Chilly ½ marathon ~ Burlington, Ontario
March 3rd, 2013
Much has been written about this event. It’s one of Ontario’s premier late winter/early spring ½’s attracting many runners. The Chilly is a well organized race. There is a high level of communication between the organizers and participants, the course is well marked, aid stations are available along the race course, and the post race food, and medal are well received. Moreover, in addition to the usual race-kit goodies, the Chilly offers a running shell (jacket) which in itself is worth the cost of admission. It’s important to note that Burlington’s downtowns Businesses do a great job of supporting the event as well. Many local eateries provide post race meals including a hot bowl of chilly!
I will admit, I may sound like a broken record with the opening sentences of this report. The two weeks preceding the event the weather up in the Highland’s region was anything but dependable. Heavy snow, winds, extreme cold, add a few days of mild to unseasonably warm temperatures made it difficult to train outdoors with any consistency. Going into Sunday’s run I was simply hoping to finish within my norm, and if things were to go well, I’d attempt to test my level of overall fitness at the ½ marathon distance. If anything I was looking at this race and the upcoming Around the Bay as simply part of a base millage building period preceding a summer’s worth of marathon training.
The majority of the course runs along Lakeshore Blvd. It’s not a flat course, but it does offer just the right amount gentle inclines or “rollers” to challenge a runner. Overall, considering this winter’s weather, the course was relatively dry and ice free. One complaint that I do have with the event is that there are no specific start corrals. Pace bunnies hold up their time placards, however, in my opinion, the forward area of the starting line is a tad congested. I guess this is to be expected with a popular event in the GTA. Never the less, within the first three or so kilometres, the mass of humanity thins out and runners of similar abilities keep each other company.
It was great to see a good number of Team Running Free jerseys out on the course, and equally refreshing to hear cheers from the crowd specifically supporting TRF! I for one feel a sense of camaraderie even though I may not know the runner under the jersey. In conclusion, it was a good day. On a personal level, I had a great run, and left the race feeling satisfied. Onward to Hamilton’s ATB come the end of the March.
