Race Review - Sporting Life 10K

This morning I had the pleasure of running the Toronto Sporting Life 10K race with 13,000 other runners.

It was a great run, and for those of you thinking of running it in the future, or just wondering how it went, I'll break it down for you.

Let's split this into three section...the good...the bad...and the really good!

The Good:
Today quite possibly could have been the most perfect morning to run...ever. Temperature steady around 9 degrees C at the start, with absolutely no wind...incredible. I've ran a few different races...in all types of weather, and this was the best by far. Besides the optimal weather, the course was incredible. I live on Yonge St. and it's not too often (or ever for that matter) that you get to run down the middle of the street and blow through red lights. It was an incredible feeling.
The coral system at the starting line worked flawlessly, as this may have been the best race start I've ever experienced. I'll finish the good, by commenting on the on course entertainment...there were no shortage of bands along the course...it felt like one every 2km or so. They were good too (especially the reggae band). Thank you to the entertainers!

The Bad:
I understand that sometimes, it's necessary to spit while running, especially when the weather is a little cool...I may have even been know to hock a loog from time to time myself, but I would never in the middle of the race course. Honestly people...move to the side of the road, look around to make sure you're not going to hit anyone and do your thing. Also, for you running moms out there...leave the baby at home on race day. Don't get me wrong...babies are cute and all, but there are rules against strollers in this race for a reason. The biggest reason being the safety of your kid...13,000 runners...think about it.
Also, the end of the race was a little confusing at Fort York...but it wasn't that bad, and it was the first year for this finish, so things are bound to improve.

The Really Good:
The simple fact that the proceeds of this race go to Camp Oochigeas, which is a camp for children with cancer makes this race amazing. It's great that so many people ran this race, because more money went to the camp...fantastic.

The other really good was personal for me...I finished this race in just over 47 minutes (47:29:00), which although a little slower than I was hoping, was still a personal best for me. I'll take it.

The finisher medal was a nice touch, but I'd rather see the money spent on them go back to Camp Oochigeas. The shirts on the other hand were great technical shirts which you can wear running anytime. The odd thing was that the head hole was a little tight (on the mens small size)...kind of weird...lucky for me I have a small head.

All in all a great race, which I will definitely be running again.

Heads up 45 minutes...I'm gunning for you next year!

Here's my race playlist from today...
Bloc Party - Banquet
Broken Social Scene - 7/4 Shoreline
Bullet for My Valentine - Tears Don't Fall
Curtis Mayfield - Move On Up
Ludacris - Move Bitch
k-os - Valhalla
k-os - 4 3 2 1
Matt and Kim - Daylight
Mother Mother - Hayloft
Queens of the Stone Age - You Think I Ain't Worth a Dollar, but I Feel Like a Millionaire
Tokyo Police Club - Your English Is Good
U2 - Beautiful Day (Oakenfold remix)