Blog Posts

Mississauga Marathon, Canada - 2006

5/14/2006

The race that I wasn't supposed to run. The due date for Nadia coincided with the Marathon. So I waited till the expo to register for the race. Even on race day I was praying that she doesn’t go into labor. That morning I drove down to Mississauga and checked up on Nadia a few times before race start. Knowing that everything was OK, I started the race with the cell phone in my back pocket. Throughout the duration of the run, my mind was more on North York General Hospital than the race. It was a blessing in disguise as I completely forgot about the race pain and finished in a pretty decent time. I even came across a Chinese runner who was running in PT shoes (crazy!). After the race, I enjoyed a nice massage and drove home to find Nadia completely normal and no signs of labor. I’m glad I ran the race as Zara was born 2 weeks later!

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Toronto 50K Ultra, Canada - 2006

5/6/2006

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Around The Bay 30K, Canada

3/26/2006

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Scotiabank Lakeshore Marathon, Canada - 2005

9/25/2005

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It was my home marathon but got there late. By the time I found the parking in the exchange tower, the race had already started. The good part about starting late was that the photographers took numerous shots of me! The race was up and down lakeshore avenue, the route I’ve already run during the half marathons a couple of times. However, after the 21K the course took a turn towards the spit which is a lonely causeway down the southern most part of Toronto. (The picture is taken from there, highlighting the entire Toronto skyline). The sun came out midway through the race and it got quite hot and boring. It took me over five and half hours to finish the race and I was happy to finish it my mind wasn't in it in the latter part. The medal was nice but couldn’t get a massage. The good thing was that I didn't have to drive far to go back home!

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Montreal Marathon, Canada - 2005

9/11/2005

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This was the 2nd year in a row that I took part in this marathon. The best part about this year was that the finish was at the 1976 Olympic Stadium. I drove to the race in the morning from Kingston where we stayed the night. I took Yasser’s car with me as my rental car was not insured in Quebec. I got lost as I entered Montreal but found a metro station in the outskirts where I parked the car illegally and got onto the subway, I did reach the Olympic Island on time and had to make a dash to the starting line. The race start was as usual quite impressive with the wheelchair division getting a head start. The course went through the Formulae 1 race track. This time I stopped a bit to view the pit lane. It was a good feeling running on the same course where Schumacher won so many races. The remaining race didn’t have that many interesting things as I ran through the industrial parts of the town as well as some nicer areas as well. However, the end was great as I entered the Montreal Olympic Stadium and there were loads of people there. There was a live video of me on the giant screen as I jogged my way to the finish line. My name was announced on the PA system when I crossed the line and it was a great feeling. The medal was nice and I even got a post race massage. After the race, it took me about an hour to head back to the station where I parked my car. Luckily the car was fine and I drove back to Kingston. On the way I stopped over at KFC for a well deserved meal. I picked up Nadia on the way back and after some rest, we headed back to Toronto.

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Conquer The Canuck Marathon, Canada

7/30/2005

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This marathon was part of the 92.2K Conquer the Canuck Challenge. I only decided to run the 42.2K that was on the 2nd day of the event. It was a tough ultra marathon course held on the Niagara Escarpment in Milton. We had to run up and down the escarpment 4 times to complete the course with the highest point been 300 ft above the starting line. I hiked all the uphill and tried to run most of the downhill but had to be careful due to uneven surfaces and sudden drops. I met some interesting people along the way as most of them were hard core ultra runners in mid fifties and sixties. It took me quite a while to finish the race but was greeted by a cheering crowd when I crossed the finish line. The medal was amazing, a maple leaf with Canada inscribed on it. At the presentation ceremony, I was surprised to find out that I had finished 2nd in my age category and received a bottle of wine. The proceedings finished with buckets of KFC ordered for all the runners!!!!

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Lake Placid Marathon, USA - 2005

6/12/2005

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It was a memorable trip. We all decided at the last moment to drive down to Lake Placid for the marathon. I rented a car from Hertz and drove to Kingston to pick up Mama and Lala. We spent the night in Kingston and left early morning to Lake Placid. At the US customs, we were asked to report inside for an interview. The custom officials were quite nice and impressed when I told them about the marathon. We continued our journey to Lake Placid which took about 4 hours. Lake Placid is a quaint little town nestled between the Adirondack mountain range. It is the home of the 1930 winter Olympics and the race start was from the main Olympic stadium. Our hotel was walking distance from the main tourist hub and we walked along the main street in the evening. For dinner we went to an outdoor BBQ establishment where we had half pound burgers. Later on, we drove back to the city and played the 18 hole crazy golf….which Lala won! The race day was hot and humid with the mercury touching almost 45c. We were advised that if someone is not feeling well, they can pull out at the half way mark. The course itself was extremely hilly. It was twice out and back course and got quite boring in the end. The hill leading up the half way mark as well as the finish line was a killer. However, I never gave up and finished the race in a little over 5 hours. As I was approaching the finish line at the Olympic Stadium, the MC on the public address system said” Please welcome the brave Mr. Ziyad Rahim who’s come all the way from Canada”. It was great finish and Nadia, Mama and Lala were there to cheer me on. The medal was a disappointment, but since it was the inaugural race, I am sure the race directors would improve the shortcomings next time around. After the race, I went for a massage and later that evening, we drove back to Kingston and after dropping Mama and Lala, we headed back to Toronto.

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ING Ottawa Marathon, Canada - 2005

5/29/2005

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On Saturday morning we drove to Kingston with Khalid Noon and Nosheen and had a really nice BBQ at Mama’s place. After spending the night in Kinston, I drove to Ottawa in the wee hours of the morning. I got to downtown Ottawa at least half an hour before race start. The race started at 7am with over two thousand full marathoners under clear blue skies and moderate temperature. The race route was breathtaking. Running along Rideau Canal was a treat and there were plenty of supporters along the course. In the last few kilometers, the runner traffic increased as most of the half marathoners were also finishing their race. The best part of the race was the medal, probably the biggest and most expensive medal I ever got. Post race party was as usual quite nice with plenty of fluids and food around. I drove back to Kingston after the race and after a few hours rest, headed back to Toronto. So after 6 hours of driving and 5 hours of running, I was back in TO around midnight. After all, I am super human!

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Mississauga Marathon, Canada - 2005

5/15/2005

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This was the 2nd edition of the Mississauga Marathon and a much better organized race. The field was much bigger than the inaugural race as more and more people found out how flat and scenic the course is. I even had my name on the race bib. The race started after the national anthem of Canada and a speech from Hazel McCallum, the mayor of Mississauga for the last 40 odd years. The course zig zagged thru all the upscale neighborhoods of Mississauga, including UofT to finally finish at the Promenade Park where the spectators were aplenty. Finishers medal was quite nice and they even had burgers and fries for all the runners.

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Hartwell Half Marathon, Canada - 2005

4/10/2005

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After a long time, I decided to run a half marathon as a preparation for the Mississauga Marathon. Aurora is a small town about half an hour drive from North York. I collected my race kit on a bright sunny day and the race started around 8am. The course was as usual very scenic with mostly rolling hills. With music pumping out of my mp3 player, I jogged along the entire 21.1km at my own pace and finished the race in my usual time. Along the course I met a rookie Chinese runner who was quite surprised how easily I was running the course without any excessive breathing… a compliment, I guess. The finishers medal was the same as I received a few years ago but at least this time I got a nice post race massage.