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Results 2008Post-race Frequently Asked Questions Harry's Spring Run-Off to Fight Prostate Cancer Questionnaire Fill out our post-race feedback form! Corrections to results: info@sportstats.ca Past Results:2007'Best Dressed' Winners:Individual: James Harbeck
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Photos2008 Gallery 1: Race warm-up
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2007: Thomas Omwenga and Megan Brown take 29th Harry's Spring Run Off Toronto 8K; event raises $360,000 for prostate cancer and opens Canada Running Series '07 in the East in style
TORONTO. April 7th, 2007. Kenyan Thomas Omwenga returned to Toronto today with a quality performance and a comfortable win at the 29th Annual Harry's Spring Run Off 8K, on a chilly morning (minus 5°C) in High Park, ahead of a record, sold-out crowd of 2,500 runners. Another sell-out record of 1,500 participated in the 5K that followed. The events marked "Opening Day" for Canada Running Series '07 in the East. After a poor performance (2:21) at last September's Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, where he was not fully fit after a summer-time injury, Omwenga returned to town determined to make amends, and did not disappoint. He took charge early and led from start to finish. By the time he completed the first loop on West Road and headed down Spring Road Hill at the 1 mile mark, he already had some separation from a trailing pack that included Ottawa's Joseph Nsengiyumva, Toronto's Danny Kassap, and Montreal's Bagdad Rachem. Omwenga was a comfortable 4:48 at the mile, and he cruised from there at his marathon pace, to finish in 24:24. "Little Joe" Nsengiyumva was the only one who tried to stay close, and his 2nd place finish in 24:49 gave proof that he will be a force to contend with in this year's Series. Kassap finished 3rd, another 9 seconds back (24:58), Rachem 4th in 25:05, and Waterloo's Stephen Drew 5th in 25:13, after a good battle for the places. 
On the women's side, Newmarket Huskies' Megan Brown also had things all her own way, with an easy win in 28:05, from Pauline Githuka (28:36), one of the Kenyans now living and working year-round in Milton, and Kingston's Paula Wiltse a distant 3rd in 29:45. Besides the record field of 4,000 participants, the biggest winners on the day were perhaps Princess Margaret Hospital, who were the recipients of the $360,000 raised for prostate cancer research by the event. Harry Rosen CEO, Larry Rosen, raised almost $30,000 himself, and "Team Coppley", a supplier to Canada's premier men's wear retailer, raised an impressive $108,000 of the total. Team Pepsi were the fastest Team on the day; and the competition was so deep that a tie (pun intended) had to be declared in the "Best Dressed" category (see photos here and here). Between the first-edition Harry's Spring Run Off 8K in Vancouver (March 11th), and Harry's Toronto race today, almost half a million dollars has been raised for prostate cancer by Harry Rosen and the first two events of CRS'07—not a bad start! 2007: Harry Rosen Expands Prostate Cancer Fundraiser to National EventHarry's Spring Run-Off to benefit research at Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto, Vancouver General Hospital in Vancouver
TORONTO, Ontario (January 18, 2007) – With a goal of raising $400,000 for prostate cancer research in Canada this spring, Harry Rosen Inc. is proud to announce that it will expand the successful Harry's Spring Run-Off event to Vancouver, hosting two Runs in 2007. The second annual Harry's Spring Run-Off 8k & 5k to Fight Prostate Cancer in Toronto will take place on April 7, 2007 at High Park, a month after Harry's Spring Run-Off 8K to Fight Prostate Cancer unfolds on March 11, 2007 in Vancouver's Stanley Park. Once again, proceeds in Toronto will be donated to the Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation (PMHF), while in Vancouver, proceeds will be donated to the Prostate Centre at Vancouver General Hospital (VGH). In addition to registration fees, runners and walkers are encouraged to sign up for online pledging to raise additional funds for the hospitals. "We are thrilled to be expanding Harry's Spring Run-Off to the west coast this year" states Larry Rosen, CEO and Chairman of Harry Rosen Inc. "Our fundraising goals of $300,000 in Toronto and $100,000 in Vancouver are lofty but attainable, and we look forward to making an even greater contribution to two of the best prostate cancer research institutions in the world this spring." "Prostate cancer needn't be the most common cancer among men in Canada," says Dr. Neil Fleshner, Head, Division of Urology in the Department of Surgical Oncology at PMH. "With the research we are allowed to do at the Prostate Center at PMH – in part due to the funds raised from events such as this – we are getting better at prevention and closer to a cure every day." Prostate cancer is the most common cancer threat to Canadian men. It will afflict one out of six men in their lifetime – approximately 20,500 men this year alone. Men over the age of 45 are urged to speak to their doctors about testing. Both the Vancouver and Toronto Runs are part of the Canada Running Series, and are among the first Runs of the spring running season in each city, making them a great training opportunity for serious runners and beginners alike. Prizes are awarded for the fastest times in a variety of categories and age groups. The event also hosts a Team Challenge with prizes for Fastest Team ($1,000 in Harry Rosen gift cards) and Most Money Raised ($5,000 in Harry Rosen gift cards). In addition to the money raised by entry fees, participants are urged to sign up for additional pledges online, with those proceeds going directly to each hospital. The registration fee for Harry's Spring Run-Off, presented by HSBC Bank Canada, ranges from $30 to $50. The 8K Run begins at 10:00 a.m. and the 5K walk/run (Toronto only) at 11:00 a.m. Both events will include refreshments, breakfast, entertainment, gift bags and finishers t-shirts. Participants may sign up at www.canadarunningseries.com/springrunoff for Toronto and www.canadarunningseries.com/spring8k for Vancouver. HSBC Bank Canada is returning for the second year as Presenting sponsor. In Toronto, key sponsors are Coppley, New Balance and Abbott Laboratories. In Vancouver, the key sponsor is Zegna Sport. Both Harry's Spring Run-Off events will be supported by extensive marketing campaigns, including Globe and Mail advertising and CBS Outdoor transit shelters as well as in-store and window displays at Harry Rosen's seven Toronto and two Vancouver stores; and extensive use of websites, direct mail and email campaigns. About Princess Margaret Hospital FoundationThe Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation at University Health Network raises funds for research, education and the enhancement of patient care at Canada's leading cancer research hospital, Princess Margaret Hospital and its research arm, the Ontario Cancer Institute. For more information, please visit www.pmhf.ca. University Health Network consists of Princess Margaret, Toronto General and Toronto Western Hospitals, and is a teaching hospital affiliated with the University of Toronto. About VGH & UBC Hospital FoundationVGH & UBC Hospital Foundation is a registered charity that raises funds for the latest, most sophisticated medical equipment, world-class research and improvements to patient care for Vancouver General Hospital, UBC Hospital, GF Strong Rehab Centre and Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute. For more information, please visit www.worldclasshealthcare.ca. About Harry Rosen Inc.Harry Rosen Inc., Canada's leading quality men's wear retailer, is celebrating its 53rd year in business in 2007. With 16 stores across the country, accounting for 40 percent of the Canadian market in high-end men's wear, Harry Rosen stores offer extensive collections of the world's finest men's wear labels including Brioni, Canali, Versace Classic, BOSS Hugo Boss, Armani Collezioni, Ermenegildo Zegna, Prada, Etro, Salvatore Ferragamo, Dolce and Gabbana and J.P. Tilford by Samuelsohn. Since 2000, Harry Rosen Inc. has raised money and awareness for prostate cancer in Canada. Through a variety of initiatives, over $700,000 has been donated to organizations across the country. 2006: Tara Quinn-Smith defends title ahead of record field of 3,662 at 28th annual Harry's Spring Run-Off 8K
On an uncharacteristically sunny spring morning, Tara Quinn-Smith, just back from the Melbourne Commonwealth games, proved the class of the field. She led the women's race from wire to wire to retain her crown in 27:36, ahead of Calgary's Lisa Harvey (28:33) and Ottawa's Sarah Dillabaugh (28:58). Husband Andrew Smith came second in the men's race in 24:35, unable to stick Windsor's Ryan McKenzie over the famous uphill, later stages of the race. There was a generally festive atmosphere amongst the sold out crowd on opening day of Canada Running Series 2006, with lots to cheer about as $208,000 was also raised to fight prostate cancer at Princess Margaret Hospital. 2005: Kassap and Quinn-Smith take weather in their stride at Powerbar Spring Run OffThe tradition continued, at the 27th Annual Powerbar Spring Run [presented by New Balance Toronto—in support of Easter Seals] with almost made-to-order, truly horrible weather. 
Undeterred by the cold [1°Celcius], and driving rain mixed with occasional wet snow, Danny Kassap and Tara Quinn-Smith were all business, and both had comfortable wins at the opening day for Canada Running Series 2005. Kassap went to the front from the start, with Andrew Smith on his shoulder, and a gap soon opened up behind them—the following pack led by Montreal's Algerian gang of Dahbi Ammor, Bagdad Retchem, Nourredine Betchim and Oukid Fethi. Kassap and Smith ran shoulder to shoulder around the challenging, windswept and occasionally waterlogged 8k course, with Kassap finishing decisively up the final, famous, Spring Road Hill to start his CRS season with a 8 second victory [24:42 to 24:50]. Ammor, Retchem, Betchim and Fethi hung on well as a strong Montreal pack, taking 3rd through 6th places. 
The other half of the Quinn-Smith family had a much easier time of things, with Tara leading from wire to wire, and winning in 28:13 over Ottawa's Sarah Dillabaugh [29 flat] and 1st masters female, Nancy Tinari of Coquitlam [29:31]—who must have thought she'd landed in Inuktituk, not Toronto. Montreal men's master Recioui Tewfik had an impressive CRS debut, decisively taking out Toronto Olympic's Jerry Koomans for the win, 27:33 to 28:11. As tradition would have it, this was "Canadian Spring" in High Park, and not a day for the faint hearted. Times were slowed considerably by the conditions [Tara Quinn was 30 seconds slower than her 2004 win]. Well-know local running promoter, Peter Donato of mynextrace.com, was so off his usual form jogging home, that announcer Kevin MacKinnon remarked that he must have stopped to hand out flyers around the course! Undeterred, over 1,500 die-hards made it to the park [another 600 registrants rolled over in bed and thought better of it!]; the cadet band and the pipers played on; and the High Park Initiatives charity team miraculously served hot pancakes with maple syrup and hot chocolate. It was just one of those days that remind us we run in Canada, not South Florida. It was a day that fortified the legend of the Spring Run Off, with its weather and its hills, as a rite of passage as much as a rite of Spring for Canucks. In the end, none of the volunteers ended up with hypothermia, and many of us went home with a smile and enough stories to last through a LOT of long training runs...some good racing, tough runners, a new season, a new Canada Running Series, and unquestionably, better days ahead! Full results: see top of this page. 2004: A Stroll in the Park for Bennacer and Quinn at Spring Run Off 8KToronto, 3rd April 2004 The 26th Annual Spring Run Off 8K turned out to be a stroll in High Park for Mustapha Bennacer and Tara Quinn, as both were comfortable winners in the opening event of Canada Running Series 2004. Bennacer, the defending Series Champion from Montreal, showed that he means business for the new season, as he led from wire to wire for the victory with a strong 23:45 clocking—42 seconds clear of Danny Kassap of Toronto, with Andrew Smith another 17 seconds back. It was never close. After an early duel with teenager Diane Nukuri of Pickering, Quinn also broke away for a 43 second victory, in 27:48. The 2,000 starters in the 8K, and the almost 500 fitness folks in the Easter Seals 5K enjoyed a beautiful morning in Toronto's finest park. Conditions were ideal, at around 8°C and no wind. And as the Weather Network forecast it last night, "the risk of some sunshine" came true. |
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