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Race Reports - Allison's Official Toad Report

Allison's Official Toad Report So the day started at around 6 am, when I crawled out of bed, showered, and headed to the main lobby for some continental breakfast.  I was a tad surprised to see that almost everything offered for breakfast was not exactly what I'd call heart or runner friendly...pastries, donuts, muffins...I finally stumbled upon some Raisin Bran and decided that that would be pretty good for pre-race fuelage.  So some Raisin Bran and 2 coffees later, I was totally prepped and we were out the door.

Upon our arrival on site, it became apparent that this was no usual race.  There were tons of freebies and other cool amenities, like pre-race massages and everything, not to mention a snazzy Toad bag.  After a few photos and national anthem singings, it was the time for the start.  

I started back at around the 5:30/Km area along with Billy, Jessica, Mikey, Jason, and my mom.  It was super cold at that point, and although lots of racers were geared up in what seemed like January-wear, we were decked in mostly shorts and Ts, which ended up being a good idea because once we started going it wasn't long before we got really hot.  The gun went off and all the Toadsters took off into the woods.  I started slow, not knowing what I was in for.  I watched as Mikey and Billy disappeared into the distance, and I knew that I had absolutely no chance of staying with them.

After a few Ks, it became obvious that this race could be run at any decent pace.  The first 4K or so were rolling and rugged.  Shortly after that came the first aid station, which was not only stocked with water and gatorade, but also Coke, M&Ms, pretzels, Mars bars, chips, and more.  I thought that it was totally cool that the water was served in special anti-spill Toad cups, that was styling.

The first lap went pretty un-eventfully, until of course the massive hill at 11.5K.  After hauling my butt up the hill at a snail's pace, I got a little chuckle to see a skeleton sitting on a gatorade jug at the top, so funny yet so sick at that moment.  When I saw after the first lap that it had taken me 1:05 to do 12.5K, I realised that I was definitely in for some pain in the following lap.

Indeed, as I had predicted, the second lap seemed to be 100% uphill.  I got a little dirty at around 17K, when I went flying at the bottom of a steep hill that was very muddy and slippy.  I got nice and dirty which completed the XC experience.  It ain't really XC if you come out clean, after all!  Anyway, the second lap was absolute torture, I slowed to a crawl, and finished exhausted in around 2:15.  For anyone who thinks Mt. Bruno is hard, multiply that by 10 and you get the difficulty of this route.  It was definitely an experience.

Sadly, we had one injured runner at the end of it all, Raeann, with a badly busted ankle, but other than that everyone finished strong and dirty.  The post race meal was fantastic.  Along with the Mars bars, bananas, unlimited popcorn and coffee, we were treated to a tasty meal of hot chicken sandwiches with all the fixings, delicious salads, veggies, and fruits, and a choice of 3 different types of pies.  Yu-mmy!

After handing out the awards (really nice, individualized paintings) to some exceedingly speedy runners, it was to the door prizes, which were so plentiful that it was next to impossible to leave without at least one prize a person.  The race directors were very generous and genuine, and everyone left with a smile.  

The night after the race, Jason, Jessica, and the familia hobbled to the Applebee's for dinner, after which Mikey and I went to Jessica and Jason's room for some cards, a sorry attempt at Dominos, and some really bad movie called "Click", or something like that.  The next morning I woke up in a great deal more pain than the day before, and after a quick breakie, it was on the road again for the long trip home.  Overall, the weekend was a blast, and the Toad lived up to its expectations, and then some.  It was a fantabulously run race with tons of nice people, great food and prizes, and an extremely challenging course.  Once you've been to the Toad there's no turning back...I'll be back next year with (I hope) a lot more St.Bruno training under my belt!

Allison Gates