3 years is enough. My Open letter to Goodlife/Mississauga...

[phorunner]

That's it.

[canalrunner]

+1

Even if one was on the Saturday and one was on the Sunday, you could think of doing some sort of double.

[La]

Good luck with that! Mississauga doesn't consider itself part of Toronto, so why would they care what's going on in TO the same day? No race in a metropolitan area is going to shut down roads for a race on a Saturday.

[phorunner]

TBH, I'll go on record as saying I think Goodlife needs to move. It was Mississauga's weekend for years.

Also, Glassman had a chance when he was organizing SL10k to roll it into that weekend. Ooch could have made more, it would have filled the gap (they only have a 5k, half, full), and it's along the same route. I think both events would have been more successful, had less costs, and of course, that would have made both runners and local traffic happy. And he might not have lost it if it all went well.

*shrug*

Oh well.

[La]

Missy used to be on Mother's Day weekend for the first few years (untill 2011) but then they changed it (local restaurants in Port Credit complained because it's one of their biggest brunch days of the year). I think Ottawa switched their race weekend for the same reason.

[cbaker1]

There are a few of the larger US cities that allow Saturday marathons that run through downtown streets. Baltimore and Salt Lake City are two big ones I can think of. Indy has a Saturday race in one of their suburbs (although it is on the edge of the city and when I ran it and traffic disruption was minimal.) I believe I ran Hartford on a Saturday too and it was downtown. I have run all the above, usually part of a double weekend, where I end up driving to another race on the Sunday.

Personally I think something could be done on a Saturday in either Mississauga or Toronto. The routes would have to change so there might be less traffic issues. Other cities start their Saturday races early. I still have no clue why the Toronto Marathons start so late. No wonder so many people are pissed at the runners. A 7 Am start would have all runners off the course by 1 PM instead of the current 3 PM.

Since so many start earlier I dont think that would impact the number of runners.

[QuickChick]

I agree that it makes much more sense for Goodlife to move. Missy had the weekend first. Move to when, I don't know. I guess it would need to be either mid April, just before the Yonge St 10k, or the weekend after May 2-4 when it's likely hot.

[jonovision_man]

Even if one was on the Saturday and one was on the Sunday, you could think of doing some sort of double.

I doubt they'd move to a less appealing date to draw the <1% of people who would double up on marathons!

jono

[timc]

Even if one was on the Saturday and one was on the Sunday, you could think of doing some sort of double.

I doubt they'd move to a less appealing date to draw the <1% of people who would double up on marathons!

jono

Yes, initially I agreed with the idea that they should be on different days, and then I thought they only people who would really care are those who want to run both. Even two weeks apart is really close together for most, and if you get much further apart, it starts to get too hot.

Just to be a bit crazy, I wonder what it would be like to run the Toronto marathon at night though ... the city looks a lot different at night, and it would be another differentiator from the STWM. The true hardcore runners could run a day/night Mississauga/Toronto event. Disney may have a Goofy (or Dopey!) challenge, but the GTA could have a Hoser challenge.

[Jwolf]

I agree that it makes much more sense for Goodlife to move. Missy had the weekend first. Move to when, I don't know. I guess it would need to be either mid April, just before the Yonge St 10k, or the weekend after May 2-4 when it's likely hot.

And isn't Ottawa always one week after the May long weekend? I realize Ottawa is four hours away, but I would guess neither race wants to compete with that.

[phorunner]

Even if one was on the Saturday and one was on the Sunday, you could think of doing some sort of double.

I doubt they'd move to a less appealing date to draw the <1% of people who would double up on marathons!

jono

Yes, initially I agreed with the idea that they should be on different days, and then I thought they only people who would really care are those who want to run both. Even two weeks apart is really close together for most, and if you get much further apart, it starts to get too hot.

Just to be a bit crazy, I wonder what it would be like to run the Toronto marathon at night though ... the city looks a lot different at night, and it would be another differentiator from the STWM. The true hardcore runners could run a day/night Mississauga/Toronto event. Disney may have a Goofy (or Dopey!) challenge, but the GTA could have a Hoser challenge.

Maybe people wouldn't double-marathon, but I did the missisauga 10k (sat) and mississauga half (sun) one year. Or If i wasn't doubling up, I could at least get out and cheer for the one I wasn't running.

Still, same weekend is still lame. Like I said, they should have done everything they could have to make SL10k world class, and maybe cut them in on the profits of the rest of the GL series. I guess they could do a weekend in april, though - as long as it doesn't conflict with HR8k, or the YS10k.

A night marathon would be awesome, though. If they really wanted to do night time, it would be cool enough to do even in the summer, where there isn't that many big events.

I agree that it makes much more sense for Goodlife to move. Missy had the weekend first. Move to when, I don't know. I guess it would need to be either mid April, just before the Yonge St 10k, or the weekend after May 2-4 when it's likely hot.

And isn't Ottawa always one week after the May long weekend? I realize Ottawa is four hours away, but I would guess neither race wants to compete with that.

Ottawa usually sells out, doesn't it? That might not be too bad - 4hrs apart is better than 30 mins apart - but to be honest, I don't want to see it compete with Ottawa - I want to see that race weekend grow.

[canalrunner]

My suggestion to move one to the Saturday is part of a plea to do something..anything. No particular about what they do. Clearly there won't be a lot doing a double.

That being said, I continue to like Goodlife as a race, and probably wouldn't do the Mississauga marathon if was moved. Likely for the same reason I won't do the Scarborough Marathon if they had one or the Surrey Marathon.

[phorunner]

..Likely for the same reason I won't do the Scarborough Marathon if they had one...

Insert obligatory running from bullets joke here.


(kidding aside, missy is a far more run-friendly city than TO)

[Jwolf]

Likely for the same reason I won't do the Scarborough Marathon if they had one or the Surrey Marathon.

Surrey marathon is pretty nice - at least as nice as some other big city marathons.

[turd ferguson]

Likely for the same reason I won't do the Scarborough Marathon if they had one or the Surrey Marathon.

Surrey marathon is pretty nice - at least as nice as some other big city marathons.

Surrey? Misissauga without all the glamour.

[Double Bellybuster]

...I still have no clue why the Toronto Marathons start so late. No wonder so many people are pissed at the runners. A 7 Am start would have all runners off the course by 1 PM instead of the current 3 PM.
...

A 7:30 start for the Toronto Marathon this time around on Saturday.

[La]

...I still have no clue why the Toronto Marathons start so late. No wonder so many people are pissed at the runners. A 7 Am start would have all runners off the course by 1 PM instead of the current 3 PM.
...

A 7:30 start for the Toronto Marathon this time around on Saturday.

I think you mean Sunday.

Still bad timing as the DVP will be closed this weekend.

[La]

Thankfully, DVP was open as of 6AM today. But I drove some friends up to the start line and the lane closures were already in effect on Lake Shore. With the Gardiner down to 2 lanes each way, drivers are going to be in quite the fit of states today. Add to that, the EB QEW has been completely closed down at Dixie due to a fatal crash, so Mississauga roads are going to be a mess, too.

I can just see the angry letters to the Editor tomorrow. Let the marathon hate-on begin...

[jgore]

Let the marathon hate-on begin...

Unfortunately, that is the sport of choice in Toronto.

[turd ferguson]

Thankfully, DVP was open as of 6AM today. But I drove some friends up to the start line and the lane closures were already in effect on Lake Shore. With the Gardiner down to 2 lanes each way, drivers are going to be in quite the fit of states today. Add to that, the EB QEW has been completely closed down at Dixie due to a fatal crash, so Mississauga roads are going to be a mess, too.

I can just see the angry letters to the Editor tomorrow. Let the marathon hate-on begin...

And a mid-afternoon raptors game

[Kristi]

Thankfully, DVP was open as of 6AM today. But I drove some friends up to the start line and the lane closures were already in effect on Lake Shore. With the Gardiner down to 2 lanes each way, drivers are going to be in quite the fit of states today. Add to that, the EB QEW has been completely closed down at Dixie due to a fatal crash, so Mississauga roads are going to be a mess, too.

I can just see the angry letters to the Editor tomorrow. Let the marathon hate-on begin...

And a mid-afternoon raptors game

Hubby went down for the Raptors game and left more than 3 hours ahead of time in anticipation. The city is going to be such a mess this summer (and likely next!) with the road closures and construction. I'm sure that people were irate today at not being able to get around.

[Engmomma]

We left from Front Street/simcoe at about 1:30 PM. It was backed up on the Gardiner but moving. Thankfully I think the two events were spaced enough that there will be minimal overlap. Just the usual grossness when leaving a big event down there.

[Double Bellybuster]

I ran the Toronto Marathon yesterday and found the drivers patient. I heard no horns and the only yelling I heard was a jackass bonked marathoner yelling at a cyclist for being on the Lakeshore path.

[La]

Thankfully, DVP was open as of 6AM today. But I drove some friends up to the start line and the lane closures were already in effect on Lake Shore. With the Gardiner down to 2 lanes each way, drivers are going to be in quite the fit of states today. Add to that, the EB QEW has been completely closed down at Dixie due to a fatal crash, so Mississauga roads are going to be a mess, too.

I can just see the angry letters to the Editor tomorrow. Let the marathon hate-on begin...

And a mid-afternoon raptors game

The coach of the Raptors took the TTC to the game because of the traffic.

I heard one radio DJ talking about the "poor planning" of holding a marathon the same day as the Raptors' Game 7. Um, yeah, I think the marathon was planned/scheduled/approved at least 11 months before we knew that there'd be a Game 7.

[phorunner]

Let the marathon hate-on begin...

Unfortunately, that is the sport of choice in Toronto.

It's the only one we win at...