Hamilton
By Kevin Mackinnon
Steeped in running history, and home to some very steep climbs
While Canadian runners likely know Hamilton as the site of the famous Around the Bay Road Race, North America’s oldest running race, the city’s rich running history also includes the fact that it hosted the first Empire Games, which we now know as the Commonwealth Games, in 1934.
Blessed with more green space and trails than virtually any city its size in Canada, Hamilton’s best running is done through the many trails that surround the city. If you’re downtown you can run up towards the Niagara Escarpment and head east or west along the Radial Trail. From the west part of the city, you can run through the Royal Botanical Gardens trails that surround McMaster University, or follow the Rail Trail for almost as long as you’d like – it goes right to Brantford. Most mornings you’re likely to see some of the Kenyans who make Hamilton their home through the road race season doing 2k loops on the grass around Churchill Park. If you find yourself on the east side of the city, there are a number of bike and running trails that follow along the escarpment.
For a truly spectacular trail experience, though, you need to spend a morning or afternoon exploring the many trails in Dundas Valley Conservation Area. The varied terrain (read hills) and spectacular views make this some of the best running in the country.

Races
The two most famous events in the city are the Boxing Day 10 Mile and the 30k race that runs like a marathon, the Around the Bay Road Race. The predominantly downhill Road2Hope Marathon in November also includes 5k and 10k races.

Groups
The Runner’s Den, owned by Gord and Esther Pauls, offers training groups for everyone from beginners to marathon runners. There are two locations in the city, one in West Hamilton and another on the East Mountain.
The Running Room, near McMaster University, also offers training runs throughout the week.

* SHORT & QUICK
A popular workout for many Hamiltonians is to head to one of the many sets of stairs that go up the escarpment for a series of up-and-down repeats. Park at Chedoke Golf Course and you can add a warmup and cool-down along the beautiful Radial Trail to your stair climbing workout.

1. SHORT 8K
Hamilton Waterfront Trail
From downtown Hamilton, head straight down Bay Street toward the lake. Hang a left into Harbourfront Park and follow the Waterfront Trail along the lake. The trail is ploughed all year long, making this a great route no matter how much snow is on the ground.
www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2229453.

2. MEDIUM 10-13K
Westdale to Dundas
Starting from the Second Cup in Westdale, a popular post-run hangout, run toward McMaster University. Once you’ve done a loop of the campus, enjoy the nice cruise along the bike trail next to Coote’s Paradise and be sure to keep your head up for the deer that are regulars along the side of the path. Once you’ve made it to Dundas, head toward the escarpment for a loop around Dundas Driving Park and back through downtown Dundas before heading back towards McMaster campus and Westdale, where you can join the rest of the runners you’re likely to have met along the way for a coffee. You can shorten this route by skipping the loops around McMaster or the Driving Park.
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3. LONG 20K
Dundurn Castle to Burlington
This out-and-back run is a mainstay for those training for the Around the Bay Road Race. Starting from Dundurn Castle – one of the city’s most famous landmarks – you run along York Boulevard and enjoy a spectacular view of the bay. A right turn takes you down the most feared hill on the Around the Bay course (don’t worry, you’ll get to run back up it before you’re done) and toward the Royal Botanical Gardens. The route winds along the rolling hills along North Shore Boulevard. Turn around before you’re too tired – on this out-and-back loop, the return trip is much tougher.
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Vancouver
As Vancouver prepares to host
the 2010 Winter Olympics, it’s the
perfect time to take a trip to the city that tops the quality-of-life surveys year after year. For the travelling runner, Vancouver offers the well-known Stanley Park and its famous seawall route along the Pacific Ocean, as well as the less-
publicized Pacific Spirit Regional Park in the west end of the city.

Chris Cole, owner and operator of The Run Inn store in the community of Kerrisdale at the south end of the city, selected three scenic routes for visiting runners: a loop through Pacific Spirit, a slightly longer seawall run, and an exciting 17K route with a detour into Beaver Lake in Stanley Park. “For me Stanley Park is one of the best parks on the planet to run in,” says Cole. “You can do a two-hour run through it if you know the trails, without even touching the seawall.”

1. SHORT 8K
Pacific Spirit Wilderness Trail
With more than 763 hectares of forest trails, the Pacific Spirit Regional Park is a wilderness within the city, easily accessible to the public. This is a great route for first-timers to the trails as it’s a simple route to follow.

Starting from Camosun and West 38th Ave., enter the trail opening and turn right at Salish No. 21. Head along Salish, cross No. 3 Clinton Trail, and continue to No. 12 Imperial Trail. Turn left, run down Imperial staying to your left, for about 800m, and turn left onto No. 24 Swordfern Trail. Exit Swordfern onto No. 28 SW Marine Trail, turn left, and follow the trail for about 2.5k. At the end of SW Marine, make a sharp left back onto No. 21 Salish and jog back to the start. You can turn this into a 14k run by starting from The Run Inn at 2236 West 41st Ave.

2. Short 8K
False Creek Seawall Run
Arguably one of the most scenic runs in the city, the key to this run is to stay next to the water on the right. Cruise by the marinas, Science World, Winter Olympic Athletes Village and the ever-popular Granville Island, with its public market and local artisan shops.

Start from the Vancouver Aquatic Centre, underneath the north side of the Burrard St. Bridge. Head east, keeping the water on your right and follow the seawall along to Science World, carrying on along to Granville Island. Dip under the bridge, run about 250m, turn left on West 1st Ave. and turn right onto Burrard St. Cross the bridge, and at the foot of the north side of the bridge, there’s a set of stairs. Make a hard right, go down the stairs and you’ll see the parking lot where you started

3. LONG 17K
Stanley Park Beaver Lake and Lost Lagoon Run
This is another panoramic oceanfront run, but the clincher is the little detour about one-third of the way into Beaver Lake. Most people don’t even know the 1k loop is there.

Start at the Vancouver Aquatic Centre on the north side of the Burrard St. Bridge. Run toward English Bay, keeping the water on your left. About 2k along, enter Stanley Park and curve along the seawall, clockwise, past Siwash Rock to Lions Gate Bridge. Go under the bridge to the 5k mark and after about 800m, turn right into a small tunnel and up a trail for 200m to Beaver Lake. Run either way around the 1k lake loop and back down the trail you came up, to the seawall. Turn right, and continue for 3.5k where you’ll come to what many people consider the start of the seawall. Veer right to go under the pedestrian tunnel, and you’ll come out around Lost Lagoon. Make a sharp right and do a Loop of Lost Lagoon. At the most northerly point of the lagoon, follow the pedestrian path and continue to Second Beach Pool. Turn left and retrace your steps along English Bay back to the start

Winnipeg
While some Torontonians say their hometown is the centre of the universe, Winnipeggers can lay claim to living near the geographic centre of North America. The city is also the meeting two great bodies of water, the Red and Assiniboine rivers, in an area of downtown known as The Forks, which was used as a meeting place by aboriginals 6,000 years ago, and remains a marketplace today.
With the city’s network of riverbanks, parks and diverse neighbourhoods, it’s no wonder Winnipeg has a thriving running community. Dwayne Sandall, a marathon coach with the Winnipeg running group Endurance Matters, says he loves the challenge of creating interesting routes for long group runs.
“It can be a surreal experience running down Wellington Crescent with its mansions,” says Sandall, “then heading south through Assiniboine Park into the forest where you’ll find deer grazing – the contrasts are stunning.”

1. SHORT 6.1K
The French Quarter Tour
From The Forks, follow the riverwalk around until you reach the Esplanade Riel and cross to St. Boniface. Run north to Wittier Park and then back down Provencher Boulevard. Hit Tall Grass Bakery in The Forks Market when you’re done.
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2. MEDIUM 12K
River Route
Starting at the Duck Pond in Assiniboine Park, run east down Wellington Crescent under the canopy of trees. Take note of the train tracks – you’ll be coming back that way shortly. Crossing over the bridge, head back west through the laidback Wolseley neighbourhood. Remember the tracks? Head south on the pedestrian bridge and you’ll be back on Wellington Crescent.
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3. LONG 27.7K
Follow the Rivers
Start at Stride Ahead Sports in Grant Park and hit some highlights of the Manitoba Marathon route. You’ll go along both sides of both the Assiniboine and Red rivers and get a tour of the vibrant
neighbourhoods that make up central Winnipeg.–MK
www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1782113

Edmonton
Edmonton’s a hockey mecca, but it’s also a running town. The city’s 7,400-hectare, 22K-long river valley system could comfortably house 22 Central Parks. With the most parkland per capita of any city in Canada, choices abound for the runner in Edmonton. Here are three route options from our panel of local runners.

1. LONG 19.3
Dan’s Urban Jungle Run
Starting just south of the main bar/boutique strip, go west into the deep, green North Saskatchewan River valley. Look for deer, porcupines and pileated woodpeckers. The waterside trail cuts through parks named after a crooked mayor (Hawrelak) and a racist judge (Emily Murphy), then you cross a bridge, squeeze past a power plant, cross back over the river and hit the Mill Creek Ravine. You’ll smell the sawmill, descend beneath a railroad underpass and wind back to the start.
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Dan Rubinstein, editor of the business magazine Unlimited, regularly escapes the stresses of a hectic job with a run along the North Saskatchewan River.
“Running in Edmonton is great, even in winter,” Rubinstein says. “It’s a dry cold, and we’re used to it. But the real bonus returns each spring: you appreciate temperatures above zero so much more when you know what a week below -40 C feels like.”

2. MEDIUM 7.7K
Jocelyn’s Lunchtime Run
Head down the MacDonald Hotel stairs into the river valley. Take a left and run past the first footbridge heading into a trailed and treed area. Cross the river and at the end of the bridge swing right again, heading back to where you came from on the other side of the river. There is one short – but very steep – hill to conquer. The trail will pop you out at the bottom of the Forest Green hill. Carry on past the first footbridge and take a left onto the low level bridge and back up the MacDonald Hotel stairs.
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Jocelyn Benson, has been running seriously for about eight years and is training for her first 50k ultra at Blackfoot. She works downtown as a litigation paralegal and considers herself lucky to have the river valley at her disposal for lunchtime runs.
“I love running in Edmonton,” Benson says. “The running community here is very friendly and encouraging. Edmonton is a great place to run through the hot summers, golden falls, bitter winters and muddy springs. I would recommend it to anyone.”

3. SHORT 4.6K
Heather’s Valley Jaunt
Run north from the Kinsmen Sport Centre – a great starting point for all sorts of routes in the River Valley – through the parking lot toward the Walterdale Bridge. Head east under the bridge and follow the trail along the river. Pass underneath the James McDonald Bridge and cross the river going west on the Low Level Bridge. Pass the power plant and then head across the Walterdale Bridge back to the Kinsmen. If you need to add some more distance onto this you can continue through the Kinsmen parking lot, across the LRT bridge and then onto the trail by the River Valley Road.
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Heather Moore, works in accounting and has lived in Edmonton for 25 years.
“Edmonton has a beautiful river valley with miles and miles of shaded trails,” Moore says. “It feels like you’re all alone in the city when you are on them. Plus sometimes you get to see wildlife – bunnies usually – but I did see a deer once.”

RUNNING AWAY
Quebec City: Every Run a New Discovery
By Michal Kapral

As Quebec City turns 400, here’s how to mark the occasion as a running tourist in the city famed both both its natural beauty and historic landscape.

The guidebooks will say the best way to explore Quebec City is by foot; for us this means going for a run. It’s impossible to jog through the streets of Québec without feeling immersed in the history of the city. Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1985, Quebec City’s Old Town celebrates its 400th anniversary this year.

Perched along the edge of the majestic St. Lawrence River, the city’s landscape features an impressive array of architectural styles.

“Every run will be a discovery of something new,” says Christian Lemieux, manager of the Quebec City Running Room.

Lemieux offers up three scenic running routes, one short, one medium and one long:

1. The Plains of Abraham Battlefield Park (6.8K)
   
   Starting from the Château Frontenac, head to the Parliament Building and run along  the main street of Quebec, returning back in the Plains of Abraham Battlefield Park and finishing on the King Dufferin terrace along the Cap Diamant cliff.
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2. Saint-Charles River (9.8K)
   
   The Saint-Charles River is one of the great places to run in the middle of the city. A concrete wall that used to block the view of the river has been torn down, leaving a scenic route of trail and pavement along the water’s edge. Start in front of the Old City Market and head for the north shore of the river and come back along the southern edge, finishing back at market, where you can buy fresh fruit, vegetables and other goods for replenishment.
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3. St. Lawrence River (18K)
   
   A long-awaited walking, running, cycling path along side the St. Lawrence River was completed in time for the 400th anniversary celebrations. The new path runs all the way from the Old Port to one of the great bridges of North America, the Quebec Bridge. Start from the Old Port and head west following the St. Lawrence River all the way to the end of the path, near Quebec Bridge, and come back. You’ll find signposts with information about the city’s history along the way.
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Gathering

The Running Room’s free group runs are held every Wednesday at 6 p.m. and Sunday at 8:30 a.m. at 1049 avenue Cartier.

Races

• Quebec City International Half-Marathon, May
• Descente Royale, June
• Billed as the fastest 10K course in Quebec.
• SSQ Quebec City Marathon, aka Marathon des deux rives, August
• Also includes a half-marathon, 10K, 5K kids run
• Ghost Run, October
• A Halloween-themed fun run at night: 5K, 10K and kids’ 2K run

Food

• Casse-Crêpe Breton –as the name implies, this is the place for crêpes
• Chez Cora  - grab a big, healthy breakfast after your morning run
• Le Café du Monde – bustling French bistro near the Musée

Places to stay

• Augerge Saint-Antoine
• 8 rue St-Antoine, Québec City www.saint-antoine.com
• The Ice Hotel Quebec – 30 minutes from Quebec City, it will stay open until April 1, or until the building melts
• 143 Route Duchesnay Pavillon Regie, Sainte-Catherine-de-la-Jacques-Cartier, QC (877/505-0423) www.icehotel-canada.com

Attractions

• Musée de la Civilisation
• Musee des Beaux-Arts du Québec
• Place Royale
• Boudoir Lounge, 441 rue de l'Eglise, www.boudoirelounge.com