Sunday, April 29, 2012.
North York, Ontario
Sunny, 7 degrees celsius
Time: 9 am
The Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College held the Backs in Motion run for a 27th straight year, hosting the latest edition on their campus grounds at Leslie and Steeles on April 29. The 10km route was altered slightly this year, consisting of a double loop of the 5km route. Both the 5km and 10km runs started on Leslie St., headed south to Finch Ave., and then looped back north through a trail system en route to the finish line in the CMCC parking lot.
There were approximately 200 runners in total at the Backs in Motion run, a good number considering that April 29 was a busy day for road races in Southern Ontario. The 10km runners began their race just before 9am, and the 5km started at 9:15am. While there was potential for a bottleneck along the trail portion of the course, it never happened — the 10km field was well spread out by the time the larger contingent of 5km runners had entered the park. The course itself was moderately challenging, offering a few inclines and declines but was otherwise flat with sufficient spacing.
Of note, an aid station was strategically placed at the base of a steep decline, just inside the entrance to the park from Finch Ave. East. Whether it was intentional or not, runners did take it easy down the slope thanks in part to the sight of awaiting water cups. I recalled this slope vividly as the one that I had descended a bit too quickly two years ago, and shortly after was forced to drop out of the 10km race due to injury. Fortunately, I did finish this time around, albeit with a somewhat pedestrian time in the 5km run.
Everything else about the event was smooth and organized, from the registration to the marshalling. Disruption to traffic was minimal, and most of Leslie St. and Finch Ave. East were open to traffic by 10am. Even the weather cooperated, with lots of sunshine and cool but seasonal temperatures. About the only glitch in the event was an initial copy of the 5km results posted after the race with incorrect finishing times. The results had added several minutes to everyone’s finishing time, causing many confused participants to check their watches and confirm if they had all run a lot slower than initially thought! Fortunately, corrected results were posted shortly after.
While the venue and distances have changed over its 27 year existence, the Backs in Motion run remains a fixture in the Toronto road race scene.
