Toronto Challenge 2015

A big shout out and congratulations to the huge team of staff, family and volunteers of Dixon Hall Neighbourhood Services that took part in the Toronto Challenge last Sunday.  This annual event - comprised of the choice of a 5 km run, a 5 km walk and a 1 km walk - benefits agencies serving seniors in downtown Toronto.

I have been a volunteer with Dixon Hall since 2006, beginning as a meals on wheels runner and eventually becoming a board member.  The agency serves seniors, as well as kids, families and people of all ages, in the downtown Toronto core.  

This year, our agency put forward a massive team of 98 participants - 

some of them are pictured here.

The morning started off cool and cloudy - perfect for a run.  The skies opened up about five minutes before start time and soaked many of the runners, but we wouldn't let our spirits be dampened.  Happily, the rain tapered off within ten minutes and soon the sun began peeking through the clouds.  

The course is almost a rectangle shape, with a long, gradual incline north up University Avenue, east on Wellesley and then south again on Bay Street.  It makes for some speedy times and I was happy to squeak in a new PB of 18:24 (official time) for the distance.  To my pleasant surprise, that also placed me 11th overall and third in my age category. 

Monster and me celebrating at the after party.

Our final fundraising tally is still being tabulated, but suffice to say, this year's Toronto Challenge was a resounding success for Dixon Hall.  Looking forward to next year!