Event: A Midsummer Night’s Run
Date:
Worry is thinking about the unknown and fearing the outcome. People will choose to readily admit, deny, or outright lie about the following fact: most runners carry some degree of worry with them. Some do it a little. Some do it a lot. I’m no exception. Whether it’s dwelling on the downside of recent training sessions, mistaking minor irritations as the precursor to career-ending injuries, or obsessively checking weather forecasts every nine minutes or so a week out from race day, there are certain factors that can weigh heavy in a runner’s mind as an event approaches.
Having said that, if one can control and analyze worry, it can guide you to what is meaningful, help identify what you can or cannot change, and predict bad outcomes before you encounter them to help avoid them.
The 2013 Midsummer Night’s Run was not a goal race of mine by any stretch. Rather I tend to treat this as a mid-term exam (or more affectionately…my ‘annual August a** kicker’. A cautionary tale to analyze progress and scare me straight if you will…) for the Fall season. I have never thought of it as the most fun, most organized, or best race experience on the calendar, but when I heard the usual course had not been given a permit due to construction, and the agreed upon best alternative was Toronto Island…
Cue the worry.
Now I’ve run the island a couple of times as part of the Longboat Island Run, but that’s early on a Sunday morning after school has started, not on a beautiful late Saturday afternoon in the height of tourist season. Longboat is a shorter course that’s pretty straightforward and has about half as many entrants. Having marshalled other events in parks and public spaces that don’t have an exclusive use permit I immediately recognized and dreaded the logistical nightmare that was about to be undertaken.
Identify the challenges. Predict the bad outcomes.
Narrow paths. Mixed surfaces. Likely looping back towards or lapping packs of runners who may be competing with tourists as well as each other for real estate. The expectation of traffic jams. The unpredictable boardwalk…repeatedly.
Added to the mix, is that this is the one event where I have a hard time trusting the course marshals. Two years ago the 30km course was cut short thanks to a marshal steering folks the wrong way, and many a time I’ve had to get their attention in order to find out which way to go next if the preceding runner is no longer in my sightline. With a two and a sort-of-half loop course for the 30km route this was one feeling of dread I knew I wouldn’t shake.
I carried this worry for a while. Finally to preserve my own sanity I actually, for the first time ever, developed an exit strategy. I would be seeing my favourite (six point) five kilometre finishers (ß more on THAT tidbit later) at the 12km and 23km marks according to the map, and based on time, position, and general frustration as to what I had faced to that point, I would make the call at those points whether or not to carry on.
Within the first loop I was thankful to only be narrowly missed by four bikes (tandem, quad, or otherwise) and thanks to the lead pack splitting off leaving only myself and one other runner as a chase duo (with whom I had a lovely chat for a couple of kilometres or so, in between asking marshals which road we’re turning onto as they were preoccupied with texting and finding shade, or guessing whether or not ‘left’ at a lone marshal-less pylon meant 90 degrees, northwest, gradual fade, etc.). There was even one spot in the road where I came to a complete stop and looked around as there was NO ONE or no indication to point which way to go. Thankfully the bike escort riding with the lead female came into view and set us on the right course.
Everything that I had thought could go wrong was happening.
But with all that chaos, I was still tracking right around 4:00/km, so, onward to lap two! When I crossed the start mats again I glanced back for my new friend but he was dropping off a tad. With no one else in view I decided to try and open it up a bit and see if I could catch sight of the first group.
All of a sudden, the weirdest thing happened. I was surrounded by about half a dozen folks that seem to materialize out of thin air. Now while my faithful Garmin had told me the pace had dropped slightly, I did wonder to myself if I could find a similar magic portal to help me along for the rest of the lap. Nonetheless…
Completed the second lap with much of the same difficulty (parts of the path totally covered in sand, weaving through other runners and civilians, timing my cadence on the boardwalk to not get motion sick or bounced by a loose board, and dozens of wandering tourists who think folks in full flight can stop on a dime without causing harm to themselves or others…you know…typical fare…) but I did get one surprise on the second approach of the start mats…that spot where there was no one last time now had six people to point us the right way! Progress!
Crossing the mat the second time I was told I was in 9th spot. Decent placing but not likely to make up much ground in the last 7km so it was time to lock down and just try for a solid finish. Was passed by a few folks, and caught a couple of my own, so I figured I was on my way to a top 15, and more importantly was going to escape the island unscathed, when an old nemesis made an appearance.
A side stitch that felt like a gunshot. Wait…double check to make sure it’s NOT a gunshot. No blood…can’t breathe…yep…stitch. I was done.
Dropped down to a glorified jog, then with just over one kilometre left to go marshals magically developed the dual powers of speech and demonstrative direction, and vehemently tried to send me back on course AGAIN! Thankfully an impromptu volunteer in the form of 15km winner Predrag Mladenovic knew what I was trying to get across to the ‘official’ crew, and steered me in the right direction towards the finish, which happened to be around hundreds of folks waiting for a ferry.
At this point, I just wanted it to be over.
Regardless of the challenges presented on the Island this year, the one consistent problem with this event each time I’ve run it is the lack of training and attentiveness of key course marshals. Many of the logistical problems could’ve been alleviated had they spent more time paying attention to the event taking place in front of them, were vocal with runners and firm but polite to bystanders (most people actually aren’t jerks and are more than willing to clear a path if they’re made aware of what’s going on) and if they were stationed correctly.
While I agree there is a covenant that exists between racer (you are expected to do the best you can to know the route and course ahead of time) and Race Organizer (they are expected to provide an accurately measured, marked, barricaded, and marshalled route to avoid any ambiguity or misunderstanding), by the same token every precaution should still be taken to ensure participants don’t go the wrong way – especially on a course as convoluted as this one.
There’s a simple two-step concept that would go a long way to making a better race experience for everyone: You should never have to ASK a marshal for directions. If there is ANY chance or opportunity for someone to go off course (ramp, side street, driveway, path, etc.) have either a marshal or a very prominent barricade at said spot.
This would’ve solved a majority of the problems within the race.
As such, I shudder to think how many folks either cut or lengthened the course. The aforementioned five kilometre event was a six-and-a-half kilometre disaster, as it appears the first two folks were SO far in front that the 3rd place runner may have gone off course, likely because of inadequate markers or marshals, causing a Pied Piper effect. Even one of the 30km pacers admitted on his own site that he showed up late to the event, so to make up time on course he took a 1.5km shortcut. I wonder how many people followed him as well.
After that the problems started to compound. The second truck with bags didn’t get to the post-race area until much later. There appeared to be several timing issues. And finally, the joy of competing for ferry space with the hundreds of other Island visitors that were also heading out around the same time.
Many of the complaints people had this year will not be of any real concern for the organizers, as this was expected to be a one-time temporary location, though I struggle to see how this could have possibly been the BEST alternative in the proposals that were submitted.
Regardless of the venue, there always seem to be more cons than pros after this race, which makes me tell myself “never again” after each running. People tend to counter rather passionately with comments like “worthy cause”, “great medal”, “awesome shirt” – to which I say “make a donation”, “buy or make yourself an award”, and “shop Running Free – they have a great selection of shirts too!”
The most important thing that matters to me these days is if I’m investing money and time is to have a quality RUNNING experience.
Unfortunately, having an event with a selection of distances and perfect timing leading up to fall marathon (or half-marathon) season could very likely make memories fade (again), and cause most (myself included) to foolishly forgive and forget over the next 12 months, just in time for another disappointment.
At least now I should now have no uncertainty or uneasy feelings about what could be forthcoming…I hope.
