A favourite date on my calendar every year is the Island Lake Classic on Labour Day. It’s a local race for us, with lots of familiar faces from around the community, from other races and of course with Jodi and Norm of Gotta Run Racing hosting the event.
This year, Zachary wanted to race the 10km distance and having proven himself at a longer distance at Rainbow Trail, there was no reason not to let him loose. He has also run the 5km race twice now and was looking for a further challenge.
I wanted to run with him however being only two weeks after Devil’s Key, I wasn’t sure how much speed I had left in my legs. Regardless, we signed up both for the race and to return as volunteers.
A strong start for Zachary
Course: A major change to the 10km route this year, as the winter weather damaged some portions of the boardwalk and the loop around the lake was no longer accessible. That said, the course became a there-and-back, which included a run through the covered bridge and a lollipop loop across the dam on the north side. The course was still primarily groomed pea stone and wooden bridges, however the trail section at the end was reduced to only include the first hill before turning towards the finish line and missing the trail leading to the orchard. The was very little overlap with this route and the 5km race, other than a merging of the last 20m leading to the finish line.
On-course Support: There was one aid station that ran double duty at the 4km and 7km marks along the 10km route, near the Hurontario north parking lot. Additionally, there were marshals/volunteers at most transitions and major directional changes. There was even caution tape to close off the 10km route to 5km runners (I recall someone ran the wrong way last year ignoring the marshals).
Surface: Gravel, pea stone, hard packed dirt, some exposed roots and rocks on an entirely double-track route. Everything was dry, except for a few puddles in the shade.
Weather: A perfectly balanced morning at 15° before the sun started heating up the course in the latter half of the race.
Atmosphere: A great turn out with 345 registered runners not including the kids, along with family and friends in attendance. The kids race started the morning off, presented by local group Rising Runners, where my daughter Colbie sprinted her way to 1st place, hot on the heels of the pace bunnies. The 10km start was slightly delayed by the kids race but the energy of the group in the corral was high and Zachary was dialed in for his first 10km race.
Post-race: Water and medals were available at the finish line, with snacks and additional hydration near the pavilion (bananas, granola bars and salty snacks too), massage and physio services from Eramosa Physiotherapy Associates (EPA) and protein and electrolytes at the Thrive Protein tent, as well as a BBQ tent sponsored by Maple Lodge Farms, offering chicken dogs!
The covered bridge before the 1km mark
Overall: Zachary and I were there early to help setup tents, tables, signage, the podium, water stations and anywhere else we were needed. This also offered us to meet and chat with all the vendors, as we helped get them into their locations, many of whom we already knew from the local area or from the race scene in general.
Lining up in the corral, Zachary recognized Matt King from their shared podium at Rainbow Trail race earlier in the summer, so they compared notes on the race and the changes to the course, hoping that neither would take a wrong turn along the way. Matt is a fantastic competitor, a great guy overall and maybe a little too fast for Zachary to keep up with at this point but it doesn’t mean that he didn’t try!
I definitely lost sight of Matt, Zachary and a few others in the lead group by the 2km mark but was holding my own against a few others, including the lead female, Olivia Hartsell, who changed positions with me a few times especially around the hilltop near the 3km mark. After that hill, I held my position, only ever hearing footsteps on the boardwalk behind me with no one else contesting the position. I managed to chase down Zachary however, and caught him right around the 9.4km mark. I tried to get him to hold beside me for the remainder of the race but he was fading and let me pass. The race distance on my watch showed 10.6km, so it was a bit long and definitely felt like in those last few kilometers (my legs were still holding some fatigue from the 110kms of trail racing in the month leading up to this effort).
Finishing hard
I had enough in the tank to give a final kick and passed a few 5km competitors in the final stretch at a significantly faster pace than they were moving (or so it felt to me), with Zachary trailing only 8 seconds behind for a strong finish.
Zachary: 46:29 | 8/183 | 1st place age group
Patrick: 46:21 | 7/183 | 1st place age group
Finishing with a smile
The tear-down afterwards was like a well-oiled-machine, as everything was packed and loaded with enough time left to enjoy a post-race brunch and trade stories.
As always, Jodi and Norm put on a fun and inclusive family event, with a crowd that feels so much like family. The post-race was a party with jokes and laughs amongst the vendors, other competitors and volunteers, leading up to and even after the awards ceremony. I definitely recommend this event to friends and acquaintances, especially those with small children who show any interest in running, as it is such a rewarding sight to see the kids crossing the finish line to the cheers from a roaring crowd.
Having an event like this really helps to put a positive spin on the last true day of summer for both of the kids and me, as just another big kid.
The annual post-race pic
