Furry Friends 5K Oshawa
Oshawa, Canada
- 5K, Kids Run
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
New for 2018, the Furry Friends 5K has moved to Oshawa! Run or walk along the beautiful waterfront park, supporting local animal rescue charities. Many of our competitors run with their pets, but that is totally optional. Feel free to bring a wagon or stroller if your pet isn’t up … MORE
Local Historical Weather (Jun 02):
| 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | |
| H (°C) | 20 | 19 | 19 | 25 | 16 |
| L (°C) | 13 | 14 | 5 | 15 | 6 |
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slow and chaotic but lots of fun
This race benefits the Durham Region Humane Society and is well-supported by generous sponsors - this means nice race kits and swag for runners who have pets, especially dogs (see … MORE
This race benefits the Durham Region Humane Society and is well-supported by generous sponsors – this means nice race kits and swag for runners who have pets, especially dogs (see photos).
Race kit pick-up was quick and spread out over 3 days, so there were no queues. The race kit included a shopping bag, a button magnet, a window cling decoration, a squeaky dog toy, a little red reflector/ID tag for a dog collar, a small black triangular bandana for a pet, a larger green bandana for humans or bigger pets, a CD of tunes that the Society sold as a past fundraiser, two packs of dog treats, a coupon for a free trial at a doggy gym, a coupon for a 3-day trial at a fitness centre for humans, a pack of eLoad drink powder, and of course the “Authentic T-Shirt” brand tech tee (it’s the same tech tee as last year, and judging by the many sizes they had left, it’ll probably be the same next year too).
At the race site, many vendors were giving out freebies. These included a food scoop, ball, frisbee, magnet, flashing reflector light, stick-on mobile device screen wipe, dog treats, and a big squeaky toy. Not pictured: Nutrience was handing out full-sized packages of their Grain Free Dry Food.
It turns out that you don’t need to pick up a bib and velcro-ankle-band chip (which you must return) on race day if you don’t want to race, but would rather just walk the course with or without your dog. In other words, if you don’t care about getting an official time, you can follow the route, cross the finish line and receive a finisher’s medal even without a bib and chip. The medal last year was a dog tag on a metal chain – this year it was a key chain.
The actual race was slow-going and chaotic, and was more of a mass dog walk than a race (see photo), with water bowls and dog treat stations along the route. For example the runners who were actually racing, with or without dogs, on the return trip of the out-and-back route had to weave around and barrel through other dog walkers and their pets walking 2-3 abreast on the narrow path. The park was not closed off to the public, so there were many strollers, cyclists, and a few wheelchairs. The crowding amounted to a lot of dodging and running on the narrow strip of grass which was unfortunately steeply cambered.
In spite of the challenges, it was a fun race simply because everyone seemed happy and it was nice to pet a whole lot of random, friendly pooches.
Prizes went to the top overall male and female, top overall male and female with dogs, top team, and top 3 fundraisers.
Post-race food included water, apples, cookies and cereal bars. A nice touch was free race photos and random draw prizes which included round-trip flight tickets to any destination covered by the airline, and an Apple watch. Other details: indoor bathrooms, free parking, no baggage check (but not an issue as the start/finish line is right by the parking lot).