Innholdsfortegnelse for May/June 2025 i Canadian Running

Despite some disappointing false starts, the race to bring continuous lactate monitoring (CLM) technology to the masses remains one of the most closely watched in the arena of wearable tech. Its loudest cheerleaders are touting it as the biggest breakthrough in running wearables since the portable heart rate monitor. So what is all the fuss about? Lactate, a fuel the body produces through physical exertion, can serve as a signpost to your ideal training intensity; low concentrations in your bloodstream during tougher training sessions suggest you’re not pushing hard enough, while high concentrations point to a risk of overtraining. Figuring out the sweet spot can guide runners in ramping up their runs without redlining. But for runners, measuring lactate currently requires a trip to a sports lab, where blood is…

B.C.’s Okanagan Valley is known for its lush vineyards, scenic lake views and plentiful wine tours. Its hot summer months attract tourists from all over Canada, especially Vancouver and Alberta. It’s a natural destination for weddings, family vacations and friend gatherings alike. And its long stretches of lakeside highway make it an excellent place to host endurance races. Kelowna’s Apple Marathon (formerly known as the Okanagan Marathon) is a perfect example. It attracts athletes of all skill levels; its sister race, the Apple Triathlon, was selected to be the host of the 2025 Triathlon Canada Sprint, Standard & Standard Aquabike Distance Triathlon National Championship. While the triathlon is scheduled for the heat of summer (Aug. 9–10), the marathon and half-marathon events are perfectly timed for the end of September, as…

Editor Anne Francis anne@runningmagazine.ca Senior Editor Alex Hutchinson Staff Writers Marley Dickinson, Madeleine Kelly, Keeley Milne, Cameron Ormond Photo Editor Matt Stetson matt.stetson@gripped.com Copy Editor R. Turner Art Director Warren Wheeler (Roseander Main) layout@runningmagazine.ca Production Artist Warren Hardy Social Media Nikita van Dijk nikita@gripped.com Producer and Host, The Shakeout Podcast John Gay Affiliate Marketing Cory Nagler Web Development Sean Rasmussen Digital Operations Dmitry Beniaminov Publisher Sam Cohen sam@gripped.com Editorial Director David Smart dave@gripped.com Advertising & Sales Andre Cheuk andre@gripped.com Account Managers Joel Vosburg joel@gripped.com Catherine Melo catherine@gripped.com Circulation Manager Robyn Milburn robyn@gripped.com SUBSCRIBE Send $26.95 (1 year) or $49.95 (2 years) to Canadian Running magazine, PO Box 819 Station Main, Markham, ON, Canada L3P 8L3 or call: 1 (800) 567-0444 SUBMIT Manuscripts, photographs and other correspondence are welcome. Please contact…

A few years ago, four friends were enjoying pints at a bar in Whitehorse and discussing how ridiculous it was that Yukoners fly south to race when they have incredible trails in their backyard. In 2016, they started the Reckless Raven, a 50K ultramarathon event named after a local beer. But over time, their approach didn’t sit well with Maggie Mac, who was one of those four founders (and currently its community engagement co-ordinator). Mac’s perspective shifted after she had her son, who is Indigenous, and wrote a paper on running and reconciliation for her master’s degree. “We essentially carved a trail in someone else’s backyard without permission,” she says. For millennia before the Klondike gold rush drew settlers to Whitehorse, a transportation hub along the Yukon River, the people…

Heavy resistance training is a tried and true method of improving relative and absolute strength. Commonly associated with sprinters, heavy resistance training has recently been shown to also benefit middle- and long-distance runners. Studies have shown that distance runners who add heavy resistance training can improve their running economy and race performance, with the added benefit of reducing their injury risk. Studies have also found this does not negatively affect VO2 max or body composition, meaning runners still had the same aerobic capacity and bodyweight after participating in a strength-training routine that was added to their existing running routine. So don’t fear adding unwanted bulk or weight, and be excited for the potential improvement in your race performance! YOUR STRENGTH WORKOUTS Below are two workouts designed to be performed before…

Be honest: did you choke down as many carbohydrates as you were supposed to before and during your last marathon? Carb-loading guidelines, for example, call for a 70-kg (154-lb.) runner to eat the equivalent of about 17 servings of spaghetti the day before the race. If you didn’t hit this benchmark, why not? Haven’t you been faithfully reading this magazine? OK, OK, I’ll back off. If you didn’t max out your carb intake, you’re not alone. The vast majority of runners don’t, according to a long series of surveys and studies. This presents a dilemma for sports nutrition researchers. They’re slaving away in their labs to come up with science-backed recommendations for how to fuel our training and races, but we keep ignoring them. To understand why, a research team…

Apple Watch Series 10 From $549 Though battery life remains the Apple Watch’s Achilles heel when compared to competing models designed more specifically for endurance athletes (and which can generally go for days or even weeks on a charge), the latest Apple Watch is loaded with health features, activities and metrics and is a great option for the health-conscious consumer who runs mainly for fitness and enjoyment. (And 30 minutes of charging will get you from zero to 80 per cent, so if you can get into the habit of putting it on the charger briefly during the day, you can still wear it at night and get the benefit of sleep tracking and Vitals insights—more below.) The Series 10 comes in two sizes (46 mm or 42 mm) and…

Legendary Canadian marathon runner Jerome Drayton, who died on Feb. 10 at age 80, was a dominant figure in 1970s, when opportunities were limited, the leading athletes competed against each other often and victory was valued far more than finishing times. In 1977 he was ranked number one in the world by Track and Field News magazine, which for decades provided the most comprehensive annual merit rankings. Amateurism was strictly enforced. Accepting anything other than money for legitimate race expenses was forbidden, and punishable by suspension. So Drayton worked 35 hours a week and fit in as much as 300 kilometres a week of training around his job with the Ontario Public Service. He also bought his shoes from a local running shop—and they were not the carbon-plated variety. “It…

Training for a half-marathon is an exciting journey of building up your mileage to handle the demands of race day. While many runners eagerly transition from off-season training to bigger weeks as their event approaches, this shift in volume and intensity can sometimes lead to setbacks through injury. But injuries don’t have to be an inevitable part of your training journey; here’s how. How and why do injuries occur? An injury can occur when the load placed on the body exceeds its capacity to handle that load. This can manifest as an acute event (such as rolling an ankle), or, more commonly for runners, as an overuse injury that develops gradually when training stresses outpace recovery. Interestingly, the same stresses that can potentially cause injury can also promote positive adaptation…

Tracing the rugged spine of the Continental Divide for more than 1,100 km along the British Columbia–Alberta border, the Great Divide Trail (GDT) carves through some of the most stunning mountain terrain in North America. A complete thru-hike of the GDT is a genuine expedition. Few attempt the whole trail in a single push, and even fewer finish. Fortunately, the GDT’s grandeur can be experienced in many ways, including running the trail’s countless world-class segments of high-alpine ridges and wild, winding singletrack. These three unforgettable routes provide a taste of the GDT at its finest—without the months-long commitment. Southern GDT Waterton Lakes National Park The Great Divide Trail begins in Waterton Lakes National Park at the Canada/U.S. border. It delivers one of its highlight sections in short order with the…

Thicker and more manageable than syrupy gels, Maurten 100 gel has a pleasantly mild sweetness and packs 25 grams of carbs in a 0.8:1 ratio of fructose to glucose, and goes down smoothly. » $12.50 per gel or $60 for a box of 12 WHERE TO BUY Independent running retailers Näak (Canadian!) This brand’s new high-carb Boost line consists of an energy gel containing 25 g of carbs and a drink mix with electrolytes and 60 g of carbs per serving. The Boost gel has a mild, fruity taste and a slightly chewy, jelly-like (but very soft, almost liquid) texture. The Boost drink mix is sweetened naturally with isomaltulose from sugar beets. » Gel: $4 per serving. Drink mix: $4.50 per serving or $45 per 960 g (15-serving) bag WHERE…

Windsor, Ont., has had many nicknames, e.g., the Rose City, for its waterfront parks and gardens; the Border City, for obvious reasons—and Dub City, “dub” being a short form for the W in Windsor. For the Dub City Runners (DCR for short), however, “W” is for the win—any time you make it out for a run, it’s a win! On Friday nights, dozens of runners of all ages and levels can be spotted running along Windsor’s beautiful riverfront and enjoying the sights, the exercise and the camaraderie. The Dub City Runners is a social running group that meets at the Walkerville Brewery for “miles and smiles.” The club originated at The Running Factory (a local run shop), but the pandemic forced a hiatus, and local runner David St. Germain (a.k.a.…