Backs in Motion 10km & 5km
Sunday, April 18, 2010 @ 9am; CMCC Campus, North York, Ont.
Sunny, 8 degrees celcius
Runners and chiropractors in the Toronto area have likely heard of this event, even if it is more by name than by race course. Like most events held within the 416 area code, the route for the Backs in Motion run/walk has either been tweaked or transformed on a regular basis. Considering this is the 25th annual edition of the event, that is many changes indeed.
I first ran the Backs in Motion event several years ago when it was a 5km run held in Sunnybrook Park. Apart from one notable hill and a few narrow stretches, there was not much else on that route to slow down its participants when the event was held there (proof was a sub-14 minute winning time by future STWM winner Danny Kassap). Fast forward to this year’s edition, and the dynamics of the route was completely different.
The event was recently relocated to the area surrounding the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College’s (CMCC) campus on Leslie Street between Steeles Ave. and Finch Ave. Both the 10km and 5km routes consisted of city streets and paved park walkway (I entered the 10km run). The start area itself was on a moderate incline, which set the tone for the rest of the race. There was a sufficient amount of small rolling grades to keep the pace conservative as we ran southbound on Leslie St. and turned right onto Finch Ave. E. From there, participants entered a park area and completed a short out-and-back portion on paved pathways before heading north through the park to the finish line.
For me, the trickiest part of the route was the entry point from Finch Ave. E. to the park area. It consisted of a steeper-than-expected decline of combined grass and interlocking stone. It was where I felt a tweak in my left leg that eventually led to my first DNF of the season. Luckily for me, the support was fantastic. Thanks to the bike medic, race officials and volunteers who helped me out on the course. Thanks as well to the CMCC students and staff who treated me — they volunteered their time to help the runners. Yes, if I was forced to pick one race to get injured in, this would probably be the one!
As for the other details of the race:
1) The timing was not done with shoe and ankle chips, but rather with RRResults’ system of timing that involved a timing device being taped to the back of the race bib (a new concept to those who have not run other RRResults-timed events, such as the Bay Street Rat Race). With this method of timing, the warning “no bib, no chip, no time” truly needs to be taken seriously!
2) Parking access to the CMCC campus itself was restricted, so participants ended up parking their vehicles in nearby neighbourhood streets and plaza parking lots.
3) Water stations were on the course, though I did not make it to either of them.
4) Team Running Free was well represented, with Oswin Hall finishing 8th overall in the 10km, Ken Cheung 10th, and Laurent Saugrin 30th, to name a few (apologies to all other TRF participants I failed to mention).
Perhaps the most surprising detail of all is the participation numbers. There was probably 400 participants at most in this year’s event, a number that I expected to be much higher. This might be more an indication of a busy race calendar than the event itself. Because one thing is for certain: the quality of the event is undeniable, with solid organization and attention to detail that seasoned runners will appreciate. It is easy to see why the event has lasted 25 years, a feat that few other races in the GTA have accomplished.
