Jeff Lui’s Reviews

The Markham edition of the Shoppers Run was very well organized, with passionate volunteers, accurate route distances, and well-spaced pre- and post-race festivities. The overall experience felt very controlled and polished, and you could tell the organizers paid close attenti...

The Markham edition of the Shoppers Run was very well organized, with passionate volunteers, accurate route distances, and well-spaced pre- and post-race festivities. The overall experience felt very controlled and polished, and you could tell the organizers paid close attention to detail.

I do wish the route allowed for more spectators along the course. After the start, you’re pretty much left alone with your thoughts and questionable pacing decisions for most of the race, although the volunteers along the route were friendly and engaged throughout.

The race fee was fairly standard compared to similar events, so I was a little surprised there wasn’t a traditional finisher medal. Instead, participants received a sponsored charm bracelet. Not quite the dramatic “I survived this race” medal moment, but at least the swag bag had a few decent goodies inside.

Overall, despite the rainy weather, I really enjoyed the race atmosphere, and the route was very well organized and managed. I’d definitely consider doing it again.

First time running the Toronto Marathon. I raced the Half Marathon, and overall, despite all the negative reviews from previous years, I thought it was an enjoyable experience overall. The route was scenic, tons of crowd support along pretty much the whole route, adequate aid ...

First time running the Toronto Marathon. I raced the Half Marathon, and overall, despite all the negative reviews from previous years, I thought it was an enjoyable experience overall. The route was scenic, tons of crowd support along pretty much the whole route, adequate aid stations and the finisher's medal is gigantic which is nice. Volunteers were friendly and the overall vibe was very position. I wouldn't mind running this race again in the future.

Having said that, there are a few things that the race could definitely improve on. First, what's with reusing the same souvenir shirt from last year? At least change the colour if you will reuse the same design. Reusing the exact same shirt from last year was simply not a good decision. The start corrals could have been better organized, they are too close together, so when it gets close to race start time, it's literally impossible to get to the right corral that you want to get to which puts you immediately at a disadvantage in terms of navigating the start of the race. Aid stations were plentiful, but I think having garbage cans a little further down the road from each station would have helped the garbage pile that would quickly accumulate from runners dumping the cups on the floor. This caused a potential safety hazard too from runners tripping over all the cups. The post race was also nice, but they ran out of water right after the finish line which caused a massive backlog... took about 5-10 minutes before I could exit the finish line area and get a cup of water, it seems like this could be easily prepared for in advance. But again, overall, I'd say the race was worth it for a very scenic race route through many neighbourhoods in Toronto.

Challenging hilly race through High Park! Well organized, and lots of support/volunteers/signage all over the race course. If I could improve one thing, the post-race festivities could have been better managed. It would have been nice to have multiple photo backdrops instead o...

Challenging hilly race through High Park! Well organized, and lots of support/volunteers/signage all over the race course. If I could improve one thing, the post-race festivities could have been better managed. It would have been nice to have multiple photo backdrops instead of having to line up after a tiring race just to take a photo. Also, wasn't sure where to go after the race in terms of getting water or snacks so ended up just leaving. But other than that, a very well managed race.

Well organized race. Appreciated the very smooth shuttle from Broadview Station to the race site. Bib pickup at The Runners Shop is a little inconvenient for those who don't live downtown and they should tell you that you can simply pick it up on race day. It would have been n...

Well organized race. Appreciated the very smooth shuttle from Broadview Station to the race site. Bib pickup at The Runners Shop is a little inconvenient for those who don't live downtown and they should tell you that you can simply pick it up on race day. It would have been nice to have more crowd support along different parts of the race (not just at the start/finish), but loved all the volunteers to help you throughout race day. Post race festivities could have been more organized, didn't know where to get food/drinks/etc. But overall, enjoyed the race and vibe. Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Great little 5K race before the main Tokyo Marathon. Everything was well-organized, and nice location through the park in Asakusa. I only wished that they actually mapped out a 5K route. The actual distance was closer to 4.7K, not that big of a deal, just little details. Overa...

Great little 5K race before the main Tokyo Marathon. Everything was well-organized, and nice location through the park in Asakusa. I only wished that they actually mapped out a 5K route. The actual distance was closer to 4.7K, not that big of a deal, just little details. Overall, great experience and vibe!