Canada Running Series to host in-person 10K this fall

Canadian runners will finally have a chance to run an in-person race this fall. The Canada Running Series (CRS) announced Tuesday via Instagram they have received approval from the city of Toronto and they will be hosting an in-person 10K for 5,000 people on October 17th.

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The 10K is part of the annual Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, which will be hosted virtually as well for the second year in a row. CRS event director Charlotte Brookes explained the 10K was the best option for an in-person event this year due to planning and logistics. Closing off 42 kilometres of streets and real estate has a significant impact on the Toronto community, and after months of working with all the different stakeholders involved, the team decided that a 10K route along the lakeshore would allow runners and walkers the opportunity to challenge themselves along a scenic racecourse while minimizing the disruption to businesses that are just opening after months of lockdown.

“Our mission is to build community through running and all our decisions are guided by that,” explains Brookes. “Our 10K proposal is an important step forward for our run community and an opportunity to say ‘thank you’ to everyone who has stood behind us during the pandemic. We wouldn’t be able to even think of offering an in-person event if it wasn’t for the thousands of participants who chose to participate in our virtual events in 2020 and 2021.” 

She added that with the shortened time frame they have to organize an in-person event, they feel the shorter race is the best way to ensure they can put on an event that is to the quality that participants are used to and that is safe. Finally, she explained they had to consider the impact the pandemic has had on our health care workers. An in-person half-marathon or marathon requires a vastly larger number of EMS and medical workers than a 10K, and those resources are not available right now because of all the burnout and exhaustion those individuals have been experiencing.

Brookes told us that every participant who has a deferred entry from 2020 or who is currently registered for the virtual 2021 event will receive front-of-the-line access to register for the in-person 10K. “We’ll be sending out instructions to them and an access link to register before we open it up to the general public,” she says. If you have any more questions regarding the in-person event, you can check out their FAQ page for more information.

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All other events, including the full marathon, half-marathon, 5K and marathon relay will be held virtually. More information on those events can be found here.