There are a number running and social events that members look forward. Our Social Coordinator organizes activities throughout the year, sometimes even trying other sports such as skiing.
Every spring, Longboat hosts a brunch to welcome new members to the club. The morning starts with a friendly one mile relay competition where new members are paired up with other members in the club. Teams are chosen strategically so that everyone finishes the relay at about the same time. Prizes are awarded to the top teams and the runners who have the fastest individual run. After the relay, brunch is served (free for new members!) and we hear from a guest speaker. In recent years, we have had some of Canada’s top marathoners – Krista DuChene and Reid Coolsaet – speak to us about their training and experiences.
Throughout the year our head coach organizes a number of club races/time trials ranging in distance from 1 mile on the road, up through to a half marathon. These are low key on trails such as the railpath cherry beach & the Leslie spit. This also gives club members the opportunity to compete at less common/popular distances, such as the 5 mile.
Each summer we host our annual Longboat Track Series so members can try out various distances from 400m to 5,000m.
and every other year we add an 1-hour on the track.
For the 1-hour on the track, members run laps of the track for one hour to see how far they can run. You might be asking yourself, why one hour? Running for an hour sounds easy but this event is all about pacing. Not too slow, not too fast… it has to be just right.
To kick off the cross country season, the Longboat Cross Country Championships is held in early September in Riverdale Park East. This “fast and flat” course takes you up and down the hills around the park, traditionally followed by a club dinner in Cabbagetown. The male and female winners of this event will receive the Cross Country Award at the club’s annual dinner and awards banquet. Many of our members who enjoy cross country racing continue on with the Ontario Masters Athletics (OMA) series, which runs until the end of November.
At the start of a new year, our club comes together to celebrate the commitment and achievement of members over the prior year. This is usually a busy evening that includes a dinner, presentation of awards and dancing. This is the one night of the year when members trade in their spandex for pants, ties and dresses. It’s another great event that’s not to be missed!
