MEC Burlington Race TWO

Nice flat course. Volunteers and staff are all friendly. Cheap local race. A good way to experience the trails the area has to offer. Would recommend, as well as run again and run the rest of the races in the series (total of five races that make up the MEC series). All the same price.

Ran the Half Marathon. Super cheap, no-frills (who needs another shirt and medal?) race with good spirit and volunteers but also with some issues. Chief among them, a lack of course marshals early in race.

At one point about 2.5 km in, a group of three of us were told by a marshal on bike that we were going in the wrong direction, but thankfully, Olympian Reid Coolsaet himself (who was leading the 10K in the opposite direction) soon told us we were actually on the right track. Never went off-course but was a bit disconcerting.

Another fantastic race by Mec! I loved the waterfront course. So many smiling faces out on the course! I ran the 1/2 and found the Course Marshals to be very helpful. (but I did ask almost every one I saw if I was on the right course! lol) I missed a turn in the first trail race, I didn't want to do the same again.
I highly recommend the Mec races. Great venues, even better price!

Some positive elements: the race entry was super cheap, water stations evenly spaced out over the course, Olympic marathoner Reid Coolsaet was there, and the staff and volunteers were friendly. Unfortunatley, a lot of the positives were overshadowed by the fact that many of the runners in the 5k and half were misdirected. There was not enough course marshalls and they were not clear on where to direct runners. Also, the water stations were understaffed and I had to help myself to the water. My friend was running the 5k and I ran the half and we both got misdirected. I was very disappointed because I trained for several weeks for this race and was hoping to do a personal best.

Excellent race and well organized! I ran the 5k distance in what was a flat course along the shore of Lake Ontario in Hamilton's Confederation Park. The paths are paved for pedestrians and bicycles. Post-race there were bananas, Clif bars, and plenty of water.

The course was well marked with cones, signs, and marshals. Nevertheless, I would recommend that runners study the maps of their routes beforehand so that they know where to expect turns and turnarounds. I heard of some people accidentally taking a wrong turn before the last kilometer. Fortunately, I wasn't one of them. But it never hurts to be prepared.

All in all this was a great race experience and I would love to run it again next year!

Amazing race! incredible view ! well organized! just GREAT!

Like most of the comments, this race is very well organized and well worth the price! It was quite easy to pick up my race kit on the day of the race given the distance to pick it up beforehand. Oh, and if you don't like large crowds and chaos, this is the perfect run for you! I will surely run again.

Who needs all the extra junk mail, etc in your goodie sack. The less amount the better. No shirt so what i have enough. What a great and well run event.thanks to all involved.

It was a well organized race. I have never seen the toe tag system before. Everything was well planned. The price was also great. So many races make you buy something and are filled with excessive advertising.

The only minor negative comment is the map was hard to read even at the event.

This is my 3 MEC race. Had great time. Very well organized.

well done! Only suggestion would be to use paper water cups....

This was my first race since high school. I loved that it was a small group. It was very well organized and efficiently run. Having such big washroom facilities was also a plus. I have one suggestion, if chips are expensive, perhaps require racers to register with a credit card so that if they walk away with the chip they are automatically charged for the chip. If people don't have a credit card they could leave a deposit or contact info. I would also be happy to race that same course again later in the season. See you at race 3!

MEC race 2 in Burlington was well organized, economical, and fun. I much prefer these smaller races over the huge (and hugely expensive) mainstream races.

Excellent bananas also!

The morning was cool. The anticipation was high. Coming into this race hungry for a top three position and new to the MEC running series. I not only achieved my first ever overall bronze medal I also ran a personal best 1/2 Marathon of 1:26:05.1. This was such an amazing flat and fast course with plenty of water stations perfectly spaced out throughout. Thanks to such a great organization and all the volunteers on the course and at the start/finish area. I honestly couldn't have done it without all of you. Thank you.

The MEC crew from Burlington put on a fantastic race day with three distances available. There was lots of parking and bathrooms at Confederation park and it was a good place to start and end. My only issue with the race was the water stations which had tiny plastic cups of water so it was hard to drink them. Not such a big issue for a 5k but doing a half marathon I do like to take in some fluids. All in all I would do this event again.

What a blast! First race ever, and I was very happily impressed. The organization was flawless, and everything was right on time. The atmosphere was very welcoming!

Can't wait for the next MEC race!

This is my second MEC race, the first being a 10K last year. I did the half and I agree with the previous poster it was a great race. First of all, you just can't go wrong for $15 for a half marathon. The course was well marked and the marshalls were there to make sure you made the proper turns. A good amount of water stations although I carry my own. The course itself was also nice. I picked up my bib on race day and that went smooth with minimum wait times, chip pick up was the same. Washrooms were nice and clean, people were nice, plenty of bananas after the race. I guess if I have one complaint it would be that they ran out of water at the finish.

Great race, great course, well-organized and still good value (even if they did raise the price this year). I will keep this one in my calendar.

A great, scenic run, open and welcoming to all skills and abilities.

This was my first race in a long time (10K) and I would like to applaud MEC and the organizers on many levels:
- thanks for having it on a Saturday. With most races on a Sunday it eliminates a lot of options for me.
- thanks for making it afforable. It seems lately race costs are getting prohibitive.
- thanks for making it fun. Great attitudes and a sincere effort all round.

Very good race and well organized. Will attend next year.

This was my first MEC race and I've got to say it was definitely worth my $15 and then some! So well organized and plenty of treats and water for everyone! Registration was straightforward and easy as was kit and chip pickup. The efficiency and punctuality of the crew is to be commended! I would recommend this race to anyone! VanWagner's Beach is lovely :)

Excellent Race overall, I was really impressed with the 2 girls that led the warm-ups they were awesome. Nice touch! Keep up the good work and Kudos to all the MEC staff and volunteers.

I thought the race was well organized. We were able to pick up our race bibs and chip timers an hour before the race which made it quite convenient. The course itself was well marked and their emcee did a good job. I also thought the registration was quite affordable.

You can't beat the MEC series for value.... especially for a certified, chip-timed race. A great course and perfect weather helped me PR in the half-marathon. Kudos to Kaylyn, MEC staff and volunteers for fantastic organization and enthusiasm. Next time, I'll wear sunglasses to keep the bugs out of my eyes. Thanks again!

Great run. My first half, nice and flat.

I have to say this was an awesome event! Kaylyn and her crew did a great job of making this event a success. The prerace regestration was very easy and the chip pick up on raceday was well organised. I participated in the half marathon. Everything from the marshalls making sure we were properly directed, to the water stations, which were perfectly spaced. It was great to get back and see there was still pleanty water, bananas and other treats available. By the time I had some water and a snack the results were posted. I may have missed something but I can't say anything but good things about this event. Oh ya, $15.00 what a great deal! See you at race #3.