Over the past few Global Running Days, we’ve felt the urge to give back a little more to the running community. So for 2025, we hit the streets of Toronto with New Balance Canada to offer everyday runners a shot at free shoes—with one catch: they had to beat Canadian Running writer Marley Dickinson in an 80-metre race.
We set up the challenge at one of Toronto’s most popular running spots, Queen’s Park, hoping to draw in nearby runners. What we got was a lineup of challengers—from people out on their lunch jogs to strangers in office wear.
Knowing we’d see a wide mix of abilities, we gave each competitor a five- to 10-metre head start. The rules were simple: if they crossed the finish line before Dickinson, they won a pair of New Balance shoes.
To keep things fair (and fast), our writer was geared up in New Balance’s latest carbon-plated racing shoe, the SuperComp Elite v5, dropping in Canada in August.
The results? A few photo finishes. Some false starts. And at least one challenger who definitely ran track in high school. Out of eight runners who stepped up, two managed to outrun Dickinson and win the coveted prize: New Balance shoes.
If you’re unfamiliar with Global Running Day, it’s an annual celebration of the sport, held on the first Wednesday in June. The purpose is simple—get people of all ages and abilities moving, whether it’s a solo jog, a fun run with friends, or, in this case, an all-out 80-metre sprint against someone you’ve never met.
Huge thanks to New Balance Canada for helping us make this challenge happen, and to everyone who showed up and made sure Dickinson’s hamstrings felt it the next morning.
