This race, which is in it’s 2nd year, has quickly become one of my favourites.  It’s close to my home, it’s for a good cause (scholarships for the children of military personnel killed in action), and it has a very pleasant course.  When I ran it last year I achieved a new half-marathon pb and had a […]

On Nov 6th I closed out another season of long distance running with the Hamilton Marathon.
This year I completed 10 ultras (including 92.7 miles in a 24hr event) and 7 marathons (including Hamilton). I also managed 40k in another 6hr event (where I was coming down with a bug) and the EndurRun (7 races, 160k, […]

2am, just going over the final checklist, ensuring that everything is ready for what should be a very fun and interesting race.  My new Salomon pack and shoes sit at the door waiting for the sun to rise while my four alarm clocks strategically placed in my bedroom get ready for a most important job.  […]

Date:  Sept 16-18/2011
Location:  Blue Mountain Resort,  Collingwood, On
Website:  centurioncycling.com/canada
Race Distances: Hill Climb, 25 mile, 50 mile, 100 mile, Vertical Hill Challenge, Kids Ride.
This is a full weekend event with something for everyone.  We had gone up on the Friday night & stayed at a friend’s townhouse withing walking distance of the start line.  On Saturday, […]

Website:  http://mudnewton.com
Date:  Sept. 3/11
Location:  Woodnewton, 4849 Concession #6, Uxbridge, On
Time:  9:00am
This was originally a Christmas Tree farm & a cross country ski resort back in the 70’s & 80’s.  This farm is 200 acres & they are revitalizing the tree farm.  They also host mountain bike races here.
This was the first year for this race, […]

Website:  www.Mudrun.ca
 Date:  Sunday, June 5/11 
Time:  9:30am
Location:  Claireville Conservation Area, Toronto, Ontario
This is not a race that I would normally sign up for.  I am not a great trail runner & normally fall on the trails, so I try to avoid them whenever possible.  However, my 2 friends, Cindy & Laura who like to run trail […]

Since the Logs, Rock and Steel race started a couple years ago, I’ve always wanted to do the race.  Unfortunately, the timing has never worked out.  2011 was the first year it fit into the schedule. 
LRS is an adventure race, but doesn’t require navigation.  However, you still have to follow flagging tape through the […]

In July of 2010, my boyfriend and I mutually decided that we wanted to find a hobby we could share. Richard has always been a very athletic and self-determined individual, and me, on the other hand – I’ve always needed that little push to get me going. One day, after hearing about the Running Free […]

Running a 5km race in a full head to toe Santa suit, who would not want to do that???
This was the second year I have ran the Santa Jingle race in Burlington ON. I ran it last year with my husband, mother in-law(65) and friends and had a blast.  This year my 14 year […]

Ironman Lake Placid was my first Ironman. I couldn’t have asked for a better Ironman race. The course was beautiful, and unlike previous years, the day turned out to be dry.  If you decide to do Ironman Lake Placid you’ll have to bring a variety of clothes for your transition bags because you never know […]

I didn’t want to write this race report. I wasn’t going to write this race report. My husband told me I should. Sometimes I listen to him.
I ran my first marathon, the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon on October 16. It was a colossal mess. The main reason I didn’t want to re-live it in a […]

On September 24th, I participated in a unique event, the Sears Great Canadian Run. This was a fundraiser for the Hospital for Sick Children and national initiatives across Canada supporting the research and treatment of kids cancer. Our intrepid team of 6, Team Momentum, ran 131 km that day from Vaughan to Blue Mountain and […]

This was the second year for the Sand Lake Triathlon and second year I have participated.  This small race in picturesque Westport is minutes from my cottage and is fast becoming one of my favorites. Low numbers this year dictated that it wouldn’t be chip timed, but instead the old popsicle stick timing method was […]

I wrote a review on this race last year as it was my first marathon that I ever raced.  I wasn’t going to write another review on the same race but had such a different experience, I thought I should.
Hamilton likes to claim it is the best event if you want to qualify for Boston.  […]

This was my 3rd time pacing a race for this year.  I have really come to like this type of running.  Even though there is pressure to perform by keeping on pace, I find pacing more like a nice long slow run with the benefit of meeting new people.  This pacing experience was much different […]

Hamilton ½ Marathon – By Cathy Putman
www.hamiltonmarathon.ca
 
 
This was it!  This was my goal road race of the season!  The Hamilton Half Marathon.  A New York Marathon qualifier.  I needed a 1:37 half marathon to qualify for the 2012 New York Marathon.  Did I do it?!?
 
It all started back in […]

Event: North Face Endurance Challenge Championships
Date: December 3rd, 2011
Location: San Francisco
When a racing friend of mine suggested getting a group together to go out to San Francisco for the last event of the North Face trail running series, I jumped at the chance.  It would allow me both to cross another state off my lifetime […]

Event: Tough Mudder Indiana
Date: November 19th, 2011.
Location: Attica, Indiana
It all started innocently enough. One of my best friends had registered for the Tough Mudder Indiana race in Indiana and in a moment of curiosity, I said “why don’t you send me the information?” A few days later, I found myself on a plane to Chicago then driving to Indiana. […]

In 2010, this was the first triathlon I did after the birth of my fourth child. I must admit, tackling the olympic distance when my baby was 9 months old was pretty ambitious and unfortunately didn’t go as well as I had planned. The hot, humid conditions got the best of me and I struggled […]

Date:  Sunday November 27th, 2011
Race:  MCC Chilly Willy, Mississauga, ON
Distance:  15km & 8km
Website:  http://mississaugacanoeclub.com/test/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Chilly_Willly_2011_8km_and_15km_registration_form.pdf
The breeze coming through the living room window seemed a lot cooler than the forecasted 10 degrees.  I hemmed and hawed about what to wear.  After 13 years of running, I still struggle with this.  I really didn’t feel like racing.  It […]