Posted: May 30, 2005

Athletics: Nike draws a crowd of more than 10,000 runners for RUNTO 10k

TORONTO, May 29 /CNW/ - From the Beaches to High Park, Markham to Mississauga; more than 10,000 runners gathered on Toronto Island to participate in the Nike RUNTO 10k, May 29th. The neighbourhood taunts that started the campaign, such as "Hey Greektown, you invented the marathon. So what's 10k" and "Bay Street, just to clear things up, 10k is a distance, not a bonus", united the runners who soaked in the ambiance and formed friendships with fellow participants.

"The great thing about RUNTO is that it inspires so many people that have never thought about taking up running before to get out there, lace up their shoes and hit the pavement," explains Derek Kent, head of Corporate Communications, Nike. "It's great to see so many people out for RUNTO and donating shoes to the campaign for a great cause."

Nike RUNTO 10k lived up to the promise of delivering attendees more than just a 10k run. Along the run route musicians livened spirits with rhythmic beats and inspiring vocals from a choir chorus to good old fashioned rock 'n roll. On the grounds, local DJs spun tunes to keep the energy flowing before the "Who Rocks This Town?" Battle of the Bands began. Ten area bands competed head-to-head to determine the crowd favourite.

Runners that participated in 69 training runs that were held across the city, peered through the crowd to catch a glimpse of the 120 oversize photos of their training runs taken by local photographers on display. Attendees enjoyed six beach sports areas, 24 massage therapists and a 22,000 sq. ft. beer garden.

The island also played host to Toronto's Largest Reuse-A-Shoe bin, standing ten feet tall by six feet wide by six feet deep. The clear glass bin held nearly 4,000 of the more than 30,000 pairs of shoes collected during the campaign. Runners coming to the island were seen with armfuls of pre-loved sneakers that they had come to donate to Nike's Reuse-A-Shoe Program.

The Reuse-A-Shoe program is one of the ways that Nike continues to give back to the community. Through the collection of tired old athletic shoes from any brand, Nike creates a material referred to as Nike Grind. Nike Grind is used to create new sports surfaces from the rubber, foam and upper fabric of the shoes. From hardwood basketball floors to running tracks, it's a win for the environment and a win for the kids who have these sports surfaces donated in communities where they wouldn't otherwise have access to high performance sports surfaces.

"I am so proud to be a part of RUNTO this year," says Perdita Felicien, one of Canada's Olympic athletes. "It is great to come home and see so many people enjoying a sport that is so dear to my heart. Keep it up Toronto!"

The end of the 10k also bids farewell to the running rivals - Bay Street Brat, Urban Suburban, Uptown Girl, Sand Man, Motha Nature and Domestic Diva, who cheered on their training run teams that they rallied and encouraged since early April and wished them the best of luck in their future runs.

While the run isn't a race to the finish line as all participants receive a medal of achievement, there are some finalists to note for their extraordinary efforts. The top finishers included: Graham Hood (31:26.0), Sam Forester (33:22.2) and Jay Brecher (34:26.4) as well as Nicole Rudan (36:40.1), Connie Chow (38:55.9) and Cindy Holcomb (39:38.6).

RUNTO was originally launched in Toronto in the summer of 2003, and returned by popular demand in 2005. It continues to inspire runners of all levels to come out, train and run with other Torontonians. This year, Nike will host similar runs across the globe in New York City, Rome, Los Angeles and Berlin.

NIKE, Inc. based in Beaverton, Oregon is the world's leading designer, marketer and distributor of authentic athletic footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories for a wide variety of sports and fitness activities. Wholly owned Nike subsidiaries include Converse Inc., which designs, markets and distributes athletic footwear, apparel and accessories; Bauer NIKE Hockey Inc., a leading designer and distributor of hockey equipment; Cole Haan, a leading designer and marketer of luxury shoes, handbags, accessories and coats; Hurley International LLC, which designs, markets and distributes action sports and youth lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories and Exeter Brands Group LLC, which designs and markets athletic footwear and apparel for the value retail channel. Nike Canada Ltd. was established in 1984 and is based in Thornhill, Ont. Further information can be obtained at www.nikebiz.com.