News and Media - May 2008 - Newsletter #8

A Few Final Updates Before Race Weekend

Desjardins General Insurance partners with Running Room!

• Desjardins General Insurance has teamed up with the Running Room® and is offering Mississauga Marathon participants a chance to win 1 of 5 Garmin ForeRunner® 305 Personal Trainers and 1 of 20 $150 Running Room gift cards.
• DGI is the proud sponsor of the 10K Run and Student 10K Relay. For
  further details on the contest and prizing, visit us at www.dgidirect.ca/mississaugamarathon

Live Results

• Let your friends and family know that they can follow your progress in the Canon Marathon or Reebok Half Marathon on Sunday May 11th through the Mississauga Marathon presented by Canon website or through Sports Stats.

Be Sure to Stay at the Finish Line for the Post-Race Celebration

• Have your picture taken with your race bib by Brightroom in the finish chute.
• Awards for the Reebok Half Marathon and the Canon Marathon begin at 10am and 11am respectively.
• Entertainment will be ongoing throughout the day.
• There will be special victory and Mother’s Day bouquets available to buy with 10% going to Trillium Health Centre Foundation for moms and runners/walkers!
• Head into Port Credit afterwards for some great restaurants, sites and nightlife on Lakeshore Rd.

As a Special 5th Anniversary Offer Participants in the Canon Marathon, Reebok Half Marathon, Desjardins General Insurance 10K and Biovail’s“The Hazel” 5K can all download finishers Certificates!

• After you finish your race, look on the Mississauga Marathon presented by Canon website to download your certificate.

Look for your photos by Brightroom on the Mississauga Marathon website photos page after the race.

New this year; Biovail’s “The Hazel” 5K and the Desjardins General Insurance 10K courses have been Certified!!

After the Race, We’d Like to Know What You Think!!

• Mississauga Marathon presented by Canon organizers would like to ensure that your race experience is as enjoyable and as memorable as possible. In order to achieve this, we’d like to know your thoughts.
• After race weekend, visit the Mississauga Marathon homepage, click on the survey link and fill out the short survey to let us know about your experience.
• All participants who fill out the survey will be eligible to win a free entry to any individual event in the 2009 Mississauga Marathon presented by Canon

Accommodations

• Please note that with the incredible number of early registrations that our official hotel Novotel Mississauga is now sold out.
• For additional accommodation needs please click on the links below for our other affiliated hotels
• Delta Meadowvale
  www.deltameadowvale.com.
• Courtyard and Residence Inn by Marriott http://marriott.com/yyzmq?groupCode=mismisa&app=resvlink
• Please refer to the Mississauga Marathon when booking.

A Reminder to our Participants:

• A Family Reunion area will be located in the post race area. Look for your ‘fans’ in sections marked with the initial of your last name on signs posted in this designated meeting place
• A fast, fun and stress free finish can be made possible by all of our runners and walkers following the same on-course etiquette. Stay to the right on narrow trails and paths (especially on the waterfront trail sections) and pass on the left.

PowerBar Gels on Course
The Mississauga Marathon presented by Canon is pleased to inform runners that PowerBar Gels will be available on course on race day (Sunday). Participants can find PowerBar Gels at the 24K, 34K and 38K aid stations along the marathon route.

• Get the competitive edge with a PowerBar sample!
• Get complimentary POWERBAR System product samples when you register for the Nutrition Edge Newsletter or update your profile at www.powerbar.com.

Race Kit Pick up Process

• Race Kit pickup is located at the Runners Expo on Friday May 9th from 11:00am to 8:00pm and Saturday May 10th from 10:00am-5:00pm at the Mississauga Valley Community Centre (1275 Mississauga Valley Blvd- maps available on the website)
• The race kit process is completed in 4 very easy, very simple steps. All steps have signs to identify them.

1. Bib numbers will be emailed to all runners/walkers the week prior to the race, IF YOU DON’T RECEIVE THIS EMAIL…your bib number will be posted alphabetically according to your last name at the entrance to the Runners Expo. Check your name and look up your bib number.
2. Look for the signs identifying your race event and then line up according to your bib number to pick up your race envelope which contains your bib and race chip.
3. Proceed to the Race Kit pick up table to get your kit containing all your goodies.
4. T-Shirt Pickup- SHIRT SIZES ARE FIRST COME FIRST SERVED!
   Participants in the Canon Marathon and Reebok Half Marathon should look for signs saying technical shirts, male and female, to pick up their shirts.
   
   Participants in the Desjardins General Insurance 10K, Biovail’s “The Hazel” 5K and The Mississauga News 2K Family Fun Run/Walk should look for signs saying cotton t-shirts (these shirts are unisex) to get their shirt.
   
   If your race envelope says NO SHIRT, you registered after the 7500 tech shirt (Canon Marathon, Reebok Half Marathon and Grand & Toy Corporate/Team Relay) and 3500 cotton shirt (Desjardins General Insurance 10K and 10K Student Relay, Biovail’s “The Hazel” 5K and The Mississauga News 2K Family Fun Run/Walk) limit and, unfortunately, you will not receive a shirt.

A Message From our Medical Director on how to have a Safe Race

**REMEMBER TO FILL OUT THE BACK OF YOUR RACE BIB WITH YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION AND MEDICAL DETAILS. IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY, OUR MEDICAL TEAM WILL BE ABLE TO QUICKLY ASSESS YOUR MEDICAL CONDITION AND TREAT YOU APPROPRIATELY****

Marathon Running…… now ….

“THE REST OF THE STORY”


I am constantly amazed by the thousands of runners, both novice and seasoned veterans, I have seen in my office over the years. They have sought medical advice as to their training regimes, their biomechanics, food and drink requirements and footwear.
I have been impressed by the increasing numbers of women, as well as the prominence and sheer numbers involved in the sport. You are elite athletes one and all.

As with all good and great things there must come some caveats.
Hence ……………………THE REST OF THE STORY.

Many athletes are not aware of the risks of participation in endurance events. It is my job, on the course, to watch for problems.
What are these problems?........

1. Many people run injured. This leads to the common practice of taking medications during training and the actual event. You must be aware that anti-inflammatory meds such as ibuprofen have an effect on both stomach and kidneys. These problems are often amplified by the stress of a long race and the frequent dehydration that ensues.
   Read labels carefully of all meds you take and let us know so we can be aware of and manage any problems appropriately.
2. Have you heard of hyponatremia?
   This is a potentially serious condition which occurs from drinking too much ! ! yes too much… Sweat has a high sodium content and is difficult to replace by most of the usual sport drinks. Excess fluid intake dilutes the sodium in the blood causing a serous metabolic abnormality. To manage this situation, which incidentally is a greater problem in heat, I suggest a salty snack prior to running and not drinking to excess along the route. How much exactly is not known as people have different sweat rates. Perhaps drinking when thirsty is a good guide- not forgetting that hydration is a very important part of performing well.
   PLEASE WEIGH YOURSELF PRIOR TO THE RACE AND WRITE THE WEIGHT ON YOUR BIB.
3. Be kind to your heart. It is the engine that gets you through everything you do.
   Coronary artery disease does not exempt runners. Runners are generally a well group, hence have less coronary disease than their inactive counterparts. While active we are all at a slightly higher risk of a heart problem but overall the rates of heart problems are lower. If you develop any potential signs of a heart problem STOP and ask for assistance.
   Other heart issues, generally in a younger age group, may be abnormal electrical problems.
   If you have any questions regarding these issues or a family history of heart problems see your physician and notify the race co-ordinator.
4. At the finish line , do not stop , but keep walking, dress warmly and towel off.
   Strangely enough, the medical tent at the finish line fills up with more people precisely because they do not perform these simple tasks.
   
   PLEASE TAKE TIME TO FILL OUT ANY MEDICAL INFORMATION ON THE RACE BIB.
   
   And may the true “rest of the story” be a happy uneventful day for all of us.
   Have a great race day and remember- if you need us, we will be there for you.
   
   Christopher Woollam MD
   Sport Medicine Physician
   Medical Director The Mississauga Marathon
   www.medisport.ca
   
   Seeing the Mississauga Marathon presented by Canon Through Our Runners Eyes
   
   We are very proud of the beauty of the Mississauga Marathon course. It is one of the unique highlights of our race that encourages past runners to keep coming back. Since we cannot be in all places at all times during our race events, the Mississauga Marathon Race Crew would love to see the Mississauga Marathon presented by Canon through the eyes of our runners. If you get a great picture that captures the excitement, beauty, and magic of our event we encourage you to send it into us so that we may include it in our photo gallery and possibly include as part of our race promotion.
   
   Simply email your photos to [email protected] in .jpeg format. Make sure to tell us a little about your photo in your email- we would be thrilled to hear your marathon stories as well.
   *By submitting your Mississauga Marathon event pictures, you are granting Mississauga Marathon permission to post them on the event website mississaugamarathon.com and within promotional materials including but not limited to event brochures, postcards and editorial.
   
   
   The Mississauga Marathon presented by Canon would like to wish all of our participants a safe and memorable run!