With one of the harshest winters in a decade battering Canada’s biggest city, Toronto’s inaugural BougeBouge Underground 5K on Feb. 16 was a popular escape from the elements, attracting more than 250 runners to the city’s PATH corridor. However, for the top two finishers, the underground 5K turned into an unexpected test of their navigation skills, leaving them lost in the results.
Adam “Tango” Holland, a seasoned marathoner visiting the city from Plymouth, U.K., did his homework before the race, familiarizing himself with the course markings. “At first, I thought it was well-marked—there was tape on the floor to guide us. But suddenly, the tape disappeared. I kept running until I hit a section where the tape blocked my path. A marshal told me to turn left, so I did.”
Little did he know, that turn would cost him his official finish. Abram Hamm of Wheatley, Ont., following closely behind, made the same turn.
The British runner crossed the finish line in 14 minutes, only to realize his watch read well short of the 5K distance. Moments later, results showed Holland and Hamm had gone off course and were disqualified for cutting the route.
Confused and frustrated, Holland argued that he had followed a race marshal’s instructions. “It was odd because other runners clearly made the same mistake, yet they still placed and got prizes,” he later wrote on Facebook. “I believe our fast times were the reason we were removed from the results. It would have been nice to get an apology for the mix-up.”
When Holland reached out for clarification, race officials showed him a photo of the correct course, which reportedly did not match the route advertised on the race website. The officials explained that they had removed two parts of the course (under King Street West and through Union Station), but this alteration made the 5K far too short. Although nothing could be done about the results, organizers assured Holland that they would work on improving the course if the race decides to return to Toronto next year.
The underground race took place in Toronto’s vast underground PATH system, which, for someone not from the city, is a maze-like network of tunnels, shops and office buildings. It ranges around 30 kilometres, which makes it one of the largest underground pedestrian walkways in the world, connecting more than 75 buildings, five subway stations and 1,000+ businesses. It’s an easy place to get lost in, even for a local, let alone someone visiting the city or the PATH for the first time.
Organized by BougeBouge, a Quebec-based non-profit founded by two-time Olympian triathlete Kathy Tremblay, the Underground 5K was designed to promote physical activity—even if that activity included a little unintentional orienteering.
