SL10k Gets new Race Director!

[O Z D]

http://run.sportinglife10k.ca/sites/def ... elease.pdf

This was the only possible outcome that would convince me to give it another try. Based on last year I will never run a Glassman race again.

I will still await more details about the race, but I think I will at least consider it again.

[fingerboy]

I'm surprised they learned nothing during their tenure with CRS. It's really not all that hard to fix the problems. All they have to do is run their race and run the other one.

They failed really when their race grew from like even 14k to 28k people. The finishing "system" doesn't support that many people.

[La]

I'm surprised they learned nothing during their tenure with CRS. It's really not all that hard to fix the problems. All they have to do is run their race and run the other one.

They failed really when their race grew from like even 14k to 28k people. The finishing "system" doesn't support that many people.

And they essentially copied the playbook already set out by CRS. The part they are missing is that CRS has a lot of really great relationships with sponsors, suppliers, and the city. For example, CRS was able to secure Fort York for the post-race area, but Glassman was not (so his post-race area had to be at Coronation Park, across Lake Shore).

[AjaxRunner]

http://run.sportinglife10k.ca/sites/default/files/2014pressrelease.pdf

This was the only possible outcome that would convince me to give it another try. Based on last year I will never run a Glassman race again.

I will still await more details about the race, but I think I will at least consider it again.

This sums up exactly how I feel.

[O Z D]

I ran the first non-CRS year (2012). It was my first 10K, I was full of adrenaline, I paid $45 and got a $50 SL Gift Card.....I overlooked/didnt notice the problems.

By the time I ran 2013, I had run enough races to realize that not closing off intersections, not having medical staff, letting the finish chute back up so much that people had to wait 90seconds to cross the finish line, and not having a supply of water at the finish of the race is not normal for a race, 27000 runners or 500 runners.

I've run good and bad races, I know that things arise that screw up plans and stuff happens, but this guy just lets it happen over and over again. A week after one woman died and another was saved only because another runner was there to provide CPR at one of his races, this joker still didnt have enough medical staff at his race. After I waited in line for almost 2 minutes to cross the finish line, a lady collapsed just behind me, and it took almost 4 minutes for someone from the race to come to her aid.

Guy is a joke of a Race Director. Glad to see SL doing the right thing. I have heard great things about the Women's series, hope it carries over.

[phorunner]

http://runningmagazine.ca/corey-freedman-named-new/

Toronto’s Sporting Life 10K names new race director
Corey Freedman has been named the new race director for the Sporting Life 10K.
The Sporting Like 10K has a new race director after organizational problems last spring.

On Tuesday Sporting Life and Camp Oochigeas announced Cory Freedman would take over the directorship for the 2014 event. Freedman brings a wealth of experience to the position and is a recognizable figure in the Canadian road running community, having helped in organizing the Scotiabank Waterfront Marathon, GoodLife Toronto Marathon, and the CIBC Run for the Cure. She was also the visionary and race director behind the Toronto Women’s Run Series.

The 2013 10K race sold out with 27,000 participants and raised $2.2 million to send children with cancer to Camp Ooch. But it experienced issues with roads that hadn’t been correctly blocked of to ensure runner safety. There was also a finishing corral backup which left runners fuming over messed up timing.

Sporting Life’s Director of Marketing, John Roe, hopes Freedman can help smooth out the kinks in last years race and grow the event further.

“Last year while we had an unprecedented growth in the run, we fell short on a few expectations,” said Roe in a press release. “We put a committee together and broke down the run experience and what needed to improve.

The 2014 Sporting Life 10K will be held on May 11.

Thoughts?

I'm kind of excited. Every Glassman race I've done felt like it was in that awkward space of "too pricey/organized to be a small indie race" and "not well organized enough to be world class". I'm sure they try and try really hard, and I respect them and wish them the best, but there's a lot of room for improvement.

[jgore]

There's already a thread on this topic.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=47755

[phorunner]

--

[phorunner]

There's already a thread on this topic.

http://runningmania.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=47755

Missed it before I started this. Can we merge them?

[Jwolf]

just ask for it to be deleted.

[Nicholas]

Merged the two topics....

[jonovision_man]

Anyone know anything about this Max V02 outfit?

Just looking at their web site:
http://maxvo2inc.com/

Client list includes...
- Canada Running Series/Runners Choice Promotions

Umm, what? Are they ditching CRS for SL10K? Doing both? Or was their role with CRS minor maybe?

jono

[jonovision_man]

Looks like she's behind this:
http://www.towomensruns.com/

Good luck to her! This race deserves to be great, the numbers are there and it's a cool event.

jono

[dgrant]

Or was their role with CRS minor maybe?

A race of this size is a colossal endeavour. Fingers crossed for everyone involved.

[canalrunner]

A race of this size is a colossal endeavour. Fingers crossed for everyone involved.

+1.
I figure you pick the races that work for you and avoid the ones that don't. There are lots of choices. In general, kudos to the organizers and volunteers at these races.

[QuickChick]

I will be doing it again next year, almost certainly. I like that it supports Camp Ooch, and I like that it's on Mother's Day (and it was last year as well when I ran it "with" Nathaniel). The finish line issues seem to be a problem after about 55 minutes, so hopefully I can be faster than that! I will definitely make sure I'm in the first wave. Hopefully with the new director, much of that stuff gets ironed out anyway. It's definitely a step up in scale from the women's races, but I've heard good things about them so who knows. I am optimistic!

[ratherawkward]

I've run the TO Women's Half the last two years and been very impressed with how they run things. Will be interesting to see how it translates to the much larger scale.

[jonovision_man]

I've run the TO Women's Half the last two years and been very impressed with how they run things. Will be interesting to see how it translates to the much larger scale.

Cool, sounds promising.

jono