Another race in Burlington

On Good Friday March 21st, the Burlington Runners Club is having their annual 5k / 10 mile Good Friday races. For more information see their website at Burlington Runners

New Canadian Running Magazine

Are you running either one of the Ottawa race Weekend races, the Mississauga Marathon or the Vancouver Marathon? IF you have or are thinkning of registering you are eligible to receive a free subscription to iRun magazine. For more details click here iRUN.

Ham Run Half Marathon

This may be a little far to go for a half Marathon, but some of us may be interested and it is for a good cause.

Ham Run Half Marathon

Run the Trail Less Traveled

This is your chance to be a part of something good. It’s a feel good event put on by good people and supported by even better people. You have the opportunity to help support the Ham Run Half Marathon. This isn’t just about a race but also about a fire, the Ham Lake Fire that began on May 5, 2007. That fire ravaged Minnesota’s Gunflint Trail and after the smoke settled things were different and we want to celebrate that difference.

The Ham Run Half Marathon is a journey; A journey along the Gunflint Trail Scenic Byway through the Superior National Forest. It’s a wilderness run that starts 43 miles from Grand Marais, MN. Runners will see trees sprouting, new growth and the beauty of the Gunflint Trail.

This race will benefit the Upper Shore Center for Athletics and Fitness which is a part of the Cook County School System, ISD 166. “The Upper Shore Center for Athletics and Fitness gives students and community members the opportunity to exercise in a safe, clean, friendly and professional environment. We offer you an opportunity to improve your overall quality of life through education and promotion of physical activity for health and wellness.”

The race takes place during the Gunflint Green Up on the Gunflint Trail. Participants can plant trees, learn about eco friendly ideas and enjoy the wilderness by participating in the Ham Run Half Marathon. This is your chance to be involved in the greening up of the Gunflint Trail.

The Ham Run Half Marathon will be held on May 4, 2008. Registration will be on Saturday May 3rd at the Lake Superior Trading Post followed by a pre-race pasta feed at the Birch Terrace. There will be a 5k fun run on the 4th and after the races there will be a post race party at the end of the trail and Way of the Wilderness Canoe Outfitters. Food, live music and massage therapists will all be a part of the celebration after the race.

You can find more information online at http://www.hamrunhalfmarathon.com. There’s a registration form that can be downloaded and mailed in with a check or an online registration if you prefer to pay with a credit card. On behalf of the Ham Run Half Marathon Race Committee we invite you to join us in the celebration and come run the trail less traveled.

Sincerely,

Sue Prom Race Chairperson

www.hamrunhalfmarathon.com 218-388-2224 info@hamrunhalfmarathon.com

Susan MP Prom

Voyageur Canoe Outfitters- Where the Gunflint Trail Ends and your Voyage Begins!

189 Sag Lake Trail Grand Marais, MN 55604

218-388-2224 1-888-CANOEIT



Check out the Boundary Waters Blog Today!

Who you Calling a Fat Ass

From Friday's Globe and Mail

January 25, 2008 at 8:42 AM EST

Who you calling Fat Ass?
Forget the funny name. This runner's club will cover 72 kilometres in sub-zero temperatures just for beer, haggis and the hell of it
PATRICK WHITE

VANCOUVER — Tales of hikers lost in Lynn Valley after nightfall saturate the logs of North Shore Search and Rescue. Every winter, without fail, a few veer off course and spend a winter night flirting with hypothermia on the cliff-strewn mountainsides that flank Vancouver to the north.

This time of year there's an extra wrinkle: "Hazardous winter conditions," warns the ranger's stern voice on the park information line. "Expect snow and ice on all of our trails."

Such were the conditions on Wednesday when an accountant, a contractor and a computer programmer, among others, suited up in running tights, sneakers and headlamps at 9 p.m. to trot the trail.

"Is this dangerous?" they are asked of jogging the eight-kilometre circuit in a -2 C chill.

"Depends what you call dangerous," says the programmer, Colin Freeland, 38, who totes a cellphone and a space blanket just in case.

"Lots of spots for banging toes and twisting ankles," says the contractor, John Machray, 55, who has already run 10 kilometres from home just to get to the trailhead. "It's sloppy and slippery, rocky and rooty."

With that, they're off, crunching up the dark, frost-hardened trail, each puffing columns of vapour, each assured in the company of their fellow maniacs.

Call them fat asses. The term has become a badge of honour in Vancouver's running community, where members of a burgeoning group called Club Fat Ass have garnered a reputation for their hijinks off the beaten trail.

"We're known for excessive running followed by excessive beer drinking," Mr. Machray says.

Their events, or "informal endurance sports parties," have become legend for reasons the race names alone explain: New Year's Day Fat Ass 50 Run and Freeze Your Fat Ass Swim, Ann's Get Your Fat Ass Off The Couch Run, Pure Foolishness 72K.

The fat ass concept started in California during the late seventies. An ultra-marathoner named Joe Oakes organized an informal 50-mile run and figured the name Fat Ass 50 would make it less intimidating.

The no-frills concept spread to Vancouver in 1993, when Ean Jackson inaugurated the New Year's Day Fat Ass 50 as a torturous hangover antidote for friends.

"I wanted it to be no frills and no charge," says Mr. Jackson, 50. "It was my gift to my buddies on New Year's Day."

The fat asses soon took to the Web, using it to organize runs without the hassles of registration, fees and formal prizes. "If you just put it on the Web, you can keep it small and keep it simple," Mr. Jackson says. "You don't need $150, you're not going to get a T-shirt."

Fat asses don't get rewarded for best times either. Instead, prizes might go to the runner who ventured farthest off course, suffered the worst injury or picked up the most garbage.

Club members now hold more than 50 free oddball events a year.

Some runs are less structured than others.

In 2003, four fat asses set out to conquer the 180-kilometre stretch of rock and salal between Desolation Sound and Saltery Bay along the Sunshine Coast.

"We almost got killed the first year," says Mr. Jackson, one member of the foursome. "We got lost. Real lost. The local community told us it couldn't be run."

The next year they returned, and Mr. Jackson completed the course in two days.

"I ran the whole thing on rice pudding and beef jerky," he says.

Tonight's run is a short affair leading up to next week's seven-hour Run For the Haggis (kilts, scotch and fake Scottish accents encouraged at the after party) and the Capilano Canyon Night Run - Mardi Gras on Feb. 16, for which costumes are optional.

Back in the Lynn Valley, the five runners keep a tight formation, hemmed in by trickling brooks and towering second-growth evergreens that block out the waning moon.

At the top, the path gets slippery. They carefully pick their way down a set of ice-covered stairs.

Mr. Freeland normally runs the loop in about 55 minutes. Tonight the time will be longer. But that's okay.

"Part of the beauty of CFA is that nobody really cares how fast you are," says Karl Jensen, 58, still sore after completing the Pure Foolishness 72K last weekend in about 14 hours. This March he plans to run a 100-miler with Mr. Machray.

"The times are on the honour system. There's nobody waiting at the finish line with a stopwatch, so you can run as slow as you want for as far as you want. We call it the roll-your-own model."

It's that informality that attracted Penny Jakobsen, 43, a Vancouver mother of four, to the club last August. She joined up the first time she saw the club's bright red T-shirts with the slogan, "I may be a fat ass but I'm in front of you" emblazoned across the back.

"I thought it would be intimidating at first with all these serious athletes, but they're just as serious about having a good time," Ms. Jakobsen says.

With many of the most active members ranging into their 50s and 60s, she saw her fellow club members more as inspiration than intimidation.

When the Lynn Valley runners finally make it back to the trailhead, Mr. Machray pulls out a Caramilk bar and explains the age range.

"Age doesn't matter in ultra running," he says. "We have women in their 60s and guys in their 20s."

The accountant, Ron Adams, 59, adds that the combination of slow speeds and spongy trails strengthens connective tissues in ways that road running does not.

"It's extreme sports for old folks," says Mr. Machray, before finishing his Caramilk and padding quickly into the night. "Only another 10 kilometres to go."

The Spirit of the Marathon

Another trailer for an inspirational movie, for anyone who is thinking of or planning on running a marathon, or any running event int he future.

Ultra Marathon Running Movie - Indulgence

If this is ever available in Canada it would an inspirational video to watch.

Runners World ad from 25 years ago

For more, sometimes hilarious, pages from Runners World go to:

Runners World 25 years ago

Valentines Race in Burlington

From VR Pro Inc:

Our Valentines Sweethearts 5k race is coming up on February 10th at Cedar Springs Health Racquets and Sportsclub. This is a couples (tied together) and singles race with age category medals for both events. Technical T-shirts available to the first 300 that register. Paradiso Restaurant offers dinner for 2 for overall winners and first in each age category plus serving up fabulous Pizza upon finishing the race. Bring your bathing suits and enjoy a swim or whirl pool in the fabulous club!! Great prizes courtesy of Advanced Rejuvenation Medical Spa!!! www.restoringnaturalbeauty.com Hope to see you there. Register on www.vrpro.ca



As most of you are aware our HSBC Chilly Half is sold out but there is a waiting list you may go on www.vrpro.ca plus there are still 300 spots available for the Frosty 5k so hope to see you there. We are hoping to accept more for 2009 so if you didn't make it into the Chilly this year lets hope to see you next year.
We are looking for volunteers so if you can spare some time please email jess_arnott@hotmail.com

We have a new location for our Advanced Rejuvenation St Patrick's Day 5k race on March 15th which is the Queens Head on Brant Street. Lots of fun in this fast flat course, we are once again offering technical shirts, green beer, great medals and prizes. Sign up on www.vrpro.ca


See you at the races!
VR Pro Inc
Kelly Arnott
Race Coordinator
vrpro@sympatico.ca
561 Brant Street, Po Box 85030 Burlington L7R 4K3
www.vrpro.ca
tel: 905-639-8053
fax: 905-639-2950
mobile: 905-512-2488

Disney Marathon Results

Here are the results of Sunday's Marathon, congratulations to all. Special mention to all those "Goofy" individuals: Clarence Wang, Sylvie Phillips, Neil Phillips, Amanda Ridding, Andrew Craig, Michelle Leigh & Marilyn Preece.

Disney Half Results

Achilles St. Patrick's Day 5K Run/Walk

The following was passed on to us from Achilles Canada. Looks like a worthwhile event.

Happy New Year's Friends of Achilles,

It is with much excitement that I share with you an opportunity to join other friends, corporations and charitable organizations in supporting the 9th Annual Achilles St. Patrick's Day 5K Run/Walk, to be held back at The Roundhouse in Toronto on Sunday, March 16, 2008.

The annual Achilles St. Patrick's Day Run/Walk is organized by Achilles Canada, a non-profit organization that assists Canadians with disabilities to participate in the sport of running, which creates awareness and break down barriers between Achilles athletes and able-bodied participants.

Your support or donation of $300 will entitle you to either enter a team of 10 runners/walkers or allow 10 disabled athletes who otherwise could not afford the entry fee of $30 to participate in this fun 5K event celebrating St. Patrick's Day. You can also make a donation for as little as $30 to invite a disabled athlete and Achilles Canada will issue you a tax receipt.

As president of Achilles Canada and an accomplished Achilles athlete who is both legally blind and hearing impaired, I ask that you please consider supporting our biggest fundraiser of the year. Should you have any questions or would like me to mail you some entry forms, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Thank you kindly,

Brian McLean, President
Achilles Canada
119 Snowdon Avenue
Toronto, Ontario M4N 2A8
Telephone: 416-485-6451
Website: www.achillescanada.ca

9th Annual Achilles St. Patrick's Day 5K Run/Walk Sponsored By: Irish Spring, Scotiabank Group and Ricoh Canada will be on Sunday, March 16, 2008.

NEW but not so unfamiliar, we are moving back to our old home and sponsor - Steam Whistle Brewing at The Roundhouse, 255 Bremner Blvd.

Disney Weekend

Our hats go off to this coming weekends participants in the Disney World Races, we have quite a few people doing not only the Marathon or half Marathon, tthe Goofy Challenge (The half and full Marathon), and some are even doing the 5k prior to the Goofy. Good luck to all and send us pictures and reports when you get back.

Get Out There Magazine

This was sent to us from the Publisher of Get Out There Magazine:

It’s Marissa here – publisher of Get Out There Magazine. I have some information that I thought your members might be interested in.

Get Out There is launching a new electronic version of the magazine. I’ve attached the press release for your information. It is free to subscribe. Essentially, the electronic version is the same as the print magazine – with bonus features such as embedded videos and audio clips, live links to websites, etc.

You can view a sample issue of Get Out There to see how this technology will work: http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/dawson/getoutthere-nxtd/

As we are just launching, we’re trying to get the word out to people that might be interested in subscribing. I wondered if you might be able to communicate this with your members? On a related note, we are actually drawing for a ski trip for four to Smuggler’s Notch in Vermont to anyone who signs up by January 31st. Again, it’s totally free – so would be a great benefit to offer to your members.

For your convenience I have attached a promo paragraph that we’ve been sending out. Feel free to use this if you like.

We’d be so appreciative of any support you could provide!

Thanks in advance for your consideration!

Marissa

Get Out There Magazine is giving away free subscriptions to its new electronic editions. For the first time you can receive Get Out There direct to your inbox – and never miss another issue! The electronic editions have all the same great information as the print magazine, but with bonus features such as video and audio clips, links to race registration pages and more! Get Out There is Canada’s most comprehensive guide to sports and outdoor recreation – right in your own backyard! Sign up before January 31st and be automatically entered into a contest to win a ski trip for four to Smuggler’s Notch in Vermont! And don’t forget the best part…it’s totally free! Sign up at http://www.getouttheremag.com/subscribeEEdition.php.


Get Out There Magazine is Canada’s most-widely distributed regional sports and outdoor publication. With print editions serving 160,000 readers each issue across Ontario and western Canada, Get Out There Magazine is Canada’s premier source for sports, outdoor recreation, adventure and play!

Get Out There Online is Canada’s online hub for amateur sports and outdoor recreation information. Featuring a national calendar of sports and outdoor events, weekly e-newsletters and electronic versions of the print editions of the magazine, Get Out There Online serves thousands of athletes across Canada each month.

Get Out There Magazine Launches Online Editions and Targets 20,000 New Subscribers in 2008
Toronto, Ontario (January 7, 2008) --- Get Out There Magazine is pleased to announce the launch of electronic versions of its two publications. Effective March 1, readers will be able to view the magazines in their entirety online with special features such as embedded video and audio clips, live links to advertisers’ websites and search functions. The publication is targeting 20,000 new request subscribers to the electronic editions by the end of 2008, increasing Get Out There’s total distribution to 100,000 each issue.

Once again Get Out There will be on the cutting edge, being among one of the only sport and outdoor publications in Canada utilizing this technology.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity for us to be able to offer our advertisers ‘request subscribers’ in addition to our very targeted circulation through retail outlets and at sporting events across the country,” says Get Out There publisher Marissa Schroder. “It allows us to maintain our unmatched grassroots distribution, while reaching a new group of highly qualified readers.”

“It allows us to ensure that our existing readers never have to miss an issue of Get Out There. For those who are outside of our distribution areas or who missed picking up the last edition at their favourite store, they’ll still be able to access all the great information they look forward to reading in each issue.”

In addition to increased circulation, the electronic editions will offer a variety of a-la-carte enhancements to ads. “Our advertisers will be able to utilize this technology to enhance their ads by embedding videos and live links directly into the online pages,” says Schroder. The technology also provides comprehensive reporting features that allow advertisers to get an excellent idea of who is viewing their ads, clicking through to their websites and how much time they are spending doing it. “It’s a great way for advertisers to see the impact their ads are having,” continues Schroder.

The launch is another major step forward for the publication which has expanded exponentially since its launch in 2004. In early 2006 the then Toronto-based publication purchased Adventure West Magazine in Vancouver, re-branding it as Get Out There and extending the reach of both publications beyond their initial city focus. Today, each issue of Get Out There reaches 160,000 readers across the country through distribution at targeted retail locations and annually in over 150,000 race kits and event bags.

An aggressive, multi-faceted subscription campaign is already underway and will involve print and online advertising, promotion at races and events, and marketing through sports and recreation clubs across the country. The current issue of Get Out There features a draw for new subscribers to win a ski trip for four to Smugglers’ Notch in Vermont.

For more information or to view an online demonstration of the new editions, please contact:

Marissa Schroder
Publisher
Get Out There Magazine / Get Out There Online

John Stanton in Barrie

John Stanton, the founder of the Running Room will be in Barrie tonight (January 8th) at the Running Room, 7 - 9pm. As well as listening to great speaker talk about something we all love to do, we will be presenting John with a Barrie RoadRunners shirt. So if you are free tonight stop by.

Snowflake 10k - Jan 1st

Several runners from Barrie braved the wintery conditions to run the annual New Year's 10k race in Orillia, part of the Snowflake Series now organized by Velocity Bicyles. While many people are now making this an annual tradition, some may not remember when it was 15k for January 1st! There were also a lot of people wearing new running jackets "the morning after the night before." Congratulations to all.

Winter Running Blaws??? Read this.

The following article appeared on the Runners World Website

PLOW THROUGH THE SEASON
The best way to run strong in the spring is to keep running through the winter. Here's how:
By Ed Eyestone

PUBLISHED 11/28/2006


If you're looking for a way to keep your training consistent when the snow starts to fly, do what I did one record-setting bitter winter: Move to Mexico. If moving south of the border isn't an option, you still can maintain a high level of training throughout the winter months-without saying good-bye to speedwork, tempo runs, or long runs. You just need to be a little more flexible and creative with your running regimen.

Speedwork, for example, doesn't strictly mean a track workout. You can take some of your favorite track workouts on the road. In general, this means running for time instead of distance. Yes, this will only approximate the length of your repeats, but you'll still strengthen your aerobic and anaerobic systems, not to mention your legs.

Hard-core winter runners also have to become weather watchers and build flexibility into their training schedules. If a storm front looks to be rolling in on the weekend, get your long run done on Friday. An unexpected break in the weather might mean scheduling that hard workout today rather than the day after tomorrow. And any time you're running outdoors during these messy gray winter months, assume you're invisible to traffic. Dress like a Christmas tree, wearing as much reflective gear and as many light-producing products as possible. Always run against traffic, and constantly think about what you'll do if an oncoming car suddenly loses control and starts sliding toward you.

Once you've hit upon a good-weather day and strapped on your holiday light show, try any of the following winter variations on three classic workouts.

Mile Repeats: Take your mile repeats to a stretch of road where the traffic is light and the turns are infrequent. Start your watch and run the time it takes to normally complete a mile at your 5-K or 10-K pace. Run 4 or 5 of these repeats, taking 4 to 5 minutes recovery between them. Do this workout once a week, or alternate it with the mile breakdown every other week throughout the winter.

Mile Breakdown: A classic breakdown workout on the track might look like this: mile (1600), 1200, 1000, 800, 400, picking up the pace with each interval. For the off-track version, run hard for 10 minutes, 5 minutes, 3 minutes, 2 minutes, and 1 minute, and gradually pick up the pace with each drop in time. Take a one-to-one recovery (jog easy for the same length of time as the speed segment) after each repetition, and make sure you're running close to top speed on the final 1-minute burst.

Long Run: Combine a moderately long outdoor run with a moderately long treadmill run. Start outdoors by running for 75 to 90 minutes on an out-and-back or loop course. When you finish the outdoor leg, rehydrate, dry off, change all of your running clothes (even your shoes if they're wet), and hop on the treadmill for another 60 to 75 minutes. I like to keep the treadmill at 0-percent grade on these long runs to avoid aggravating the Achilles tendons. If you're running early in the morning, you could do the treadmill segment first so that you get the indoor portion done during the darkness and then hit the road once the sun has risen. But it's hard to pull on layers of running clothes even after drying off from your indoor workout. And beware that the winter air may seem much colder to you when you first head out after your treadmill session.

Happy New Year

Well its a new year and hopefully everyone is looking forward to warmer weather and running in shorts sometime soon (hard to think of when it is -20C outside). Hopefully we will be keeping the website up to date with your events, results and pictures. Please send in any items you want to see posted or anything you feel is relevant.
Some of the high lights that we think some maybe interested in are:

For the adventurous among us (read crazy): The Jay Marathon in Jay Vermont, actually 33 miles and all trail up and down a mountain, through rivers, up creeks (without paddle), mud, sand, bush, you name it. A lot of fun. There is also a half (29k).

The usual "local" races, Around the Bay, The Chilly Half, Mississauga, Ottawa, Huronia Half in Midland, Ganaraska Trail runs, Peterborough and many more.

Feel like doing an Ultra, the are number of 25k or longer trail races as part of the Ontario Ultra Series, or maybe you would like to do the JFK 50 miler in Maryland in the Fall. We have a few members going to this one, any one is welcome, you don't have to be nuts, it just helps.

Stay tuned for more