“Tradition”, legend in Canadian running and Harry’s Spring Run Off tomorrow

“TRADITION” That’s the word on the roads this week. Last weekend I was at the 117th running of the Around the Bay 30K Road Race in Hamilton. This Saturday it’s the turn of Harry’s Spring Run Off 8K in High Park, Toronto – the 33rd edition. It’s had me thinking about it all week. In the US, the running community and media have done a masterful job of building the aura of “legendary” road races: Falmouth, Peachtree, Bay to Breakers, as well as the granddaddy of them all, Boston. These are the history and tradition of the sport, and the great stories that go with them: “The Duel in the Sun”; the Nike poster “Battle of Atlanta” from an early Peachtree race; Alberto Salazar being packed in ice and read the last rites after a particularly hot Falmouth; the adidas Boston posters, “When did you last accomplish so much on a Monday,” and “Boston: everything else is just a qualifier”. With the possible exception of Around the Bay – “Older than Boston” — I think it’s fair to say that we haven’t done nearly as good a job of telling our legendary stories, building the mystique of our older races, touting our “tradition”. But that doesn’t mean we don’t have them! Perhaps it’s just that in Canada, ours are on a smaller scale: from the size of the races, to the size of the sponsor and marketing budgets that have built the “brands” of the iconic US road races?

If I were building a “Canadian Legends” list, tomorrow’s Harry’s Spring Run Off 8K & 5K in High Park, Toronto would definitely be on it. It was certainly in at the beginning of the first running boom in Canada. Shortly after Mike Dyon, his brother Paul, and father Robert set up RMP Athletic Locker to distribute Brooks shoes in Canada in 1977/78, they decided to put on a run, in Mike’s words “to put something back into the sport”.
Robert Dyon, Charlie Reid (father of Canadian former 1500m record-holder and coach at Athletics Toronto, Dave Reid) and national marathon coach Hugh Cameron laid out the course in High Park. It was designed to be one of North America’s prettiest urban courses, all within the park. It would be THE event to open the running season in Ontario. Two particularly challenging hills on Zoo Road and Spring Road gave it special “character” and set the stage for many battles – especially on the latter, a 600m dandy that crests just metres before the Finish line! Charlie Reid came up with the idea of a Canadian “Spring Run Off”. Owing to another, already scheduled event in the park, the race was set for a Saturday, rather than a typical Sunday morning start – and a Saturday race it has remained.
It would be the first road race in Canada to offer prize money, with a $1,000 first-place purse, yet it would be for all runners. Besides the cash, the Spring Run Off would give out cases and cases of fresh-bottled maple syrup from the Reid’s neighbour Archie McPhee’s farm in Orillia, as lucky draw prizes and age-category rewards. A piper piped the runners from the registration area by the schoolhouse to the start near the Grenadier Restaurant, and 1,200 fitness folks set off to establish this legendary Canadian rite of Spring.

 From the outset, the Spring Run Off attracted Canada’s best distance runners and road racers. In the early years there were some great battles between Mike Dyon and Dave Reid’s Canadian running friends – Peter Butler, Art Boileau, Greg Duhaime, Dave Edge, Sylvia Ruegger and Anne Marie Malone. Then came the great international runners in the 1990s: Eamonn Martin, John Doherty and Jill Hunter from the UK, masters sensation John Campbell of New Zealand gunning for a masters world record in 1991; and super-Kenyan Olympians and world-record holders Daniel Komen, Sammy Kipketer and Sally Barsosio. Daniel currently holds the men’s course record with a breathtaking 22:35 (1994), and Jill Hunter holds the women’s mark of 25:56, set in 1990.
I’ve been the Race Director since 1986, and I particularly remember Eamonn Martin’s visit in 1990. He came with Coach Mel Batty and two younger runners from Ilford in the London area. Eamonn came as the defending Commonwealth Games 10,000m champion and was #2 ranked in the world at that distance at the time. On the Friday afternoon, they asked me if I’d take them for a “jog” around the course – at about an easy 6-minute pace [that’s per mile, not per km!]. As we plunged down Spring Road Hill, I pointed out the one-mile mark. One of the younger athletes turned to Eamonn, and in a thick Cockney accent said, “Wor, vis is alright init? Whatdya fink tomorra, about 4:20?” Next morning, Eamonn passed that mile mark a lot closer to 4 minutes! Only a courageous Clive Hamilton from Kitchener was hanging onto him [until 3k]. Andy Kore was in the trailing pack that went through in 4:17, already out of the race. Andy ripped his number off and stepped off the course in frustration! After the race [Eamonn won in 22:57], I asked him about the quick first mile. Her replied,”I fought abowt wot you said yesterday. About the big hill at the end, so I fought I’d get it over early!”

 The Spring Run Off is just filled with such stories. When Sammy Kipketer (22:44) and Albert Chepkurui (22:55) came in 1999, Dave Reid helped host them. (Sammy is a guy who’s run 12:53 for 5000m and 26:49 for 10,000m). They made ugali at Dave’s house, and burned the pot; Dave took them shopping at the Eaton Centre, where Sammy bought a “boombox” for his mother. Dave asked him if he needed a converter for it, and Sammy said “No, just extra batteries. We don’t have electricity at home.” Given the legendary Spring Run Off weather, they were able to have a snowball fight on the Sunday after the race, as well as play a little street hockey. Dave also took them to watch the horse-racing at Woodbine before putting them on the ‘plane on Monday night, to go back to high school in Kenya.
Just one more story! We’d be forgiven for thinking that the story in 1994 was about former 1500m World record holder Daniel Komen blazing the course in 22:35 – a record that still stands today, and a remarkable performance as he ran the mostly-uphill second half faster that the first, and mostly on his own. But the other story, was that it was so cold that arguably the most legendary of Kenyan female distance runners, Sally Barsosio, wouldn’t come out of the Grenadier Restaurant. We eventually coaxed her out, she just missed the actual start, had to run past everyone, and still won in 26:16! Sally became the first Kenyan woman to win a senior track title when she won Gold in the 10,000m in the IAAF World Championships in 1997, among her many honours).
As with the legendary US races and Around the Bay, the Spring Run Off has evolved with the changing running scene. And this adaptation is probably a key ingredient in “legend” events surviving and thriving. A 5K was added to the classic 8K in 2003. A charity component was added in 2006, along with a new sponsor in Harry Rosen Menswear, and with that came a name change to Harry’s Spring Run Off 8K & 5K to fight prostate cancer. Tomorrow’s race will likely hit the $2 million mark raised for prostate cancer research at Princess Margaret Hospital over the past 6 years. A highly-popular “Best Dressed Contest” has added to the sense of fun and festivity, and a Pancake Breakfast with local Councillors Sarah Doucette and Mike Layton. A Children’s 800m race has been added this year, to introduce new talent to the sport. And tomorrow, High Park will be jammed with 5,000 runners in the 3 events. But Piper McGonigal will still lead runners to the Start lines, maple syrup will still be on hand, and other than a change a decade ago to replace Zoo Hill at 3K with Centre Road Hill, and a re-locate of the Finish line to 20m north of the crest of Spring Road Hill rather than south of it – the legendary course remains the same. To be sure, other road races have grown up around it. The Sporting Life Toronto 10K has grown to 15,000 in early May, the Ottawa Race Weekend 10K is over 10,000 in late May; and they have attracted bigger budgets, bigger stars.But the Spring Run Off still maintains its popularity, its status and its profile as one of Canada’s best road races and part of our heritage and “tradition” in the sport. Tomorrow, Eric Gillis, Canada’s #2 ranked marathoner will toe the line in an attempt to defend his title, won last year in a thrilling finish up Spring road Hill to fight off Josephat Ongeri. Windsor’s Dana Pidhoresky, a rising new star with a 1:13:15 half to her credit last Fall, 2nd place at National Cross Country in November, and winner at Around the Bay last weekend, will lead the women’s charge. As I was quoted earlier this week:
“The Spring Run Off is very special to me. And I think it holds a special place in the Canadian running community and in the hearts of many Canadian runners – not just mine. It’s about tradition, history, Canadian legends. But it’s also about Spring, a new year, a new season full of hopes and dreams and expectations. It’s about Springtime-energy, best-dressed contest costumes, and fun. It’s a rite of passage. It’s that season-opening test of fitness that brings us all together. Many will go onto fast 10Ks or completing Spring marathons. Maybe Eric will make it to the Olympics. Others will complete their first race or raise money for a vital cause. But coming off that last, gut-wrenching Spring Road hill, with crowds packed on both sides of the course, we’ll know we’re alive, and ready for a new season.”
Hope to see a bunch of you in High Park tomorrow, as the “tradition” continues! If YOU have Spring Run Off stories, PLEASE share them with us, and we can continue to build the legend. And if you have other favourite races that you think are part of OUR Canadian road running tradition, please don’t hesitate to let us know!