Around the Bay 2-person relay
Date: Sun. March 28, 2010.
Time: 9:30 a.m.
Website: www.bayrace.com
Weather: Overcast/light rain 7 degrees c.
Timing method: Championchip
I might have been the only Team Running Free runner to take part in the relay portion. Wait, correction — I might have been the only one who NEEDED to take part in the relay portion.
While my TRF teammates were conquering the legendary 30km course with sparkling finishing times, I struggled right out of the gate. For some reason, the first 5km was a painful run filled with frequent stops, cramping and a whopping 7:35 per km (yes, km!) pace. It was during this time that I thanked my lucky stars I was not running the full distance, as my “RTFM” relay partner Mike patiently waited at the 15km mark while I plodded along.
See, Mike had never ran the Around the Bay previously despite being an avid runner and Hamilton-area resident. He was easily sold on the idea of the 2-person relay and even gamely chose the tougher half of the route. I had thoughts of an easy PB time for 15km, since I was already familiar with the course after completing the full 30km course several years ago, and I knew how flat and fast the first 15km was.
But then things don’t always go as planned, and a clear lack of off-season conditioning took its toll in the first 30 minutes of the race. It also didn’t help that the water stations were spaced so far apart (sometimes 5km apart), which was my only complaint about the race logistics. After the first 40 mins, I was finally able to settle into my target race pace for the next 7 km. Fatigue set in for the last two kms, and I finally reached the relay transfer point in a personal “worst” 15km race time. To his credit, Mike was unfazed by the longer-than-expected wait, and ran the final 15km to bring our team home in a total time of 3 hours 25 mins. Pretty good for an ATB rookie!
It was while watching Mike’s finish that I experienced something new at the Around the Bay — Copps Coliseum. When I ran the 30km, the finish line was outdoors and the Convention Centre was our post-race indoor hangout. Those who remember that previous set-up can attest to the congestion in the Convention Centre before and after the race.
This time, I was able to comfortably sit with Mike’s family in the stands of Copps Coliseum as we watched him finish with an unobstructed view, complete with video feed from the scoreboard. While I thought the finishing stretch appeared way too narrow for my preference, that was the only thing I could criticize about the set-up. There are clear benefits of hosting the event from a hockey arena that is built to accomodate thousands of people. This was the only major event where I was able to find plenty of washrooms and space to stretch before the race, and a prime seat to watch the finish afterwards. Other marathons and large races should consider trying something similar.
On top of that, I had no trouble finding parking right next to the arena, despite arriving just 45 minutes before the race started. I dare say that the Around the Bay still lives up to its strong billing, and the 10,000+ participants in attendance are a testament to that. One thing’s for sure, a certain ATB rookie enjoyed the entire race experience.
Great write-up Ben, you captured the event well. Thanks for the props, I think you were a little too hard on yourself though. You had a good run too.
I agree about the water stations! Glad you enjoyed the race.
this was my first ATb, well my first race ever and i was wondering about the water stations, I decided to take my own water next time but I had such a great time and to finish in under 3 hrs for a first time out runner I was more than happy.