This past Monday was the 20th annual Granville Island Turkey Trot, a family friendly 10K run/walk hosted by RUNVAN.®
A scenic 10KM course that starts at Granville Island and loops over the Burrard Bridge to the north side Seawall before turning at Science World and heading back along the south side Seawall, finishing at Performance Works on Granville Island.
My Little and I participated making it the farthest race we have done together, read on for my race recap.
LIKES:
- Lively and fun ambiance – many turkey and pumpkin pie costumes.
- Route– Inspiring route further enhanced by the beautiful weather.
- Kilometer markers – Clearly marked which was helpful motivation with a Little.
- Race entry supports local charity- enough said
DISLIKES:
- Burrard Street Bridge – The path open to runners was narrow making navigating with a jogging stroller challenging.
- Finish Line Space- Energy and party at the finish line was fantastic, however the finish line corral was tight for space making it tricky to navigate with a jogging stroller.
HOW DID we DO WITH THE JOGGING STROLLER?
Speed and statistic wise I ran the best 10km with my stroller to date. The route and the weather was fantastic so the time and kilometers flew by.
The little guy didn’t fair quite as well. I knew 10 km was going to be a bit longer of a run for him but I prepared for it, and hoped that the race ambiance would entertain him. He started fussing between the 5-8km and eventually crying. I tried everything, toys, Mummums, Baby food, Bottle, animal sounds…nothing satisfied him. Fortunately around the 9km marker we found a dog on the route which helped distract him. We were able to cross the finish line without tears.
Advice with a jogging stroller
- Bring: Mummums, Baby food,Water, Bottle, and a variety of toys that they CANNOT throw out of the stroller.
- Make sure all of these items are easily accessible while running.
- This goes for any race: when passing be prepared to yell…”Stroller on your left./right”
In the future I will hold off on the water and try the toys first. Any running Mamma’s out there with tips for running with kids? Would love to hear from you!
WOULD I DO THIS AGAIN?
Absolutely! It’s a fun race for non-runners and PB-seekers alike, providing a great way to burn off those Thanksgiving calories while giving back to the community.
Wow now that is amazing sounding race, I love that you found it fun, that must be one of the main things when picking which races to run. Go you!
Running with little ones can be tough. You did good time despite the challanges.
Thank you!
I’d like to participate in something like this, that also has the option of walking. I don’t see myself running in the near future, having hip muscle issues and lower back discomfort.
Walking is great exercise too!!
I love riding this route on a bike! I’ve never tried running it, but it looks like that would be fun too!
It’s really beautiful,…as long as it’s not raining. ?
This looks like a ton of fun. I would love to go if we were in the are. I will have to look for something similar near me.
We used to live in Vancouver, and this was THE best place to walk at. I would have enjoyed it very much to go on this neat race. I am not much of a runner, but I would love to walk there just to enjoy the area. We live only a couple of hours away in Seattle, maybe I’ll try this next year
nice job out there! and with a stroller… kudos to you mama!
Wow, good for you, not just running this race, but doing it with your little one in a stroller! I’m not a runner, but I think I would enjoy walking this route. It looks like fun, scenic, and as you said, the ambiance seems appealing.
I have always wanted to do a race like this. I know I would have to do a lot of training before I could ever do one. You must feel so good!
I was just talking about starting to run again. I love to run, but stopped a few years ago. This is inspiration.
It’s a great activity if you can learn to live be it
This looks like fun! I know from experience doing this with little ones is a bit more challenging lol
Sounds like it was a nice, fun-filled family event. Anything that is lively and fun is the way to go.
Glad you had a fantastic experience. I would like to see runners in turkey costumes 🙂 Is there a prize for the best turkey outfit?
Yes prizes for costumes and crowd cheering.
This is amazing! I would love to try joining a race where I can bring my kids with me!
Sounds like you had a fabulous time. I am running a 6km race for the first time in my life this january. Any tips for newbies like me?
Awesome good for you! Have fun , wear layers and no new shoes on race day.
oh my goodness, you have so so so much More energy than I had at your age. You are like a queen Marathon Mommy.
This is an inspiring story! I wish I can run for the community. Running for a good cause and burnt some calories are so awesome. Good job!
This sounds like it was such a great race. I love that you also shared about using the stroller.
Running is definitely not my strong suit but this is awesome! Looks like you do well in these type of events for yourself.
So happy for you that you made it to the finish line! This is so inspiring. Great job!
I have been wanting to try a Turkey Trot! What a great way to spend the holiday weekend (and stay away from shopping when there are all of those deals).
Congratulations on the Turkey Trot. Running with a stroller has to be difficult. You really have to pay attention to your surrondings
This is amazing! I love that you did this, with a stroller. Congrats!
Thank you!?
This looks like a fun race to do. I am hoping to complete my first 5K soon. One day I want to make to a 10K.
I’ve always wished I were a runner but I don’t like it one bit. I always envy those who do! My fiance does these runs and he always wants me to also. But I never could with him because he’s so advanced and I would just slow him down.
Pleated Midi Skirt
http://www.keepingupwithcandy.com
My fiancé does them with me but we don’t run together. We both prefer to run at our own pace and meet at the end.
This is interesting. I have been thinking about joining a race, but with stroller I am not sure. It looks fun though.
I want to get back to running again & training for races. It used to be so fun!
So fun and so cute a great community
This sounds like it was a really fun event. The narrow paths for these walks/runs can definitely be scary when there are a lot of people.
I was always curious if a jogger stroller was really worth it! It seems like it worked out really great for you, I’ll have to look into one. Thanks for sharing!
Totally worth it if you enjoy running
Hmmm..this must be an idea that David and I can do together since he loves to work out (and Im not that really). I would love the running and walking activity here, plus the ambience sounds lovely to me. 😀
-Gerome of G&D Blog
http://www.gdblog.net
This sounds like it is a great race for the whole family. It is awesome they have a race like this so families can do an outside activity together. Thanks for sharing your experience and the race.
Looks like you have your child all bundled up for this race. I hope she had as much fun with it as you did. I can definitely see drinking less and toys first would probably help in a race. Stopping to go to the bathroom or change it diaper definitely does not help with the time of the race.