There has been a lot of hype about compression gear over the last few years and it really seems to have taken off in both the running and the triathlon communities.  As far as I can remember, CWX was the pioneer with this technology with companies like Zoot, Skins and 2XU following suit.  […]

Salomon XT Wings 2 S-Lab
Fellow RF’er Harper Forbes has recently posted a review of these shoes, but I just wanted to take the opportunity to echo many of his sentiments about this awesome new shoe in the Salomon 2010 line-up.
Like many adventure racers, I’ve been loyal to the Salomon brand as my first choice in […]

Event: Iroquois Trail Test
Location: Kilbride, Ontario
Date: August 21st, 2010.
The Iroquois Trail Test is a 32km trail race run almost entirely on the Bruce Trail. I’d had my eye on it for a few years but it never managed to fit into my schedule.  This year I’ve put a bit greater focus on my ultrarunning and […]

Event: RockstAR (www.racetherockstar.com)
Location: Bark Lake Leadership Centre, near Irondale, Ontario
Date: July 24th, 2010
Format: 8-hour adventure race
RockstAR is always a highlight of my adventure racing season.  I love the location and being able to stay on site for a reasonable fee; I love that the later race start (11:00 am ) allows for a good night’s […]

 I’ve heard a lot of great comments about this race, so I had been hoping all year that my work schedule would allow me to put it on the calendar.  Fortunately I had the weekend off so I signed up just before online registration closed and started packing up my gear.  I had been checking […]

So why review the Mizuno Nirvana 6 and the Elixir 5 at the same time? The answer is simple; they both nicely complement each other. One can be used for your regular training runs (racing too of course), and the other for racing or speedier workouts.
If you […]

August 8, 2010
During the winter I was told August 14, 2010 was going to be the day of my cousins wedding down in Florida where she lives.  Not long after I found this out I started to search for a triathlon that I could do on the drive down.  I found a small race held […]

The MidSummer’s Night Run provided a unique challenge for me….running in the evening!!  Being a morning person the thought of having to wait till 5:30PM to start a 30K run was a bit unnerving.  I decided to not forgo my regular training schedule for a Saturday, but scaled it back to include only a 2hr […]

Race:  A Midsummer Night’s 30km
Date:  August 21st, 2010
Location:  Toronto
Website:  www.amidsummernightsrun.ca
I had been looking for a race to do in August anything from a 10km to a half marathon would have sufficed so when  my friend Linnea sent me the link for this, I thought perfect, a 30km is even better!  I took a look at […]

In the spring of 2010, I was in my local Milton Running Free store looking to grab another pair of my usual trail runners in the Salomon XT Wings.  I’ve been wearing Salomon’s since I noticed their high profile in adventure racing about 8 years ago - the days of the flashy blue and yellow […]

Last July I had a chance to run with some friends the La Cloche Silhouette Trail in Killarney Provincial Park.  The trail is about 100 km and fairly remote. We decided we’d run the trail in one push rather than the 2 to 4 days that is normally required. To do this, we would have to […]

Race Report
By Roger Hospedales, Team Running Free
Race:  Toronto Island GT 12.9 & Sprint Duathlon
Date:  August 14 & 15, 2010.
Website: http://www.msctriathlon.com/ms/
Sunday August 14, 2010
Toronto Island GT 12.9 (400m swim, 10 km bike, 2.5 km run)
I often get asked why I do these races (being an Ironman guy), and […]

This was a quiet year for me, with only the Niagara Tri on my schedule.  Needless to say my training efforts were not up to par, but I went into the race for a bit of fun nonetheless. 
SwimI was quite surprised, yet pleased to see that the part of Lake Ontario that Grimsby beach occupies […]

  Directions: Exit the 401 at Stewart Rd- exit # 469. Head south and turn right at the first set of lights- Central Ave. Head down Central till you hit the end and park.
Amenities: The nearest bike shop is Cranks Bicycle Shoppe 122 King St West in case you need tubes or anything else. Be […]

Race:  Bracebridge Half Iron Duathlon
Date:  Sunday August 8, 20010
Location:  Annie Williams Park – Bracebridge, Ontario
Description:  7.5 km run, 90 km bike, 21.1 km run
Website: www.msctriathlon.com
It was another rainy day at Bracebridge, but nowhere close to the crazy torrential downpours, thunder, and lightning we had last year during […]

The 1st Annual Dirty Dash
Waterloo, July 18th
This was the most fun race I think I have ever done! There’s something about arriving at a race with a 40 foot long, foot and a half deep pit of mud waiting for you that just tells you that this is not going to be […]

5 Peaks Rattlesnake Point
July 10
Enduro Course - 12.7k
It was a beautiful, sunny, July day.  Perfect weather for a trail race.  The best part of this race for me was that it took me all of 8 minutes to get to the park.  8 mins!!  For the first time ever on race day, I got to […]

In just 2 weeks, our good friend Gord Pauls will be attempting a triple ironman in Penticton, BC. Gord is the co-owner of Runners Den in Hamilton, ON and is a friend who has a passion for making a difference. A triple ironman is an enormous personal accomplishment, but Gord isn’t doing it for himself. […]

Race: Terra Cotta; part of the 5 Peaks trail running series
Venue: Terra Cotta Conservation Area, Terra Cotta, Ontario
Date: August 7, 2010
It was the fourth of five trail runs slated for the 2010 5 Peaks season, and given the weather early this fine Saturday morning, we were in for a sunny, yet cool run. Perfect for […]

OK I know, what does Running Free know about coffee mugs and what do coffee mugs have to do with running? Well…I run and…well… I drink coffee. So when our favourite reusable water container company, Klean Kanteen, came out with a double walled, stainless steel coffee mug, I had to try it. They didn’t disappoint. […]