Three Run to Montreal ultra-relay teams dip under course record
The 650-kilometre ultra-relay came down to the final few legs between the top two teams
Photo by:
John Liu
Over the weekend, Canada’s version of The Speed Project (TSP) hosted its sixth annual Run to Montreal, a 650-km ultra relay race from Toronto’s City Hall to the top of Mont-Royal. Ten teams of 10 to 12 runners participated in this year’s race, with three teams running under the previous relay record of 50 hours and 11 minutes.
Team Blue Devils, from Scarborough, Ont., which is led by former U Sports middle-distance standout Ben Devito and Toronto Metropolitian University track coach Tristan Markov, won the race to Montreal in 47 hours and 21 minutes (4:22/km). The Blue Devils struggled with navigation issues and fatigue early in the race, but managed to find their wheels on the second day to beat the second-place finishers Team RUNWAY by 26 minutes to Mont Royal.
Team RUNWAY, led by Toronto running coach and Run to Montreal founder Darren Weldrick, managed to catch the Blue Devils on the second day at the Ontario/Quebec border, after some construction detours sent both teams off route. The Blue Devils felt the pressure and pulled ahead with 50 km and six relay legs to go, which left Team RUNWAY playing catch-up in the latter stages. Weldrick saved his faster runners for the final three legs, in case it came down to a sprint finish between the two teams.
Toronto-based running club MeVersusMe, captained by Miguel Pink, was the third team to finish under the previous record, reaching Montreal in 49:47, two hours behind Team RUNWAY.
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This year’s race also celebrated the first time an all-women’s team participated in the challenge. Team Badass Bishes, made up of 12 female runners, set the inaugural women’s only record of 61 hours and 29 minutes.
Once all 10 teams arrived in Montreal safe and sound, per tradition, they celebrated and danced to live music at Hurley’s Irish Pub, located in the heart of the city.
This was the first year the race opened itself up to 10 teams and had the backing of Puma Running, joining Xact nutrition and Eastbound brewing as the race sponsors. Weldrick hopes the race continues to grow in the years to come.
He started Run to Montreal in 2017 as a fun and crazy way to commemorate a lost friend and raise money for a collection of amazing causes. Now, the run has turned into a race that inspires runners of all levels.
Run to Montreal is a 650km ultra-relay that takes place every October, bringing together Toronto’s and Montreal’s running communities. Read more about the race here.
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