Run Blue Mountains

This event was very poorly organized. From the moment I arrived, none of the volunteers at the registration tables seemed to know what was going on. The actual race start was so sudden and unofficial I thought for a moment the announcer was joking. The signage on the course was poor in certain places - a group of us ended up running part way down the wrong road because there was no sign and no volunteer present to direct us. Afterwards, I waited around for over an hour only to hear someone on a microphone rush through the results saying only first names only to then find out some of the initial results were wrong so I would have to wait another hour or more to collect my prize for top 3 overall: a sticker.

It's a shame how disorganized this event was because the location was very nice.

I would never register for this event again and would not recommend it to anyone. There are many other well-organized, fun, and rewarding races in Southwestern Ontario - do not waste your time on this one.

This race was amazing for our family. It was great to have kids involved, and to have a warm, safe place for them to wait until we finished our own race. The food was just what we needed, the volunteers along the course were supportive, and everything was super organized. We will definitely do this one regularly!

Great race as usual despite the rain. Awesome food after the race and really enjoyed the complimentary beer and ciders as well as the apples. Great toque and loved the new design of the medals. Just of couple of things I noticed this year were after my race I struggled to find water to drink......had to search and then finally asked. My daughter said at one point in her race that she had to wait for a vehicle to cross the street even though there was a police office there, so was very disappointed when I heard that. Overall, we loved the race and would definitely go back. We have participated now for three years. Thanks again for putting on a great race.

This is our third year participating in this race and as always we had a great time!
It is a beautiful run with friendly volunteers. The course was well marked with plenty of water stations. Great food after too!

This was our first half-marathon and felt it was well organized in terms of registration. The course was well marked. The volunteers and water stations were phenomenal, especially considering the weather. Both my wife and I had a great time!

Great race, even given the snowy conditions! The beer post-race was a bonus. Only disappointed that you ran out of chili.

What a great family event!
Well organized, great facilities, amazing volunteers and a beautiful course...snow included!
Thank you Rotary Club
Will definitely return!

Very well organized! Great energy from organizers, volunteers and participants. The run through Thornbury was beautiful and the unexpected snow will always be remembered. Had 3 kids do the 1K and they loved it! Really enjoyed the facilities and the delicious chili after! Will definitely make it an annual family tradition!

I LOVE this race. The town is the friendliest; the organizing of...well...everything, is so efficient and they're all having a good time while making you feel special. The volunteers are the best, and so is the food!
And - Bonus - I won a pie! Will come back again and again.

first time for this race, thoroughly enjoyed it, well organized and everyone very helpful and friendly from beginning to end. Great job Rotarians and great knowing money stays in area. You may see me next year.

This was a really excellent race. I was not sure what to expect as I generally love the vibe of big city races (Toronto, Ottawa, Las Vegas). However this race far exceeded my expectations and I would choose it over the Toronto Scotiabank half marathon next year for sure. I love that we could register inside (especially given the weather on Sunday!), the lineups for bathrooms were short, the food was delicious, there was folk music, there was a ton of support along the course and lots of cheering at every water station, the timing system was high tech, the hat in the race bag is very cozy... overall it was a really great race!

This race was excellent. A beautiful and challenging course. The volunteers did a wonderful job cheering, lots of water stations and washrooms. The hot meal (chili) after the race was delicious.

A great race - this crew managed to put together a great day - dispite the winter conditions!

Excellent race, excellent venue, and amazing volunteers!

Plus, we had the opportunity to run in the snow! :D

Very friendly people in Thornbury. The snow certainly made it memorable and the staff coped admirably with people dropping their distance.Fun atmosphere before and after. Thank you!

Great race! The crazy snow just made it more memorable. Loved the apple-baked beans and beer/cider post-race. Well done.

Excellent venue,excellent race course, great indoor facility for pre and post race, including washrooms.

EXTREMELY WELL DONE!!!!

This race is a little expensive for a 5km race. it was well put on with some issues with organization

Great warm up. Wonderful volunteers. Well organized. Rotary did a great job. Was a fun atmosphere. The course was pretty. The snow added an element of beauty and challenge.
We loved the food and the free massage after. It felt great to receive a medal for finishing. The entrance fee was a little steep. We know people who didn't enter because they couldn't afford it which is a shame.

Ran 1/2 marathon in the snow. Slippery and poor visibility, but great course and awesome volunteers! Hilly terrain. Great meal afterwards, delicious apple baked beans! A free toque. Will likely run this again!

My grandsons first race and he can't wait for next year!
He is only 7 and told everyone he was doing his first marathon, taking after grandma. Very well organized and great swag! Well done

I did the half and love the route, beautiful scenic and challenging. Great goodie bag with 2 Tshirts. Nice medals. Friendly people. Volunteers were great except that at the very last turn there was no one to indicate you to turn! :) Luckily there was a runner 200m ahead of me that I saw turning.

Second year with this race. Registration was smooth. Chip timing on the bib made it a breeze. Course is hilly but great scenery. Adding the 10k was a bonus! Great cheering at water stations. Lots of small town appeal. Indoor arena to warm up and keep warm afterwards. Considering the price, the swag was amazing and you got fed lunch! Well done Rotarians who support children's programs in our area with the proceeds to this race.

Excellent race. Very well organized, fun event. I will definitely run it again next year! My only suggestion is to have it a week or two earlier so there is a better turnout for organizers.

This was my first Half Marathon. I thought that it was very well organized. Plenty of water stations. Challenging course, plenty of hills..very beautiful! Lots of volunteers. Will run this one again! :)

I did the 10k yesterday.. a little hilly ( I have only done one 10k before which was flat ) , but a good run!! Very well organized.. great swag ! good treats afterwards.. I didn't stay for lunch , but it smelled delicious! Mother nature cooperated too. Great day!

this is by FAR my most favourite race yet! VERY well organized! The course was absolutely STUNNING, not to mention a great challenge! From the support of volunteers, to the FABULOUS race kits, to the apples and yummy food afterwards it was a race not to be missed! You will definitely see me back next year! Truly a gem!

This is a great race if your like me and love a challenge,a great course,and a well organized no stress race. This was my second year doing this race and I will be back next year.

I ran in the 10KM race and I know there were a couple of problems but they did not effect me.
Each year that the Rotarians host the run I feel there is improvement. It is a group of non runners trying to host a race. Course was challenging, gift bags, food and awards were all great! Loved the little apple pies given to first place age groupers!

Great course Lots of volunteers who help Great food I will be back

Volunteers 5+ bananas
Race Organizers 5+ bananas
Race Course 5+ bananas
No better place to run. Great volunteers and cheering section all along the route.

Fantastic run. Great swag. Extremely good value. Very well organized. I'm just starting back to running after a 7 year break and am amazed at how far technology has come - no more ankle bracelets, yay! Ran this race with my daughter. What a motivator! Thank you to all the volunteers - I think almost the best race that I have entered in the last 20 years! Congrats to organizers!

This was a challenging but very enjoyable course. Did the half. Lots of support, lots of food afterwards and a terrific start/finish venue. Very well ran by the organizers and we will most definitely be back next year.

My friend and I loved the race course...apple orchards, some hills but not too tough, the people, the water stns, the small town feeling! We came in last for the half marathon but needed to finish it as my friend had brain surgery and radiation this spring and wanted to complete this race. She is an avid runner. John Leicki was amazing....I told him about our goal and he told me just follow his truck- we would finish it. For the last 2 kms, our friends came out to cheer us on and at the finish line there was about 30 to 40 people cheering us in with beers even! It was one of those moments that defines "being alive!" Thank you to John and to the Rotary Club for leaving the course open for us and for cheering us on. You made a "real difference" that day in someone's life and represented what community spirit was all about. Suggestions- have baggage check in, more people in the race, ten years for age category, loved the apple pie awards and try to support the last person with leaving the signage up for turns or give them a map to follow!

I ran the 5k route with my young daughter. It was her first race and it was a fabulous experience. The route was great with good signage and the volunteers were all so great at encouraging and cheering for her. My two boys also ran the 1k fun run and are so proud of their medals. We will all definitely be back next year!

Overall - 9/10
Course - nice, but tough; as one friend said, ...it is a good thing we don't mind hills.
Post event - this was a bit of a let down, especially being Apple Country with no Cider...

But seriously, tough good route.

My husband ran in the 1/2 marathon and my two boys (5yo and 7yo) ran in the 1K. We had an amazing day! I especially loved how special the kids felt for running. They are incredibly proud of their medals. My 7 year old wants to run the 5K next year. Very well done! Can't wait till next year!!!

It was great to come home to run, and to support Rotary at the same time. I ran the 5K, and the route was nicely scenic. The half route, of course, is lovely - I may plan on running that next year. It was nice to see the children in the 1K as well, so there was something for everyone. Other than the few glitches already mentioned, the organization was wonderful, with a lot of thought put into the planning of the event. For the first year - it was excellent.

Fabulous course and exceptionally well run. From the opening prayer and warm up through to the best homemade jam ever and massages...wow.
Great volunteers and cheerers!! So sweet too.
Thank you

Great race! We had a great time! WIll be back next year!!!

Thank you for a great community run. Being from Toronto I loved the small town feel and support that comes with it. Everything was well organized and everyone was very helpful. The only thing you could improve on is increased participation. How about posting at the private ski clubs in February or March and try to get a rivalry going in terms of numbers participating and times? Also post at Running Rooms ; posting should emphasize the community atmosphere and great scenery in the Beaver Valley.

This was my second year doing the Blue Mountain half marathon and I loved the route this year! Beautiful scenery and rolling hills...so glad the weather co-operated. Thought that it was well organized with lots of volunteers at water stations. It was great to see kids helping out too. Like a few others, I would also have liked a water bottle at the end but the popsicle hit the spot too. Most of all I loved how the race started off with a word of prayer!

Great course, atmosphere, food and volunteers. The pizza really hit the spot. I would suggest water bottles be offered at the finish and inside with the food. I would also suggest the port-a-potties be in three places, not only two. My girlfriends and I will definitely be back for this race and the apples!! Great job by the organizers.

This was my first half marathon, and I really enjoyed it. The hills were challenging, but not too challenging. The scenery was lovely. Appreciated all the folks out along the route cheering us on. Lots of water/Gatorade stations. Lovely finishers medal. Good food after. The only thing I would suggest is to increase the number of age categories - a span of 20 years is too much, I think. Most other races I have done have 10 year spans.

I did the 5 km race with my two young daughters. Not only was the route scenic and beautiful but the race itself was extremely well run and organized. There were a lot of officials on the course making sure no one got lost and offering a lot of encouragement. The race started right on time and after the race there were so many yummy things to eat to help restore our energy. Can't wait to come back and maybe try the half next year!

I ran in the 5km and had a great time. Beautiful weather, beautiful course. Very well marked, no confusion even with all the turns. Can't help but count your blessings on this course! Also- a selling feature- prizing for top three finishers in each age category in both races is a medal AND an apple pie. Apples galore!
From a spectator perspective it was nice to have a comfortable indoor place (arena) to sit and wait out of the wind and for runners to relax in after the race to eat a big yummy lunch provided!
I agree with the above comments that the awards should have been presented sooner, or at least an advertised time as to when they would be.
Loved it, will definitely be back next year!

Hey! This was my first time out - I came with a group of ladies who usually head to Picton for a race but we decided for a closer to home event this time. It was an awesome route - totally want to run it again. My suggestion for improvement would be to have water bottles available after the race instead of the water jug as it was difficult to keep going back to refill the cups we were given. Also, it would be really great to have water available at the post-run food station inside the community centre.
Last suggestion: Closing roads if possible? Other than that, it was amazing, and would definitely come back. It was my favourite race that I've run so far in the last 4 years! Thank you for all the hard work and amazing volunteers - everyone was so welcoming! Loved the baskets of apples :)

Great event and good route. Hills are our asset so the challenge of having them is fine. you could reverse route next year and would be fine. the run day was great .. volunteers, organizers .. all of it was very very good. felt well looked after and happy to run in this event. the only thing to improve in my mind is the pre-event stuff .. make map bigger and work on the participants sections .. i wanted to collect more sponsors and initially found hard to let any potential sponsors know how to do that.

I loved your race! I did the 5k...didn't know a soul there and have never had more fun at a race where I knew no one before! Everyone was so friendly, the food was plentiful and wonderful! And, being the only female in the 60+ category made it all the better!!! So much fun. Thank you, thank you, thank you to all the wonderful volunteers! See you next year -

Nice new 5 km course. Great venue. Well organized.

Suggest you hold the awards sooner after the completion of the 5 km race. Many folks had left by the time they were presented.

This race was so very well organized! The volunteers were amazing. We were very well taken care of. I'm from Toronto and opted for the blue mountain half over the scotia bank half which were both scheduled on the same day. So happy I did! The scenery was beautiful, running alongside a vineyard... wow. I'll be back next year and hopefully beat my record!!

This was a great event - beautiful course, challenging enough to be tough but the hills are manageable and the second half is blissfully net downhill. The volunteers, post-race food, and atmosphere were wonderful. Water stations at the bottom of a couple of the hills was a bit tough if you were running through them (choose between carrying the water farther up the hill or having a tougher time breathing while drinking and running uphill), but were very well placed otherwise and might not have been any issue for people walking through the station or not breathing as hard as I was at that point, LOL, and the cheers by these volunteers were wonderful. Everyone I spoke to was very friendly and helpful. The top 3 gender finishers got a pie in addition to a numbered medal - very nice touches!! I would highly recommend this event and would do it again.

we travelled from Mississauga and we are really glad we did was a very well organized race.hills were a challenge will be back next year to run it faster

Really well organized, super friendly volunteers and lots of cheering along the route! Beautiful route through the lovely towns of Thornbury and Clarksburg then into the country-side. See you next year for sure!!!

This was a really well marked course, with lots of aid stations! The scenery was beautiful and volunteers were motivating and fun along the way. The course was challenging but definetly one I would do again. My only suggestion would be to better outline where to get the chips. Thanks for a great race experience!

This was my first half marathon and it was a superb experience! Great signage, a lot of encouragement from the volunteers along the way, healthy food afterwards, whenever you needed water - a station was within eye shot, excellent challenge! Keep up the good work everyone! I'll be back next year (with a lot more hill training under my belt).

For their first year in Thornbury, this was a very well run race. Lot's of water stations. Gatorade and water were well marked. There was a good selection of healthy post race food. Great volunteers and lots of spectator encouragement along the way.