The New Calendar Schedule for the Toronto Scotiabank Waterfront Marathon
Thinking about Canadian Thanksgiving, which is coming up for Oct. 10, 2011, reminded me that the Toronto Scotiabank Waterfront Marathon will be scheduled for “the Sunday after Canadian Thanksgiving Monday”.
This year, the date is Sunday, Oct. 16, 2011.
This is the date formerly used by the Goodlife Fitness Toronto Marathon, which was bumped into the spring season.
How Kew Gardens Fits into Toronto Scotiabank Waterfront Marathon Events
Kew Gardens has two (count them 2!) links to this event.
Light the Flame on Friday in Kew Gardens
First, the “Marathon Flame Lighting Ceremony” will be held on Friday Oct. 14 at 8am at the Alex Christie Bandshell in Toronto’s Kew Gardens.
This early-morning event pays homage to the Olympic tradition of running a torch from Athens to the Olympics site. Beach Councillor Mary Margaret McMahon is expected to be one of the dignitaries.
For Toronto’s Beach community, this represents an opportunity to cheer and watch the start of a relay run, bringing the torch to the Direct Energy Building on the CNE grounds.
The CNE will host a press conference at 10am or so, and is also the race kit pick-up site. (The marathon runners already know that they should pick up their race kits, with the all-important numbered bib and electronic timing chip, on Friday or Saturday)
Toronto Traffic Warning for Friday, Oct. 14
Every important Toronto event must include a traffic warning.
Although running the torch along the Martin Goodman Trail will avoid disrupting the Beach neighbourhood, they still have to contend with Queen’s Quay.
Be prepared for reports from 680 News and every other traffic reporting news service.
Kew Gardens and Toronto’s Beach Neighbourhood on Race Day, Sunday Oct. 16, 2011
The Toronto Scotiabank Waterfront Marathon starts at 9am from University Avenue, north of Adelaide Street. The route includes Lake Shore Blvd East from Leslie to Coxwell; Eastern Avenue to Queen St. at Kingston Road; Queen Street eastbound to Neville Park and the TTC streetcar turnaround point; and westbound on Queen St. and Eastern Avenue onto Front Street.
DeHaan’s Guide for Marathon Spectators at the 2011 Toronto Scotiabank Waterfront Marathon
Choose any spot between Kew Gardens and the park on the south-east corner of Queen and Kingston Road. Bring a noisemaker or clapping-stick balloon set, so you can show your endurance as you applaud these athletes.
These locations are ideal because you can see the runners between the 30 and 36Km distances of the total 42.2Km route. Compare the pace of eastbound and westbound runners at any one moment. Pick out a memorable eastbound individual and watch for him or her to return: has the speed decreased or the pain increased?
Admire the determination of these runners, and perhaps consider signing up for an endurance fitness program yourself.
If you must walk or cycle across the race course:
- Look first
- Be sure you don’t get in the way or impede the runners
- Give them a lot of room! (From my experience, they will have no energy to dodge out of your way!)
This medicine starts working as and when you find difficulty with the dosage or with the treatment http://www.jealt.mx/ commander viagra of sexual problems? Time in bed is very special for everyone. However there is a significant difference between Sildenafil tablets and cialis 25mg . Both the brand and viagra online canadian http://www.jealt.mx/viagra-2416 is, in fact, the best way to overcome your impotence making you sleep with your partner boldly and fearlessly. Good luck in purchasing here cialis 20mg no prescription having both your business and your family.
Toronto’s Beach Neighbourhood Traffic Warning for Sunday, Oct. 16
Traffic control will begin early on Sunday morning. Expect barricades and polite people asking you not to ram them.
Do not try to drive through the barricades once the runners start to arrive.
The leading men should reach the 30Km mark on Coxwell by 10:30am or shortly thereafter. The world record pace is a shade quicker than 3 minutes per kilometre: that’s 20kph, or the speed limit for bicycles on the Martin Goodman Trail!
The merely human runners will continue running in the Beach until mid-afternoon. The intersection of Eastern and Coxwell is about the 36Km mark. The slowest athletes might not reach this point until about 2pm.
The plan is to finish opening all roads for normal traffic by 3pm.
Mayor Rob Ford Proclaims “Toronto Marathon Week”
Read the proclamation from Toronto’s mayor, Rob Ford, that Oct. 10-16 is “Toronto Marathon Week“.
I am personally gratified that Mayor Ford is aligning himself and Toronto City Council with this important event, particularly due to his earlier comments about the need for cars to take precedence over road closures for athletic competitions.
Civic Footnote (updated Oct. 5, 2011)
The Toronto Star reported that some city council members are upset that Spring 2012 will see Yonge Street closed thrice for 3 running events. The displaced GoodLife Fitness Toronto Marathon moved from autumn to spring. That bumped the long-established Sporting Life 10Km run, apparently causing a rumpus with its race director, who has applied to organize another 10Km along Yonge Street.
Allow me to throw some editorial raspberries. First, to those council members who, apparently, did not mark up a calendar with all the conflicting events. Secondly, to both Alan Brookes and Jay Glassman. They are the organizers for these various events; they, of all people, should have touched base with the rest of the Sporting Life organization as well as informing Council of all the conflicting schedule moments. Especially to Mr. Brookes, who had been the Sporting Life organizer and did not keep them informed; and who decided to insert the new event.
Let’s throw a raspberry for lack of originality. How many other civic centres does Toronto have? (Etobicoke and East York and Scarborough each have one, far removed from Yonge Street). How many 10Km stretches of road does Toronto have, at least 2Km away from Yonge Street? (“I dunno. Lots”).
The Toronto Star headline (“Traffic chaos looms over running events”) is overdrawn and misleading. Each “traffic chaos” event will be its own crisis. Closing the same road three times over five weeks will be aggravating, but each inconvenience happens at its own time.
Finally: if anyone complains about a “conflict” with the Toronto Ride for Heart on June 3, 2012, please be prepared for another blast of raspberries. They take over the high-speed DVP (Don Valley Parkway, for non-Torontonians) and Gardiner Expressways, not city streets.
References from the Waterfront Marathon Site
References are from the Toronto Scotiabank Waterfront Marathon web site and accessed Sept. 28, 2011:
Pretty good post. I have really enjoyed reading your blog posts.