ottawa Race Weekend for many years. He will talk to us about running during the pandemic and share his very strong opinion about whether you should wear a mask when you’re running. Then, a very inspiring message from elite runner Mariah Kelly, who shares what she has learned from the Black Lives Matter movement of the past year. We’ll also talk to Canadian Olympian Evan Dunfee, who is getting ready for not only this summer’s Olympics in Tokyo but also a special race-walking challenge at Ottawa Race Weekend.
Julie-Anne Staehli is a Canadian distance runner who has electrified the country in the lead-up to the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games. Prior to this season’s races, Staehli, 27, from London, Ontario and coached by Steve Boyd, had a personal best in the 5,000m of 15:47 minutes. Then she ran 15:32 in Austin on February 28. Then 15:24 in Kansas City on May 1. With those consecutive finishing times, and her broadcasting her ambitious goals on social media, Olympic watchers knew we might be in for something special when she toed the line at Mt. San Antonio College in Los Angeles Sunday night. The Olympic standard is 15:10. The clip above shows Julie-Anne’s victorious 15:02, a breathtaking victory. Here, she narrates her race and breaks down her winning approach to life’s uncertainties.
I’m a racer.
Usually, at these bigger meets, you feel the race out in terms of pacing. You have to be quick on your feet. My plan was to settle in, but once the laps were rolling and I could hear the splits I knew I was on track for something good. After 3K, I felt comfortable.
That’s when I started to dig deep.
Breaking a race into kilometres works really well. Know your numbers. For me in the 5K, it’s: 3, 6, 9, 12 and 15 minutes. Any difference off that 3-minute pace is good for sub-15:10: 3:03, 6:06, 9:09. On Sunday, I was 9:12 through 3K, which is a bit slow. But it’s a good feeling when you’re past that halfway mark and feel comfortable. You’re in a good spot to bring it in.
With two kilometres remaining, ‘close in,’ that’s what I’m thinking. My racing instinct kicks in. I forget about the time once I’ve seen the first 3K, which is familiar. I know I can hit certain times. In my mind, I split the last two kilometres in half. I can run 8:47, so seeing 9:12, I know I’m going to be OK.
I closed in out from 800 metres. Laura [Galvan Rodriguez] had beaten me the last two times out. She out-kicked me in Austin and Kansas in the last 300 metres. This time, when she had gone around and had 400 to go, I knew this was my shot to take the lead.
There was a headwind in the last 100 metres. I felt it coming around the bend, but when Laura went wide into lane 2, the lights went out: I was just running.
I gave everything. It was internal. I don’t think I even saw what was happening. You just know the faster you go is the faster it’s finished.
After I crossed, you need your body to catch back up with you. You look at the clock but everything is delayed. The first thing I do is sit down.
Is it scary putting yourself on the line? Not really. 15 seconds faster, 25 seconds faster, more; what matters is the process. Working hard every step of the way, regardless of the outcome. The Olympics have so many unknowns, but the focus, day to day, is concentrating on what brings you joy.
The end vision, I can’t get too caught up in that. It’s just nice to be in a position where I can go all in. This Saturday, I have the chance to do it again.
To follow Julie-Anne Staehli on Twitter and Instagram, please see @jastaehli
Some athletes have waited four years for their shot at this summer’s Olympic Games. Others have waited for more than a decade. But with COVID-19 putting a wrench into an already tricky Olympic qualifying period, many Canadian athletes are scrambling to find a race that will not only put them in a position to win an Olympic medal, but just to get a chance to compete at this summer’s Tokyo Games.
“It’s been an unbelievably tricky time, but also a serious test of grit, resolve and group support,” says coach Jason Kerr with the University of Guelph and the Royal City Athletics Club. “The current environment tests you at every level; ‘Are you sure this is that important to you?’ What I’m seeing from our athletes—and maybe this isn’t surprising—but we’re seeing incredible determination and resilience to keep fighting.”
For a Canadian runner to compete in the summer Olympics, they need to hit the Olympic standard and also accrue enough qualifying points to participate in their event. Since different events around the world offer different point structures, and the current travel restrictions have made it exceedingly difficult for Canadians to race in Europe, points have become difficult to earn. Meanwhile, a series of races put on by Athletics Canada were scheduled across the country to help athletes improve their worldwide ranking, but the pandemic has already postponed events in Ottawa, Toronto and Guelph. [A win at a Canadian championship could help a budding athlete punch a direct ticket to the Olympics, like Trevor Hofbauer and Dayna Pidhoresky did in the 2019 marathon at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon; eliminating a Canadian track championship shuts down a sure-fire Olympic opportunity.]
“Most Canadian would-be Olympic qualifiers are currently in the States, chasing races and chasing points,” says Dave Korell, the Category Manager/ Performance CANADA, New Balance Athletics, adding that once an athlete hits the Olympic standard time, the top three Canadians will go to the Games. “The athletes have until June 30 to qualify for the Olympic team. Which adds another variable to these proceedings because the Games begin in July.”
Gabriella Stafford at the 2019 Canadian Track & Field Championships, 2019. Photo: Claus Andersen
On Monday, Athletics Canada will reach a decision if they’ll hold Olympic trials in Montreal between June 24-June 27. Kerr says, given quarantine times needed to travel between countries, many of his athletes are currently in the United States hunting races, especially in Florida, California, Arizona and Texas. Meanwhile, Canadians running in more competitive American heats lose out on the opportunity to earn victory points in European events. The same time in Florida isn’t worth as much as a victory in Poland or France. The competition in North America is stronger and a win, and its accompanying points, is harder to earn.
“Every Canadian track & field athlete is scrounging their every penny to try and qualify and remember, this is all towards an Olympic Games that may or may not happen,” says Korell, adding that this is the time for all Canadian runners and run fans to root on their Canadian heroes. “You see these kids in AirBnBs in Florida and Texas, just giving it their all in the face of uncertainty—it’s tough not to feel inspired.”
For athletes like Gabriella Stafford, Andrea Seccafien and countless others, including Julie-Anne Staehli, whose thrilling finish Sunday night put her well beneath the Olympic standard but wouldn’t weigh the odds of her competing at the Olympics given the current number of variables, the next few months leading into the Olympics are pivotal. However, speaking with the athletes, their coaches and sponsors, one thing is certain: whatever the obstacles, the Canadian athletes are leaving everything out there and giving it their all.
“There’s never been an easier time to make excuses,” says Kerr. “We’ve chosen to take calculated risks and give it everything we’ve got. Through all of the challenges and uncertainty, this still has the possibility of being a very unique and exciting Olympic experience for these athletes.”
On this special Mother’s Day edition of iRun Radio:
The Olympic marathon mom, Krista DuChene will join us. Along with managing life at home with her family, Krista is going after a record in an ultra-marathon. We’ll check in with Anna Lee Boschetto from the iRun team, who is a mom and also put together a gift guide for mothers who run. And Kelly Wesa, a runner in Alberta who gives back every year by participating in a special Mother’s Day run.
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