Thousands of runners made their way through the heart of the city Saturday for the annual Toronto Waterfront 10K, an event organizers say gets people sweating for great charitable causes.
The more than 8,000 enthusiastic runners gathered near University Avenue and Queen Street to make their way along the lakeshore and end with a party at Exhibition Place's Bandshell Park.
Sasha Gollish was the first woman to cross the finish line, clocking in at 33:03. She describes herself as a "typical, traditional runner" who runs at least three days each week.
Gollish has some words of advice for new runners and those planning to take up running as a hobby or professionally.
"Be easy on yourself. Running is not a forgiving sport," she told CBC Toronto.
"As with any sport, the first three weeks are really a challenge on your body. You feel terrible every step of the way and then, kind of, something magical happens."
Gollish says she follows two simple rules.
"Don't quit, which sounds silly, but if you quit you are not going to get better," she said.
"And two, always try to find a way to fall in love with your sport again, because when you love it and you're passionate about it you find new ways to find enjoyment and enjoy the suffering in a sense."
Meanwhile, two-time Olympian and Canada's second-fastest marathoner Reid Coolsaet of Hamilton, Ont., was the overall winner with a time of 30:11.
Coolsaet says while he's happy with the win, he isn't happy with his time.
"I had a lot of fun but . . . I need to run at least 40 seconds faster," he told CBC Toronto.
He, too, has words of advice for new runners.
"You've just got to take it one step at a time. You want to dream big but you just have to be realistic on what you're going to accomplish next," he said.
"If you hit these incremental goals, you'll eventually get to where you want to [be]."
Toronto Waterfront 10K race is now in its third year and has since become one of the most popular races in the city.