It was advertised as being a one-of-a-kind event for runners promising to light up Toronto’s night sky. Instead, the GloToronto 5K, 10K and half marathon has left several runners who signed up demanding answers and refunds.Benjamin Khadem signed up for the race back in January when he was looking to expand his running goals.“Last year I did a 10k and it was really fun, so this year I said lets up the ante and do a half marathon,” he said.He came across the GloToronto website online which had photos and videos of what looked like an electrifying event – runners with glow sticks and DJ parties at the finish line.“I was like this GloToronto one looks really cool – it’s at night, there’s glow sticks – lets do it,” Khadem said.He paid $115 to register for the advertised race date of August 22 but after not receiving any email confirmation as it got closer to the date, he grew suspicious.According to the website, runners were scheduled to pick up their bibs at Toronto’s Metro Hall. Khadem, who had a bad feeling about his registration, decided to call Metro Hall to confirm before he made the trip there.“I got the head of security and he said ‘we have all these people coming in to pick up bibs but there’s no bib pick up at this location,’” he said. “I put two and two together – no emails no bib pick up – it’s not happening and it didn’t, there was no race,” he said.He then searched online to find several other angry runners sounding off on social media.“I don’t know how many people are affected but I imagine thousands. I’ve seen so many things on Facebook and Reddit where people are saying ‘is this real? Is this a scam?” he said.Khadem and others emailed race organizers but got no response. He later discovered the website is now advertising a new date for the race: October 4 at Sir Casimir Gzowski Park.“They did this with no email contact whatsoever. They changed the site without telling anyone and they expect people to believe that its real.”Speakers Corner found out there doesn’t appear to be any event happening in October either. To conduct a race this size, organizers must first get City permits and City staff told us while permits were initially filed for Sunday, October 4, the event organizer has since cancelled the application to hold this event. Despite that, at the time this story aired, the GloToronto website is still up and running, actively advertising it and allowing runners to pay and register.CityNews also discovered that the glitzy photos and videos of DJs and runners on the website all appear to be stolen from a legitimate event that was previously held in the U.S.The issue is now on the radar of Toronto Police who confirmed they are investigating claims of fraud, but so far no arrests have been made.CityNews tried multiple ways to reach out to the race organizers, but our emails were not returned.Toronto Police offered tips for runners to be cautious when booking races.Before registering:Search the event name along with words such as “reviews,” “scam” or “cancelled.”Check whether the organizer has a verifiable history of holding previous races.Confirm that the venue, municipality and permitting authority recognize the event.Look for established sponsors, timing companies, charities or running clubs, then verify those relationships independently.Be cautious if the website lacks a real organizer’s name, address, telephone number, refund policy or detailed race route.Don’t assume an event is legitimate simply because it appears on a popular running calendar. Listings may be submitted by third parties without being independently verified.Pay by credit card whenever possible, as it may provide chargeback protection.Save the registration page, receipt and confirmation email.Khadem, who paid for his registration with a credit card is now working with his bank to get the charges reversed.In the end, he and the friend he signed up with did their own private half marathon the day they were supposed to do the GloToronto race.He’s now setting his sights on the next goal.“Next year we’ll probably do a full marathon but get a legitimate place this time,” he said.If you have a story, question or issue you’d like to sound off about, contact us.