With the summer track season quickly reaching its conclusion, opportunities to run quick times and meet your season’s goals are dwindling. Blacktoe Running, a run-specialty store in Toronto, is bringing the running community together on Aug. 8 at the Night of the PBs, where you’ll have the chance to chase fast times in a fun and competitive atmosphere. The meet will be held at the University of Toronto’s Varsity Centre–a track with a reputation for fast races.
Powered byBlackToe Running, New Balance and Maurten, Night of the PBs is not just your average track meet. There will be exclusive products from Maurten and New Balance for runners to test out, including track spikes and Maurten’s Bicarb system. The races will be mixed-gendered events, including a 3K, mile, 4x400m relay and an elimination mile to top off the night. Athletes from the Canadian Track and Field League (CTFL) will be featured in the evening’s showcase event: the New Balance x CTFL elite 800m.
What’s an elimination mile?
This unique event will keep runners on their toes. For each of the first three of four 400m laps, the runner in last place is eliminated and will be asked to step off the track. The remaining racers will compete over the final lap to claim the title. Athletes who want to participate in the elimination mile or the 4x400m relay must also be registered in the 3K or mile events.
Why you should check it out
For years, Blacktoe Running has been a staple in Toronto’s tight-knit running community, appealing to runners of all ages, skill levels, and disciplines. “We’ve been wanting to organize an event like this for a while,” says Mike Anderson, founder and owner of Blacktoe Running. “It will be fun to run at Varsity Stadium, and the shorter races will hopefully get people out to watch their friends run. There’s a lot of excitement around trying something new and different.”
Anderson believes there will be more energy around track events because of the Olympics. “It will make watching the events more fun for people because they can try it too,” Anderson says. He calls the overlap of the two events a “happy coincidence.”
The Night of the PBs track event is just two weeks away—don’t pass up the opportunity to try something new and run fast. You can still sign up for the Aug. 8 event here.
