Team WakeWater Runs to Montreal!

Our Journey Across 641 KM: Team WakeWater Takes on RUNTOMTL! 

Last month, Team WakeWater took on RUNTOMTL, a massive relay covering 641 kilometers, all the way from Toronto to Montreal. Sixteen teams gathered to tackle this journey, racing day and night through 67 legs from Toronto’s Nathan Phillips Square to the top of Mount Royal in Montreal.

For us - 11 runners and three first time support members - it was a journey we’ll never forget. Together, we pushed past our limits, putting our trust in each other and embracing every grueling kilometer.

The Route

RUNTOMTL was unlike anything we’d ever done. The distances between legs varied from 6 to 14 kilometers, and with one runner always on the course, there was no time for breaks. We had to keep moving, no matter what, rotating through stretches of 30-50 kilometers before the next sub-team would pick up. Each time we passed the slap bracelet, we knew we were one step closer to Montreal.

The Rules

• One of us had to run the first and last leg.
• One of us had to be running at all times.
• That’s it.

The Team - Newcomers With Heart

Our team of 11 runners (Scott, Andrew, Mitch, Nick, Enzo, Tom, Everett, Rhys, Brett, Cody, Chris), and incredible support crew (Jenny, Valerie, and Wayne), had never faced a race quite like this. Yet with each step, we found a fierce determination and commitment to push through together until the end. We split into three sub-teams, covering longer stretches before taking quick breaks to recover and refuel.

Race Highlights

One of our most intense stretches was the last 18 kilometers before a critical 4 PM ferry deadline. If we missed it, we’d lose our lead to the team trailing us by just 20 minutes. So, we dug deep and ran far faster than planned, catching the ferry with only minutes to spare. That night, our rivals inched closer, and we felt their presence as they closed in to within 500 meters. Somehow, we found another gear and pushed on, each of us hitting speeds we didn’t think we had in us. By the time we crossed into Quebec, we had regained a comfortable lead and enjoyed the last 60 kilometers, knowing we’d just conquered something special as a team.

1. Self-belief is everything. Each of us found new strength as we ran, and that belief kept us going.
2. Competition pushes us forward. Knowing another team was right behind us drove us to dig deeper, finding energy we didn’t know we had.
3. It was an honor to support every team in this race. Each team was fueled by WakeWater and we’re very proud to play a small part in their success.

After 47 hours and 19 minutes, we finished RUNTOMTL in 4th place with an average pace of 4:26/km. As we crossed the finish line, we reflected on what we’d accomplished, realizing this journey was about so much more than running. It was about community, resilience, and what we can achieve when we step outside our comfort zone and push beyond our limits.