Run Your Way to the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon with Joelle Pang

This Canadian Running x New Balance six-part series is following five runners to the Toronto Waterfront Marathon. These women and men aren’t professional runners; they’re just passionate about the sport. Their stories are your stories–each runner has come to the marathon with different reasons for running, different training methods, different running communities and different goals. And each exemplifies the idea that Run Your Way can mean something different for everyone.

This weekend at the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon, Toronto-based runner Joelle Pang is going to be running farther than she’s ever run before. But she’s ready for it, thanks to the group she’s been training with out of BlackToe Running.

“Growing up in an immigrant household, staying active was always a lower priority,” she recalls. “I saw running as a low-barrier-to-entry sport. so I picked up a pair of shoes and began running around my neighbourhood in 2018. Fast forward to 2020, running became an outlet to escape the rut I was in during the pandemic. Running was a place for me to just recharge mentally, physically, and have a bit more control over things in my life. I fell in love with my runs, as they were a safe space for me to get outside with my thoughts.”

“Since then, running has become a regular part of my workout routine. I am now seen by my peers as a healthy and active girl, which is a complete transformation from just a decade ago,” she says. Now, she trains four to five times a week, including a long run, an interval run and a few easy runs, plus strength and mobility work.

Why the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon? “Since you can only run your first marathon once, I want to create an unforgettable memory of running the Toronto marathon while being surrounded by the people and places I love. I grew up in Toronto, was born and raised in Toronto, so being able to run through the whole city and see it alive with all the people cheering you on, having trained for something for most of the year, it’s a milestone.”

Run Your Way to TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon with Jacqueline Tong

She’s hoping to complete it in under four hours, but more importantly, she’s happy about where the training has taken her. “The training process develops the discipline, physical and mental toughness that can apply to life beyond running,” she explains. “In training, I’ve learned the power of consistency and of discipline, just showing up every single day, day in and day out, whether or not you want to be there, whether you’re sore from the previous day. You see progress being made. It’s taught me confidence in running, but also being able to show up to things I wouldn’t typically have done before running. I can show up at the weight section at the gym and not be too intimidated.”

“To me, Run Your Way means pushing beyond what you believe you can do, every single day,” she says. “It means pushing beyond your limiting beliefs.”