Leaving Running, and Getting Back In

March 20, 2024

Growing up in a small town, sports weren’t exactly my thing. Sure, I tried volleyball and basketball in middle school, mainly because my friends were into it, but it was more about the social scene than the game itself. Fast forward to adulthood, and a move from the quiet of Northern Ontario to the hustle and bustle of Toronto and I somehow fell into the running crowd.

Suddenly, everyone I knew was training for races, planning running vacations, and sharing stories of epic runs that seemed more like adventures. I was mesmerized by their dedication. If you’re a longtime reader of iRun, you might recall the Couch to Marathon program led by Ben Kaplan. Can you believe it’s been 10 years since then? Time flies!

I almost made it through the program, but unfortunately, a nasty injury derailed my marathon plans.

Since then, I’ve had plenty of false starts and stops. But now, a decade later, I’m back in the game and just crossed the finish line of my first race since 2018: the Achilles 5km. This time around, there’s a different vibe. I’m dead set on sticking with it and making running a lifelong commitment.

Here’s how I’m making it happen, and having fun along the way.

Team Spirit: I’ve enlisted the help of a coach to keep me motivated and accountable. No more skipping runs when the couch looks too inviting! Plus having someone in my corner makes the journey feel less lonely (pictured below is me with iRun Ben Kaplan’s original BlackToe running crew!)

Foodie Fuel: Meeting with a sports dietitian wasn’t just about getting bland nutrition advice. It was an opportunity to spice up my meals and discover delicious ways to fuel my runs. I learned the importance of carbs, and since upping my daily intake, I’ve noticed a real difference—even on my shorter 3km runs! If you’re aiming for longer distances, finding someone who understands running can be a game-changer for learning when and how to fuel up during those endurance sessions.

Fancy Footwork: Who knew getting a gait analysis could be so cool? They were able to pinpoint areas for improvement, guiding me to the right footwear and form adjustments. Not only did I get some expert advice, but I also got an excuse to shop for new kicks with a shoe prescription in hand.

Therapy Time: Physiotherapy isn’t just for treating injuries; it’s also about injury prevention. I took the time to understand the muscles they targeted so I could research the right exercises for future maintenance. I was fortunate to see a physiotherapist specializing in sports, particularly running.

Stretch It Out: I’ve learned from past mistakes and now prioritize stretching. If I think I’ve stretched enough, I do two more rounds. I squeeze in stretches while waiting for my coffee to brew and during TV time, with my trusty massage therapy ball by my side. Like Alec Baldwin famously said, “ABC – Always Be Calf-stretching.” At least, I think that’s the movie quote, right?

Sing Along: Running isn’t just about pounding pavement—it’s about enjoying the journey! So, I’ve embraced my inner pop star and turned my runs into spontaneous karaoke sessions. While it’s tough to gauge my pace solo, I’ve found a fun solution: if I can belt out Carly Rae Jepsen tunes, I’m hitting the right stride.

I’m still rocking the walk-run combo in my training, and honestly, I’m totally cool with it. Nailed my goal of finishing under 42 minutes with a time of 40:59. No races on the immediate horizon, but I’m eyeing another 5k in the fall to see how much I’ve improved.

As I gear up for my next run, slipping on my kicks and hitting the pavement, I’m not just after a finish line. Nope, I’m diving into a fresh chapter of my running journey, aiming to make it a fun, lifelong romance.

Tips to Get You Ready for Spring Race Day

Ben Kaplan

March 20, 2024

Lowell Greib is the founder of the SportLab, which offers performance medicine to a galaxy of professional athletes, and he’s been writing a Guide for Racing Tips for iRun. This is his first instalment. Lowell also helps train middle of the pack runners and, as medical coordinator of the Toronto Marathon on May 5, he has lots of ideas on how to train smart, and train safe. Here’s part II of our our four part series on how to get you ready for spring race season.

Incorporate Cross-Training

Adding cross-training activities, such as swimming, cycling, or strength training, to your marathon training regimen offers numerous benefits for runners. Not only does cross-training help prevent overuse injuries by providing a break from the repetitive impact of running, but it also improves overall fitness, strength, and muscular balance. By diversifying your workouts, you’ll enhance your performance, reduce the risk of burnout, and keep your training routine engaging and enjoyable.

Nutrition is Key

Fueling your body with the right nutrients is essential for supporting your marathon training and optimizing performance on race day. A balanced diet rich in carbohydrates, proteins, and healthy fats provides the energy and nutrients your body needs to fuel workouts, promote recovery, and sustain endurance efforts during long runs. By paying attention to your nutrition and making smart food choices, you’ll feel stronger, more energized, and better equipped to tackle the demands of marathon training.

Stay hydrated

Proper hydration is crucial for maintaining optimal performance and preventing dehydration during your marathon training. Drinking water consistently throughout the day helps replenish fluids lost through sweat and supports essential bodily functions, such as temperature regulation and nutrient transport. By staying adequately hydrated, you’ll improve your endurance, reduce the risk of cramping and fatigue, and ensure that your body is primed for peak performance on race day.

Practice nutrition during runs

Experimenting with energy gels, sports drinks, and other fueling options during long runs allows you to fine-tune your nutrition strategy for race day success. By testing different products and timing strategies during training runs, you can determine what works best for your body and optimize your fueling plan to sustain energy levels and prevent bonking during the marathon. This practical approach ensures that you’re adequately prepared to meet your nutritional needs and perform your best when it counts.

Build a Rest Strategy

Prioritizing rest and recovery is essential for maximizing the benefits of your marathon training and minimizing the risk of overtraining and burnout. Adequate sleep, rest days, and active recovery activities allow your body to repair and rebuild muscle tissue, replenish energy stores, and adapt to the physiological stresses of training. By listening to your body’s signals and incorporating sufficient rest into your routine, you’ll reduce the likelihood of injuries, improve performance, and ensure that you’re ready to tackle your marathon goals with confidence and vigor.

Invest in good shoes

Choosing the right pair of running shoes is one of the most important decisions you’ll make as a marathon runner. Proper footwear not only provides comfort and support but also helps prevent injuries and optimize performance. By investing in high-quality shoes that are suited to your foot type, gait mechanics, and running style, you’ll reduce the risk of common issues like blisters, shin splints, and plantar fasciitis, allowing you to train more comfortably and confidently. This smart investment in your running gear pays off in terms of improved comfort, performance, and long-term foot health.

To the Runners Who Told Me I Need to Lose Weight, I Will Never Stop, Ever

Ben Kaplan

March 20, 2024

I still remember since my childhood, my body image kept changing ever since being diagnosed with my thyroid cancer. I kept seeing body changes until I got made fun of as the words “thunder thighs” came up even after I became a South Asian Tamil Runner and started wearing shorts and looks that show my true self. It made me uncomfortable as they showed my body and every imperfection. They showed my stretch marks. My body/battle scars. It would fold onto itself, the moment I leaned forward, and it showed my thighs and their stretch marks.

It showed it all.

Like any human, I felt like I wasn’t good enough. Instead of enjoying things out of my comfort zone, I would wear baggy shirts/shorts to hide my body, hoping that I would have a better chance at looking good. Did I really have to hide my image or body just because I’m not fitting into the “normal” body type?

I’m proud of my body and I’m fine with it not fitting into someone else’s standards. With many years of heartbreak, failure, anxiety, depression, medical/mental health issues, loss, fear and loneliness, I’ve been through a lot. There have been a lot of issues and emotions that I had to work through over the years and I never thought I would have to go through this path.

Being bullied most of my life didn’t help.

As a survivor, I used to think that I had to always have it all together. I thought I had to be the perfect version of me to be the best woman I could be, but I was far from that. This is me working towards myself despite my obstacles and figuring out the issues that I had to face on my own. It’s me working through the feelings of major changes happening in my life and it’s me accepting that healing isn’t linear and it’s OK not to have all the right responses and be filled with many emotions.

I started my running journey to control my body fluctuations, as a weight loss journey. I loved staying active, but it was something I needed to do for my physical and mental health. Running wasn’t my therapy; it was my safe place. I was able to lose over 90 pounds, but I know my body fluctuations will keep happening as I get older. That’s OK. I’m a woman/human being and I continued to love every inch of it of my journey.

I have made my journey all about showcasing my true and authentic self, so I started to get out of my comfort zone and share more of my story.

Over the last several weeks I have been dealing with more body/fat shaming comments about my appearance both on and offline. This has been affecting my mental health. My legacy as a Runner/South Asian Eelam Tamil woman has been to level up the playing field and to keep spreading awareness on body positivity in the running culture. I believe the running community is and must always be inclusive of all body types, and everyone should be respected—always.

I have been facing unfair judgments, harassment and bullying on how I look and just my overall body fluctuations, even after my magazine cover release. My current medical journey with new conditions has been hard to deal with. So getting messages like “your face got “chubby,” “your body got “fatter,” and “you need to lose weight,” truly hurts. You can’t define me and my body isn’t yours to critique or discuss. My life is filled with ongoing pain, traumas, struggles from mental/cancer battles, which I am still dealing with and healing from.

My body allows me to view it with love and gratitude, as not everyone is blessed with my ability to run. I am fortunate to be in the body I have, and I will do everything I can to embrace it rather than tearing it down. I’m here to help others and show that you are a runner/athlete no matter your size, ethnicity, sexuality or how fast or slow you are.

Being a mental health and thyroid cancer survivor and advocate brought me here and negative comments about my appearance are not going to stop me.

I share this as any negative words or actions can hurt someone and that everyone should feel good about themselves just as they are. Body positivity gave me freedom that comes from letting go of expectations others have for me and my body.

My body is going keep changing. I have a runner’s body. I am a runner and I am still alive. Running has brought many blessings, opportunities and keeps reminding me that owning who you are is the best thing you could do for yourself—however you look.

Whoever you are.

Reminder: our bodies are always changing and they will never remain exactly the same. No one deserves to be body-shamed. Accept people for who they are. We’re all different and none of us are perfect. What is perfect, anyways? We all deserve self-worth, and to feel that happiness and comfort in our own bodies. Keep standing up for others who experience body shaming as, step by step, the running community can help make the world a kinder, more compassionate place. Please, everyone: respect our bodies like our sanctuaries. Stop listening to negative self-talk. Keep moving your body and love it—because it loves you.

It makes you strong, badass, confident—an unstoppable human being. Embrace every single part of your story—the good and the bad. You’re both deserving and capable of whatever it is you want, no matter what.

My hope is that you will love your body more each and every day, year after year of your life. That you will own your body image and not let it be distorted by another person. You will see how incredible your body is. This is me and I am going to keep OWNING IT. My body, my powerful vessel, is my temple.

I will continue to honour you, my body, today and every day, because you complete me.

Photographs by @coreofyoureye – Koray Core-Eye Salih

Setting Boundaries, for Mental Health, and Race Goals

Ben Kaplan

March 13, 2024

Today I was reminded how crazy this sport is. It’s an obsession, an addiction, a way of life and very dramatic. Another long run in the books. After two stressful weeks with a lot of commitments that I agreed to, resulting in stress which resulted in poor sleep which in turn resulted in two weeks of terrible runs and workouts and so on and so on… I need to work on setting boundaries. Especially when my mental health gets affected and then my running takes a hit and it all begins to fall apart.

However, being the stubborn person that I am, I kept showing up. Day in day out, one foot in front of the other. Get out there and at the very least put in the effort. Today it was windy, but the temperature was mild and the sun was shining bright. I actually wasn’t planning to do my long run today, but I’m working tomorrow so I had no choice: Friday it is. Boston being a treacherous course with all the uphills and downhills requires you to come in prepared. So off I went to High Park where I included Ellis Park Rd, a 1K uphill to my loop. I went out in what I thought was a decent effort only to find myself flying. What is going on? OMG, I’m back.

Yes . . . this is what happens when you keep showing up and putting in the work. Of course the last two 5K of my 4x5K’s were tough. But there is progress.

Today was a huge reminder of what the marathon will feel like in those last kilometres. Your mind is telling you to stop, that you can’t run another step, or to just stop and call it a day. Each step feels like a stab and like the next one will be the last because you will collapse and be unable to finish. But I did finish and never went under the pace I set out for the workout. Of course I stepped to the side like the decent person that I am as I thought I was going to vomit hunched over next to the closest bush I could find. But I did it.

Good things happen to those who wait and put in the work.

My boyfriend reminded me the other day that I’m not a robot and that I’m not perfect. Tough words but I needed to hear that. We won’t always get it right. But he reminded me that I need to be happy with the effort I put out.

So when things aren’t going as well as you like, keep moving forward. In life and in the marathon. Like today, I lost count of the times I wanted to stop but I didn’t. I kept going. I kept believing that my legs wouldn’t fail me. The fear we feel is mostly not based in reality. One way or another most of us will cross the finish line. We get to our destination because we keep going.

Although I was reminded today of the pain I will endure in less than one month at the Boston Marathon, I was also reminded that I will get through it, one way or another I will cross that finish line.

SHOE REVIEW: HOKA CIELO X1

Ben Kaplan

March 13, 2024

Propulsion in a carbon-plated sneaker I find to be the most valuable resource and the CIELO X1 from HOKA delivers that in spades. It goes beyond bounce, or comfort, into a lightning-quick, dynamic ride that delivers forward motion while increasing cadence and making not only a smooth ride — but a fast one.

HOKA has emerged from the running shoe competition as a bonafide leader and their inch thick foam midsole and heel has been copied by nearly every sneaker contender. As a shoe brand, HOKA has reached a wide audience and, not for nothing, I see the effects of this trend upon workouts with my mother and sister.

Both of them swear by HOKA shoes.

The CIELO X1 is a different story. This is a serious race shoe. The winged carbon fibre plate is centred between two layers of PEBA foam. Weighing 9.3 ounces with a 7 millimetre heel-to-toe drop, the shoe is designed for road racers with time goals and they have a lightweight, minimal, rubber outsole. It’s shockingly light to the touch. With a classically fitted upper, dynamic cutout and vibrant colour scheme, it reminds me of a Porsche 911; saddled into the sneaker, I feel like I’m riding in one.

I wore the CIELO X1 on both long runs and speed workouts and found the responsiveness never wavered. The shoe isn’t made out of glass. Durability in a carbon-plated sneaker is an asset often overlooked—I understand the shoes are designed for race day—however, at $310, I also believe the shoes should be good for at least 300 kilometres. At least.

I’ve worn the CIELO X1 for at least three hundred kilometres and still they feel fresh from the box. They’ve withstood rain and snow days and, out one day deep along the Martin Goodman Trail, I had a nail ensconced in my heel. Not only didn’t I feel it, but when I yanked it out, like a precision surgeon, the shoe was no worse for the wear.

I’m not sure many ultra lightweight carbon shoes can do that.

The CIELO X1 is a max-cushion race shoe and it’s worn by HOKA top athletes, including world-beaters like Adelle Tracey and Futsum Zeinasellassie. Where I train in Toronto, Gabriel Jarquin, the winter iRun cover star, wears them on his Road to Boston, and my friends Caroline and Monica, marathon runners who train with BlackToe Running, also train in the shoe.

These are serious athletes with intense shoe demands and all of them agree with my assertions: the CIELO X1 is a confidence-building source of (style and) starting line power, an edge when it matters most.

Spring 2024 is an exciting time for runners. When it comes to carbon-plated sneakers, this season, thankfully, there’s choice. The price has come down, the technology has been democratized and most of your favourite shoe brands will offer a high-end alternative for race day.

Combining the unique HOKA assets—top of the line foam, green production values and cutting-edge design—the CIELO X1 is a fiery race day choice and an excellent light, propulsive race shoe, also built to handle the miles.

The CIELO X1: I strongly, strongly recommend it for your big spring goals.

“Women are Unbelievable.” Kathrine Switzer on International Women’s Day.

Ben Kaplan

March 8, 2024

Kathrine Switzer has done more for women in running than arguably anyone else in our sport. Overcoming a tackle from the Boston Marathon race director in 1967, she became the first woman with a bib to complete that race and led the way not only for women to participate in North America’s most prestigious running event, but also pioneer women’s only races and help get the women’s marathon into the Olympic Games. Today, as the founder of 261 Fearless, which empowers women through running around the world, Switzer, at 77, is as active as ever. “I feel terrific,” she told iRun in an exclusive interview for International Women’s Day ahead of her appearance at the Toronto Marathon in May, where she plans to run the 10K and sign as many autographs as humanly possible. “I feel honoured and empowered after nearly sixty years to still be fighting for a righteous cause.”

iRun: Happy International Women’s Day. What’s your take on the state of the world?

Kathrine Switzer: Optimistic, always optimistic, but there’s still a lot of work ahead.

iRun: Like what?

KS: Women are still hampered unfairly by domestic responsibility—with their kids, with their work, with the dog—and we’re worried about going outside to run at 4 or 5 in the morning or alone at night, running in the dark alone is still a dangerous thing.

iRun: The world is still screwed up.

KS: It’s genuinely dangerous, and that’s intimidating and keeps women out of running, but what I am pleased about is that my organization 261 Fearless addresses all of that and we bring women together in a group in a non-judgmental fashion.

iRun: What do you mean?

KS: We don’t care how fast or slow, how fat or thin, how old or young you are, we just want to reach out to women, everywhere, because we know how good running is for our mental health. Mental health is the number one benefit for everyone—but I’m looking at women—with running.

iRun: You were 20-years-old when you ran Boston in 1967. Could you have known it would change the trajectory of your life?

KS: Absolutely not. I just wanted to run!

iRun: So what happened?

KS: After the official tried to throw me out of the race—and I mean physically, pick me up and tackle me—I forgave him. Now, I could’ve murdered him when it happened, but I forgave him around Heartbreak Hill. I knew he was a product of his time, that’s all he knew so that’s how he thought about women.

iRun: Right.

KS: Then I got angry at other women. Why was I the one out here on my own being the one to participate? But that wasn’t right either. I kept running. Then I got angry at myself. I realized other women didn’t have the opportunities I did. I understood that if I could create an opportunity for other women, that would be powerful. That could change things.

iRun: So what did you do?

KS: I dedicated my life to it.

iRun: Incredible. So how did you do that?

KS: It started with the women’s only races that I organized. We needed safe spaces and I brought in major sponsorships to that, it was empowering but still not enough. So I got women into the marathon in the Olympic Games, 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympic Games. Fabulous, right?

iRun: It’s so amazing to me that it only happened in 1984. That you helped make that happen. In Canada, we have such great female Olympians, from Malindi Elmore to Natasha Wodak to Krista DuChene, and so many more.

KS: See, that’s great and great for our sport and women need heroes, but that still impacted only the elites. I wasn’t reaching the women stuck at home afraid to go out the door because they felt they were too fat or burdened with the kids, or were poor, or maybe suffering from domestic abuse—I wanted to reach women who needed a friend.

iRun: Why?

KS: I knew running could empower us. And empowerment is a tremendous thing.

iRun: What’s your relationship with Canada and the Toronto Marathon?

KS: I’ve had a love affair with Canada since way back in 1967, after I was expelled from the American Athletic Federation, the Canadians invited me to come up and run with them when I needed someone the most. As for the Toronto Marathon, I’ve known Jay [race director Jay Glassman] since forever. I’m looking forward to coming back up there and running his race and seeing lots of old friends.

iRun: What do you think your legacy will be after you’ve run your last race?

KS: I won’t know until it all comes to fruition, but I think it’s 261. That is where we’ve been able to do the most good.

iRun: I understand your racing again. How do you feel at 77 years young?

KS: Absolutely terrific.

iRun: Absolutely?

KS: Personally, I’m a little frayed around the edges, I’ve taken some hits. I had shingles which devastated me for two years and broke my back jumping off a diving board and took a hard fall running and got vertigo, but these things happen.

iRun: These things happen?

KS: Listen, two weeks ago I ran my fastest 10K in ten years. You can’t be defined by little setbacks.

iRun: You’re the best.

KS: I know I’m on the right trajectory and women and our empowerment and transformation is always sustaining. That’s what enlightens me and drives me forward.

iRun: How come?

KS: Women are unbelievable.

Shoe Review: METASPEED SKY PARIS

Ben Kaplan

March 8, 2024

I wore the METASPEED SKY PARIS from ASICS straight out of the box to race in the Chilly Half Marathon on Sunday and you better believe that got a lot of attention. One of spring’s most anticipated drops, the race shoe is bright pink with black logo lines and an update on the METASPEED line—the fast ASICS racing shoe with the carbon-plate.

At the Chilly Half Marathon, I ran a huge negative split, which I almost never do.

In part, I owe some of my success to my shoes.

The METASPEED SKY PARIS touts its midsole foam as being “energetic,” and claims the carbon-plate is “propulsive,” making the shoe designed intentionally for conserving energy. The shoe is built to help racers lengthen their stride and the idea behind their Japanese engineering is to have racers conserve their energy for the end of the race.

Reader, on Sunday, that’s exactly what happened to me at my half marathon (for a complete race review, click here).

I started the Chilly Half Marathon running 4:45-per-kilometre and, as the race went on, sometime after seven or eight kilometres, I found myself getting faster. I grew stronger with every step. By the end of the race, I was closer to 4:25-per-kilometre and I couldn’t believe how quickly the kilometre markers seemed to appear.

I sprinted the last 400 metres to the finish line. My shoes made me feel like I could fly.

Some of the details about the METASPEED SKY PARIS: it weighs 183 grams and its forefoot height is 34.5 millimetres. The carbon-plate has been widened compared to last year’s model and this is to compress the FF TURBO PLUS midsole foam.

The ride is soft, plush and cushioned, but also remarkably light and propulsive. It’s the propulsion that I think helped me in my race. The upper has been designed for breathability and comfort and the sole is curved, which ASICS also says helps you conserve your energy. I’m a neutral heel-strike runner and could feel the outsole maintain durability and grip.

At the Chilly Half Marathon, I grew more confident as the race went on and felt a powerful surge in my shoes. They were comfortable, almost elastic, and quick. I was later amazed upon reading about the METASPEED SKY PARIS, that I experienced nearly exactly the value proposition offered by the shoe.

I can stand by their claims.

It’s always hard to know with shoes which of the details will matter most to you when you’re racing. To me, it matters that Natasha Wodak, when she lines up in Hamburg at the end of April to try and qualify for the Paris Olympics, will be wearing the METASPEED SKY PARIS shoes. It also matters that, after the Chilly Half was over, I sat trading notes with a friend and we looked at the bottom of her Nike AlphaFly 3s and noticed that her tread, after being worn once, looked trashed.

My shoes barely looked touched.

Of course, that could be because we run differently. Although she’s lighter and faster than me, perhaps her stride grinds her soles in a different way. But I think these are all important data points to consider when buying $325 shoes.

The METASPEED SKY PARIS might be the best race shoe today on the market. I know at the Chilly Half Marathon there were plenty of eyes on my sneakers. When people asked me after the race, I told them: for racing, I would absolutely recommend the ASICS METASPEED SKY PARIS shoes.

Now available online or at these retailers across Canada:

BlackToe Running Inc.

Fast Trax Run & Ski Shop

Forerunners

Frontrunners victoria

Strides Running Store

The Runners Shop

“These women compete together, but also help each other to be better.”

Ben Kaplan

March 8, 2024

As a young girl, my parents got me into sports, which eventually led to playing ice hockey. There were limited female leagues at that time, and as a goalie, it was easier for me to find a competitive male team. Female hockey has come a long way since then, but my adolescence was dominated by being in and around male sports.

As I started growing in my career, I got into running, and joined BlackToe Running in Toronto to help with my marathon training and my goal of getting a Boston Qualifier time.

Through the BlackToe Running teams, I have met and trained with incredible women. However, when I first joined the group, naturally, my first training partner was male, as that was mostly what I knew from my younger years in sports. It was through him, and BlackToe, that I met one of my first female training partners—Kim Brown (now his wife).

Kim and I (pictured below) clicked right away, as we had similar paces, goals and love for the sport. We’ve now been friends and training buddies for years, working together to elevate each other in workouts and achieve our goals. We meet most weekends for a long run for motivation. Around 2019, Kim and I were both targeting sub 3-hour marathons and this was a goal we bonded over and supported each other to achieve.

There were trials and tribulations, but we eventually got this accomplishment checked off around the same time in 2021. We continued pushing each other at team practices through the summer of 2022, and both ran 2:57 at the Berlin Marathon later that fall. We’re training together again this winter as we target our next serious running goals.

Recently, I have been fortunate enough to get to some start lines in the elite corrals. Being around the elite female runners has been motivating and inspiring, to say the least. Everyone I have met has been so welcoming and supportive. I have observed how these women compete together, but also help each other to be better.

Rachel Hannah won the Glass City Marathon in a course record and when we chatted at the finish line, she immediately checked to see how my race went. She was so kind and excited when I shared my race experience and personal best achievement with her (pictured below). At the Ottawa 10km Canadian Championships, pictured up top, I was surrounded by Canada’s top female runners (which was surreal). Sasha Gollish wasn’t racing herself, but offered up her pacing services to myself and my Black Toe teammate Sarah.

It was so cool to run stride-for-stride for a bit with such an accomplished athlete. Asia Dwyer is another elite runner I have met through race start lines. At the Chilly Half Marathon this past weekend, she displayed such positivity when I shared that I had achieved a big time goal that I had been working towards for over a year. I am lucky to get to be around these strong women and I am better for it.

At BlackToe, I have many inspiring women teammates that I am fortunate to have gotten to know through this sport. There are so many stories of women-elevating-women that I could share from this community, but I want to finish with one meaningful story. Kerri Andreas, a well-accomplished Toronto runner (2:55 marathoner) has been so supportive of my running goals in recent years, despite herself not running as much as she previously did.

In the pandemic, for a virtual race I completed, she gave me a homemade medal welcoming me to the sub-3 club. I loved her confidence in me to do it, and even though I didn’t run that time during that race, the medal served as motivation to get there when I did.

Last year, at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon, she showed up a few times on course with a personalized sign she made to support me. I am so grateful that I immersed myself in the female running community in Toronto.

When I got into running, I viewed it as a solo sport, but I have learned over the years that this truly is a team sport.

I am a better person and runner for all the other women I have met through running.

Kids Get Cancer Too: Run Strong Like Sloane at the Servus Calgary Marathon

Ben Kaplan

March 8, 2024

Last May, the weekend of the 2023 Servus Calgary Marathon to be exact, my then 5-year-old daughter who was registered to run the kids race with her sister, was instead admitted to the Alberta Children’s Hospital’s oncology unit and diagnosed with high risk stage 4 cancer.

A word no parent wants to hear beside their child’s name.

Since then, I’ve learned more about childhood cancer than I ever hoped to know—the good (if there is any good), the bad and the ugly. One of the “ugly” things about childhood cancer, besides the obvious, is the lack of funding in this space. The number fluctuates every year, but as of 2023 only seven per cent of funding for cancer research in Canada goes to pediatrics.

What’s even uglier about that statistic is that although pediatric cancer is considered “rare,” it is the number one cause of death by disease in kids.

That said, like so many other families, I’ve been on a mission to raise awareness for childhood cancer. With a love for running and the coincidence around the timing of Sloane’s diagnosis last year and the Calgary Marathon, I decided to start a run team. Our goal was to raise awareness and money for the new Riddell Centre for Cancer Immunotherapy in Calgary, a top-of-the-line facility that has promised to dedicate resources to pediatric research—an area that’s often overlooked.

When registrations opened up in late 2023 for the 2024 run, I quickly jumped on the opportunity to start a Strong Like Sloane run team—a team I thought would be made up of twenty-five close friends and family.

Over the last five months, I’ve watched the team grow to 134 runners (as of March 7) and the fundraising goal continues to grow. We’re now at just under $22,000 with a goal of $30,000 and with three months to go until race day, I’m confident we can do more.

As one of the largest running events in Canada, I knew the Calgary Marathon was the perfect vehicle for driving awareness. My goal was never as much about fundraising as it was around having a large team, all wearing “Kids Get Cancer Too” shirts, to spread the word and create some buzz.

Maureen McDonald, Calgary Marathon’s director of running experience confirmed that team Strong Like Sloane is the largest run team the event has seen since 2018.

But the participation doesn’t start and stop in Calgary. Virtual runners are welcome to register and join the team to raise awareness across Canada. Or non-runners can help spread awareness by sharing our teams’ posts and donation links on social media (follow @therealclairem).

I’ve got big goals for pediatric cancer awareness and having the support of Run Calgary and the Calgary Marathon is incredibly heartwarming. In my experience, the running community has always been very supportive and it’s nice to see they are looking out for one of their own.

This is just the beginning.

We can do better for these kids. For our future.

If you’re interested in joining the team or donating please visit:

https://raceroster.com/events/2024/74775/servus-calgary-marathon-2024/pledge/team?id=87

Let’s all run Strong Like Sloane, and use our running to help.

No Watch, No Music, No Time Goal, No Problem: Race Review, the Chilly Half

Ben Kaplan

March 4, 2024

Running the Chilly Half marathon on Sunday was a last-minute decision. My 12-year-old said, “Whisky and junk food.” It wasn’t exactly phrased as a question, more like an observation: oh, is this what we’re doing now? I had to look in the mirror. I’d been missing my workouts. I hadn’t signed up for a race. I was all out of Athletic Brewing and, to fill the void, as my pride and joy noticed: whisky and junk food.

Couldn’t have that.

29 years old, the Chilly brings Ontario out of hibernation and into their fancy sneakers and race day plays our like a family reunion. Burlington, Ontario. One distance. A lovely point to point race course and all sorts of friends representing their race crews and sports brands. I saw Krista DuChene and though I was wearing tights and a long-sleeve, it wasn’t freezing. I’m in the I-want-to-be-comfortable phase of my racing.

I was around the 1:45 pacer at the beginning, but there was a big crowd assembled there and I wanted space. This is tricky. Last year, I tried racing the Chilly alongside my race partner and at 3K, I was rapping out loud. At 6K, I was walking and around 8K, I turned tail and headed towards the start line, my head pointed down at the ground.

When I was a kid, I once ran the half in 1:22, but I’m a long way from there. Experiences have surpassed time goals these days in terms of what I’m looking for with racing. Unlike last year, my goal in 2024 is to finish with grace.

Still, 1:45 didn’t feel good and so I sped up some and ran into a BlackToe Race friend who I actually didn’t really know but just seeing the matching jersey made us instant amigos. She’s training for Boston and looks like a gymnast so I had to be careful. I was breathing heavy as we talked about her fiancé between seven and ten kilometres. My watch wasn’t working and I left my AirPods in my backpack and let the race dictate my speed. This seemed to work because I hung on with my new friend and, somehow, turned a corner. Once I past twelve kilometres, I realized I would finish. This was a huge load off and a relief: the fear left me. Now I could start racing!

I was something like 4:45-per-kilometre for the first half and like 4:25-per-kilometre for the last bit. This is how you want to be racing because as I sped up, others slowed down and, as any runner knows, passing people is the best feeling in the world. It’s momentum and an energy catalyst and here’s the other thing—it’s fun. I was clapping for the other runners, shouting out friends, giving high fives and basically just running around like a kid after eating their ice cream in the park. I never felt any pain. Never missed my watch. Didn’t care about not having music. Did no math. I was playing.

The kilometres ticked down like seconds on New Year’s Eve and how’s this for a sensation: it surprised me how quickly the 17K marker appeared after sixteen. By the time I hit 19K and ran into some kids, I wondered aloud if we could run down the 1:30 pacer. This one guy was amazing. Half my age, he yelled: Let’s go!! And I wanted too, but I’d dug myself too deep into a hole with something like 1:24 on the clock and the last two K to go.

But even that mindset—being alert enough in the last bit to dream about a finishing time is a good sign. I wasn’t just surviving. I was actively engaged and I’d been down enough times before to appreciate the fleeting sensation.

I held on and, when I approached the final hill and Steve Fleck called me in, I had a smile plastered on my face and we listened to Spice Girls and Oasis on the way home on the BlackToe bus and I sang to every word. Later I napped on both of the crevices on my couch and listened to Jimmy Buffet.

I like whisky and junk food. But I like this feeling more.

Top photograph by Ryan Field.

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