To start off, this is going to be different than my other race reports as I didn’t race the 15K. Also, disclaimer, I was an ambassador of the race alongside a ton of amazing folks and I totally suggest you all go through the #RBCRaceForTheKids hashtag and check out what went down! Anyways, here’s a little “What You Need to Know” about the race so you can sign up before it sells out next year!
The Cause/Fees
The race is technically free. That’s right, free. All they ask of you is the try and raise $100 ($40 if you are under 17) for Sunnybrook’s Family Navigation Project. More than two million young people in Canada are struggling with a mental health issue, yet only one in five will get the specialized treatment they need. The Sunnybrook Family Navigation Project are there to help ensure that their needs are met.
Distances
The race traditionally covers three distances, 5K, 7K, and 15K. I ran the 15K and I’m going to be honest with you: there were hills. A lot of them. And you know how I feel about hills! While I had a ton of fun pacing Allison, I would have probably cried a little if I was racing the 15K!
For the 15K, I counted around 5 water stations. One of them were a bit after 2K mark for the 5K race and 7K course.
This race is walker friendly, child/stroller friendly, and dog friendly. Imagine my surprise when turning into the last 2K of the 15K where the 15 merges with the 5K and I saw dog after dog after dog. I was like a dog seeing squirrels! There were so many of them and it was such a fun experience.
Photo courtesy of Matt Small
Getting There
This race is on a Saturday so luckily, this means the the subway has been running since 6AM. You can take the subway to North York Central station and just cross the street when you get out to Mel Eastman Square. Easy peasy lemon squeezey. There’s also parking at the mall across the street if you choose the drive.
The Swag
You get an awesome race shirt with your race kit. While the kit itself isn’t filled with a lot of things, that is because the event itself is where the swag is! After finishing the race, there is a grilled cheese station, a coffee station, a cookie station, a pastry station, breakfast sandwiches, and chocolate milk being handed out and more! There were also tents from Clif Bar, Cedar Cold Press Juice, and more. It was honestly a pretty spectacular thing to see as you know the usual routine of “here’s a unripe banana and a hard bagel” you get after a race is just so ingrained in us runners that all these goodies was a bit of a shock to me. I literally went “THERE ARE PASTRIES?!” as I went by the tent. There is also entertainment for both adults and kids after the race on the stage.
Overall
Overall, it was a great event. I enjoyed seeing entire families out at the race, doing the distances together or just hanging out by the stage afterwards watching the event while snacking on the pastries. Major thanks to all the volunteers who woke up early to help out, the sponsors, and of course, RBC Race for the Kids themselves. Hopefully I’ll see you all again next year.
QOTD: Did you race over the weekend? How do you feel about free grilled cheese? LOL!
Other places to connect with me
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Email: [email protected]
Sounds like a great race for a great cause!
Sounds like a wonderful event and a great cause!!
It sounds like a great cause. I love that they don’t charge but encourage you to race money. Excellent!
This sounds like a fabulous race! I love that it goes to a great cause. Sometimes it’s tough to get people to sign up for races when they have to fundraise it, but it’s worth it!
Looks like such a great event and I really like that there are so many different events to choose from.
I’ve never participated in a run with dogs allowed before! I’d probably get distracted! I did a double race this weekend and it was great! Looks like you had a lot of fun.
GRILLED CHEESE STATION!?!?!?!
That is so much better than the unripe banana I had yesterday!
I love these kinds of events and who does not like grilled cheese?!
How fun to be able to have your dog participate in the run! My dog is too young and crazy to do that!
I love all the post race food you mentioned! I’m SO done with unripened bananas and bagels. What a great event for a great cause 😉
Hmm. I don’t think I’ve done a dog friendly race! Sounds like a great event for a very good cause.
This sounds like a great race. I love the concept of a race being free as long as you raise the minimum donation amount. I’ve never heard of that before but I like it.
So great!
Looks like a great event! I love it when the whole family can get out and participate together!
Yum! Those nut butter Clif Bars are my new obsession. What a great race for such a good cause. There are so many people struggling with mental health.
That’s great! Such a fantastic race! But I think I don’t really love the grilled cheese. Thanks for sharing!
Wow! Such a wonderful race. Everything was just in good condition. And meaningful also. Not only they don’t charge but also encourage you to raise money. It would be much more fun if we joined with whole family.