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Fun facts about the Scotiabank Montreal 21K

It's not often that runners get the experience of racing on a Formula One race car track, which is the case for this Sunday's Scotiabank Montreal 21K.

Scotiabank Montreal 21K
Scotiabank Montreal 21K
Photo: Todd Fraser/Canada Running Series.

The only Quebec race as part of the seven-event Canada Running Series is Sunday.

The Scotiabank Montreal 21K is held in the midst of Olympic history just east of downtown Montreal. It’s the second of the country’s most popular running circuit following the running of the Race Roster Spring Run-Off in early April. The CRS hosts events in Montreal, Vancouver and Toronto.

Race weekend features two days of events including the 5K and 10K on Saturday and the half-marathon on Sunday. (Doing both means you get a sweet prize, which can be seen below.)

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The event is held in Jean-Drapeau Park, which encompasses two islands: Saint Helen’s and Notre Dame. Runners in all three events cross between islands, located near the downtown core, on what is a very-flat course though it’s occasionally exposed to the wind.

An experience of a lifetime running on a Formula One race track

Scotiabank Montreal 21K
Photo: Todd Fraser/Canada Running Series.

As part of race weekend, runners get the opportunity to hit the site of the Canadian Grand Prix: the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Appropriately, the half-marathon course features the longest stretch of the 4.36K F1 track, which will surely be a speedy portion for runners. It’s one of very few races to be held, in part, on a race track. (Formula One is the highest class of single-seat automobile racing.)

Act fast or you’ll miss out

Entry for the event was in high demand as the event sold out ahead of race day. Secure your spot early if you want to experience Montreal in 2018.

Prize for racing twice

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The Double, which involves completing the 21K and one of the 5K or 10K on back-to-back days, has a pretty sweet prize for finishers: a spinner medal. (Click on the image to play.)

Run around the Olympic Basin

The Olympic Basin, 2.2K in length, is a legacy of the 1976 Summer Olympics which were held in Montreal. Though the 5K course doesn’t quite extend to the basin, the 10K features one length of the site of the 1976 Olympics while the half-marathon features two out-and-back loops.

The largest artificial basin in North America was the venue for canoe and kayak events at the 1976 Games, the only occasion in which Canada has hosted a Summer Olympics. Interestingly, the basin hosts the Esprit Triathlon’s swim leg.

Run past Canada’s second largest amusement park

All three of the weekend races tour around La Ronde, the largest amusement park in the province. Roller coasters and other rides are just a few of the many landmarks that runners will see on course in addition to the Montreal Biosphère.

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