The 2018 Pride and Remembrance Run (my sixth year running this race) was a soggy, SOGGY race.

The day of the race I woke up and I knew it was going to be unpleasant just because there were storms forecasted for the entire weekend (which always sucks during Pride). On the plus side… this was only a 5K race, which meant I wasn’t going to be outside soaking wet for very long. I dread the day I have to do a half marathon in weather like this. Although I’ve done a damp half marathon in Reykjavik, I’ve never fully run a race in flat out rain.

I hadn’t done that well at the Rat Race 1.5 weeks prior, so I was a little anxious about this race. I had hoped that the Rat Race had been a terrible fluke, but in the back of my mind I knew I was pretty much lying to myself. While I’m still chasing that under 26 minute 5K, I figured that I was probably better trained for longer distances at the moment and not so much a 5K.

While I love the vibe of this race, I actually hate the course. I love celebrating everything to do with Pride, but this 5K race feels like a constant uphill battle when you’re looping around Queen’s Park. The downhills don’t make up for the uphills, and I’m constantly catching my breath on this course. (They also moved the damn water station this year and it’s NOT where it’s marked on the map!)

I did push hard throughout this race – and fundamentally I know I couldn’t have run harder. I did my best in the circumstances with the rain – making sure my foot was connecting solidly with the ground and not slipping or tripping on water soaked road markers (those paint stripes are SUPER slippery when they’re wet!) – but alas this has never been one of my faster races.

I clocked in with a time of 26:41 – which thankfully was nowhere near my over 27 minute mishap at the Rat Race.  I’d also like to point out that last year, during the 2017 run, I clocked in OVER 30 minutes, which is by far my worst race to date. I was quite sick, we had gotten stopped by an ambulance that had to go through (which I actually think I forgot to mention in last year’s race recap) and I wore the wrong shoes! So really, my 2018 race felt like a dream in comparison to 2017!

And in looking back on previous Pride Runs, this is actually my second fastest time I’ve completed this particular race! (I managed 26:29 in 2015.). So you know what? That ain’t half bad!

Race Results

• Finish Time: 26:41
• Pace: 5:20 per kilometer
• Overall placement: 365/1320
• Age group placement (Female 30-39 years): 44/228
• Gender placement (F): 93/628